Gillian Anderson as Stella Gibson in an office hallway looking to the left in The Fall.Image via BBC
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Jen Vestuto is a TV Features Writer for Collider. A born and raised New Yorker, she started her career on set as a production assistant for shows like Law & Order: SVU and Person of Interest. In LA, she worked in the writers' rooms for The Vampire Diaries and Nancy Drew. Along with her writing partner, she joined the writing staff of Nancy Drew in Season 2 and stayed on the run of the show, which ended in 2022 with Season 4.
Jen grew up on Long Island in a loud Italian family. She's been writing creatively since she was in elementary school and would often make her younger sister act out scenes from her favorite movies with her. Jen is also a massive sports fan and was an athlete herself growing up.
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When most people think of Gillian Anderson, they immediately picture Dana Scully from The X-Files — and understandably so. Scully was a groundbreaking character, inspiring countless young women to pursue careers in science and becoming one of the most iconic figures in TV history. But the legacy of Scully often overshadows what may be Anderson’s most underrated, and arguably her best, performance.
In the BBC thriller The Fall, Anderson plays Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, a brilliant but emotionally guarded investigator brought in to review a murder case. What unfolds is a gripping, unnervingly intimate character study that feels unlike anything else from its era, especially compared to American procedurals that lean on case-of-the-week formulas. Anderson is the magnetic force at its center.
What is 'The Fall' About?
Set in Belfast, The Fall begins with Detective Gibson coming in to assess a botched investigation, only to realize she’s uncovered the emerging pattern of a serial killer targeting young professional women who share striking similarities. But unlike most crime shows, The Fall doesn’t treat the killer’s identity as a twist. Instead, it reveals the perpetrator immediately to be Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), a mild-mannered grief counselor and seemingly devoted family man hiding a monstrous double life.
This choice transforms the series from a whodunnit into a slow-burning psychological duel. We watch Stella and Spector in parallel as two intelligent, methodical people on a collision course. Rather than relying on shock-value twists, the show builds tension through the inevitability of their meeting, letting us sit in the dread of knowing exactly who the killer is while the police struggle to close in, and wondering how Gibson will outthink him to finally bring him down. Season 3 takes this to another level, pulling off one of the boldest narrative twists in recent crime TV and putting the audience on edge in a way few procedurals ever attempt.
The result is a thriller that prioritizes character over procedural. While there are certainly moments that are chilling, creepy, and brutally violent, The Fall leans far more into human behavior and the psychological complexities of every character involved. Across its three seasons — with not a single weak episode — the series stands out as one of the smartest, most meticulously crafted crime dramas of the decade. And Gillian Anderson is the primary reason why it works as brilliantly as it does.
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Posts 5 By Daniela Gama Jun 17, 2025Gillian Anderson's Brilliant Performance Makes 'The Fall' a Standout
Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson sitting across a table as Paul Spector and Stella Gibson in The FallImage via BBC
Gillian Anderson is extraordinary in The Fall, delivering one of the most layered and riveting performances of her career. Audiences already know she can do everything from the groundbreaking intelligence of Dana Scully and the sexy comedic charm of Jean Milburn in Sex Education, to the icy precision of Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. But The Fall is where all those facets converge into something even richer. AsStella Gibson, Anderson plays one of the most complex female detectives on modern television, navigating a male-dominated world with a level of control and emotional nuance that always keeps her one step ahead.
What makes Stella such a landmark character is the full spectrum of humanity Anderson is allowed to inhabit. She’s brilliant and methodical, but also sensual, wryly funny, lonely, empathetic and deeply vulnerable. She is allowed to be a whole person, which is something most procedural formats simply don’t make room for. While American shows like Law & Order: SVU and Mare of Easttown have more recently embraced this level of character complexity, British dramas such as Happy Valley and The Fall set the standard years earlier. And even among those, no one quite does it like Anderson.
Her dynamic with Jamie Dornan is just as electric, which is all the more impressive because, for most of the series, they aren’t even in the same room. When they finally are face-to-face, it’s a masterclass in acting that’s worth rewatching again and again. Dornan delivers a chilling turn as Spector, even more striking knowing this was before his Fifty Shades of Grey fame, but it’s Stella Gibson who remains the character you can’t help but root for, grounded by Anderson’s extraordinary performance.
While Gillian Anderson’s legacy will always include The X-Files, The Fall represents some of her most masterful work on screen to date. And with Anderson returning to screens this December opposite Lena Headey in The Abandons, it’s the perfect time to revisit one of her finest roles. The Fall remains one of the most underrated crime dramas of the last decade. If you’re looking for a weekend binge that has smart writing, brilliant performances, and Gillian Anderson at her best, The Fall should be on top of your list.
All three seasons of The Fall are available to watch on Prime Video with a Britbox account.
The Fall
Like TV-MA Crime Drama Thriller Release Date 2013 - 2016-00-00Cast
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Gillian Anderson
DSU Stella Gibson
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Jamie Dornan
Paul Spector
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John Lynch
ACC Jim Burns
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Aisling Fanciosi
Katie Benedetto
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Gillian Anderson
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Jamie Dornan
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