warning spoiler alert... even though the title says it all :) At first thought I wondered how are they going to pull it off. It really does sound Boring. But after watching the first episode I was hooked. I guess it didn't hurt I like all the actors and they all did such a great job and the writers did a outstanding job on the script.This is almost like watching my family. I think there is one in every family that allows their kids to get away with everything. And the breast feeding lol thank goodness not in my family but I have seen this and in public. Not for me thank You. I think Harry just did what most of us would like to do with children like this :) Not that I am condoning to ever hit another persons child. But there were times when I felt like it. The story is around The Slap but it is much more than that. One episode left for me to watch. Win Lose or draw... I think everyone is going to lose on this one. If you are on the fence on watching The Slap. Try it you'll like it!!

At a birthday party a hot tempered guy slaps someone else's kid. The family and friends involved line up on different sides as the incident snowballs. The kid was tearing up flowers and swinging his bat around dangerously. His parents didn't really keep him in check. So the questions are did he deserve to be slapped at all and if so by someone other than his parents? It's interesting because there are some out of control kids these days - so what is the proper way to deal with them and who is going to do it if the parents do not. Is physical discipline right or wrong? Each episode is from a different character's POV and has a different feel. So it depends whether you find that week's character interesting. Don't really care for Hector's (Peter Sarsgaard) character. Seems a bit slimy and unlikeable. Anouk (Uma Thurman) as a single friend was more interesting. So was Manolis (Brian Cox) the patriarch. Harry (Zachary Quinto) as the A type slapper was quite interesting too and he is quite convincing in his role. The baby sitter Connie was a bit of a drag.Overall worth a watch to see how it pans out by there are some not so good episodes that may cause you to lose interest.

This plot is so disturbing that reviews are going to be as much about whether you agree with what the characters did than your opinion of the art itself. So let me start by saying obviously the writing, directing, and acting is superb to trigger such emotions in the viewer. But, now, on to my opinion of the slap itself. The boy swinging the bat was clearly mentally disturbed, quite possible autistic. Slapping a mentally disturbed child accomplishes nothing positive. There were a hundred ways to protect the other children without hitting anyone, including sucking it up, being the adult, and taking a blow yourself then grabbing the bat out of the kid's hands. But, ironically, the brute who slapped the kid did make the most cogent remark in the episode when he stated the obvious, which is that the disturbed kid's parents were unfit to raise a child. It was their job to defuse the situation instead of ignoring it until another adult had to step in for them. But, and I cannot emphasize this too much, all you reviewers who think slapping a mentally disturbed child is appropriate need to seriously seek psychiatric counseling.

Having just watched the Australian version of "The Slap," I was interested in seeing how the US version would compare. It was quite a disappointment. The Australian version was cast much better & key story elements were developed much better as well (for example the tension and chaos building up to the slap was perfect in the Au version, but completely unbelievable in the US version). Regarding Casting: Jonathan LaPaglia, who plays Hector in the Au version is a much better fit. Also Alex Dimitriades as Hector's Cousin Harry in the Au version is a much better fit as the sort of short tempered hot- head.There are many great actors in the US version- but they are unfortunately either cast in the wrong role (in a few cases) or do not work for this series at all (most cases). Thomas Sadoski is a talented actor, but is an example of miscasting. He could have been a decent fit as Hector, but not the correct fit for the role of Gary. Peter Sarsgaard and Zachary Quinto are also talented actors, but do not work for this series at all. I guess I have to also question the directing. The entire initial episode was completely rushed, disjointed, and simply not believable. (Case in point- the tension between Quinto & Sarsgaard seemed almost joking rather than heated). I think both are good actors, so the problem is likely one that falls to casting or directing?There are many other problems I could mention but suffice it to say- If you are at all interested in this series, skip the US version and watch the AU version..... Or at the very least, watch the first episode of each and see if you agree (It will only take 1 episode of each to make up your mind).