The show begins with footage of George Varga (Fenyo Ivan) getting knocked out with what looks like a trophy. Barbara Curtis (Indra Ove) asks if the suspect is believed to be Natalie Varga (Charlie Murphy). James Alden (James D’Arcy) says he supposes it is her. Barbara points out that Natalie was only detained for questioning, not convicted of murder.  He explains how Natalie chose to stage the crime as a break-in. The only item reported missing from the home was the murder weapon. She questions the purpose of a lamp in the video footage. He asks her to clarify. She identifies it on the screen. He assures her that the lamp will not even be noticed. She asks who recorded the crime scene. When he says Terry, she reminds him of how he was fired while working on a commercial about butter.

In exchange for a bigger budget, he offers to hire her a better photographer.  He informs her of their meeting with a criminologist and the victim’s friends and neighbors. She asks the purpose of George’s visit. He explains how George buys and sells artwork. She questions whose name is on George’s will. He describes it as complicated. Looking at several newspapers, Barbara explains how she believes the press is drawn to an “evil woman.” He says the press and readers are drawn to evil, regardless of gender. She says it helps that Natalie is beautiful. He tells her that the Vargas’ home surveillance system was turned off on the day of the murder. Shocked, she asks about George’s activities before he was killed.

He describes Natalie as a raver who married an older wealthy man. Leaning toward Barbara, he says Natalie flirted with the arresting police officers. She asks if the accusations were from the police who gave her access back into the home. He says there was nowhere for her to go because she was no longer close to her mother. She suggests he do a story on Natalie that is not so trashy.

James joins other journalists in front of Natalie’s home. A car pulls up and a driver gets out to open the door for Natalie. She makes eye contact with James before getting in the car.

James and Barbara watch Natalie’s press conference. A journalist asks Natalie if her cellphone was off when George was killed. Barbara suggests Natalie tell the man to screw off. Natalie refused to answer the question. A female journalist asks why the home surveillance was off. She doesn’t answer the question, just stares into space. James is convinced she is guilty.

James makes several phone calls to determine if any of Natalie’s neighbors has surveillance footage of the night George died. He listens to a newscast, with Natalie’s mother, Mary Sewell. The journalist explains how Sewell didn’t speak well about her daughter. A connection linked the Varga family to a deceased drug dealer.

James has a dream about someone cutting off a lock to a storage unit. He is awakened by a call from Barbara. She informs him that Natalie’s attorney requests a meeting with James.

James arrives at Natalie’s home. A man records him as walks through the security gate. Mrs. Molnar (Anamaria Marinca) escorts him inside the home. While he waits for Natalie, he does a bit of snooping. Part of the way up the stairs, he sees Natalie wrapped in a towel. Mrs. Molnar asks if needs something. He claims to be looking for the restroom.

Natalie explains how she is having difficulty sleeping. He apologizes for her stress. She tells him about the press conference, where her attorney advised her to not answer “hostile questions.” She describes her behavior as a “rabbit in the headlights.” She asks where he would recommend having the interview. While they talk, Mrs. Molnar delivers refreshments. After they are introduced, she informs him that all communications will go through her. He promises to approach the interview carefully. Mrs. Molnar tells him there will be no cameras inside the house. He suggests a meeting with her attorney. Natalie says Mrs. Molnar will oversee her legal affairs. She asks him about his former investigative journalism. He explains how there is no budget to support in-depth investigations. She describes the police detectives as “useless” because they have already pegged her as the killer. She offers him an interview for finding her husband’s killer.

Barbara what he thought of Natalie. He describes her as being nice. She offers to pull some strings to help him out. He assures her that they will do whatever Natalie asks to get the interview. She asks his opinion on Natalie’s guilt. He points the finger at Natalie who he refers to as a “bloody actor.”

James works on Natalie’s case.

He introduces Natalie and Barbara before they discuss the interview process. He suggests Natalie talk a bit about her childhood. She says Bermondsey is her birthplace. She and her twin grew up in a single-parent household. She never met her father. Her brother, Oliver committed suicide four years earlier. When he asks why Oliver took his own life, she refuses to answer. Natalie explains how the information can help build a profile, so readers to get to know her. She tells them that Oliver was an addict, with a lot of debt. After she stopped bailing him out of trouble, he committed suicide. She met George while visiting Hungary for work. She says they were both interested in Archaic Etruscan ceramics. She speaks lovingly of her husband.

He asks her directly if she killed George. She professes her love for her husband and wants his killer caught and punished. Natalie isn’t happy when Mrs. Mulnar stops the interview without notice. When James emerges from the building, Natalie asks if he got enough material for the interview. He tells her the interview would be better without a minder. She admits Mrs. Molnar helps keep her calm. He demonstrates how to massage acupressure points in her hand to ease stress. She holds out her hand. He rubs his finger across her palm. She invites him to her home for dinner to discuss the interview.

