As Finding Alice begins, we watch as Alice (Keeley Hawes) frantically searches through her house. She sits, cries, and yells to ask Harry where the fridge is. After the intro, Alice tells Minnie (Gemma Jones) to stop messing with the blinds before Gerry (Kenneth Cranham) says he thought it was a smart house. Charlotte (Isabella Pappas) watches as Alice gives them drinks and admits she can’t find the fridge. They share a toast to Harry (Jason Merrells) before Charlotte takes her mother upstairs and puts her in bed. Alice grabs a few pills and swallows them. Charlotte helps her into bed and covers her up. In a flashback, we watch as Harry takes his wife and daughter to their dream home. They’re impressed with the home’s smart home technology.

Alice says it is all from Harry’s imagination since he designed and built the house. He goes for water while Alice brushes her teeth and tries to figure out how to flush the toilet. She goes looking for Harry and finds him in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs. Back in the present, Alice is told that the police are downstairs and they want to talk to her about the fall. After changing clothes, she carefully makes her way down the stairs and meets with Detective Davis (Matthew Flynn) and Prior (Charlyne Francis). She admits she can’t find the fridge and might need their detective skills for that, but the detectives want to talk about Harry’s fall. Charlotte joins them as Alice tells detectives she did not see the fall.

The detectives ask if they had an argument and that makes Alice question whether they believe she was responsible. Prior admits they have questions because people normally don’t fall down the stairs. Alice explains it was their first night in Harry’s dream house which he designed and built for them. Detective Davis notices the CCTV cameras and asks about the footage, but Alice isn’t sure if they’re working. The detectives let Alice know that there will likely be an inquest before the doorbell rings. Alice finds Sarah (Joanna Lumley) and Roger (Nigel Havers) at the door. Sarah asks what she is wearing before Roger steps in and hugs Alice. Then, Alice tells Sarah it looks like she got her wish but Sarah tells her not to be silly.

They step inside and look at the house. Roger breaks down and begins crying before the cops approach. Alice tells her parents that the police love an interesting death. Then, Roger asks if they have any news as to how it happened. They ask about getting access to the CCTV again but Alice isn’t sure it is working. Sarah wonders why there were CCTV cameras in the first place. Roger notices there is a camera above them pointing at the stairs. They discuss the house being dark because the blinds are stuck before the conversation turns to Harry’s funeral. They talk about Harry’s death. When they leave, Sarah tells Alice that she’ll get through this and meet someone else. When they’re gone, Alice sends a message to her friends letting them know about Harry’s death.

She sends the email before thinking about purchasing ginger creams and white wine online. Then, she calls her bank and tells them that her cards were refused. After guessing her online banking password, she finds out that she has reached her overdraft limit. She wants to access her husband’s account but that isn’t allowed. She asks where their money is and how she can get it. The representative won’t help her so the call ends. She goes inside and discusses everything with Charlotte. Alice says she can’t look at the CCTV and doesn’t want to show it to anyone else. Charlotte surprisingly finds the refrigerator. The following day, Alice prepares to leave before getting a call from G but she doesn’t answer it or know who it is.

She goes to the hospital and asks about the ward for dead people. She is told she’ll need to go to the morgue in the basement. She rings the bell and Nathan (Rhashan Stone) approaches and tells her that visiting time is over. He eventually tells her that her husband can be found in viewing room two. Harry isn’t there so Nathan tracks her down and admits there has been a mix-up. She makes fun of Leonard’s weight and her family overhears her snide comment. She sits down with Nathan and they discuss her joke and her reason for visiting the morgue. After a brief wait, she is allowed to see Harry’s body. She asks if she can come back and he says officially she can’t but he’ll make an exception for her.

Next, Alice visits Harry’s office and runs into Yasmina (Dominique Moore). She claims she only came in and the place was already wrecked. She explains that they ran out of money and can’t pay the workers before learning about Harry’s death. Alice tells Yasmina about the police making her feel awful and like she killed her husband. Later, she gets another call from G and answers it. She tries to get them to talk to her but they won’t say anything. Alice goes to her parent’s house and grabs a drink with Sarah before her dad joins them moments later. Alice tells them she needs money because their bank accounts are messed up. Roger tells her that they’re living off his pension so it might be difficult to let her borrow anything. Roger offers 50 quid cash and Sarah recommends asking Harry’s parents.

