The episode opens with security footage of Room 109 at 12:59am on June 10, 2023. Patricia Bournett (Corina Marlowe) says random numbers while emerging from the bed and walking toward the mirror. She repeatedly smashes her head into the mirror until she collapses to the ground.

Unable to sleep, Emma Averill (Vicky McClure) goes to the bathroom. She is looking at herself in the mirror when Will Averill (Smylie Bradwell) calls for her. Will claims to have sensed a monster in the house. Emma assures him that she is the only monster in the house. Will giggles. Emma finds a drawing of a boa constrictor in Will’s bed. She compliments his drawing before returning to bed. Robert Averill (Tom Cullen) asks if she is all right. She assures him that she is but cannot sleep, so she goes to her study to work on the Stockwell case.

Emma receives a call from Phoebe Bournett (Leanne Best) informing her that she is in the hospital. Robert appears as she is racing out the door to her car. At the hospital, she finds Patricia hooked up to machines. Phoebe admits to misleading her, otherwise, she would have refused to come. Emma curses her and races out of the room with Phoebe in pursuit. Phoebe tries to reason with her because Patricia may not pull through. After a brief scolding, Emma tells her that she wants nothing to do with Patricia. At home, Will greets Emma with a joke about a bogey. Emma declines to tell Robert about Patricia.

Robert claims Chloe Averill (India Fowler) smelled like cannabis last week which he attributes to Amy. Michelle Sandford (Jade Harrison) and Julian Sandford (Dominic Tighe) arrive with a bottle of wine. Emma asks if insomnia is hereditary. Michelle says it can and assures her that medicine can help. Looking at the calendar, Michelle realizes Emma is turning 40. Emma refuses a birthday party. Robert says Emma’s mum died on her 40^th birthday. Phoebe arrives a short time later. Chloe is thrilled to see her but not Emma. Phoebe apologizes for not being upfront about Patricia. Emma demands she not tell anyone. Phoebe reminds her that Robert knows nothing about their childhood. In a vision, young Emma (Seosaimhin Hennelly) and young Phoebe (Billie Gadsdon) wish Patricia a happy 40^th birthday. Patricia says, “You’ve got the bad blood too.” Startled, Emma accidentally knocks a glass into the sink shattering it. Picking up the glass fragments, she cuts her hand and washes away the blood.

A short time later, Emma sets a dessert in front of Will. She quietly observes the other when she sees blood from coming his mouth. Julian removes a glass fragment from Will’s mouth. Emma admits to breaking a glass but it wasn’t near the bowls. Phoebe urges her to calm down. Emma snaps at her. Julian takes Will and Ben out to play. Later, Emma assures Robert that she would never hurt Will or Chloe and promises to go to bed early tomorrow. While holding her, it says that would be great. They get intimate. At 11: 45pm, a fly buzzes around Emma. At 1:13am, she sleepwalks through the house and sees Patricia frantically trying to open the door. When Patricia turns to look at her, she wakes up standing in front of the door. In a flashback, young Emma and young Phoebe find Patricia frantically trying to open the door.

Emma is distracted during a board meeting. Baxter (Gwilym Lloyd) gets her attention. She explains her plan to delay cases from going to court. Faisal (Robert Gilbert) says the pandemic has hardly touched the crime. A short time later, she is in court to represent Pete Stockwell (Marcus Onilude) who seeks visitation rights for his son. Markham (Rachel O’Meara) tells the court that Pete has a history of drug dependence. Emma assures the court that it is no longer an issue and accuses Markham of canceling court dates to keep Pete from visiting with Nathan. The Magistrate (Paul Lancaster) orders Markham to arrange supervised visits for Nathan to see his father, Pete. Markham argues that Amanda Stockwell (Hannah Azuonye) needs time to prep Nathan. The Magistrate denies the request. The first visitation ends abruptly when Nathan becomes frightened and asks for his mum.

Dr. Khan (Surinder Khan) shows Emma her unborn baby on the ultrasound. He says everything looks good and urges her to tell her family. Back at her office, she is sitting quietly with her eyes closed when Faisal approaches. He says she may soon become a partner but it may be necessary to reduce her Legal Aid cases. Pete approaches Emma as she is walking to her car. He is upset over how his visit with Nathan went. She says it is progress and urges him to give it time. He tells her that he cannot deal with Nathan hating him. She assures him that Amanda wants him to back out. It is late when she returns home to find Phoebe reading to Will. She sends Phoebe away and finishes the story for Will. A short time later, Emma informs Phoebe that she is having trouble sleeping and reminds her of Patricia saying she would be like her. Emma asks if she is there because she needs money. Getting a better look at Emma, Phoebe sarcastically suggests she is going made like Patricia before leaving.

Unable to sleep, Emma works on the Stockwell case. She wants a social worker to assess Nathan’s relationship with his parents. In a voicemail, she tells Michelle that she has reconsidered her offer of some sleeping pills. She wakes up near the bathtub with her hand dangling in the water. She returns to bed but sleep doesn’t come.

Rosemary (Lara Lemon) tells Emma that something is wrong with her dictation. Listening to the recording, Emma hears herself repeatedly saying random numbers. She has a flashback of Patricia saying she has the bad blood like her. Rosemary reminds Emma of her appointment with Mrs. Morgan. Emma promises to call her before leaving. In a flashback, young Emma catches Patricia holding a pillow over young Phoebe’s face.

Standing next to Patricia’s hospital bed, Emma says she denies having the bad blood. Leaving over the bed, she assures Patricia that she will never be her. Patricia grabs Emma’s arm before her body contorts and her mouth opens wide. Emma frantically tries to break Patricia’s grip on her arm. Patricia looks at her when the episode ends.

 

Insomnia Synopsis

With her 40^th birthday around the corner, Emma begins to exhibit symptoms similar to those of her mother. Patricia suffered from psychological insomnia before she died on her 40^th birthday. Emma recalls Patricia told her that she also had “the bad blood.”

Emma is six weeks pregnant. Robert is extremely supportive and she is expected to make a partner in the law first that she works for. She has a strained relationship with her sister, Phoebe.

 

Insomnia Review

Story progression is comparable to a snail’s pace. A failed opportunity to capitalize on Vicky McClure as the lead protagonist.

Emma and Phoebe’s relationship with their mentally ill mother is vaguely touched on. The story is tediously boring and all over the place. While the nature of Patricia’s mental illness is shown in an implausibly extreme manner, it may be young Emma’s view.

The cinematography is the worst I’ve seen in a while. Night scenes are mere black screens. Flashbacks, visions, and present-day scenes mesh together due to poor editing. The pilot episode deserves a 5 out of 10.

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