Mrs. Molnar informs Natalie that their agreement was for her to keep the interview tapes. She refuses for the interview to continue unless James investigates George’s case. Natalie reluctantly hands over the interview footage. Mrs. Molnar tells James that he is scheduled to meet Vera Dorati (Nina Senicar) before proceeding with the investigation.

Natalie blames Mrs. Molnar for how the profile is being handled. James says Natalie is holding the purse strings. She tells him that Natalie cannot just expect him to solve the case. He is focused on timing the trip from Vera’s place to Natalie’s. She repeats Natalie’s comment about wanting him caught and punished. She asks why she refers to the killer as a man. It took them almost 30 minutes to make the trip. Vera refuses to discuss George’s case, with Natalie present. He asks her about Natalie and George’s relationship. She claims to have been with Natalie when George was murdered. He asks if George was part of her friend circle. She describes George’s world as “boring.” He questions if she and Natalie were sexually involved. She admits to sleeping with Natalie before she got involved with George.

He comments on a painting that is a duplicate of the one at Natalie’s. She says Natalie commissioned her to paint it. She shows him a smaller painting that appears to be a body, with a bloody head. She explains how Natalie possibly predicted George’s death.

When James returns to the car, Barbara points out a man who stands in front of a chain-link fence. She says he has been there for about five minutes. James recognizes the man as being in front of Natalie’s house. She says maybe George’s friends hired a private investigator. The man walks away when he starts the car.

Toth (Brian Caspe) returns to his car. He looks at James’ business card. When James emerges from his apartment, Toth is there in his car. He trails James when he pulls out.

James asks Natalie about her activities on the night of George’s death. She claims to have spent the night on Vera’s sofa. The next morning, she tried contacting George but no answer. She claims to have gotten a coffee upon returning home the next morning. She tried calling George’s phone again, but he still didn’t answer. A housekeeper discovered his body about 30 minutes later. She contributes her laugh to thinking the police interrogation was a joke. He repeats what Vera said about them being lovers before she met George. After confirming Vera’s story, she looks at Mrs. Molnar who suggests the interview be put on hold.

James arrives at Natalie’s for dinner. He asks about Vera’s painting. She tells him that Vera has always been moneyless. She scolds him for investigating her personal life from a decade ago. He says it is strange how she commissioned a painting, with a mangled head similar to the way George was killed. She suggests the painting might be her brother. He warns her about the risk of a tabloid getting wind of the painting. She mentions an error in one of his cases that resulted in him quitting. When he doesn’t respond, she asks about his relationship with Barbara. He denies having been sexually involved with Barbara.

She escorts him to the crime scene. She denies that the surveillance system was off the night of George’s death. She says George assumed it was hacked. He questions if George was responsible for the surveillance hack. She suggests if someone didn’t want her to find out who was at the meeting. He asks if she thinks George was being unfaithful. She refuses to believe it would happen inside their house. He is surprised when she admits to knowing about his crime scene reconstruction. He initially refuses but eventually relents. She identifies the suspect’s hand as her own.

Natalie’s home surveillance system goes black. While having a drink, she hears a strange noise.

James dreams about Natalie’s interview. He is awakened by his car alarm. When he walks outside to disable the alarm, he finds his business card underneath a windshield wiper blade. A message is written on the card. It reads, “Mr. Alden this is not your story.” He receives a call from Mrs. Molnar who requests he come to Natalie’s. Upon arrival, Mrs. Molnar explains how Natalie threatens to take her own life. She only agrees to talk with James. He promises she can trust him. She identifies the killer as Oliver as the episode comes to an end.

 

Deadline Review

I was expecting so much more from a show, with the likes of Charlie Murphy. Murphy was excellent in Happy Valley, The Last Kingdom, and Peaky Blinders. It is understandable why actors accept certain roles, but I would expect better from Murphy. This will not go down as her infamous role.

The acting is not terrific, but it isn’t intolerable either. Most of the scenes were long, boring, and repetitive. In the first scene, viewers were given an overview of the investigation. I found myself pushing replay more times than I would have liked because the dialogue was too fast. At this point, the show felt a bit closed in, as the location just switched from a small office to a breakroom.

Early in, it was quite obvious, James’ attitude toward Natalie was hostile. I felt it was overplayed for the most part. The scene where Natalie made James wait for her to get dressed was ridiculous. He had been waiting for some time when he caught her in a bath towel. He goes to the restroom and returns to wait longer. I was, at least, hoping his snooping would turn out something interesting but it didn’t.

At least, the on-screen relationship between Barbara and James was great.

The episode deserves a 5.5. Get more Deadline recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link to learn more.