Part 2 The Hollow Tree – The episode opens with David Hadderly (Ryan Gage) drinking. Andy Hadderly (Steven Elder) asks if the alcohol is necessary. Intoxicated, David vows to keep Jean Dixon (Elizabeth Berrington) from getting the satisfaction of his arrest. Andy tries to stop him from leaving but he grabs his car keys and heads out the door. DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh) arrives home from work to learn about Jack Farman’s tardiness (Tareq Al-Jeddal) and Geri Farman (Bhavna Limbachia) having to reschedule her interview. Carol knocks the headphones off of Jack’s head and orders him to babysit Meadow while she takes Geri out to dinner. Alex Ridley (Adrian Dunbar) has a therapy session with Dr. Samantha Larsson (Suzanne Packer). He explains how Kate’s face eased his guilt and made him realize that he deserves to be happy again.

At a local restaurant, Geri tells Carol that an older guy, Jordan King (Joshua J Parker) dropped Jack off after school. She claims the guy was smoking cannabis. Carol reminds her that they hung out with rough crowds when they were in school. Geri believes Jack is struggling with him no longer being the center of their attention. She suggests having Ridley talk to him. In another scene, Ross Enderby (Kevin Doyle) watches for Jean to arrive home. When Carol and Geri return home, they find Meadow alone. Carol races outside as Jordan is pulling away. Irate, she scolds him and expresses her disappointment in him. Elsewhere, Ross can be seen lying in a puddle of blood. Jean is on the phone with 999. The next morning, DC Darren Lakhan (George Bukhari) tells Ridley and Carol that Ross died at 4:16am after falling and hitting his head during a struggle. Jean has no idea who would have wanted Ross dead. Carol suggests Ross knew his killer because there are no signs of a forced entry. Carol denies ever locking her door and insists she was the primary target, not Ross. Ridley promises to put surveillance on her house.

Dr. Wendy Newstone (Georgie Glen) shows Ridley and Carol a knife covered in blood found under the kitchen island at the crime scene. Ross wasn’t stabbed. Darren says David’s vehicle was seen about half a mile from Jean’s house before midnight. Sam Hadderly (Eleanor Kirby) convinced David to come to the police station. Ridley informs David that Jean’s boyfriend, Ross, was murdered last night not far from where his car was seen. David admits to driving intoxicated and nearly going off the road, so he pulled over and slept it off. He later drove to Andy’s house. Carol shows him CCTV footage of someone putting the threatening note on Jean’s car. He assures them that it wasn’t him. A short time later, Carol feels DCI Paul Goodwin (Terence Maynard) in on the case. Jean’s house is under surveillance. Ridley recalls Ross being overly protective of Jean. He receives a call from Jonathan Dyer (Jonathan Le Billon) at the Reserves Office confirming that Sergeant Hadderly was at the camp on the night Kathy Hadderly was murdered.

Andy claims David had it out for Jean and when he arrived at his house, he was apologizing. Carol says Andy has been covering for David. She receives a call about Kathy’s missing earring being located in David’s toolbox. While looking at Dyer’s business card, Ridley recalls a similar coat of arms at Andy’s house. He also remembers Lynne Hadderly (Diveen Henry) talking about how men were drawn to Kathy. After speaking with Dyer on the phone, Ridley rushes Carol off to Andy’s house. Lynne tells them that the crest is the Royal Gryphon Guards’ regimental badge. Ridley says Andy was in attendance at the camp near Horsley Wood when Kathy was murdered. She claims to have always known Andy had affairs and found Kathy’s earring in Andy’s jacket. She gives them a phone found where Andy was burning leaves in the garden incinerator. She says Andy planted the earring in David’s toolbox. A short time later, Carol arrests Andy on suspicion of murder. At the police station, Andy denies having an affair with Kathy. Placing a photo of Kathy’s earring in front of him, she says the match was found in David’s toolbox. Laughing, he denies putting it there. A witness saw Andy returning from Horsley Wood at 3am on the night Kathy was murdered. Darren informs them that the burnt phone was utilized to send texts to Sam, pretending they were from Kathy. Shocked to see the phone, Andy professes to have loved Kathy and couldn’t lose her. When Kathy tried to end the affair, he strangled her until she stopped struggling. He denies any knowledge of the threatening note and going to Jean’s house.

David breaks down sobbing when he learns about Andy’s confession. Carol tells Sam that Kathy wanted to make a better home for the two of them. Sam comforts David. A short time later, Jean says Andy convinced her that David killed Kathy. At the police station, Rebecca Haleton (Shamia Chalabi) tells Carol and Ridley that she met Ross at work after a mum had passed away. She claims the abuse started after they moved in together. When she threatened to leave him, he physically abused her. She filed a complaint against him. He took early retirement and relocated to Copelton. Ross had a history of abusing women. Carol questions if Ross was abusing Jean. Darren informs them that the ANPR pinged Ross’s car in the vicinity of Jean’s car. Ridley says Ross wanted to stop Jean from getting involved in the Hadderly case. A short time later, Carol and Ridley inform Jean of the complaints filed against Ross. Jean denies Ross abused her. Darren tells them that Ross planted a tracker on Jean’s car and it shows it was at her house all night. When Carol and Ridley confront Jean, she admits to killing Ross. Jean is later processed at the police station.

Jean says it was easier to lie to Ross than tell him the truth about the Hadderly case. She knew Ross had been following her. When she asked him to leave, he forced her out, and she drove to Folly Ridge. She returned home and told him to leave. He swore that he would kill her before she would make him move out. He attacked her. She shoved him, he lost his balance and fell, hitting the back of his head on the coffee table. Carol places the bloody knife on the table. Looking at it, Jean identifies it as one of her kitchen knives. Wendy says the blood on the knife doesn’t match that of Jean’s. Ridley insists Molly killed Ross. He finds her on the moor. She is happy Ross is dead. She claims he tried to come between her and Jean. In a flashback, Molly finds messages on Ross’s phone where he had been talking to other women. She creates a dating app profile – Mia – and traps him. She refuses to give him her phone. He locks the door. Grabbing a kitchen knife, she says Jean will want to see what he is up to. A struggle breaks out and ends with him hitting his head on the coffee table. Jean is frantic when she sees Ross dead. Back in the present, Jean visits Molly in jail. Molly apologizes and assures her that she will be all right.

Ridley pours Annie Marling (Julie Graham) a drink. He tells her that he accepted Harry Bentham’s (John Michie) offer because she is precious to him. She is taken aback. Later, Jean tells him that she is being charged with perverting the course of justice. She insists it should be her instead of Molly facing a murder charge. He promises to be there for her and Molly. The episode ends.

 

Ridley Review

Ross is a serial cheater and abuser. Molly discovers what he is up to and sets out to expose him. Determined to stop her, he attacks her and tries to take her phone. During a physical struggle, he falls and hits his head on a nearby table. Jean tries to take the blame but Ridley puts two-and-two together. Molly confesses.

Andy tried to pin Kathy’s murder on his brother, David. He convinced Jean to believe David was guilty but Carol and Ridley discover the truth. Andy was madly in love with her and when she tried to call it off, he strangled her to death. Lynne had known for a long time but refused to come forward.

Ridley agrees to accept Harry’s offer to help him and Annie save the bar.

Jack leaves Meadow at home alone and goes out with Jordan. Carol is disappointed in him. The episode deserves a 5.7 out of 10.

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