Episode 3 picks right back up with Sian Gregson (Jill Halfpenny) breaking the news to Alice Haynes (Freya Hannan-Mills) that she is her mother. Their ensuing conversation makes Alice appear unbelieving. Sian, on the other hand, practically claims she’s done a lot she’s not proud of to find Alice.

Nick (Lee Ingleby) and Jessica Haynes (Claire Goose) continue to debate whether sharing the truth about Alice’s adoption was the right decision or not. It soon becomes clear that they also have different opinions on how to proceed from here. Nick wants to speak with Alice while Jess thinks it’s best to give her some space and let Sian be the intermediator. This only makes Nick angrier but he agrees

Jess and Sian discuss Alice over a cup of coffee, but despite Jess’s best efforts, she doesn’t learn much more than the fact that Alice is having a hard time grasping the adoption. When Jess leaves to phone the school with news about Alice’s absence, Nick confronts Sian. Sian basically tells Nick he’s to blame for what’s going on while he not so kindly tells her that his family is none of her business.

When Sian eventually makes her way back to check on Alice, she asks her the ultimate question of why she was given up. Sian doesn’t reveal anything more than to claim that she was manipulated and led to believe she was something she wasn’t. After this confession, Sian immediately rushes off under the guise of having business to take care of. She’s also quick to remind Alice to not speak about her being her mother.

Jess inadvertently meets Alice’s tormentors and learns the shocking news about Sian threatening them. Seconds later she’s with Nick in their replacement vehicle where they have a quick discussion about how to proceed with the insurance claim. It appears that Nick is afraid of getting popped for fraud while Jess is absolutely certain they cannot reveal that Alice was driving.

Aunt Fay (Marjorie Yates) returns home to discover Sian waiting outside on her. After inviting her in, Sian shares the news about revealing the truth to Alice before excitedly laying out her intentions. Fay continues to claim that Alice cannot be Sian’s daughter and eventually becomes hostile. As Fay’s anger grows, she reveals that Sian was a rebellious teenager who would steal her money, sneak out at night, and sleep around with boys. Before Sian becomes outraged herself and runs off, Fay insultingly tells Sian to run back to her doctor. On her way out, Sian takes a set of keys hanging by the front door.

Nick and Jess continue to argue as they return home. After a bit of squabbling, Jess finds herself outside Alice’s door, attempting a conversation. Much to her surprise, Jess makes some headway when she mentions meeting Alice’s bullies and declares them awful. Alice invites her into her room but only continues to insult Jess face-to-face. At one point she tells Jess that her being unable to conceive could have been a message from Mother Nature. By the time Alice asks about her real mother, Nick is outside eavesdropping. He overhears Jess telling Alice that her mother was an addict and troubled person. Nick eventually comes into the room when Jess claims that Alice’s real mother died several years after the adoption. Alice becomes hysterically unbelieving and eventually begins banging on the window for help when she notices Sian pull up outside. Things spin wildly out of control when Sian enters the room and Nick ends up pushing her.

Nick and Jess continue to argue about Sian’s constant intrusion while she comforts Alice. After calming Alice down, Sian phones the cops with reports of a domestic disturbance. Shortly thereafter, Sian requests to speak with Nick alone in his office. Once she starts insulting him and even accusing him of being a pedophile, it becomes clear that she is setting him up. When he raises his voice, she begins banging her head against a family portrait. By the time the cops arrive to intervene, Sian is hysterical and bloody.

Nick is dragged down to the police station where he is questioned by DS Ibrahim (Colleen Keogh). The interrogation plays out exactly as Sian intended, with Nick looking like the violent, abusive husband. It’s even suggested that Ibrahim suspects Nick is abusive of Alice as well when she brings up the car crash. The more Nick tries to blame Sian, the crazier and more violent he looks.

At home, Jess attempts to convince Alice that Nick isn’t a violent man. Alice doesn’t appear to believe her but attempts to apologize for the things she said to Jess earlier. Alice eventually ends up walking out.

Sian continues to muddy the situation further when she returns home and tells Jess that Nick has had a vendetta against her ever since she turned down his advances. Shortly thereafter, Sian appears to be in the middle of packing when Alice enters. Their conversation and Sian’s claims that they have every right to be together suggest they have something planned. Before Alice leaves and although it’s not revealed, Sian confirms that Alice knows how to proceed.

Alice joins Jess in the kitchen where they decide on takeout for dinner. Meanwhile, Sian attempts to break into Nick’s office and open the safe. Despite Alice’s best attempts, bad cell reception leads to Jess discovering Sian trying to break into the safe. She immediately puts two and two together and orders Sian to leave. Surprisingly, she does so without incident but later texts Alice to sit tight. As soon as Sian is gone, Jess tries to reach the officer in charge of Nick’s case.

Much later that evening, Jess still hasn’t had any success with reaching the lead detective on Nick’s case. She soon finds herself in Alice’s room where she is asleep. Jess doesn’t attempt to wake her. Nick manages to convince Ibrahim to let him call Jess. The longer the calls go unanswered, the more impatient Ibrahim gets, until she practically has him dragged back to the interrogation room.

At home, Jess is still attempting to reach Nick at the station, when she’s surprised by both Alice and Sian. Jess immediately becomes upset, leading to Sian physically assaulting Jess and locking her in the front hall closet. After doing so, she uses Jess’ phone to text Nick, telling him not to come home. Although the episode ends with Alice voluntarily leaving with Sian, she appears to have a look of apprehension on her face.

 

The Cuckoo Review

The best way to describe this episode, perhaps the entire series, would be to call it a slow burn. I have to admit that at times, this can be incredibly annoying but I’m getting more pleasure than displeasure from watching. I feel the shorter episodes and miniseries platform, along with the nightly release place hugely in the series’ favor. Once again, I feel the acting is incredible and probably the biggest thing driving the show. Despite the simplistic theme and side stories, the show does a good job of building suspense.

I am still waiting for some shocking reveal, like Sian’s baby dying during childbirth or shortly after. There were, of course, plenty of drawbacks in the episode. First, I don’t really understand why Jess needed to meet Alice’s bullies. Why were she and Nick even at the school? Wouldn’t a simple phone call have explained Alice’s absence? In addition, the detective speaking out of the side of her mouth the entire time was a bit annoying. That said, her silent male companion was even worse.

Couldn’t they at least have given him a sentence or two of dialogue? In my opinion, the episode still deserves an easy 5.8 out of 10, if not a soft 6.

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