As the finale of Shetland begins, Annie Bett (Sarah MacGillivray) teaches Noah Bett (Jacob Ferguson) about his prime numbers in the car. Noah sees the dinosaur before asking when they can go home. Annie says soon. Anton Bergen (Leeroy Boone) joins them seconds later. He tells Annie that Stefan knows they’re trying to help Astrid. Annie knows somewhere they can hide until he calms down. After the intro, Kyle Frost (Killian Coyle) gets ready to tell DI Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh (Alison O’Donnell) and DI Ruth Calder (Ashley Jensen) about Lisa. He claims Lisa Friel (Tara Lee) was fun although she’s a bomb scare. Kyle had to get rid of her because she’s too much for anyone. Ruth and Tosh visit Lisa who learns they’re going to search her van. Reverend Alan Calder (Steven Miller) comes outside and finds out what is going on.

They begin questioning Lisa about Kyle Frost. Ruth asks about the shooting that happened during the time she was hanging out with Kyle in Manchester. Lisa claims Kyle didn’t mention a lot and that’s why he’s no longer her boyfriend. She insists she doesn’t know anything about the gun. Lisa is asked about the argument she had with Annie on the day she died. Lisa admits that Annie caught her with pills in her room and that’s why they were arguing. Tosh warns Lisa that they’ll be checking her story as well as Kyle’s. When Ruth and Tosh step outside, they learn that the van does not contain a weapon. Ruth says they need a list of everyone who could have accessed the gun. Michael Stack (Andrew John Tait) speaks to Ian Bett (Robert Jack) on the phone and insists it’s going to be all right. After the call, Michael tells Noreen (Lesley Hart) that Ian thinks Noah should see someone because he’s still having nightmares. Noreen agrees to go over there.

DC Sandy Wilson (Steven Robertson) says he found a video of the party at the mission on Friday night. Kyle was DJing at the party. Sandy explains that multiple numbers were calling Kyle at all times of the day. Ruth and Tosh agree they’re left with Lisa. At HEM, Ailsa Forbes (Liz Ewing) admits she was surprised Lisa kicked off at Annie. Lisa had a lot of shady pals and spent time at the mission previously. Michael arrives and says he has a meeting with Clara. He only ever saw Lisa with Angus. Meanwhile, Alan learns that Lisa is going to leave. Lisa believes he can smooth things over with his sister. She goes outside where she tells Angus Wallace (Jimmy Yuill) that she needs to borrow the campervan. Alan wants the truth since he knows she didn’t argue with Annie over drugs. Lisa ends up slashing his face and yelling for him to never touch her. She walks away without taking the campervan.

Alan follows her and pleads with Lisa to let him try to help. Lisa claims she knows what comes next. Sandy tells Ruth and Tosh that no one at the commission was willing to talk about Lisa or Kyle. They talk about how Lisa hadn’t called Kyle for at least four months. Ruth takes a call from Alan. When they visit Alan, he tells Ruth that Lisa needs to speak to her. Lisa says it wasn’t an argument at the Hem. Lisa was just lashing out at Annie. She admits Annie was trying to help her and she got angry. Annie figured out something that Lisa should’ve seen coming but didn’t. Lisa confesses she had Kyle’s gun since he gave it to her just before they left Manchester. Kyle wanted her to get rid of it, but she thought it could be insurance or something. She claims Annie took the gun that day. Annie was worried Lisa was going to do something with the gun. Tosh asks Lisa what happened to her.

She suspects something happened to Lisa who told Annie. Tosh asks who he is. Ruth tells Tosh she read everyone’s file and she’s there if she wants to talk. Tosh says no. Ruth says they should go and get this person. They confront Michael at HEM. Ian tells Noreen how Noah behaves when he wakes up. Noreen suggests going on a day trip. Tosh and Ruth talk to Harry Lamont (Tibu Fortes) about what Lisa claimed happened. Michael allegedly let himself into Lisa’s room and had his way with her. Lisa told Annie who intended to report it to the police. They now believe the murder was opportunistic instead of premeditated. Harry says they have to prove the assault on Lisa first. Michael denies the accusation and says you can’t trust a word the girl says. He eventually has to admit he was at Hem that night until about seven, but he denies going into Lisa’s room. Michael remembers meeting Frank Kirk for a drink. He knows Frank who worked in the council.

