The story opens at Holloway Women’s Prison on July 13, 1955, at 8am. Joy Okoro (Gloria Obianyo) delivers Ruth Ellis (Lucy Boynton) a tray. Ruth thanks her. Hearing a loud noise outside her cell, she nearly drops the teapot. Albert Pierrepoint (Tim Potter) is taking measurements in preparation for her hanging. A woman arrives with a vial of medicine and a syringe. Joy says it will calm her. Ellis declines the medicine. Albert continues to take measures of the area. Putting her makeup on triggers a flashback of her doing the same before stopping at The Magdala in Hampstead. David Blakely (Laurie Davidson) and Clive Gunnell (Jack Staddon) are leaving the pub when she approaches, calls his name, and shoots him. Distraught, Clive asks why she had to kill him. April 10, 1955, Easter Sunday, Ellis is booked into jail. Later, DCI Davies (Joe Armstrong) and DI Gill (Adam Lawrence) question Ellis about Blakely’s murder. Blakely’s body is being held at Hampstead Mortuary. She admits her guilt and claims to be confused. In a flashback, Vicki Martin (Rowan Robinson) helps Ellis with her lipstick before she goes to an interview. Morris Conley (Christian Patterson) compliments Ellis’ hosting skills but warns that only a few girls with her background are successful. She assures him that she will. He lays out a scenario for her to resolve.
At a diner, Vickie tells Ellis about her new boyfriend sending her a lavish bouquet from Dorchester’s Florist. She offers to introduce her to the recently divorced Lord Astor. Ellis declines her offer. Vickie says she would only have to give him a weekly spanking. Ellis caps her hands over Andre Ellis’ (Sidney Jackson) ears. Seeing Desmond Cussen (Mark Stanley) staring at them, Vickie confronts him. Upon leaving, he assures them that he wasn’t eavesdropping and says he may visit Carroll’s Club tonight. Ellis tells him that she is working at the Little Club. He walks away and returns with a comic strip for Andre. She follows him outside and invites him to join her for a drink. Later, Ellis tells Desmond that she and Georgina Ellis’ (Raye Cooper) father are separated and Andre’s father died. He says his father’s business was successful until he took it over. She bumps into Blakely on her way to the bar. He mistakes her for the hostess. The bartender informs her of Blakely being a racecar driver.
Ellis is in the interrogation room. She claims to have become furious with Blakely when he went drinking with friends and a woman, instead of picking her up as promised. Gill asks where the gun came from. She says a man, who she doesn’t remember, gave it to her three years ago for protection. Davies asks if it was her intention to utilize the gun to kill Blakely when she put it in her bag. She says yes before telling them about leaving Andre alone at home. Later, Gill and Mrs. Winstanley (Annie Miles) enter Ellis’ flat to find Andre asleep.
John Bickford (Toby Jones) receives a call and later arrives at the jail. Ellis tells him that she cannot afford to hire a solicitor. Scanning her case file, he sees she signed a confession without the advice of an attorney. She says it was her intention to shoot Blakely. Intervening, he asks if the police treated her well. She says yes and explains how she became enraged when Blakely and his friends laughed at her and hung up on her. Yesterday morning, there was still no contact with Blakely, so she decided to kill him. Bickford suggests she imagined him with another woman and lost control. She says no, it was the first time she saw things clearly. He asks if she has ever been treated for mental instability. She denies being cuckoo. He stresses the importance of exploring every line of defense. She openly admits to killing Blakely and believes she deserves the same. Upon returning to her cell, Ellis appears to have some anxiety.
In a flashback, Ellis greets Vickie and Cooch and orders them champagne. She pours Desmond a drink and turns around to find herself face-to-face with Blakely. Recognizing her from their previous encounter, he says she looks different and offers to buy her a drink. She tells him that she runs the club and pours him a drink. Taking a sip, he says she added too much tonic. She suggests he go to Carroll’s Club. He claims to spend most of his nights at the Steering Wheel Club. She tries to play down his profession of racing cars. Desmond watches them from a nearby table. Blakely asks if she is dating him. She suggests he cares because he came there for her and calls him a spoiled brat who spends his daddy’s money. He grabs her arm and assures her that he tends to get his own way. Seeing Morris, she walks away. Later, Desmond invites Ellis and her children to lunch. They settle on the zoo. She is preparing to leave when Blakely returns. They get intimate.
Bickford studies Ellis’ case file. Later, he asks Davies if the gun was dusted for fingerprints. Davies says there are six witnesses to the shooting, so whose fingerprints would be on the gun. Bickford disputes Ellis’ claim that it was kept in a drawer for the last three years because it is oiled and in perfect working condition. Davies explains how Ellis shot Blakely at point-blank range and urges him to convince her to plead guilty, so the family doesn’t have to endure a trial. In the courtroom, the Magistrate (Jonathan Tafler) informs Ellis that her plea date is 10 days from today. Later at the prison, Bickford asks Ellis who gave her the gun. She accuses him of representing her because The Mirror agreed to pay her legal fees in exchange for an exclusive interview. He says someone put her to this and she is protecting whoever gave her the gun. During an assessment, a nurse discovers a bruise on Ellis’ leg.
