Silence Dogwood Did Bag – The episode opens with Dee Whelan (Sophie Vavasseur) hiding a package between rocks on the beach. Chief Ray Tiernan (Frank Smith) records her on his phone a short distance away when he spots someone retrieving the package. The individual flees. Ray receives a text from Acting Commissioner Vivian Mitchell-Tiernan (Clara O’Callaghan) summoning him to her house. As he pulls out of the car park, the individual who took the package begins following him. Upon arrival at Vivian’s house, he pours himself a drink when the individual approaches and shoots him. Later, Vivian finds him lying on the floor. She is kneeling over his body when the assailant approaches from behind and chokes her unconscious before placing a pistol in her hand.

Fergus Reid (Rohan Nedd) meets his mum, Paula Kenny (Samantha Mumba) who left when he was young. She assures him that her walking away was “unforgivable”. He asks why she is there. She says to tell her side of the story. Harry Wild (Jane Seymour) joins them. Fergus demands Paul to leave them alone before walking away. Paula explains how she went to Florida where she established her own real estate business. She tells Harry that she wants Fergus and Liberty Reid (Rosa Willow Lee) back in her life.

Charlie Wild (Kevin Ryan) and Jordan McDonald (Anthony Delaney) arrive at the crime scene. When Commissioner Alan McNamara (Simon Coury) orders Jill Fogarty (Madi O’Carroll) to take notes, she drops her paperwork. Asking everyone to ignore Jill, he says Garda Quinn was dispatched to the address to investigate a report of a gunshot and dispute. He tells them that Vivian had a pistol in her hand but she alleges someone attacked her. He suggests Vivian is not telling the truth before reminding them of her and Ray’s messy divorce.

Charlie fills Harry in on the crime. He questions Vivian’s story because it is filled with inconsistencies and gunshot residue was detected on her hand. He embraces a sobbing Charlie. Later, Harry breaks protocol to meet with Vivian. She warns that McNamara will have no interest in finding the killer if Vivian is innocent. Vivian believes McNamara fears she will take his job before denying she killed Ray. She claims Ray was unusually excited about something. Harry asks if she has any idea why. Vivian suggests the answer is in Ray’s office safe. Harry asks if she got a look at her assailant. Vivian admits to smelling “banana and aniseed”.

Orla Wild (Amy Huberman) informs Lola Wild (Rosie O’Neill) informs that Charlie will be late. Once she is gone, Fergus appears at the back door. Lola lets him in and they kiss.

After a smoke, McNamara goes back inside. Harry grabs the door to keep it from closing before she and Skeevie Stevie Callaghan (Anthony Kinahan) slip inside. They make their way to Ray’s office while Charlie entertains his colleagues with a story about Ray. Skeevie gets to work cracking the safe. Harry finds a file for “Silence Dogood” marked “Misplaced”. He slips a device into his pocket. She accesses Ray’s computer to learn Gary Whelan is connected to drug dealers, Aiden McGettigan and Ned Bradley. Evidence in the men’s cases went missing. Harry questions if there is a dirty cop involved when Emmet Maguire (Art Kearns) enters. She pretends to weep. Maguire escorts her downstairs where Charlie scolds her for being there. Skeevie leaps to the ground to join Harry before they leave.

Dressed like “Banban the Wise”, Glenn Talbot (Paul Tylak) boasts of his being Harry Goose’s new landlord. Fergus questions why June would ask him to take over for her. Glenn says she had to leave in a hurry. Fergus points out that he left the tap running. When Harry arrives, she informs them of Ray’s murder. Once alone, she tells Fergus that Ray was investigating corrupt guards associated with Gary Whelan. Fergus says, “The snuff game.” She suggests Ray’s snooping got him killed. Showing him the files from Ray’s safe, she says evidence reportedly went missing for criminal cases across Dublin. At home, Fergus tells Harry that Malky Reid’s (Shane Lynch) nicotine gum smells like “banana and aniseed”. Harry narrows Ray’s murderer down to McNamara, Vivian, and Maguire.

Charlie informs Harry of his offer to be acting chief supervisor. She assures him that he deserves it. He attributes the offer to Ray’s death which is not how he wanted to get the promotion. She asks him about McNamara and Maguire. He says Maguire is innocent when McNamara greets her on his way to HQ. Harry hints at wanting to see HQ. He invites her to stop by at any time.

Malky Reid (Shane Lynch) studies a device that he found in a drawer. Fergus asks who took over Whelan’s business when he went to prison. Malky says Dee Whelan. Later, Fergus and Harry are outside Dee’s house. While getting a closer look, Fergus sees Dee with a man. He snaps a photo before returning to the car. Later, Fergus joins Maguire’s karate class. Maguire tells the beginners about his previous competition in London. In the meantime, Harry visits HQ. Maguire gives Fergus a lesson in karate. Back at HQ, Harry spots a Benjamin Franklin novel on McNamara’s desk. Pretending to have forgetten her cigarettes at home, she asks if he would give her one of his. He denies being a smoker. After Harry leaves McNamara’s office, she accesses Jill’s computer to see McNamara had a meeting at Leinster House at 4:30pm on August 30.

Fergus tells Harry that Maguire was in London on the day Ray was killed. She says McNamara was at Leinster House in a meeting. She says there are alibis that may not be real. She calls Vivian to ask if McNamara saw Ray at HQ last week. Vivian says he should have because he was with her. A short time later, Harry confronts Dee about Ray’s murder. Dee orders Terry (Shane Robinson) to get rid of them when Harry threatens to show Whelan a video of them getting intimate. Dee admits to leaving the guard called “Silence Dogood” money at the beach. Harry has her to send him a message. Later, Fergus and Harry watch as the guard walks to the beach to check the rock for money but nothing is there. Harry is in the guard’s car when he returns. He drives a short distance and stops. She emerges from the car and follows him to the edge of a cliff. The guard is no other than Jill. Harry says there is no banana and aniseed scent on her. Jill claims to have stopped chewing nicotine gun when Vivian told Charlie. She admits to working with Gary to help her ill father. She tells Vivian that the gun is empty before firing a shot into the ground.

Jill confesses to killing Ray after he ordered a copy of the prison’s visitor logs. Fergus tells her that Charlie is en route there. He utilizes a chain to knock Jill’s gun out of her hand. While he saves her from falling over the cliff, Harry grabs her handgun.

Fergus and Malky are standing outside when Paula approaches. Malky is none too happy when he learns that Fergus did not tell him about his meeting with Paula. She apologizes for leave him and Liberty. He asks for some time to think about it. Elsewhere, Vivian thanks Harry for helping her.

 

Harry Wild Review

The writing is juvenile at best. The investigation is ridiculously silly and unrealistic. The unlikely pair, Harry and Fergus investigate a deadly snuff game. Fergus is totally inept and Harry is persuasive. The dialogue is next to cringeworthy. The best aspect of the show is its cinematography. The acting is hit-and-miss. It seems they believe an unlikely killer will solidify the ending and appease viewers.

The execution is terrible. There is truly little to like about the show. If a real murder investigation was implemented in this manner, the detectives would surely not make it out alive.

The episode deserves a 4.5. Get more Harry Wild recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our online advertising builds brand awareness, click the link to learn more. Join our newly established forum to discuss the show and the latest releases in Britain, America, Australia, and Canada.