As the finale of Maryland begins, Becca (Suranne Jones) tells Jim (Andrew Knott) that he didn’t need to come. Jim wants to know what is going on with her. Becca thinks she is entitled to a night out. Jim is worried about her because she is not acting right. He complains that he has been chasing after their AWOL daughter and making sure Becca doesn’t hear about it. Becca eventually tells Jim that her mother killed herself. Rosaline (Eve Best) walks away from the house and sees Cathy (Stockard Channing) working on a boat nearby. Jim asks Becca about the people in the pictures with Mary. Becca tells him about Pete and the house which is for the betterment of the women in the family.

Jim says this is all crackers and that is why her head is gone. Becca doesn’t think they’re happy, but Jim doesn’t feel the same. Becca explains that everything Jim likes has somehow become their life. They continue arguing as Jim says Becca is in charge of everything and he can’t even go to the pub without her telling him how to piss straight. Becca yells that she doesn’t want this life because she feels like she is slowly dying here. Jim decides to leave and find a B&B. Cathy tells Rosaline that Mary wouldn’t come on the boat because she said she could get seasick in her bathtub, but they would sit and talk down there. Rosaline is surprised to learn that Mary was proud of her since she never said so.

She tells Cathy what she’d say to her mom if she was there. Once she gets back, Becca suggests she could call Jim since they’re good mates now. Alan Artus with the repatriation service arrives at the door. Rosaline tells him they’ll be in touch because she and Becca need to speak about it first. After he leaves, Rosaline says they can take her home. Becca suggests renting the house out to make some money off it, but Rosaline argues that isn’t what their mom wanted. Becca says they don’t always get what they want. Lauren (Rhiannon Clements) and Molly (Yasmin Davies) cook for Richard (George Costigan) who receives a letter.

When Jim calls Richard, he learns he is at the airport because he is coming over there with Lauren and Molly. Pete (Hugh Quarshie) visits the sisters to say he wanted to care for Mary when she was given the diagnosis. Although he was going to look after her, she was planning her death all along. Mary was different when she was with Cathy who looks after people when they’re dying. She isn’t a nurse, but she spends a lot of time with people who are very sick. Pete thinks Cathy gave Mary the morphine. He believes they deserve to know even if there is a small chance that Cathy gave it to her. The sisters visit Cathy to ask her about the morphine. After inviting them in, Cathy claims Mary took the morphine from her cupboard.

She tells them how she helps people before they die. They talked about dying including what it looked like and what it felt like. When she died, it seemed like natural causes. Rosaline thinks she was covering her backside. Cathy says maybe she was, but he thinks Rosaline would’ve done the same. Rosaline says she wouldn’t have looked them straight in the lie and blatantly lied. Cathy asks them to come with her because she wants to show them something. She shows them a video of Mary talking about what she wants to happen when something happens to her. Mary admits that she’d like to stay there after she dies. Cathy says Mary thought their father wouldn’t be able to give her the care that she would’ve gotten there.

Mary went to Richard and told him what was happening and what she wanted. She was scared that Richard would force her to come back to the UK. They talked about Cathy helping her, but she insists she wouldn’t have done it. Cathy says she wanted her there and she is so mad at her. Rosaline threatens to go to the police before storming out of Cathy’s house. Outside, Becca admits she doesn’t know what she is doing. She leaves and tracks Jim so they can talk. Becca confesses that she kissed a lad the other night. When Jim asks why she is telling him, Becca says it was stupid and she wants to be honest. Jim gets a call and immediately tells Becca that her dad is at the airport with the girls.

Rosaline gets into the taxi with Jacob (Dean Lennox Kelly) who offers to take her to a place of his choosing. She notices that he has a card reader even though he claimed not to accept cards. At the airport, Richard is told that a repatriation service is dealing with getting Mary back to the UK. He wants to speak to the agent. Rosaline tells Jacob who she is mad at. She confesses that she is resentful because everything has always been all right for Becca. They agree that the wheels have come off now though. After a call, Rosaline says the results came back and it is fine. They cross the fairy bridge and say hello to the fairies. Richard and the girls are taken back to Mary’s house. Molly tells Becca that her dad has been a pain thinking he is her.

