As the first episode of DI Ray begins, Rachita Ray (Parminder Nagra) shops for wine in a store before a man comes over to ask where the eggs are. She informs the man that she doesn’t actually work at the store. When she leaves, a car nearby rams through a construction roadblock. She has to jump out of the way and ends up falling and dropping her wine. The driver gets out with a weapon in his hand and begins running off in the other direction. Ray nearly gets hit by a bus as she tries to chase the man. PC Rob Wellington (Che Cartwright) yells for the man to put the knife down. Wellington gets stabbed in the side before Ray grabs his radio to call for assistance. She tells dispatch that she is going to try to talk the suspect down.

She approaches the man who identifies himself as Tariq (Bhavik Pankhania). Rachita explains she doesn’t have anything that could hurt. When asked why he has a knife, Tariq claims they’re going to come for him if he doesn’t get it done. He begins panicking when he notices bystanders filming on their smartphones, but DI Ray manages to get his attention again. When backup arrives, DI Ray asks the dispatcher to inform TFC that the threat level has been reduced and the suspect is calm. Tariq follows Ray’s instructions as he puts the knife down and backs up slowly. He is soon taken into custody by the other officers nearby. After the intro, DI Ray receives recognition for her work and congratulations from Superintendent Ross Beardsmore (Ian Puleston-Davies).

Ross says the report indicates Tariq was in his second year at Eastside University and suffering from psychosis. He still believes it could’ve been an attempted terrorist attack because you never know with these types. Ross confirms that PC Wellington is recovering from surgery. They begin discussing her attempts to move to Serious Crime on a handful of occasions over the years. Ross reveals there is a DI position open in homicide. When he asks where she is from, she says Leicester. He asks her heritage and learns her family is from Punjab. She goes on to say they were from the middle although her dad’s side is originally from Bengal.

He promises to talk to the team to see what they can do since she is exactly what they need right now. As Ross walks away, DI Ray eyeballs her secret partner DCI Martyn Hunter (Jamie Bamber). Later, she visits the station for her meeting with DCI Kerry Henderson (Gemma Whelan). While she waits for Kerry, she asks to collect her new lanyard for homicide. The woman at the desk gives her the lanyard for PC Bowja Alland before getting the right one. Once Kerry arrives, Ray is introduced to DS Kwesi Edmund (Peter Bankole) and DS Clive Bottomley (Steve Oram). They joke about Clive being on his fourth breakfast. Then, she is introduced to DC Carly Lake (Jessica Temple) and DC Liam Payne (Sam Baker-Jones). They get down to business.

Rachita learns that the victim, Imran Aziz, was killed by a knife wound to the chest that penetrated the heart. He was found in his car on a deserted street near an industrial estate in Aston. There was no CCTV in the area, no mobile phone was recovered, and no fingerprints besides the victim’s prints. Kerry says Ray will be handling it since the case is a CSH or a culturally specific homicide. That night, Ray tells Martyn that everyone knows she was brought in to tick a box so it hasn’t been the warmest welcome. He recommends being the best homicide detective and proving that she is meant to be there. When he started in robbery, his DCI gave him really solid advice or ABC. It means to accept nothing, believe nobody, and check everything. The next day at work, Clive asks if she came from the East Mids, but she says otherwise.

She asks about Aziz’s girlfriend Anjuli Kapoor (Lucky Sanghera). Liam says there is no reason to suspect her since she is a beautician and was doing henna for a wedding party at the time of Imran’s death. Carly admits they haven’t been able to get in touch with her so far. Kwesi argues the family has been trying to silence her. Ray asks whether she has actually accused her brothers. Kwesi says someone close to him knew his movements that night and evidence suggests he doesn’t have any known enemies.

That usually points to someone connected to the family. Clive shows them a video interview with the victim’s younger sister, Mona Aziz (Duaa Karim), and her mother, Salma (Siddiqua Akhtar). Mona is very clear on who killed her brother. During the interview, she says they hated Imran because he was Muslim. He goes on to say it was her brothers or the Kapoors. They run the ends with their executive car company. Mona claims the company is dodgy with stuff to do with cars and insurance. They hated Imran because he was setting up his own car company. Kwesi believes that Imran was killed because he was a business rival and a Muslim guy dating a Hindu girl.

Kerry informs them to make a move now that Ray is caught up. Rachita asks why they haven’t already been arrested if they’re so sure. Kerry explains that the community isn’t exactly on their side at the moment due to a few previous incidents. Ray questions why this is being looked at as a CSH since honored killers are seen as frenzied attacks. Kwesi says they have the Kapoor brothers’ phones that contain a series of threatening texts and voice messages to Imran. In the voicemail messages, Imran is told to stay away from their business and family. They know he has been trying to steal their business. Imran is warned not to go anywhere near Anji.

