Expats episode 5 really is the only one you need to watch

The fifth episode, entitled Central, is released on Prime Video today (Friday 16th February) and is a self-contained cinematic marvel in a series that could've been so many things and, well, isn't.

While the rest of the drama pulls you along on a slow-winding journey of grief and unashamed elitism in which our three protagonists Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue) and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) learn absolutely nothing, the penultimate episode of the series shines a deserved light on the background characters of this series – the domestic workers who are at the beck and call of expatriates like Margaret and Hilary in their high-rise apartment complex.

The 96-minute episode is longer than the rest in the series – a feature-length movie in and of itself at that run time – and warrants it as we dig into the lives of those who, too, are navigating the feeling of being an outsider in a city like Hong Kong.

Central was debuted by director Lulu Wang at both the 2023 London Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival well ahead of its release this year, proving it can stand alone on its own merit without the convoluted episodes that sit either side of it in the release schedule.

There's a clear divide in the Hong Kong expatriate community we see displayed in this series, between the lavish lifestyles of those who have moved to take on high-earning jobs and those who have come to work as housekeepers, nannies, cleaners and the like for the former.

The insufferable nature of especially Hilary and Margaret in the series is highlighted by the fact that, while they've been struck by the tragedy of Margaret's son's disappearance and the fallout on both of their lives, they still remain completely entitled in the way they manoeuvre in their day-to-day.

But the reason why episode 5 is so special is because it moves the focus away from the entitled inner world of those women and places us in the richer, more expansive universe of women like Margaret's live-in housekeeper Essie (Ruby Ruiz) and Hilary's "helper" Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla).

Central gives them a voice and goes beyond the homes of their employers to where they spend their days off – shopping or congregated with other female domestic workers in ad-hoc hang out spots in parks to catch up, singing and gossiping about their bosses because they have nowhere else to go. Instead of getting the version of the city (and ultimately, the events of the series) solely through the lens of the protagonists, Expats delivers a more authentic view of navigating life in Hong Kong as we follow Puri and Essie.

We see how the grief of Gus's disappearance has rocked Essie's world but don't get to hear anything about it until Puri - seemingly the only person to have asked her - enquires how she's holding up. We see that Essie is not only a mother but a new grandmother who has moved to Hong Kong to provide for her growing family back in the Philippines, regularly asked by her son when she's coming home at long last.

Contrary to what Margaret and her family may think, Essie is a character that is valued, missed and loved. But we also see how grief – the grief for Gus, her family and her home country – is something she's having to deal with everyday too, minus the dramatic solitary bathtub scenes of Kidman's or the self-destructive behaviour of Mercy. Essie's is a quiet sadness that tugs on the heartstrings, even more so because despite the unequal power balance, Essie really does love working for the Woo family.

Similarly, we get to find out more about Puri outside of just seeing Hilary boss her around. Puri has big dreams of singing, and the episode is delicately framed around a major audition of hers. It's one that she's practising for whenever she gets a moment and is even one that Hilary drunkenly tries to help make her over for, thereby towing the line between friend and employer.

But for both women, as much as we get to flesh out parts of their story beyond the confines of their domestic jobs, the feature-length episode is also heartbreaking, as it reminds us of how people like Puri and Essie are forced to bend and compromise in a world that majorly prioritises women like Hilary and Margaret.

The episode unfolds with the 2014 Umbrella Movement very much taking hold of the city, as we see through the eyes of two students who are divided about protesting over mainland China's governmental grip over Hong Kong. They come at it from different perspectives but nevertheless, as we flit from colourful street protests to police stations, we get important political context for the series which otherwise feels like a claustrophobic bubble centred on these three women.

In conjunction with the rest of Expats, Central is a context provider. It shows that a TV series can certainly be shot in the style of cinema (something you only have to look at streamers nowadays to realise) but on its lonesome, the episode is an example of storytelling done very well indeed.

Is it also a coincidence that Kidman's predictable performance is not as much in the limelight in this episode? I'll let that speak for itself, but more importantly, despite many series often claiming to, Central actually manages to tell the important and engaging story we don't often see on TV – one that you actually wish was at the heart of Expats.

Expats episodes 1-5 are available on Prime Video, with episodes being released weekly. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.