At the start of the episode, Pete (Derek Riddell) wakes up Elaine (Siobhan Finneran) and lets her know that he has been called into work. After that, Detective Stephen Fulcher (Martin Freeman) meets with DCC Ray Hayward (John Thomson) who has been accused of something bad. Ray is convinced that he is screwed. He has no idea who is accusing him or what they’re accusing him of. Stephen believes that Ray knows something about the accusations. He admits that he does and they’re sexual in nature. Ray admits he said something about a woman having big buttons due to her physical assets. Before too long, Elaine gets a call from Liam (Jake Davies).

He is worried about Sian since he hasn’t seen her in a little while. Her boyfriend, Kevin Reape (Charlie Cooper), hasn’t seen her either. Meanwhile, Karen (Imelda Staunton) and Charlie Edwards (Peter Wight) speak about Becky coming home this year. Nobody has heard from Sian and this gets everyone worried about her. Ollie (Joshua Parris) plays video games while Liam speaks on the phone with his mother. Steven (Dary Vanhinsbergh) enters the house and speaks with Karen. When Elaine returns home, she finds the police in her house.

They explain that Sian has been reported as a missing person by her partner. Elaine isn’t too worried right now since she believes she could be with a friend or something. Liam speaks with Kevin and learns that Kevin has been calling everyone asking about his girlfriend. Liam gets a call from his mother seconds later while Kevin is questioned by investigators alone. Moments later, Steven takes his mother to the house he purchased. He tells her that they’re going to gut the house and renovate it completely. He tells his mother that he doesn’t want his father seeing his kids. She is worried that Becky will return, visit her father, and not visit her side of the family.

She is still convinced that Becky is going to return home this year. Sian’s father, Mick (Ian Puleston-Davies), plays soccer with his son before receiving a phone call and learning that Sian has gone missing. Kevin tells the investigators about the night before. He explains that he returned home and sent her several text messages. She eventually stopped returning and never returned home. Meanwhile, Elaine is asked about Pete’s relationship with Sian. Stephen returns home and prepares to eat before his phone rings. He is told about Sian before rushing to the police station.

There, he watched CCTV footage and discusses the case with his colleagues. The camera footage shows that Sian leaves the club, turns left, and heads toward the home she shares with Kevin Reape. We jump forward and see the investigators discussing the case. They know that Sian left Suju’s and her phone signal bounced off the Cadley mast about 30 minutes later at 3:24 AM. The phone continued bouncing off of that tower until the battery supposedly died. The group has a search radius of 6.7 miles around the Savernake Forest. Stephen receives a call and is forced to step away.

He is asked about his wish to put a helicopter in the sky. Stephen wants to work around the idea that Sian is still alive and needs to be saved. Then, Stephen tells the man about his encounter with Ray. Elaine speaks with Liam about friends asking if they’ve received any news. She also explains that Pete keeps telling her not to give up hope. A helicopter finds a tent with two people inside. The authorities learn that the individuals are there to get involved in the search for Sian in the morning. Stephen watches as police officers speak with locals outside of the Suju club. He returns home and cleans his shoes. We jump forward again and Sian has been missing for 25 hours.

Steve gets a call in the middle of the night and learns that it would take 25 minutes to go from Old Town to Savernake Forest. In the morning, Pete checks in with Elaine and learns that there has been no news. Elaine tells him that they’ve been asked to do a press conference and plead for Sian’s life. Meanwhile, Charlie burns leaves in his backyard and Karen is worried the neighbors will get angry. Charlie doesn’t care. We see that Karen is still buying gifts for Becky. The couple takes a ride and they stumble across officers searching nearby. They learn about the disappearance. Karen believes that the mom is the one who moved in with Pete the pilot.

Later, Stephen introduces the group to Steve Kirby and Debs. Steve learns that Sian had one serious boyfriend before Kevin. The man is called Max Evershed. Ray tries to enter the station only to find out that his pass has been revoked. He is forced to be escorted into the station by someone else. John runs into Karen on the street. John tells Karen that his father has been well. He claims that they’ve seen Becky a few times. Stephen finds out that about 50 people have showed up to help search for Sian. He agrees to let them help. After that, Steve interviews Kevin.

Once the interview ends, he is convinced that Kevin has nothing to do with Sian’s disappearance. Next, Barlow (Martyn Ellis) is interviewed by authorities. His vehicle was spotted by a camera heading for Savernake Forest on the night of the disappearance. He tells the investigator that he went out to get Monster Munch. He drove nearly 40 miles to get the food he wanted and he is aggressive with his mother. Stephen learns about Barlow a few moments later and is convinced that they need to get a search warrant for him. Mick and the family arrive at Elaine’s house. She is forced to tell the kids about Sian’s disappearance.

Searchers find a pair of knickers in the woods. During this time, Barlow’s house is searched. The officer heads up into the attic and Barlow seems nervous. The man discovers that Barlow has been keeping rats up there because he promised his mother he would get rid of them. When Steve returns to the station, he learns that there is new CCTV footage. Sian is shown leaving and a car in the distance puts its hazards on. It passes by and they notice that the car is dark but they cannot tell what color it is. They wonder if Sian got into the vehicle, which appears to have a sign on the side. Karen and Charlie chat about Becky and her potentially running a club in Bristol.

They attempt to search for Becky that night. They hand out sandwiches to some of the local girls on the street corner and tell them about Becky. Stephen sits down with his wife. Stephen admits he has to believe the girl is still alive so he can save her. The following day, Mike confronts Stephen before the press conference. He tells Stephen that he shouldn’t get involved with Ray because that might get him into trouble too. The family is prepped for the press conference. It begins and Kevin reads a statement to the media. Charlie and Karen watch it on the television. Once Kevin ends, the media gets aggressive with questions. During this time, Steve learns that Barlow has had eight previous convictions.

They’re mostly related to theft and dishonesty but there is on for assault. He doesn’t have a dark car so Steve asks about the cabbie with the history of sexual touching. Steve learns that there has been a call from someone at Devizes nick. Ray has killed himself. He was found hanging in his garage that morning and Stephen just cannot believe it. Elaine says that she felt controlled and manipulated during the press conference. Stephen asks Debs why Ray would kill himself. Stephen is told that he needs to look at Ray as a part of Sian’s investigation. Debs says that Ray gave her a ride home once and he had an estate car with luggage rails on the roof.

 

A Confession Review

I love when the British take these true stories and turn them into television shows. Little Boy Blue was great and I enjoyed Manhunt too. A Confession has some flaws but I am enjoying it so far. The biggest flaw is the stupid camera. Why must the camera jerk around so much? I understand using the jerky camera when the characters are in danger. It can help set the mood and get the adrenaline pumping. However, A Confession uses it way too much.

I wish it would remain steady 85 or 90% of the time. Using the handheld camera effects strategically can be good but they should not be used throughout the entire show. That is disappointing and makes me feel like we’re riding a wooden coaster. Otherwise, I can’t wait to find out where things are going to go. I do not know about the crime so everything is new to me. The opener scores a 7 out of 10.