Michael suggests Lisa may have accused other people as well. He learns Lisa told Annie on the day she died. Michael claims Annie did not contact him. During a break, Tosh and Ruth discuss the case. Tosh questions why Michael would kill Anton Bergen. For that to happen, Michael would have to know that Annie had found out about the rape. He wouldn’t know Annie would be at the croft since Annie only went there after Bergen called. Tosh agrees to speak to Frank Kirk (Richard Thomson). Ruth will check out Michael’s statement from the night of the murders. Ian hangs out with Noreen. They talk about Annie and everything else going on. Noah walks around unsupervised outside. He enters a house and the door shuts behind him. Tosh speaks to Frank who says he was with Michael that night. He thinks they went to The Ship and Reynolds. Tosh suspects he was at the mission.

Tara Kirk (Nalini Chetty) interrupts their conversation to find out what is going on. Frank admits he might’ve dropped in on the mission but he wasn’t there for long. He left Michael in town. Frank claims it was late so Michael didn’t want to wake up Noreen and Finn. As Tosh leaves, she phones Ruth to say Frank said Michael went back to Hem after the pub. Michael planned to spend the night there. Sgt Billy McCabe (Lewis Howden) tells Ruth that Michael and Noreen were interviewed the morning after the bodies were found. Michael said he was working late visiting housing clients. Sandy confirms the last appointment was at 9:30. He supposedly went back to his office in the council buildings after that. Michael said he worked there until about two in the morning. Billy admits they didn’t follow up on that. Ruth asks Billy to call the council offices to see whether Michael’s statement checks out. Otherwise, they should find out if he was anywhere near Wethersta.

Noreen is unable to get in touch with Michael before noticing that Noah is missing. Ian goes looking for him. Ian finds his binoculars but not Noah. He enters a building and finds him panicking. Noah says he can’t make it stop and it won’t leave his head. As they approach the car, Ian tells Noreen they’re not going home. Tosh receives an update when she gets back to the office. Ruth says Michael calls Noreen at 10:54 on the night in question. Sandy says Michael made a debit card payment at the Black Road garage at 10:26. That puts him near Annie since the party was about a mile away from there. Sandy calls the garage to ask about CCTV footage. When Michael is questioned, he admits to returning to Hem. He claims he sometimes sleeps in the staffroom. Michael denies seeing Lisa that night. Ruth asks him about working late on the night of Annie and Anton’s death. He claims he was working to help a family in an emergency situation. Ruth asks if he left the office at any point. Tosh says he was at the Black Road petrol station in Brae at 10:26.

Tosh suggests he tracked Annie and killed her that night. Michael says he had no reason to kill Annie. Michael blurts out that it wasn’t rape. Tosh asks what it was. Michael decides he shouldn’t say anything else. Ian takes Noah back to the croft even though Noreen thinks it’s a bad idea. Ian takes Noah inside and promises there’s nothing to be afraid of. Noah gets upset and flees outside. Noreen rushes out to comfort him. Harry tells Ruth and Tosh that they’re a long way from proving that Michael was at the croft at the time of the murders. Billy interrupts to say Noreen informed him Ian took Noah to the croft. Ruth arrives and hears thudding inside. Ian claims he’s trying to help Noah because he’s terrified. Ruth tries to help him. Noah stares at the house from outside. He looks at Noreen who has her hoodie on. Tosh checks the CCTV footage from the garage. She calls Ruth to tell her that it was Noreen and not Michael. Ruth asks her to get a unit to the croft right now.

