Hospitality – As the second episode of Ridley begins, a white van drives to the base of a windmill in the middle of the night. A female’s body is carried from the van past the windmill. Garry Graylish (Gerald Kyd) hangs out with friends and drinks. Alex Ridley (Adrian Dunbar) drinks at home. At the Palace Hotel, Janet Venables (Jacqueline Boatswain) says hello to James Mallors (Stephen Boxer). He joins the others while a group of custodial workers grabs supplies. Elena Mondelo (Pat Dynowsky) tries to get in touch with Gabriela before Janet enters and warns her again about dallying. In the morning, workers find the body near the windmill and immediately call it in. In a flashback, Alex remembers his daughter Ella (Kitty Watson) is going on a date with Owen who she met online. Kate (Jacquetta May) enters and joins in on the mockery. Once Ella leaves, Kate admits it is a change to be home alone. She thinks they should buy the boat Jackie was selling because they can restore it together.

While working on the boat, Alex gets a call and goes to Graylish Enterprises. DC Darren Lakhan (George Bukhari) is busy interviewing the men who found the body. DCI Paul Goodwin (Terence Maynard) tells Alex that he is on a need-to-know basis. Goodwin leaves to brief the Super. DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh) tells Alex that the unidentified female is in her mid to late 20s. Dr. Wendy Newstone (Georgie Glen) will need to do some tests before determining how long the body has been there. The victim has a blunt force trauma injury to the back of the head. The lacerations on the back of the heels suggest she was killed elsewhere and dumped here. Carol says they’ll check the path for footprints. There is no phone, ID, or anything that could help identify the woman, but she does have a distinct tattoo on her arm. Flowers found near the body suggest it wasn’t a random attack and there was a personal connection. CEO Harry Graylish arrives to speak to the person in charge. Darren is tasked with going to Mispers to see if he can find anything to ID the victim.

Alex believes someone has to be missing this girl. Carol tells Harry there isn’t much she can tell him at this stage besides the victim being a woman. Harry spoke to the foreman and no one from the crew reported anything suspicious. The turbines have satellite webcam surveillance run from the head office. Maintenance should’ve done a routine sweep, but there is no security since the turbines are so remote. Although Carol wants to speak to the maintenance crew, Harry insists his crew had nothing to do with this. He doesn’t want the site shut down because he’ll lose money. He’ll have to tell the crew they’ve been furloughed. Alex finds a young man, Kit McKellen (Zak Douglas), taking pictures of tire tracks. It reminds him of another Jane Doe case at the Fuerte Vineto Wind Farm in the Atacama Desert. He thinks it was extraterrestrials. Alex tells Carol about the boy and the tire tracks. He suggests running background checks on all of Harry’s turbine workers. He believes the flowers at the crime scene could be pointing to someone with narcissistic tendencies.

Darren arrives with a staff ID card for Gabriela Baldoni that was found on the footpath. They learn that she worked at the Palace Hotel. Alex knows the manager James Mallors because he used to be a regular at the club. When they visit him, James says Gabriela recently left the hotel’s employment a couple of weeks ago because of a disagreement with a housekeeper. Janet takes Carol to her room while admitting they haven’t replaced her yet. They’ve had difficulty recruiting staff. Since Gabriela’s items remain in the room, Carol believes she left in a hurry. They took her on at the beginning of summer and her contract was extended for conference season. As for the disagreement, Janet says Gabriela had been out that afternoon and came back late for her evening shift. This happened on the Friday before last. Janet doesn’t know where Gabriela had been, but she seemed upset when she returned. She gave Gabriela notice because she already had several warnings so she packed her bags and left immediately. Alex continues talking to James about the victim.

He doesn’t remember seeing her on the night she left since it was a busy weekend. James goes on to say she could be headstrong. He hopes it doesn’t come back to bite them because business is already slow enough. Alex will try to keep things in check. They briefly talk about Alex’s retirement before James says it is best to keep busy after everything that happened. Carol receives copies of Gabriela’s passport and residence permit. Carol asks about a next of kin since they’ll need someone from the staff to identify the body. Carol and Alex interview Elena who was Gabriela’s roommate. She doesn’t remember Gabriela saying she was being harassed or anything like that. She knows that Gabriela was seeing someone with money. She thought cleaning rooms was beneath her because she thought she was better than the rest of them. She doesn’t know who the man was, but suspects he was married. Elena didn’t know she had left until she finished her shift that night.

