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ARTICLE · 09 NOVEMBER 2026

War Episode 2: Can Mediation End The Divorce War?

Kingsley Napley LLP
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Episode 2 of Sky Atlantic's "War" portrays mediation as a strategic battleground between legal teams, but how does this dramatized version compare to real-world family mediation? This analysis explores the stark differences between television drama and actual mediation practice, particularly for high-profile divorces.

United KingdomLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Connie Atkinson
Connie Atkinson
Claire Wood
Claire Wood

Following my colleague’s blog last week in which she discusses the honey trap in episode 1 of the new Sky Atlantic series “War”, I was intrigued to see what themes would emerge from episode 2 – “No More Nasty Surprises”.

Episode 2 centres around the first mediation session in the contested divorce battle between tech mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) and film star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller). The episode makes compelling television, but it presents a picture of mediation that is far removed from what we see in our mediation practices.

Rather than genuinely trying to settle, both legal teams use the mediation to gather information and identify weaknesses in the other side’s case. The atmosphere is adversarial and litigious, with Morgan’s team saying they will be “pretending to be….. perfectly reasonable to deal with” and “the last thing any client wants is for their lawyer to be reasonable”. Mediation is depicted as a high-stakes strategic game, a “pantomime” with competing

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