Kerry admits culturally sensitivity is key here, but they have no other persons of interest and two potentially dangerous women out in the community. They could be a flight risk too. The Kapoor residence is raided by police moments later. Before long, Kabir (Manpreet Bachu) and Navin (Ryan McKen) are taken into police custody. Navin says it is bullcrap before calling Rachita a coconut. They’re taken to the station for interviews as Kabir learns his brother is in another room. Kwesi tells him that his sister won’t talk to them. When asked why that is, Kabir reminds them her boyfriend just got shanked. He insists he didn’t kill Imran. When Navin is questioned about the knife, he gives no comment. He keeps saying that after every question.

While the brothers are questioned about the recording, a team of forensics experts visits Kapoors Cars. Kwesi asks Kabir if it felt like his sister went against the family’s wishes when she dated Imran. Navin is accused of trying to protect someone by giving no comment. DI Ray watches the interviews from another room while the forensics team continues searching for evidence. They find a machete under a table. Clive tells Navin his brother is being more cooperative. Kabir says he and Navin dropped their mother off at the temple on Harvison Road before going to the Shell garage to fill up between 8 and 8:20 PM. Navin is told this is his opportunity to give his version of the events.

Kabir is shown the CCTV from the Shell. Although there is no sign of them there, Kabir insists they were. Kwesi argues they weren’t because they were Imran. Clive warns Navin that one of them is going down for this. Regardless, Navin refuses to comment. DI Ray tells them that they need forensics evidence and Anjuli’s witness statement will likely be key. Clive doesn’t think she is going to answer the phone for a chat. Ray suspects she might be willing to reach out now that her brothers have been arrested. She calls her and leaves a message. Later, PS Tony Khatri (Maanuv Thiara) introduces himself to Rachita Ray and explains he has been assigned to her to help with family liaison.

He says it makes sense that Anjuli would be away from her family, but Ray says not all Asian women are controlled by their families. He never said they were before revealing he can speak Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu. As for Ray, she got a C in GCSE Spanish. When they visit Mr. Kapoor (Simon Nagra) and Mrs. Kapoor (Shaheen Khan), they complain about their broken door and the mess the police left behind. Tony explains that the police have to be careful. Mr. Kapoor can’t imagine what the neighbors are thinking. Tony tells them a young man has died and he was someone Anjuli cared for very deeply. As a result, they really need to talk to both of them and Anjuli. Mrs. Kapoor says she is sorry for their loss, but she wants to go home now. Ray admits she can’t go back just yet.

Mrs. Kapoor believes they can stay with his sister. Rachita asks Mrs. Kapoor about her sons dropping her off at the temple around 7:30. She says she mas rasmalai. When Ray asks for Holi, Mrs. Kapoor says it was for Dussehra. Tony has to remind Ray that Holi is at the end of winter. Mrs. Kapoor is told about her sons not being at the petrol station like they claimed as she begins claiming her sons are not liars. Ray says they’re worried about her daughter and need to find her. Mrs. Kapoor angrily says she is worried too. If she knew where her daughter was staying, she’d tell her. When Ray leaves later that night, she is followed by another car.

Before long, she notices that something is going on. When she makes it home, she hears someone banging on the door behind her. She finds a package outside and immediately calls for assistance. At the station the next day, she tells everyone that the burner phone was left in an envelope on her doorstep last night. A partial fingerprint on the phone matched Imran Aziz so it could be his phone. Ray says a BMW left the scene in a hurry, but she didn’t get the plate. Carly says Anjuli drives a BMW and agrees to check the registration. Liam is asked to decrypt the phone. Ray wants to go back to the Kapoor house to do a blue search of Anjuli’s bedroom.

During a search of her room, Tony finds an electric picture frame with pictures of Anjuli and Imran. Ray is adamant that they need to find her. She finds a cosmetology school certificate for Anjuli. When they visit the training school, they find a woman who was close with her. Anjuli wasn’t seeing Imran when she trained here because she was seeing him at the time. She admits they’re no longer friends because of what they did although she knew Imran really wasn’t into it. Nadiya claims Imran was asking for trouble with the Kapoors who’d do anything to protect their stupid car company. Some guy her uncle’s mate knows tried to set up a car company only for it to burn down within a week.

She thinks it was the Kapoors. At the station, Kerry asks Ray why she hasn’t referred the matter over to the CPS. Ray tells her about the burner phone and the possibility it could lead them to others he was involved with. Kerry says they should move forward with what they got including the CCTV footage that doesn’t match their alibi and the machete they keep in their office. Although Ray says the evidence now is circumstantial, Kerry still believes they have enough for a murder charge. The community is accusing them of not prioritizing this and they need the community to work with them. The point is for Ray to help with that instead of hindering them. Once Kerry leaves, Ray tells Tony that everyone wants this to be textbook even though it isn’t.