Becca knows about her new boyfriend. Molly asks if she is cool with her being with Connor. Becca says no because she and Jim are worried. Molly says he is just funny. Although she likes him, she isn’t going to marry him. Jacob takes Rosaline to a place where he and his brother used to cycle. Once they reach the water, Rosaline admits she is just trying to stay in the moment. Jacob urges her to go swimming to get out of her head for a bit. They end up going swimming together. Becca tries to get in touch with Rosaline to tell her their father is on the island. She also tries to speak to her father, but he quickly changes the subject. Jacob tells Rosaline that he and his brother never went into the water because they’re not daft.

He thinks it was beneficial if she is no longer furious though. They end up kissing. Later, Rosaline catches up with the family at a restaurant. Rosaline tells Becca that she went swimming and she didn’t tell the police. Richard says he spoke to the fella and they can get her home on the boat the day after tomorrow. He also spoke to the funeral parlor at home so it is all sorted. Richard knows that Mary wanted to be there, but he is adamant that she is coming home. He is worried about himself because Mary cheated him out of the life she promised he’d have. Richard says she isn’t going to make a fool of him in death. When he storms away, Jim goes after him. Richard asks Jim to take him somewhere. He visits Pete because he wanted to get a look at him.

Becca tells the girls that Richard is at the B&B with Jim. Molly decides to call her father. Becca is surprised to receive a letter from their mother. Although it is addressed to Becca, she wants them to read it together and have no more secrets. Mary apologizes and says she wants them to be happy and free. She wanted to share what she had with them, but she felt like she left it too late. Mary couldn’t live knowing that her life wasn’t going to be her own and that she’d have no control over what would happen to her. Molly interrupts to ask if she can sleep with Becca because it is a bit creaky. The next day, Rosaline tells Becca about her biopsy. The results came back yesterday and she is fine. They visit Richard to ask him whether he got a letter.

They think they need to respect their mom’s wishes and let her stay on the island. Richard isn’t willing to cooperate though. He says the letter said go be free. It was the same nonsense as when she came home and did a big speech. Richard knew she has visited a doctor and wasn’t well, but he thought she’d see sense. He married her so they could grow old together and not so she could come over here and fly a kite. Richard insists he would’ve looked after her. He says leave her here if that is what she wanted, but he wants it known it’s not what he wanted. Richard is going home to sort himself out. Becca returns to Jim so they can go for a walk. She says Jim telling Molly what to do all the time is annoying her because she is used to her mom doing it.

Jim believes Becca said she doesn’t want to be with him although she denies that. She feels like a ghost. Jim says she is in the middle of everything because she runs the show. Becca just wants them to be a team. Jim says they are, but he needs to be let off the bench every now and again. People spend a lifetime searching for someone like Becca. Jim thinks he struck gold the first time. Becca wants them to grow together and not apart. Jim needs to help her come up with a plan. Becca gets a call. She meets Cathy with Rosaline. Cathy says the police came to see her because someone went to them. She told them the truth. Although she doesn’t condone what Mary did, she agrees with her right to do it. That doesn’t mean she is guilty of helping her.

She just wants them to know that she didn’t harm their mother in any way. Rosaline promises to speak to the police and try to fix things. Back at the house, Becca searches for the cat while Rosaline admits she is going to stay. Rosaline also offers to sort out the funeral. She says goodbye to the family and Becca later. Rosaline remembers coming to the hospital when Becca was born and her mother giving her a doll because she thought she’d be jealous. She didn’t want the doll because she wanted Becca. She wanted to be a big sister, but that changed when she got ill. Rosaline tells Becca that she loves her and Becca says the same. Before Becca leaves, she tells Rosaline that she’ll be back.

 

Maryland Review

Although the ending of Maryland was solid, the build-up didn’t really hit the target. Parts of the story were too farfetched and half of them amounted to very little in the long run. If the series had only focused on Rosaline and Becca’s relationship, it probably could’ve been two episodes and a far more effective and emotional series. The story somewhat went overboard with stuff that wasn’t needed and never clicked into place like it should’ve.

Maryland managed to get moody in the last five minutes or so and that was the most effective it had been through three episodes. Another highlight of the series was the relationship between Rosaline and Jacob since it felt authentic and developed at a good pace. Some of the performances were great as well especially Eve Best.

While Maryland was watchable and only three episodes, it would be impossible to call this a memorable series. The story wasn’t able to hit its peak until the very end and everything that happened before that fell flat. Truthfully, it is hard to even know what the purpose of the series was after the finale. The last episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Maryland are available on Reel Mockery here.

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