The Guardian - Aamna Mohdin
Despite many changes, some issues remain the same in this area of west London
In the last scene of Mangrove, the first instalment of Steve McQueen’s critically acclaimed series Small Axe, the focal character Frank Crichlow is smoking outside his restaurant.
It’s a cold night and Crichlow, played by Shaun Parkes, looks weighed down by the landmark trial he and eight others had just won.
His friend Dolston “Dol” Isaacs tells him: “We might have won the battle Frank, but we’ll see about the war.”
Isaacs complains he can’t cope with another winter in the UK and wants to go home, to which Crichlow replies: “This we home, Dol. The Mangrove.”
Though Isaacs, who is played by Gary Beadle, was speaking of the cold, the scene points to something much deeper – and raises questions about how much has actually changed since then.
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