‘War’ Series-Premiere Recap: ‘It’s Done’

Key Points:

• HBO’s legal drama War centers on a high-stakes divorce between tech mogul Morgan Henderson and Hollywood star Carla Duval, focusing less on emotional fallout and more on the ruthless legal battle between their lawyers.
• Lawyers Nick Taylor and Serena Byrne represent Carla, aiming to break Morgan’s prenuptial agreement and maximize her financial gain, while Morgan’s team at Cathcarts & Sons prepares a counterattack, highlighting the strategic warfare behind divorce proceedings.
• Johnny Warner, a talented but troubled lawyer from a modest background, becomes a key figure as both firms vie for his allegiance, illustrating themes of class struggle and ambition within the legal world.
• The show sets up Carla as the sympathetic party against a privileged, unaccountable Morgan, but hints at potential complexity and reversals in their portrayals, with personal complications like Carla’s son and Morgan’s social-media business adding layers to the conflict.
• War critiques both the wealthy elite and the legal professionals who manipulate them, exploring the cutthroat nature of contemporary divorce law and the personal costs for those involved.