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Clip description
Writer Evan (Samuel Johnson) types in his room. His story, heard in voice-over, describes a woman’s decision to return from 12 years of solitude in the mountains, after deciding it was 'now or never’. He is interrupted by Will (Joel Edgerton) calling him from the next room.
Curator’s notes
The character of Evan acts as something of a Greek chorus in the series. His voice-overs are frequently used to establish an episode’s theme, as occurs here, and interject at intervals to provide reflective commentary on the action. Occasional voice-overs from Deborah Mailman’s Kelly function in a similar way (and replaced Evan entirely when Samuel Johnson left the series). Evan’s voice-over is often portrayed as an excerpt from his writing, inviting comparison with the Carrie Bradshaw character on US series Sex and the City (1998-2004), a contemporary of The Secret Life of Us that shared similar preoccupations with lifestyle, relationships and sexuality.
The theme 'now or never’, while most clearly applied to the Evan-Alex story-line and the question of whether they will get together before Evan’s departure overseas, is also used to advance the story of several other characters.
