At the start of the episode, we jump back in time and see Karen (Imelda Staunton) with Becky who insists she wants to get off the drugs. Becky complains about the pain she is experiencing from the withdrawal. She becomes angry and spits at her mother. When Karen wakes up, she finds Becky using the drugs that she had hidden away. Karen steps outside and tells Steven (Darcy Vanhinsbergh) and Charlie (Peter Wight) what happened. Soon, they learn that Becky has escaped her room and is running down the street. They agree to go after her. Elaine (Siobhan Finneran) drives down the road with Sian. Becky runs out in front of them and Sian makes a joke that she might be trying to get away from her mother.

We jump back forward to March 22, 2011 and Sian has been missing for 3 days. Elaine takes Aiden to school and the staff promises to keep a careful eye on him. DS Steve Fulcher (Martin Freeman) visits Ray’s partner. Steve learns that Ray thought people were gunning for him and he started wearing disguises. Moments later, Steve learns that someone has walked into the station claiming they killed Sian O’Callaghan. The man is interviewed and it becomes clear very quickly that he was not involved in the kidnapping or murder. Steve tells his partner that they need to seize Ray’s computer because there are some emails they need to look at. After learning about the pretend murderer, Steve tells Bob to go ahead and charge him for wasting police time.

After that, Steve speaks with his boss about investigating Ray. Peach (Faye McKeever) lets Steve know that the knickers did not belong to Sian. Steve wants a VOD search of the Toyota Avensis Estates registered in Wiltshire. The CCTV footage was viewed again and it shows what appears to be a patrol car passing by. The officer asks Steve if the car might’ve been fitted with ANPR. It does and the footage confirms that the white thing on the car is a taxi decal. The person driving the car that Sian supposedly got into was a cab driver. The car is indeed a green Toyota Avensis Estate. The registered owner of the vehicle is Christopher John Halliwell and the car is registered with Five Star Cabs in Swindon.

With that, Christopher Halliwell (Joe Absolom) becomes their primary suspect. The investigators learn that Halliwell has a few prior convictions with the last one for robbery in 86. He has no history of violence or sexual assault. They have discovered that he turned off his GPS about a half mile from Old Town High Street. They’re going to be forced to put old-school surveillance on his vehicle. Steve alerts the group that he wants to continue looking at it as an abduction. Christopher is followed. Karen speaks with a friend about Sian’s mother. Karen is invited out but she insists she wants to stay behind in case Becky returns home. The officers are told to stay with Christopher until the end of his shift.

In the middle of the night, he gets out of his car and throws a bag into the garage. The investigators dig it out and find seat covers and a perfume bottle inside. During this time, Pete (Derek Riddell) returns to Elaine. He discovers that Elaine has a lump on her breast and he encourages her to visit the doctor about it. Steve is told that they’re fast tracking the testing of the items thrown away by Christopher. He is asked if they should bring in him right now but Steve doesn’t believe that would be a good idea. Later that night, Steve returns home to his family while the investigators continue following Christopher. He receives a call and learns that they lost him.

He tells them to continue looking for him and they eventually find him. They also discover something burning on the side of the road. The fire is put out and the item in question in bagged as evidence. The following day, Steve tells Peach that they’re going to release several press releases pretending they’re close to finding Sian and apprehending a suspect. Pete and Elaine get a visit from one of the detectives. They learn that things are happening and they might have a possible suspect. However, they’re not sure whether Sian is still alive. Steve tells the team that they need to get Christopher’s DNA so he puts together a plan to do just that.

They watch CCTV footage of Chris in a convenience store. He takes his items and places them over the picture of Sian so he doesn’t have to look at her. Next, we see that the detectives have been spying on Christopher from the neighbor’s house across the street. Pete learns about the update from Elaine. She becomes upset when he asks her about the doctor’s appointment. Two detectives go to Christopher’s house and pretend that they’re testing all cab drivers. Chris cooperates and agrees to give his sample. However, he breaks down and starts crying before handing it over. He explains that he was just thinking about his girls. Steve is shown the burnt item that was found on the side of the road.

Part of it looks like a flower and Sian was carrying a bag that had a large beige flower on the front. Steve learns that Chris claims he was done and home by 1:30. They believe this is a lie since his GPS was shut off at 2:14 and his vehicle was spotted on High Street at 3 AM. When Steve learns about the crying, he tells his team to follow through with their plan but go easy on him. Two detectives are picked up by Chris a short time later. They begin speaking to him about Sian while the radio mentions that the cops are getting close. Steve seems a little nervous but he doesn’t say anything out of the ordinary. Steve is questioned by his bosses. They want to make sure that he is doing the right thing.

They’re worried that Christopher will off himself and Steve will be charged with manslaughter. They side with Steve suggesting that his methods are best for getting Sian back alive. That night, Christopher doesn’t leave so the investigators believe that he might have killed himself. Elaine sleeps with her son while Karen calls around to various clubs to inquire about Becky. In a flashback, we see that Karen paid for and helped her daughter by the drugs. She also experimented with them so she should find out why Becky loved it so much. Steve and the others become more concerned. Peach makes a suggestion that Sian might be held in Christopher’s house but he doesn’t believe it.

He also believes that breaking down the door and searching the house would create problems for them. After a few more scenes, we jump forward to the 24th of March of 2011. Christopher finally leaves his house and he is followed again. They follow Christopher to the chemist where he picks up four boxes of paracetamol. They believe that he is going to kill himself with the acetaminophen or a type of Tylenol. This convinces Steve that he needs to be arrested so he cannot kill him. Christopher is arrested a short time later and the event is recorded by locals. The video gets back to Liam and the family soon. Steve wants to speak with Chris before he can get a lawyer.

At the episode ends, he meets up with the police car and begins questioning Christopher.

 

A Confession Review

I enjoyed this episode of A Confession and thought it was better than the first. The camera work is still erratic and too jerky for me. Still, the story is compelling and I am very eager to find out where things are going to go. The main actors and actresses are great too. I love the backstory with Karen and Becky. That was very deep and raw. I love these shows based on true events and real people. A Confession has its fair share of flaws but I like it.

I will keep watching and waiting to find out the truth. The episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of A Confession before you go!