Since she was worried, she sent Gabriela a few messages. Eventually, she got a reply saying she had gone home. Elena shows them the message on her phone. She believes she lived somewhere near Rome. Later, Darren tells Ridley that Kit fancies himself as a crime vigilante. Darren is asked to run a background check on him. Carol tells the team about the Italian migrant who was found on the Brackenbed Moor Wind Farm. The tire tracks were probably created by some type of camper van. Paul says campers go up there regularly for the view. Gabriela was last seen alive two weeks ago on the evening of Friday the 16th. That evening, she was sacked from her job as a cleaner after an altercation with a housekeeper. Her keycard was used to get into her room at 7:21 PM. They’ve also got footage of her leaving the hotel with a suitcase. Although they don’t know where she went, Alex believes it’ll have some bearing on her disappearance. Since Gabriela had a pay-as-you-go burner, they’re still trying to trace her call history.

The text to Elena was sent two days after she had disappeared saying she had gone home to Italy. Paul wants to get the tattoo in a press release to see if anyone comes forward. As they get ready to work, Paul instructs Carol to keep Alex on a tight leash. When they meet with Wendy, she tells them that the fatality was caused by an intracranial hemorrhage. The murder weapon could be a hammer, crowbar, or something similar. Wendy believes the marks on her neck were caused by a chokehold. They believe he tried to strangle her, but she put up a fight. Then, he hits her from behind. Scrapings were taken from her fingernails and they also found navy-blue fibers that likely came from a sweatshirt. Wendy tells them about the purple columbine flowers that are the emblem of deceived lovers. She thinks the victim was buried there for ten to 14 days. Alex realizes Gabriela couldn’t have made the text message then. Harry returns home and tells Debs (Lucy Thatcher) about the discovery. That night at the pub, Annie (Julie Graham) tries to get information about the murder from Alex.

He won’t tell her anything though. He tells her how he is being a freelance consultant and won’t have to answer to anyone else. They begin talking about James Mallors who might be hiding something. Annie says he always gave her the creeps. They agree that you can’t trust him. Before he leaves, she reminds him about the rehearsals on Thursday. Kit posts a video on the forum Kill List about the murdered woman. He claims he is working closely with a detective from the UK police. He goes on to say the retired officer is named Ridley. At home, Carol reminds Jack to get ready. She tells Geri that she is busy with a murder investigation. Before Carol can leave, Geri tells her that she wants to have another baby. Geri even did a home test to show she is still ovulating. She thinks she has it figured all out and it would give Jack a sibling. Geri is happy, but she wants something for herself. Carol wants to talk about it later. At work, Darren shows Carol the pictures he found on Gabriela’s social media. She is a member of the Sowerton Snooker Club Facebook group too.

They go to the club and talk to Jenna Noble (Rhiannon Clements) who remembers Gabriela. She says some of the hotel staff drop by after work and Gabriela knew how to play the men. Jenna thinks she saw her a couple of weeks ago, but she doesn’t remember if she was seeing anyone. She sat by herself for an hour or so. If she was waiting for someone, they never showed up. When Alex arrives at the station, he learns that Kit is waiting to see him. Kit tells him how they’ve been discussing the case on the Kill List which is a true crime Internet community. He knows that the tattoo design is known as a Jelica and traditionally associated with the Balkan region. Kit gives Alex his card that says he is a senior data analyst. He recommends pooling their resources because they’d make a good team. Kit goes on to say these Copelton coppers are stuck in the Stone Age. Later, Alex researches the tattoo before Sue arrives with a box full of evidence. He finds a card where the SIM has been removed. Carol and Darren tell Paul that Gabriela spent an hour in between shifts at the local snooker club.