She asks Noah to get his dad, go to her car, and wait inside. Noreen says she needs to get back. Ruth prevents her from leaving. She also tells Noreen about Michael. Ruth asks Noreen if she happened to see Annie on that day. Noreen says she dropped in on her way back from Hem. Annie told her what Lisa said about Michael. Noreen knew she needed to convince Annie not to say anything. She saw Annie talking to Tosh and thought it was too late. Noreen followed her and Anton to the safe. A flashback shows Annie putting Noah in the bathtub and the gun nearby. Noreen claims she only went inside to talk. Annie calls Euan Rossi at that point. Noreen went inside and confronted Annie who said she didn’t say anything to Tosh although that doesn’t mean she won’t. Noreen tried to get Annie to forget all about it and move on. Annie suspects Noreen knows Lisa is telling the truth. Annie says they’re going to the police tomorrow morning.

Noreen says she grabbed the gun. Annie went for it and ended up getting shot. When Anton came in, Noreen shot him as well. Then, she shot him again to finish him off. Noah hears the gunshots. Noreen says she ran after that. She threw the gun in the sea and went home. Ruth reminds Noreen what she did to Noah. She also asks Noreen if she thinks about what Lisa went through. Noreen says no. Other officers arrive to arrest Noreen. Next, Ruth tells Lisa about Noreen being charged with the murders. They’ve submitted the evidence and Lisa’s statement against Michael to the Fiscal. Lisa questions what will happen to their baby. Ruth says this wasn’t her fault. Alan and Lisa go outside where Angus tells them they’re going to check out a spaceport. Lisa tells Alan that she appreciates him. Once they leave, Alan learns Ruth is going to take his dinosaurs to Noah.

She also invites him over for dinner. Ian tells Ruth they’re going to Edinburgh because he needs to get Noah away. Ian says he got a letter from Rossi who just talked about Annie and what she did back then. Ruth speaks to Noah outside and gives him the dinosaurs. They talk about Ian and Noah going to Edinburgh. Noah says he had the dream again and they got away this time. Tosh runs into Tara and Joni (Gemma McElhinney). She doesn’t join them for a drink. Instead, she sits alone and orders a drink. Ruth joins her moments later and tells her about the dinosaurs.

 

Shetland Review

The ninth series of Shetland was about as close to a letdown as you can get. Although some performances were strong and the scenery remains compelling, there isn’t much else to like about the series in general. While this spanned six episodes, it really could’ve wrapped up the story in two or three.

After all, most of the things that happened prior to the finale were all for nothing. Many of those things were utter nonsense and only a waste of time. The whole thing with John, Fergus, and Patrick didn’t really matter at all in the end. Fergus was killed and it was a blimp on the radar. John Harris went to prison and Patrick just disappeared from Shetland because his character added nothing to the story.

Anton’s boyfriend, the Jakobson family, the whole spy thing, Dr. Mohan, and the lab. All of these things just complicated the story and created an unbelievable mess of everything. It’s like the writers threw as many darts at the board and just combined a bunch of clichés to finish off a forgettable series with another already promised.

The finale was easily the weakest episode of the series with so many eye-rolling moments. For starters, Noreen and Ian decided to go on a trip to get Noah away. While they were out and about, they completely forgot about Noah and just let him roam around until he got lost. It’s like everyone forgot what he had just gone through or the writers thought very little of viewers.

The conclusion was 100% predictable as well. First, they picked Michael who has been a non-factor from the start. Then, we just have to have one more twist and the old cliché of a woman killing to protect her man and her family. It didn’t help that Ruth and Tosh are inching closer to being less likable than the rapist and the killer. The only competent member of the team is Sandy who isn’t given a personality at all.

If the BBC needed a sign that Shetland should be axed, the series quality and lack of viewer interest should suffice. The finale scores a 3 out of 10. Recaps of Shetland can be found here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Join the discussion here.