Gabet leans into the hints of scheming and the sparring with Donna - these are Raven moments. The irony being that I think she took the role in part because she didn't want to play Raven all over again.
I guess they got rid of Chris Holder to make Peter more of a clearcut villain, but, while I had no real problem with Smythe, Holder was a very good fit for the show - likeable and charismatic, with a bit of an edge. Their loss.
The standouts for me were the scenes with Nancy, Ada and Rachel. Nancy is a bit insufferable, but Jane Cameron works so well with Constance Ford and Vicky Wyndham. There's something very natural and very special about Wyndham's interactions with Rachel's loved ones that she never really got credit for. Her scene with Nancy is so natural I almost wonder if parts were ad-libbed. And Ford is just amazing, as always. AW was so lucky to have her and I'm glad, for all the huge upheaval over the years, they always seemed to know that.
Petronia Paley was incredibly moving when speaking about Grant. The guy who played Grant also did a good job in those scenes. Hopefully the second half will pop up somewhere someday. Grant feels like more wasted potential, which happened over and over and over with AW and their black cast in the '80s and early '90s.
It's a bit sobering watching those scenes in the hallway and remembering how many of the characters were killed off.
Acting-wise, Taylor Miller is very good in the marital drama with Catlin, but I can see why viewers wouldn't connect to her. As for Catlin himself - something in the acting and writing has always felt a bit shaky to me about him, to be honest, although I can see why he was so popular.