Alex enters to tell them that the victim wasn’t Italian. He shows them the SIM card template for Telefonit Albania. The documents were forgeries so Gabriela Baldoni didn’t exist. They visit the Palace Hotel where they talk to Janet since Mr. Mallors is indisposed. They tell her how Gabriela was working here using a bogus ID. Although Janet says the agency was reputable, Carol suggests they could’ve been knowingly employing illegal migrant workers and that can carry a custodial sentence. Janet reveals she walked in off the street and wanted to know if they had any vacancies. All big hotels are in on it because it suits them to turn a blind eye. Although Alex accuses her of exploiting them, Janet says she gave those girls some polish and an air of respectability. Mallors loses all perspective when he sees a pretty girl. He called earlier to say she was sick and wouldn’t be in for a few days. When they speak to Elena again, she tells them that Gabriela claimed to have grown up in Berat, Albania. As for Elena, she came here from Romania.

When asked if she ever got her real name, Elena says it is better if you don’t ask those questions. Once they threaten to arrest her, she says it is easy to get the paper if you know the right people. They press her in hopes of finding out who gave her those documents. She tells them that his name is Stewart Daley and he drinks in the snooker club. They storm the snooker club in hopes of finding Stewart. They talk to Jenna who isn’t very helpful. Alex finds a bunch of IDs in the office before Stewart (Philip Hill-Pearson) comes out of the bathroom. Stewart runs from the building only to be trapped outside and taken to the station for an interview. They confronted him about the fake IDs and the fact that Jenna said he rented the office at the club. Carol asks about his movements on the Friday before last. He claims he dropped in the pub for a few drinks but doesn’t remember seeing Gabriela. He insists he always looked out for his girls and the assault charge was just a misunderstanding. Alex thinks he is out of his depth now that one of his girls got murdered.

Once Stewart says he never laid a finger on her, Carol argues he is going to have to give them more because it isn’t looking good for him. He says Jenna introduced him to Gabriela at the club and said she needed false papers. Stewart didn’t ask her real name since he only needed the money and a photograph. Later, Carol tells Alex the results were inconclusive when they ran Stewart’s DNA with the evidence from the crime scene. Kit’s background check shows he was sectioned when he was a teenager before he was diagnosed with severe OCD. While talking about the boat, Carol suggests Jack can come over and help to get him away from the Xbox. Alex wonders if something is going on at home since Carol isn’t in a rush to get back there. She tells him about Geri wanting another baby. Alex recommends telling Geri why she isn’t keen on the idea. When she gets home, Jack tells her that Geri went to granddad’s place to spend a night or two. Alex goes on and browses The Kill List forum.

The next day, he approaches Wendy to ask about Gabriela’s DNA genome. Wendy reveals it suggests that her ancestry is Southern Eastern European. More specifically, it would be the Balkan Peninsula. She is also asked about Gabriela’s postmortem report being leaked online. Wendy sent it to the usual people including the police, CPS, and coroner’s office. Alex meets with him to confront him about the report since they know he has access to it. Kit admits he needed some trophy points and he even got a slot on this evening’s podcast. He argues that postmortems usually contain errors because pathologists make assumptions and take shortcuts. Alex insists that Wendy doesn’t take shortcuts. He says he starts with the description and location of the body before working his way outwards in concentric circles. Ridley asks him to stop because he knows he has had mental health issues. Kit’s mom committed suicide and would’ve been around the same age as Gabriela. He felt some sort of connection because of the flowers and lack of motive.

Alex tells him that Gabriela was working here illegally and she might be Albanian so his hunch might be right. Kit offers to run it through the group so they can check the flyer distribution notices and other things. Alex says it is okay because the crime will likely be solved using old-fashioned detective work. Carol calls him to say they got Gabriela’s phone records and it shows she called the same number three times on the day of her murder. They visit Harry’s house where his wife is preparing for clients to visit since they paid for the privilege. Debs tells them they had houseguests on the weekend before last. They might’ve gone for a walk to the pub in the village. The detectives want a list of the guests. Once Harry arrives, he says the name Gabriela doesn’t ring any bells. When confronted with the calls, he confesses that they had been seeing each other. She called him that Friday afternoon saying she wanted to meet at the snooker club, but he couldn’t go because they had so many guests.

