The Killing of Sister George

June Buckridge is adored on-screen as Sister George, but off-screen she is ribald, cigar-smoked, and frequently inebriated. Her long run on Applehurst makes her fear she could be written out as several colleagues are killed off. This insecurity strains her relationship with her live-in lover, Alice.

Alice relies on June for finances and emotional support, creating a power dynamic in the relationship. June is domineering and possessive, alternately affectionate and abusive. The tension grows as June becomes jealous when Alice interacts with others.

Alice challenges the contrition game June insists on. She refuses to kneel and eat a cigar butt, pushing back against June's control. This rebellion underscores the fragility of their volatile relationship.

A joke about Sister George dying prompts June to walk out on a script reading. She gets drunk and forces herself into a taxi with two young Catholic nuns, then sexually assaults them. The taxi crash in a busy intersection draws complaints from the nuns' Mother Superior and the Archbishop.

Mother Superior and the Archbishop complain to the BBC, forcing the network to act. Mrs Croft, a powerful producer, visits June at her home to lecture her about her behavior and her attitude at work. She makes clear that June's future depends on an apology and reform.

Mrs Croft's interest in Alice grows, complimenting her cooking and encouraging her poetry. This attention fuels June's jealousy and insecurity, adding strain to their already volatile relationship. Alice remains drawn to the potential professional boost that Croft offers, complicating loyalties.

At the next script reading Sister George is temporarily written out due to illness, a move that seems to punish June. The writers hint that she may not recover, heightening the sense of professional jeopardy. June watches anxiously as her fate on the show rests on this change.

June's spirits lift when the next script shows Sister George has recovered and returned to riding her scooter. The comeback underscores June's on-set importance even as her private life remains volatile. She savors the return but the underlying tensions refuse to fade.

June and Alice attend a party at Gateways lesbian nightclub. She jokes about inviting Mrs Croft, signaling a bridging but tense link between their private life and the network. The evening hints at how power and affection collide in their world.

Mid-party, Mrs Croft arrives to tell June that Sister George will die by being hit by a ten ton truck; June storms off in anger. The moment deepens the clash between June and the people controlling the show. The threat to her role amplifies the personal tensions.

Mrs Croft invites Alice to meet to discuss her poetry and writing ambitions. The invitation hints that Croft wants to recruit Alice professionally or romantically. The tension between loyalty and opportunity weighs on Alice.

On June's last day of filming, Alice lies that she cannot meet for lunch because she is busy at work. June, feeling betrayed, sabotages scenes and tries to drag out filming. She discovers that Alice lied to her to meet with Mrs Croft, deepening the rupture.

At the farewell cast party, June makes a scene, insulting a senior network executive, pouring drinks over a colleague, and exploding when Mrs Croft offers her a new role as the voice of a talking cow on a children's puppet show. She confronts Mrs Croft and Alice, who leave the party together and return to the flat. The public confrontation cements the rift between them.

Mrs Croft persuades Alice to leave and stay with her for one night to avoid June's wrath, and they end up having sex in Alice's bedroom, with Croft offering to help Alice's writing. The liaison marks a definitive shift in both their lives. June is left behind to confront the consequences alone.

Left alone, June wanders onto the deserted Applehurst set, destroying equipment and props while uttering moo like a cow. The moment reframes her self image and signals the collapse of her on-screen authority. The final image is of a broken performer in a ruined world.