First Posted 9 May 2023 as part of Kate and Anthony Week
Leading into season two much discussion online was around which of the book scenes would be in the show, and one that all fans were keen for was the scene in the library during the storm. In the book this was a scene that forged a connection between Kate and Anthony, so many were disappointed when that scene didn't happen in the show, but should the scene from the book have been transplanted to the show as it was? I think it is mixed, yes and no.
In the book this scene has Kate hiding under a desk almost catatonic from the storm and Anthony calms her down and comforts her, the scene is completely about Kate's vulnerability. Would the book scene have worked for Kate at that point in the show? I don't think so, but I do think we should have seen a variation of it to show Kate's growing vulnerability, as her facade is being cracked bit by bit.
In the library scene in the show we have Kate looking for a book to read to help calm her down during the storm, we learn they unsettle her and her father used to read to her during the storms, and now she reads as it reminds her of him. She says this to Anthony after he finds her in the library, this should have been expanded on, but instead it switched back to Anthony's trauma with Kate asking about his father. During the conversation we see as Kate's understanding of Anthony grows, we see Kate begin to know him, not through dialogue but through the incredible acting of Simone Ashley and her facial expressions.
And this is where I feel the show has let down, not only the viewers, but Kate as a character. During the season, on numerous occasions, we only had the expressions by Kate to tell us of her emotions, it is a rare thing when an actor can tell the viewers how the character is responding emotionally with only a small expression and not dramatic actions or screaming, and this is a skill that Simone Ashley has.
For anyone with a deep seated fear or phobia they learn to cope if they have to, panic attacks are often pushed off in order to deal with what needed to be done, and this is something that Kate would have had to have done for the eight years since her father's death. Kate was the sole caregiver, and as such wouldn't have been able to show weakness or to be able to not be present as she dealt with her fear. Kate would have developed coping strategies over those years to deal with her fear of storms, but the fear and panic will still reside inside, and can be shown via facial expressions, and body language, something we didn't really get that well from the show, but something that I believe Simone would have been able to portray very well if she was able to.
Whilst I do not believe Kate was at the point of being completely broken and vulnerable by episode four, and would not have been almost catatonic under a table, she was slowly becoming more vulnerable. I believe at this point of her emotional journey she would have shown some panic, and vulnerability during the storm - at least more than just flinching at the thunder. In my opinion, it was at this point they could have used the storm for Anthony to have a moment to not only gain more understanding of Kate, but to be able to offer her some small comfort. Just as Kate recognised Anthony's panic attack during the bee sting scene in episode three, and provided him comfort and calmed him, the writers could have had that in this scene in reverse.
Simone would have easily been able to portray Kate's growing panic, and her inner turmoil as she pushed that panic down without a lot of weighty dialogue. The missed opportunity is this, and then the opportunity of Anthony recognising this in her and offering to read to her as her father did. I believe if the show had gone this route it would have satisfied the spirit of that scene in the book without Kate being out of character for the show. As Anthony comforted her in the book by talking about Aubrey Hall, he could have done so in the show, first by reading, and then perhaps by it turning to a conversation about their respective fathers, or just about their fathers, using this as an opportunity for Kate to have learned more about Anthony, but also for Anthony to learn more about Kate. It is this moment that Kate should have been able to begin opening up more, and shown herself as being more vulnerable.
In my opinion this scene in the library, whilst a lovely scene, was a missed opportunity for the show. Not only did they lose the opportunity to show the growing connection between Kate and Anthony, they missed the opportunity to give the viewers more information on Kate and her family, and they missed the opportunity to really show Simone's incredible acting range, from stoic and strong to her being much more vulnerable.