She didn’t like the fact that they split and threatened to tell Debs. Carol wants him to come down to the station for a voluntary interview. He agrees to go with them but says Debs can’t find out about this. At the station, Paul tells Carol that the houseguests confirmed Harry was with them that weekend. They have nothing to tie him to the murder unless they come up with new evidence. Alex meets with James Mallors to ask him if Gabriela was on the payroll since there is a photo of her with two men at the bar even though he said it was out of bounds. Although James says they just talk, Alex accuses him of pimping the girls out. When asked if Harry is one of the guests, James admits it pays to be discreet. On the way out of the station, Carol talks to Harry about his legal troubles during his youth. While he believes she grew up around Rome, Carol says she was telling him a pack of lies. James tells Alex that Harry asked him to introduce him to Gabriela after seeing her in the bar one evening.

Since Harry was smitten, he set her up with a flat so they could meet. James admits to calling Harry to tell him she was dead. They argue about it briefly before James says Harry didn’t kill her. Alex warns him that he’ll be charged with obstructing a murder inquiry if Harry is charged. Kit does the podcast and tells everyone about Gabriela being an Albanian national. As the interview continues, he says police are questioning Harry as a person of interest. Harry goes to the flat to mourn Gabriela’s passing. In the morning, Alex tells Carol everything he learned from Mallors the night before. He thinks they should get a warrant to search the flat. Paul brings them into his office to complain about Harry’s name being posted on the true crime forum. Alex has to defend himself by insisting he didn’t give Kit Harry’s name. He ends up arguing with Paul who thinks he’ll have to smooth things over with Harry. Alex is convinced Harry is up to his eyes in it. Alex and Jack work on the boat together while Alex admits it is beyond sentimental value to him.

Alex learns that his mother takes Geri for granted sometimes. Carol arrives to offer him a ride home. She encourages Alex to apologize to Paul, but Alex insists it isn’t going to happen. Files were obtained from Stewart’s laptop about foreign nationals with fake IDs. Ridley suggests bringing in Kit since that website has loads of missing person posts. She agrees to get Darren to set up a meeting. Later, Alex talks to Annie about things moving past him and the boat keeping him busy. Outside the police station, Alex confronts Kit to make sure he never does something like that again. Once they go inside, Kit shows them a list of women of Albanian extraction who’ve been reported missing on the website in the last three years. He says the Interpol profiles are notoriously inaccurate so it isn’t surprising they didn’t get any hits. Kit tells them how he flips the picture upside down and takes notes because you don’t get an emotional response that way. Then, he compares that information with the details of missing person reports.

They tell him they’ll look through the list he provided before the meeting ends. Alex makes sure Kit gets out before learning that a cab driver picked up someone matching Gabriela’s description outside the hotel the night she disappeared. He took her to Sebdon Village. Harry waits for the cops to arrive before they search the flat. While Ridley finds what looks like Gabriela’s stuff, Wendy finds blood on the ground. When Harry is questioned, he insists he doesn’t know what Gab was doing in Sebdon Village. Alex shows in the phone found in the bedroom of the flat he owns on Saxon Road. The phone was used to text Elena after Gab was already dead. Harry is adamant that he didn’t send the message. Alex confirms they also found a hoodie that matches the fibers near her body. Harry was in the flat yesterday but didn’t see any of those items in the drawers. He learns that the blood found in the flat belonged to Gab. Despite the evidence, Harry says he could never hurt Gabriela.

Carol and Alex discuss his possible guilt once they leave the interview room. They wonder if they can believe his wife or him. Carol and Alex visit Debs who admits she knew because Harry wasn’t discreet. Debs tells them about Gabriela arriving outside in a cab and saying she wanted to see Harry. She tells Gab she won’t be seeing her husband again. As Debs walks away, Gabriela yells that she can’t make him happy like she can. Part of her wanted to take Gab inside to show Harry for the man he was, but she sent Gab packing instead. They try to find out if she is covering for her husband. Debs reveals he went out early on that Sunday after saying he needed to go to the office. He was gone for an hour at the most and got back before breakfast. Later, Carol says they have enough to take this to CPS since Harry’s alibi has been shot to pieces. Alex wonders if someone might’ve planted the evidence there since it seems a bit too tidy.

