# The Honourable Woman (2014)

> A British-born businesswoman who inherits her father's arms company turns it toward peace in Israel and the West Bank and is swept into an international political storm.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54513

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, thriller, crime
- Created by: Hugo Blick
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Rea, Lubna Azabal, Katherine Parkinson, Janet McTeer, Lindsay Duncan, Eve Best, Andrew Buchan
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3021686/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, grave, morally uneasy, atmospheric

## What critics say

Audiences rated the miniseries positively, praising its intricate political thriller plotting and lead performances while finding its sprawling Middle East conflict storyline demanding.

## Synopsis

The Honourable Woman (2014) is a British national-television political thriller miniseries created by Hugo Blick for BBC Two. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Nessa Stein, the daughter of a Zionist arms procurer who watched his assassination as a child. Now she inherits his company and tries to turn its operations from weapons toward laying data cabling between Israel and the West Bank, a project that wins her a seat in the House of Lords and draws her into an international political storm. Stephen Rea, Lubna Azabal, Janet McTeer and Tobias Menzies join a cast of intelligence officers, diplomats, and business rivals whose loyalties shift as the stakes rise. The eight-episode limited series builds its engine from competing agendas: Nessa wants reconciliation, while the people around her want leverage, secrets and control. Each hour peels back another layer of a tangled web of governments, families and corporations. The tone is tense, grave and morally uneasy, with long quiet conversations giving way to sudden violence. Viewers who enjoy Homeland, Spooks or Fauda will find resonance in its blend of personal stakes and geopolitical intrigue, and the story rewards close attention throughout.

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