He is a philandering(到处沾花惹草的) tech baron; she is a preening(顾影自怜的、自鸣得意的) actor. When they split up, how much of his fortune should she get? The answer to the big question in “War” is: who cares? As a dispatch from the front lines(从前线发回的报道) of duelling spouses and divorce lawyers, the glitzy(光鲜亮丽的、浮华的) new drama flops. It is, however, a telling(耐人寻味的、说明问题的) snapshot of a different conflict—the class struggle—waged here by a revealing figure(由一位耐人寻味的人物在此发起): the working-class villain.
他是个到处沾花惹草的科技大亨，她是个顾影自怜的演员。两人离婚时，她该分走他多少财产？《War》抛出的这个核心问题，答案却是：谁在乎？作为一部从反目夫妻与离婚律师前线发回的“战报”，这部光鲜的新剧彻底失败了。不过，它倒是生动地捕捉到了另一场冲突——阶级斗争——而在这场冲突中冲锋陷阵的，是一个耐人寻味的角色：工薪阶层的反派。
Rags-to-riches fables are staples(常见题材、基本元素) of fiction, from Charles Dickens to “The Great Gatsby” and beyond. Is it possible, these stories ask, to rise above disadvantage and vested interests(超越出身劣势与既得利益), and what does it take to do so? The portrayal of the lower-class outsider as a baddie—in “War” and other recent tv shows—is a striking turn in an age-old narrative, which suggests a fatalistic social mood.(把底层外来者塑造成坏蛋——在《War》等近期电视剧中——是古老叙事中的一个惊人转折，这暗示了一种宿命论式的社会情绪。)
从查尔斯·狄更斯到《了不起的盖茨比》乃至更晚的作品，白手起家的寓言一直是小说的常见题材。这些故事追问：人能否超越出身劣势与既得利益？又需要付出什么代价？而《War》等近期电视剧把底层外来者塑造成坏蛋，这一古老叙事中的惊人转折，透露出一种宿命论式的社会情绪。
The high-powered solicitors(事务律师) in “War” spend lots of time striding portentously(装腔作势地、煞有介事地) in and out of lifts and saying things that only fictional lawyers ever do, such as “See you in fucking court!” One of them, though, is not like the rest. Played by Archie Renaux (pictured), Johnny is a working-class boy who claws his way into(硬挤进去、艰难地爬进) a job at one of the swish(时髦高档的), brawling(好斗的、吵吵嚷嚷的) law firms. He has also landed a posh, devoted girlfriend(追到一位出身名门、死心塌地的女友). You might expect the show’s verdict to be: good for Johnny!
《War》里那些位高权重的律师，大把时间都花在装腔作势地进出电梯，说着只有虚构律师才会说的话，比如“法庭上见，他妈的！”不过，其中有一位与众不同。由阿奇·雷诺（见图）饰演的约翰尼是个工薪阶层男孩，他硬是挤进了这家时髦又好斗的律所。他还追到了一位出身名门、对他死心塌地的女友。你或许以为剧集的评判会是：约翰尼好样的！