They talk about Geri before Goodwin calls. Alex visits Michael Flannery (Aidan McArdle) at the prison. Michael told them about his visits. The conversation switches to the murder up on Brackenbed Moor. Michael tells him that sociopaths are fantasists who like to play games. Their lives are usually mundane with dead-end jobs and they’re deprived of any meaningful stimulation. They’ve often been damaged by a past traumatic event. They’ve been slighted at some stage in their life and they have a cloying need for approval. He’ll be watching the case with a zealous fanaticism. Michael says he’ll make a mistake sooner or later. Alex thinks about the flowers and remembers Kit mentioning them even though he shouldn’t know about them. When Alex visits his workplace, he learns that Kit is a filing clerk and he just finished his shift 20 minutes ago. He asks for his home address.

Jack tells Carol that Geri called earlier to check-in. She knows they’ve been shutting him out so she is going to cook dinner for them tonight. While he is busy trying to find Kit, Alex thinks about the evidence incriminating him. He calls Carol and leaves a message telling her who it was and that he is going to Kit’s place now. Carol and Jack talk about how he’d feel if they had another baby. She continues ignoring Alex’s calls and requests for backup. Alex sees a white van outside Kit’s address before going inside. A flashback shows how Gabriela tried to call Stewart after being left stranded. Kit picks up the phone and offers to come get her. In the present, Kit arrives outside while Alex looks through his home. He finds newspaper articles about her death as well as some about the arson that killed Alex’s family. Kit interrupts him. Carol agrees to try calling Geri again and finds the messages from Ridley. Meanwhile, Ridley and Kit talk about the moment he realized he was responsible for the murder.

Alex tells him that the passport forgeries are really good. Kit claims he created Gabriela, gave her a name, and gave her a history. He believes they were meant to be together. When everyone else abandoned her, Kit picked her up and brought her to his place before hiding her phone so she can’t call Stewart. She begins panicking when she finds pictures of herself that he took. A fight begins. He tells Alex that he was only trying to calm her down. He goes on to say that Harry didn’t deserve her. Kit admits to setting everything up although he accuses Harry of ruining it. As Kit messes with a box cutter, Alex talks to him about how awful it must’ve been when his mom died. Alex says they need to get someone to talk to him, but he’ll have to come down to the station. The police arrive and arrest him moments later. They grill him at the station as he claims Gabriela told him things she had never told anyone else. He says she left because she was sick of cleaning rooms and wanted a better life.

He eventually tells them that her real name was Mina Albescu. Later, Carol says she left home 15 years ago so she was safe until she ran into Kit. Paul offers to find Alex a cupboard somewhere. Ridley performs at the pub with the band later that night.

 

Ridley Review

Ridley is a show that is easy to watch and doesn’t require a lot from the viewer since the plot is pretty straightforward. While the required effort from the viewer is minimal, they probably won’t get a lot in return either since the experience will be forgotten as soon as something more effective comes along. Nevertheless, the series is good for killing a couple of hours thanks to the engaging stories. It could be described as effortless entertainment.

Sadly, it is hard to imagine that the show will ever break free of mediocrity because it has too many issues holding it back. Both episodes have been predictable considering many viewers will likely identify the killer in the first 10 or 20 minutes. While the acting is mostly good, the stories are often very cliché. The first episode featured a story that had been done countless times. As for Kit’s story, I think it has been done even more times.

Some things just don’t work especially visiting Michael at the prison because it feels like a cop-out instead of being a clever way to solve the crime. Ridley could’ve solved the case within a day or so if he’d just spoken to his inmate informant in the first place. In the end, everything else was pretty much voided because few things were paramount to the investigation.

I wish the episodes were only an hour or 45 minutes though because it is a chore getting through them. Ridley’s second episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Ridley can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent website by following this link.