A billionaire's brutal lesson in trust

Tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson, played by Dominic West, offers his lawyer Steven a million-dollar watch to strip to his socks. The stunt reveals Morgan's worldview.

“For people like me, the word trust loses all meaning. There are no lengths to which people won't go.”

HBO's new legal drama premieres October first

War, created by George Kay, follows the divorce of billionaire Morgan Henderson and actress Carla Duval, played by Sienna Miller. It debuts on HBO October first.

Carla sets a honeytrap to catch infidelity

Carla hires a young woman, Flora, to seduce Morgan while he's away. She photographs them together and sends the evidence to her lawyers to start divorce proceedings.

Two law firms take opposite sides

Morgan's old-school firm Cathcarts and Sons faces off against Carla's modern upstart Taylor and Byrne. The firms have history and are incentivized to drag out the fight.

The lawyers are supposed to be the story

The show focuses on attorneys Nick Taylor and Serena Byrne at Taylor and Byrne, and St. John Smallwood at Cathcarts. But even these characters feel underdeveloped.

Too many characters, no clear protagonist

War introduces a dozen lawyers and associates but fails to identify who we should follow. The cast includes inspired choices and wasted name actors in thin roles.

Big ideas surface but go nowhere

The show hints at themes about extreme wealth, gender roles and social media. It depicts lawyers as constant performers. But these ideas stall or repeat without developing.

The ending offers no real insight

War's resolution feels like a shrug. The show invokes timely issues but finds nothing meaningful to say about them, leaving viewers with style but no substance.