Alice doesn’t like that answer but she takes her father’s money anyway. She returns home with food and wine before yelling for Charlotte. She gets upset with the smart blinds and tries to open them, but can’t. Charlotte enters and they visit the coroner together. Once there, Alice is asked about the night of Harry’s death, his drinking, and the stairs. The pathologist found bruising on both of Harry’s arms. It seems he had been gripped tightly. The coroner agrees to release the body but says there will still be an inquest. Next, they begin shopping for caskets but Alice can’t focus. They tell the casket dealer about Harry’s work as a builder and eventually decide to go with the wicker casket but Alice isn’t ready to bury Harry. As they leave, Charlotte tells her mother they need to bury dad but Alice won’t cooperate yet.

Alice admits she doesn’t want to bury her husband before Charlotte reminds her that Harry wasn’t her husband. Later that night, Alice returns to Nathan, hits his buzzer, and asks to see Harry. Nathan says he just had his postmortem so he isn’t going to look his best. Alice is allowed to see Harry’s body moments later. She sees the scars left behind by the postmortem. On her way out, Alice tells Nathan that Harry was a Gooner, and she thanks Nathan. When she returns home, she finds Nicola, Gerry, and Minnie in the house. Harry gave them the code and they came in case she needed any help. She asks them for money since the bank account is empty and Harry’s is frozen. She changes her mind and says they’ll manage. That night, Alice tries to figure out the password to Harry’s tablet.

She eventually figures it out and gets the curtains to open. Then, she turns on the lights and checks the CCTV video. She yells for Charlotte and tells her she is sorry. They watch the CCTV footage together. They watch as Harry approaches the stairs and speaks to someone at the bottom. We can only see the person’s legs and body. Their face is hidden so Alice wonders who it is. After a break, they discuss the 8 pounds they have left while eating. Then, they get a visit from Harry’s business partner Tanvi. She asks if Alice got the money and she admits she hasn’t. Tanvi is invited inside before revealing her family recently invested in the Vale Apartments development. Tanvi offers cash from Harry’s share but she can’t help with the frozen accounts. They’re given a thousand pounds. Tanvi learns about Harry falling down the stairs.

Detective Davis calls and asks about the CCTV images. She tells them it wasn’t set up to record. Alice quickly hangs up and Charlotte can’t believe she lied to them. Gerry and Minnie enter and scar them moments later. They sit down and Gerry tells them that Harry gave them the house. He says Harry was worried about his business and they have everything in writing. They owe a half a million inheritance tax so they’ll need to sell the house, but Alice doesn’t want that to happen. They argue about selling the house before Alice tells them to get out. When they leave, they find Yasmina outside with hot food. She is invited inside and they look at old pictures of Harry. Charlotte looks through Harry’s stuff and finds something from the Dayford Fertility Centre.

She opens it and finds that it is a final demand for payment. She hides it in her pocket immediately. Alice and Yasmina talk about Tanvi and how she got involved with the apartments development. Yasmina is sure everything will be fine although she referred to her as a shark. Charlotte reads the note and learns about Harry’s semen storage plan and the outstanding balance. Meanwhile, Alice looks at pictures and remembers happier times with the family. She gets a visit from a stranger who says he is Harry’s son George.

 

Finding Alice Review

Right now, I am not really sure what to think about Finding Alice. The series has a moderately deep cast that should be able to pull off any script but it wasn’t spectacular or even noteworthy. The show seems to be working too hard to balance between being a mystery drama and a comedy. Unfortunately, the opening episode didn’t perform particularly well as either of those things.

It was difficult to build a relationship with the characters because none of them seemed authentic. Charlotte was likely the most reasonable character but everything was just so difficult to believe. The show could’ve been bleak, depressing, and suspenseful, but it really got lost along the way with too many unnecessary characters and jokes.

It could get better and I hope it does. It might not though and that would be a waste of talent. The opening episode was okay but nothing fabulous. It scores a 6.5 out of 10.