At the beginning of the episode, Mary (Imelda Staunton) is shown working in her garden. She noticed that Vivien is planning on selling her home. Natalie (Lydia Leonard) arrives and notices the for sale sign as well. She speaks with Mary and neither of them can believe what Vivien is doing. Moments later, Natalie sits down with PC Isaac Cory (Karan Gill) and DI Doug Lineham (David Bamber) so they can discuss the accident. Natalie says that her mother felt it was time to move on. All of the kids supported her 100%. We jump back and see Helen (Claude Blakley), Jake (Russell Tovey), and Natalie complain to Vivien (Francesca Annis) about selling the house.

She explains that the house is too big for her and she wants to travel more. Helen says that Jake is homeless so he could use the house but he refutes that since he just put the rent down on somewhere else. Vivien tells her kids that she is going to Spain for a few days to meet Mark’s daughter then they’re going to India. Helen is worried since her mother just got out of the hospital. Mary arrives with treats and overhears the family arguing about Vivien’s decisions. Mary drops the food off and leaves without interrupting. Stella (Sharon Small) shows Jake his new flat before telling him he’ll have to sign a contract. She has added training sessions and massages in the contract.

Helen speaks to a colleague about Meera (Clara Indrani) harassing her. She finds out that the single parent had been with the company for six years. Helen believes she didn’t have much choice but to get rid of her. Meanwhile, Natalie meets up with Tony (Vincent Regan) so they can speak about the baby. Natalie confesses that she is scared and Tony wants her to give him a week so he can sort things out and make some big decisions. Mark (Stephen Rea) surprised Vivien with a new car but she thinks it is too much. Mary spies on them from her garden before they drive away in the vehicle. The investigators ask Natalie about Mary. Natalie explains that she had a baby boy around the time Jake was born but he died.

Mary sneaks into Vivien’s house and steals some pills. After that, she catches Vivien outside and says she is dealing with the weeds. Mary is impressed with the vehicle and she agrees with Mark that Vivien deserves to be spoiled. Vivien says she meant to tell her about selling her house but didn’t get around to it. After that, Helen and Natalie visit Jake at his new flat so they can celebrate. Lily (Grace Hogg-Robinson) says that George (Keir Charles) is down at the pub because he is in one of his moods. Seconds later, Meera sits down with George for a drink before Vivien and Mark arrive at Jake’s new flat. Mark speaks with Jake and says moving was Vivien’s idea and she doesn’t just exist to parent them.

Then, Jake learns from the kids that Leila (Lara Rossi) has been hanging out with another man. Meera and George get along and end up sharing another drink. Natalie sneaks around and watches Tony and Clara (Stephanie Langton) until she is caught and runs off. George and Helen go to a therapist so they can sort out problems in their relationship. George says they’ve drifted apart because Helen is often late home from work. The therapist recommends taking sex off of the agenda and they agree. Jake tells Stella about his wife getting with another man. She gives him advice for getting her back and suggests apologizing first. Clara runs Natalie off of the road and freaks her out. Mary runs into Helen at Vivien’s house and they chat about her decision to sell.

Mary says it was lucky Mark was on the spot when Vivien got ill before Natalie tells Tony about his wife. Natalie tells investigators that she can’t remember a difference of opinion on the night of the accident. Instead, it was a celebration. Next, Lily checks her phone and finds a picture of her dad with someone claiming he is her new boyfriend. Mark finds out that his daughter is too busy at the hospital to meet them. He is upset but Vivien says that will give them more time for sightseeing and other things. Meanwhile, Helen spends time researching Mark Kinneally. That night, Mark and Vivien try to get naughty but he finds out that his Viagra pills have gone missing.

Mary has them and she seems to be researching erectile dysfunction. In the morning, Helen finds out that her daughter has run away from home. Jake speaks with Mary and asks if he can leave his bags with her for a few weeks. Mary agrees to let him keep as many there as he wants and they agree it is a shame that Vivien is going to be moving. Mary wonders if Mark bought the vehicle on credit. Helen and George try to find out where their daughter has gone before finding out she is with Natalie. Helen learns that Lily doesn’t want to see George. Next, Jake meets with Leila at the school at tries to smooth things over with her but she isn’t going to accept him back.

They argue about Leila dating a new guy and Jake’s gambling. Helen learns about the picture of George and tries to find out how she is going to deal with the problem. Natalie says they need to talk so she is going to keep Lily for a few days. Jake, Natalie, and Helen meet up moments later. They discuss Vivien’s decisions. Helen explains that she research Mark and everything turned out just like he said. He was telling the truth about working as a surgeon. Jake believes he might be lying about his daughter but the others aren’t sure. They’re worried since he is going to get all of her money now. George and Helen meet with the therapist again. This is when Helen decides to confront her husband about the pictures.

George denies everything. He says that he did nothing but sat down and drank with the woman. Helen wants to hear it from the woman in question but George doesn’t know her. Meanwhile, Jake tries to learn more about Leila’s new guy from his children. Natalie goes to Mary and tells her about Vivien getting married. She asks Mary to keep an eye on her mother when she gets back. Before Natalie can leave, Mary asks her what Mark’s first wife died of but she doesn’t receive an answer. Mary goes to bed and lays there by herself while Jake tells Stella about his current situation. She understands what he is going through and that is why she pays for sex now.

The kids, Vivien, and Mark chat down by the beach that night. Vivien tells the kids that their marriage came down to the India trip in case there was an emergency. She explains that it was the practical solution but Mark reminds her that it was romantic too and she agrees. Jake isn’t happy that she didn’t tell them. Natalie wants to know why she did on the day of dad’s birthday but Vivien didn’t remember that. Vivien wants to know if her kids are even a little bit happy for her but it doesn’t seem like it. Mark screams for Vivien to come quickly because her car is on fire. Mark tries to put out the fire using an extinguisher before the investigator asks Natalie about the car.

Mary and the others watch as the car is destroyed. Natalie and the investigator get a message that the victim has gone into surgery. Natalie is left alone and we see a flashback of the car burning before the episode ends.

 

Flesh And Blood Review

I can’t say that Flesh and Blood is the most interesting show I’ve watched but it is decent. I like that each character is dealing with a dilemma and most of those are very interesting. I also appreciate the cast which has been spectacular. The story is a bit dull though. I am eager to see how they’re going to finish everything in four episodes. There is a lot to cover and I am interested in seeing how everything plays out. What will happen between Natalie and Tony?

Will George be able to prove that he has been faithful to his wife? Will Meera step up her attack and cause Helen more trouble? Who is going into surgery and was Mary involved? The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Previous recaps of Flesh and Blood are available on Reel Mockery.