Joan: ITV drama introduces a magnetic anti-heroine you can’t help but root for

This piece includes some slight spoilers for the first episode of Joan.

The new six-episode crime series on ITV, titled Joan, begins with The Pretenders’ energetic rock song, Brass in Pocket. This selection is perfect as it instantly establishes the series' mood. When Chrissie Hynde starts singing, we meet our main character—a woman who, much like the song, will soon radiate confidence and a hint of rebellion, even when confronted with significant challenges.

Sophie Turner portrays Joan Hannington, a character whose transformation from a life of poverty to a well-known jewel thief takes place in 1980s London. Inspired by real-life events, the show follows Hannington as she evolves into “the godmother,” becoming the most infamous female figure in the city’s criminal scene.

The opening episode highlights Hannington's desperate situation and the events that lead her down a path of crime. She finds herself in a harmful marriage with a brutal husband who mistreats her and ignores their six-year-old daughter, Kelly. When he flees from the law, Hannington sees a chance to break free. However, she quickly confronts the grim aspects of her reality—dealing with attacks from gangsters to whom her husband has debts and feeling the pressure from undercover officers to betray him.

Due to certain circumstances, Hannington has no choice but to put Kelly with an emergency foster family. This choice becomes even more significant when we learn about Joan's background in foster care, which drives her strong desire to create a better life for her daughter. The bond between them serves as the emotional heart of the first episode. It's what prompts Joan to take her first cautious steps into wrongdoing, starting with stealing a car to see Kelly at her new place.

The first small offense develops into more complex scams. She learns about jewelry by secretly listening to wealthy women, and this eventually leads her to a job at a jeweler’s. This highlights the challenges posed by class differences. Hannington’s knack for copying the speech and behavior of the rich emphasizes how social class can be a performance, hinting at her upcoming achievements in upscale stealing.

Joan confronts the harsher realities of her environment, where the danger of male aggression looms large. From the harsh mistreatment by her husband to the inappropriate approaches from her new employer at the jewelry shop, the series illustrates a world where Hannington's safety is always in jeopardy.

Despite the dangers she faces, these challenges only strengthen her resolve to create a more secure life for herself and Kelly. We observe her taking bolder actions, leading to a pivotal scene where she swallows several diamonds to sneak them out of the store. This act signifies a critical change for Hannington, showing her dedication to her new life in crime.

"Exploring Anti-Heroines In British Crime Dramas"

Joan joins a long-standing tradition of anti-heroines in British crime television, a trend that has been gradually expanding since the early 2000s.

According to Milly Buonanno, a professor specialized in television studies, in her 2017 work *Television Antiheroines: Women Behaving Badly in Crime and Prison Drama*, it wasn't until the early 2000s that the traditional dominance of male characters started to be questioned. This shift was marked by a surge of anti-heroines who ventured into the world of crime, showcasing that women can excel in morally questionable roles, thus challenging the stereotype of female innocence.

Hannington is now part of a distinguished group of intricate female characters that were first pioneered in the 1990s by Jane Tennison, played by Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect (1991). TV critic Rebecca Nicholson notes that Tennison’s impact on contemporary television is often underestimated. More recent examples of this evolution include characters like Alice, portrayed by Ruth Wilson in Luther (2010), and Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer in Killing Eve (2018). Each of these characters has expanded the way women are represented in British crime dramas.

When discussing the process of bringing Hannington to life in a visual format, Turner expressed her fascination with the character of Joan. She described Joan as a deeply layered and remarkable individual, embodying both fragility and resilience. Turner pointed out that while Joan makes some bad decisions, she is nonetheless a character many can connect with, which made Turner eager to learn more about her story.

Turner’s remarks capture the key traits of the anti-heroine archetype—ethical uncertainty, personal struggle, and an unusual allure that captivates audiences, regardless of the character’s imperfections. By highlighting Hannington’s relatability, even amid her “terrible choices,” she touches on the fundamental human element present in these anti-heroine narratives.

However, it's important to engage with these characters thoughtfully. As Buaonanno warns, we should avoid blindly glorifying female characters involved in crime. Just because these anti-heroines exist doesn't necessarily mean they represent feminist progress. Yet, Joan does provide a chance to delve into complex themes like gender, social class, and ethics.

It’s still unclear whether Hannington's story will be a warning or an inspiring tribute to strength. However, what we do know is that Joan will encourage viewers to confront complex moral questions as it follows the journey of a working-class woman navigating her way through the harsh realities of organized crime.

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