In a flashback, Ellis and Blakely leave for Surrey as Desmond arrives with a bouquet. They were supposed to take her children to the zoo. Desmond looks up to see Andre looking out the window. Later, Blakely introduces Ellis to Clive, Carole Findlater (Bessie Carter), and Anthony Findlater (Ed Sayer). Carole tells Ellis that she and Blakely had an affair. In the present, Muriel Jakabait (Maddy Hill) urges Ellis to plead insanity. Ellis says it was her intention to kill Blakely and will not lie. Bertha Neilson (Amanda Drew) asks what will come of Andre. Ellis claims to have made arrangements for him to be cared for but refuses to say with whom. Later, Bertha tells Bickford that Ellis can be very stubborn. Bickford says there is nothing to build a defense. Arthur Neilson (Tony Wadham) claims Blakely hit her. Bertha says Ellis’ ex-husband, George Ellis, also abused her. Once alone, Muriel tells Bickford that Ellis miscarried with Blakely’s baby.
In a flashback, Desmond and Morris watch Blakely and Ellis make up in the pub. Blakely starts to leave and trips on a chair. Ellis looks as he is getting to his feet. Blakely pulls her out of the pub. Later, Morris confronts Ellis about her inappropriate behavior. She tells him to go home to his wife. Jamming the door with his foot, he suggests Blakely has no idea she charges 10 quid a night. Blakely threatens to have his father report him to the commissioner of Scotland Yard if the late-night visits don’t stop. Morris orders her to clean the pub. Blakely expresses his desire to live with her, wraps his hand around her neck, and demands she stop seeing other men. She gasps for breath. In the past, Bickford reads aloud the injuries Ellis sustained at Blakely’s hand. He hit her in the stomach, causing her to have a miscarriage. He asks why she never told the police. She says because they never asked. He says if Blakely did something to cause to lose temporary control that can be a defense. She remembers Andre saw Blakely strangle her. He accuses her of lying about taking a taxi to The Magdala. She ends their meeting. Learning Desmond regularly sends Ellis flowers, Bickford pays him a visit. Later, Bickford confronts Ellis about Desmond admitting to giving her the gun and dropping her off at the pub. She insists he is lying. He warns that it is his legal duty to report it to the police. She agrees to plead not guilty if he will leave Desmond’s name out of it. He reluctantly agrees.
Ellis calls Jacqueline Dyer (Audrey Brisson) to check on Blakely. In a flashback, Blakely tells Ellis that he only wants her. Desmond visits her flat and shows her Blakely and Mary Davidson’s engagement notice in a newspaper. Blakely and Desmond have a few words. Ellis asks if he is engaged. He claims to be doing it for his mother. She suggests he there to hide from his mummy and calls him a frightened little boy. He punches her in the stomach. In the present, Ellis writes a letter to Mrs. Blakely, blaming Carole and Anthony for her and David’s deaths. She begs her to forgive him for being with her. She claims they were very much in love but he could never be content with one woman. Ellis remembers holding a sobbing Blakely’s head in her lap. Desmond tosses spent gun cartridges in the canal.
Bickford thinks back to his conversation with Ellis. He urges her to tell the police that Desmond gave her the gun. She agrees to let him fight her case in court but Desmond’s name must never be mentioned. In the courtroom, Ellis pleads not guilty. Later, Bickford tells Ellis that Desmond is a witness for the prosecution. He warns that they will try to destroy her on the stand. She vows to betray no one. Later outside the courthouse, Davies vows to see that Ellis is executed. Bickford asks why the Crown called Desmond as a witness. Davies declines to respond. Later in a transport vehicle, Ellis makes eye contact with Desmond.
A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story Review
The series is a disgrace to all the German children who died during WWII. For that matter, all victims of war. The show demonizes Ellis and Blakely when not pushing viewers to sympathize with them. It’s impossible to relate to any of the characters,
The story doesn’t flow naturally due to the overuse of jump cuts and amateurish editing. It progresses too quickly and only skims over crucial details of her life. Ellis’ true story is fabricated and fictional characters are added to fit the narrative. In this case, deceptive storytelling does more harm than good for the victims on both sides of the case.
The cinematography is subpar at best. The directing and writing aren’t much better. The episode deserves a 4.2 out of 10. Get more A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story recaps here. See what others are saying here. Learn more about our advertising packages by clicking here. Support our site by clicking the link.