Note: The following article contains discussion of topics including rape and sexual assault that some readers might find upsetting.
Anatomy of a Scandal spoilers also follow.
Anatomy of a Scandal had some serious twists and turns during its first season, as its court case of an MP on trial for raping a parliamentary intern drove towards its conclusion.
What to Read Next
In the Netflix series based on the novel of the same name, the MP, James Whitehouse, denies rape, and alleges the encounter on the night in question was consensual and part of a five-month illicit affair that often involved them having sex at work. His wife Sophie stands by him in the face of the allegations.
However, political aide Olivia Lytton alleges that while they did have an affair, James forced himself on her while they were alone together in a lift at the House of Commons.
So, what exactly happened? Did the defence lawyers succeed in convincing the jury that Olivia made the allegation against James because she was bitter about their split, after falling in love with him? Or was James found guilty of rape, and did he take advantage of Olivia after assuming consent and ignoring her pleas for him to stop?
And what did Sophie think about everything that happened as the story unfolded in front of her during the trial, throwing her seemingly-perfect life with her husband and two children into doubt?
Here's everything that unfolded as the truth was finally revealed.
Anatomy of a Scandal: The Verdict
After a long and highly-publicised trial, James Whitehouse walked free, after being found not guilty of rape in court. The jury took only four hours to deliberate before returning a verdict, with them likely coming to their conclusion even sooner.
It appears that, seeing as the jury took into account victim Olivia's five-month affair with James, it was successfully argued by the defence that the attack in the House of Commons was a "moment of passion", and Olivia was mad that James had ended their affair.
Anatomy of a Scandal: The Truth
Sadly, while James was found not guilty by the jury in court, he was in fact guilty of the crime of rape.
In fact, he had even done it before during his time at Oxford University, cornering Sophie's study partner, Holly Berry, while she was drunk in the hallway and assaulting her.
While Holly initially allows James to kiss her, he ignores her attempts to stop things going further. In an horrific parallel, James calls her a "prick tease", in the same way he did with Olivia almost two decades later.
Holly later dropped out of Oxford, started life anew, and started going by her middle name, Kate. When she married, she took the surname Woodcroft – as in the same Kate Woodcroft who had been fighting for James's conviction in court.
Sophie begins to piece together that Kate and Holly are the same person after hearing from an unconfirmed source that Holly had been attacked by James, before noticing her rigorous note-taking on colourful Post-it notes while in the courtroom.
However, instead of aiding her husband and alerting the courts to her discovery, she remained quiet, and only further cemented her doubts that James was telling the truth.
Sophie eventually confronts James about everything that had actually happened. While he continues to insist his actions weren't rape, he doesn't deny that Olivia's recollection of events were the actual truth. That she did tell him to stop, and he ignored her to continue the act anyway.
Horrified, Sophie realises that James had long-used trick tactics and subversion of truth in order to hide his guilt. Because "Whitehouses always win". As a result, her entire life has been a lie.
Anatomy of a Scandal: The Fallout
Now knowing the truth about what happened, Sophie packs up the kids and leaves James, despite his protests.
She later reconnects with Kate/Holly to discuss what actually happened to her on that fateful night back in Oxford.
The women bond over their shared fury at the lack of justice James has received. But Sophie then delivers the ultimate upper hand – she has a way of finally seeing him get brought down for something, even if it's not a rape conviction.
Sophie tells Kate about James's ultimate secret, the night of the ball, and the Prime Minister's attachment to James after helping him cover up his heroin use and hand in the death of one of the Libertines, an exclusive society of rich university students.
So while James may not have been convicted of either rape, there is a chance he may end up in prison for something – or have his and the Prime Minister's career and reputations tarnished as a result.
And in the final moments, James is seen being taken away by police.
Anatomy of a Scandal season 1 is available now on Netflix.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism.
She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News.
Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover).
With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer.
She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.
