As this episode of Dead Hot begins, Elliot (Bilal Hasna) enters a house and yells for Peter and Jess (Vivian Oparah). Elliot finds what appears to be a severed finger. Five years later, Elliot hangs out with his boyfriend. He messages Jess to ask her to tell him to chill because he’s in love. Elliot sits down and sends a picture of his neck to Will (Marcus Hodson) to say he marked him. When Elliot gets home, he asks Jess to ground him and remind him it’s only been one date. He thinks they’re destined to meet. Elliot admits he is seeing Will again today. He wants to bring Will home to meet Jess. She forces him to go through every detail of their date. Before she leaves, Elliot says a part of him still feels like he’s cheating.

She tells him not to do that because her brother would’ve wanted him to be happy. Once he is alone, Elliot sits around and thinks about his date with Will. He checks his phone and notices he hasn’t received a response from Will. Meanwhile, Jess considers downloading a DNA matching app. Once she installs the app, she finds out that a DNA match is waiting. User32894 is a match, but that user has no information about themselves. She is eventually brought back to reality by a customer. Jess gives it to her for free. Her boss tells her the malachite is coming out of her money. Jess tries to get in touch with the DNA app user. Elliot texts her to say Will hasn’t texted back.

He remembers that Will said he had to work today. Jess tells him not to text him again. Jess receives a message from her DNA match. The match says he’s who she thinks he is. They ask whether she is who they think she is. Elliot has a nightmare about a severed hand. He still hasn’t received a message from Will. Francine (Penelope Wilton) calls Elliot to complain that Aunt Bonnie is acting up again with her invisible friend. Francine admits she is embarrassed and profoundly ashamed. She is also worried about him because Janelle says he’s been showing up late to his shifts at Le Bark Bark. Elliot claims Janelle just wants a reason to talk to her. He says he was late one time because church ran over.

Francine believes him and sends him 500 pounds for the church. After the call, Elliot contemplates texting Will again. He remembers Will taking him somewhere after they left the pub. Elliot goes out and says hello to Raphael. When Elliot leaves with Jess, she asks about the time he hooked up with Raphael. He wishes she’d let that go. He complains about Will not texting him back. Jess urges him to trust the connection they found. Elliot confesses to telling Will everything about Peter. Jess tells him about the match on the DNA app even though she promised they’d never do that again. Elliot insists Peter is dead, but Jess reminds him there was no body.

He says he’s trying to move on because that stuff isn’t healthy anymore. As he heads to work, he keeps thinking about Peter. Jess contacts the DNA guy to say she wants to meet. He sends her a location and tells her to be there at 4 because he’ll ring on the red phone. Jess looks up Baby Teeth and tries to learn more about the venue. She tells Raphael she is taking the afternoon off. At work, Elliot asks Janelle (Rachael Elizabeth) to take up problems with him instead of his grandma. A man complains about the way they shaved his dog. He believes he knows Elliot. He thinks Elliot is the weather guy and the pants guy. Elsie tells Elliot about the cat left out front while he finds out more about the weather guy in question. Seeing the cat makes Elliot sick.

In the bathroom, he contacts Will and asks about meeting later. He takes a picture of the cat and tells Elsie he has to go. Elliot calls Jess to ask about the lockbox key because it’s an emergency. Elliot yells that he saw Marvin. Jess goes into Baby Teeth and waits by the red phone. Elliot gets drunk while struggling with the lockbox. Once he gets it open, he finds pictures of himself and Peter. Some of the pictures have Peter, Elliot, and the cat together. Jess answers the red phone and asks whether it’s Peter. The caller doesn’t say anything. Jess notices that the user has deactivated their account. She goes home where she tells Elliot she shouldn’t have said anything about the DNA app. Jess admits she let herself get her hopes up.

Elliot can’t do that because it’s like his brain won’t let him. She feels like she’ll die if she believes he’s gone. Elliot complains about Will not texting him. Jess knows this stuff isn’t healthy anymore so she needs to stop. Elliot tells her about seeing Marvin today. They go back to his workplace where they learn the Heavenly Tails shelter picked up the cat about an hour ago. They decide to check the CCTV to see who brought the cat in since the shelter is closed. They break into Janelle’s office and find the person who dropped off the cat. They see a mask and Elliot says it’s the worst picture of himself. Jess questions whether someone is messing with them. Elsie tells them the police are on the way and Elliot is fired. At home, Jess learns more about All X & Y which runs the DNA app.

Elliot remembers Will asking who hurt him. He tells Will how Peter disappeared and they never found his body. His cat was gone as well. Elliot sends him a message saying he’ll go screw himself. Will apologizes before asking Elliot to come over. In a flashback, Elliot remembers Will taking him to Baby Teeth. In the present, Will tells him to let himself in. Elliot finds a camera in front of a bed. He discovers a finger on the ground.

 

Dead Hot Review

The opening episode of Dead Hot was okay although it quickly turned into a variation of other British shows. Some parts of the episode were more interesting than others, but it feels like the story is going to fall into the same trap as so many other British crime dramas. Dead Hot has a quirkiness to it that doesn’t always work. The only scene that was genuinely humorous was the guy complaining about his dog’s haircut at Elliot’s workplace.

This isn’t a series that should be taken seriously so that may actually be a plus for viewers looking for something to kill a few hours. It’s too early to say how well Dead Hot will turn out. Based on the first episode though, it probably won’t be a memorable experience and more viewers will probably hate it more than like it. The opening episode had a few interesting moments that may just justify watching a few more.

It scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of Dead Hot can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Discuss this show and others at the Reel Mockery Forum.