He wants to make sure she isn’t pushing her own agenda. She doesn’t think there is enough evidence against the brothers. When Tony says Nadiya (Kerena Jagpal) seems pretty convinced, Ray reminds him that she was burned by Imran. He says we sometimes project our own stuff. Ray argues that she is not. Then, she tells Carly they should approach the superintendent to get another 12 hours. She wants to see what tech comes back with from Imran’s burner phone and go back over the brothers’ alibis. Later that night, Martyn gives Ray a ring and asks whether they should make it official. Although it is beautiful, Ray says it is mad since she hasn’t even met his parents yet.

He says that can be fixed before he begins talking about their supposed wedding and honeymoon. Ray admits she has always fancied a trip to the Maldives. Before Rachita goes into the station the next day, she takes off the ring and puts it in the glovebox. She checks the DNA evidence for the machete and finds there was no DNA linking it to the murder. She watches the CCTV footage from the Shell station again and finds something that catches her attention. She calls the station to see if the time is wrong on the CCTV system. After the call, it is confirmed that the CCTV footage is roughly an hour off. As her team enters, she tells them that the clock wasn’t set to GMT and instead was still on British summertime.

Since it is an hour ahead, it puts the Kapoor brothers there around 20 and 20:20 or the time of Aziz’s murder. Liam is tasked with getting the brothers released. Kwesi and the others agree they should inform the boss before they make that call. Ray says she’ll notify those above her when it is appropriate. Carly is asked to tell tech they need the phone unlocked as soon as possible. Ray believes they should look at Imran’s business dealings and visiting the cash and carry would be a good start. Once Kerry finds out, she tells Ray that she wants to be informed on every single update on the investigation. She also wants PS Khatri on her team for the duration because they need his cultural and linguistic skills.

Kerry recommends finding Imran’s killer fast. Ray wants to do that, but she also wants to make sure she gets it right. Although the others find nothing, Liam finds something odd about the number of containers Imran booked this year and last. There were five times the number even though the earnings are the same. Kwesi says most of the payments are pretty regular and what you’d expect from a cash and carry. In the last few months, there are six payments for three grand each from a new account. It seems to be some type of consultancy company. They begin wondering whether the business is a front for something.

Anjuli should know more about Imran’s business. Carly learns that Anjuli’s registration was picked up on ANPR half a mile away from Ray’s address. Ray suspects she was trying to reach out to them after all. As she leaves, she calls Tony to say they need to speak to the Kapoor couple again. Smita (Sakuntala Ramanee) gives them something to eat before Mrs. Kapoor complains it has too much grease. Navin arrives and learns that they’re trying to find Anjuli. He isn’t surprised she is running from them considering how they were treated. Ray says she knew they weren’t involved and that is why she kept digging, but Anjuli could be in danger. She tells Mrs. Kapoor to ask Anjuli to get in touch.

Later one night, Ray gets a call from Anjuli who says she doesn’t want to do an interview. She tells Ray that it wasn’t just a tango and cash. She needs to unlock the phone. Anjuli offers to text her a meeting place so they won’t find out that she is talking to her. It can only be Ray though. When someone walks by Anjuli’s car, she quickly hangs up. As Rachita drives to the meeting point, she calls Tony since they want him on the case full time. He agrees to get back up there. Once she arrives, Tony tells her that he’ll be there in about ten minutes. Ray has to go without him since Anjuli nearly leaves. She says they cannot find out that she is here.

Anjuli says Imran was in trouble because his father left the business in so much debt. These people offered him a way out and he felt he had no choice. Although she admits she left his phone for her, she won’t give any names. They wanted to keep using his business. Imran was scared. He wanted to stop and Anjuli wanted him to stop. They made him by threatening to come after his mom and sister. Ray tries to convince her to come to the station and go on record. When Ray’s phone buzzes, someone is seen watching them from a distance. Anjuli runs away. Ray follows her until she is hit in the back of the head.

 

DI Ray Review

DI Ray is a new four-part detective series on ITV that series really stands out with its diversity since it has an Asian female lead in Parminder Nagra. Aside from that, DI Ray feels so familiar like you’ve seen this done many times before. With the addition of Gemma Whelan, the show tinkers with being a repeat of The Tower.

Although the Asian heritage is repeatedly presented as hype, it didn’t stand out in the first episode of the series. Besides the casting choices, nothing stood out to me unless I am missing something. The only thing I can remember was Ray’s line about not all Asian women being controlled by their families. None of the characters was particularly interesting or likable making for a soulless first episode.

While this could develop into an interesting thriller, the first episode wasn’t promising. The first episode set up a generic detective show with a different cast but nothing remarkable. It scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of DI Ray will be available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.