The ending, which might have made a serviceable starting point for a second half, feels trite and unsatisfying. That said, the pairing of Cumberbatch and Macdonald is terrific.

The time motif plays an important and almost supernatural role in the story, but its effects are more poetic than anything.

There is hope, there is another side for those left behind, and for The Child in Time it is hard won, but builds to this conclusion deliberately and beautifully.

...a lackluster adaptation of a rather disappointing McEwan work.