The show begins with Carlton Flynn (Connor Calland) visiting a nightclub, Vipers. He unknowingly drinks an alcoholic beverage that was likely drugged. As he leaves Vipers, he begins to feel strange and walks outside where someone is standing near the woods. He frantically runs into the woods in search of the unknown person.
Megan Shaw (Cush Jumbo) arrives home. Jordan Shaw (Dylan Francis) comes down to greet his mother. Her partner, Dave Shaw (Daniel Francis) is in the garden with her daughter, Laura Shaw (Tallulah Byrne). Megan is getting dressed for a night out with friends to celebrate her upcoming wedding.
Meghan and her friends put on a baseball cap with her and Dave’s names and a red heart for a group photo. A male stripper, Marcus poses for a painting. Her friend, Shelley (Rachael Elizabeth) says it is great they are getting married after all this time. She agrees to two more drinks leaving for home.
Meghan arrives home to a bottle of champagne and a greeting card on her doorstep. She anxiously looks around and opens the greeting card to find it blank. She quietly enters the house and goes straight to her laptop. Surveillance camera footage shows someone, wearing a hoodie leaving the champagne on her doorstep. Dave enters the room as she inspects the greeting card envelope. She hurriedly shuts the laptop and utilizes her drunken state as an excuse for not coming to bed. He teases her about watching porn. She lays awake in bed.
DS Michael Broome (James Nesbitt) investigate the missing Carlton Flynn case. Broome says it couldn’t be a mid-life crisis at age 20. He has been missing for several days. Brian Goldberg (Jack Shalloo) tells him to go meet with Flynn’s father, Del Flynn (Ross Boatman) who is well connected.
Broome and Erin Cartwright (Jo Joyner) meet with Del Flynn to discuss his son’s missing person case. Erin asks him about his recent date. He says it is weird because they were married. Del says he can feel that something is wrong with his son. Marlene Flynn (Lindsay Armaou) says Carlton is a college senior. He hasn’t been on his social media account since the day before he went missing. Marlene provides them with a recent picture of Carlton. Broome does not have children because Erin didn’t want them. She disagrees by saying she wanted kids just not with him.
Photographer, Raymond “Ray” Levine (Richard Armitage) is kicked by kid star, Micha (Elliott Morris) during a live photoshoot. Micha says, “I’m entitled to my privacy.” Fester (Youssef Kerkour) yells, “Stay back, scum” while escorting Micha inside the building for his bar mitzvah. He laughs as he comes back out to apologize to Ray and requests the photos by tomorrow. An unknown suspect hits Ray on the head, steals his camera, and leaves him lying on the ground in pain.
Kayleigh Shaw (Bethan Antonia) pokes fun at Meghan’s painting of Marcus, the male stripper. Jordan says it is good. The family, excluding Kayleigh, prepares to attend Laura’s tennis tournament. Meghan receives a call from Dave’s mother, Frances Shaw (Alibe Parsons) who believes someone has stolen his slippers. Meghan suggests checking the fridge. She walks to the end of the driveway and looks up and down the road. Kayleigh calls someone to alert her family has left.
At the tennis tournament, Meghan spots a woman in the audience. She rushes to the restroom, where she meets Lorraine Griggs (Sarah Parish) from her past.
Ray awakens to Fester knocking on the door. He hands him a camera. Fester describes his appearance as an orangutan’s love slave. He needs him to do a photo shoot this evening. He agrees in exchange for double-time pay. They view the images from the bar mitzvah and woods when Fester spots a man in one of the images who looks like Carlton. They compare Carlton’s police profile picture to the man in the woods and it is a match.
Meghan meets Lorraine at a restaurant. She preordered her a milky coffee, her favorite. She demands to know how she found her. Lorraine left the champagne and greeting card on her step. Her children and Dave do not know about her past as “Cassie.” She misses Lorraine and the other girls they were her life. She has a flashback of running through the woods. She has another flashback of a party when Lorraine gives her a toy plastic ring. The man was left heartbroken. Lorraine warns her that Stewart Green’s (Rod Hunt) is back, and he is looking for Cassie (her name from her former life).
Broome meets with Erin and Leanne Morgan (Steph Lacey) at the police department to discuss Carlton’s case. Morgan shows them the patch Carlton’s car took on the night he went missing. Vipers appears on the map. Broome and Erin head to Vipers.
Meghan walks to the end of her driveway, looks around, and back into the house. She has a flashback of running through the woods and people covered with blood. An online search reveals Stewart Green’s house is for sale. Kayleigh’s arrival prompts her to stop her search. Kayleigh has been out with her friend, Bea. Meghan threatens to put a GPS tracker on her phone. She was a rebellious kid and doesn’t want her to make the same mistakes. When she was born, it changed her life.
Ray visits the woods, where Carlton was seen in the photo. He takes a picture of a bloody rock.
Meghan visits Stewart Green’s home that is for sale. She encounters Sarah Green (Belinda Stewart-Wilson) while looking around the home. Sarah says it is appointment only but invites her in since she is already here. It is just time for her to move, with the kids leaving. While viewing the home, she spots several pictures of Sarah and Stewart (Rod Hunt.) Sarah says Stewart is missing. She no longer believes he is coming back, which is why the house is on the market. Meghan says 17 years is a long time to wait on someone to return. Meghan rushes out of the house when Sarah is suspicious about the 17 years comment.
Meghan drives to the woods, where Carlton went missing. She enters the woods and stops to stare at a rock structure that appears to be the remains of a building.
Broome meets with Niall Green (Oliver Woolford) at Stewart Green’s house. He says Sarah is doing okay. She tells Broome about Meghan but doesn’t know her name. Carlton went missing on the same date and in the same area as Stewart.
Meghan stops at M&C Marshall & Carver Lawyers to confirm the office formerly belonged to Harry Sutton. The receptionist (Jenny Platt) says rumors have it, Sutton fell on hard times and his wife left him. Meghan arrives at Harry Sutton Complete Legal Services, a former pet store. She tells the man who answers the door her name is Cassie. He permits her access and points upstairs. Harry Sutton (Eddie Izzard) is passed out with track marks on his arms. He is incapable of answering her questions. She prepares to leave when the men order her to leave her rings. When she refuses, he slams her up against the wall. They wrestle her to the ground and take all her jewelry. She scrambles to her feet and heads for the door, but instead turns around and grabs a rock. She beats both men, retrieves her jewelry, and dashes out the door.
As she pulls into the driveway, Kayleigh is watching out an upstairs window.
Ray looks at images of Meghan. Meghan puts her wedding dress on. She has a flashback of Ray giving her the toy plastic ring from a toy claw machine.
Lorraine walks behind the bar at Vipers. Meghan retrieves her blond wig from the closet. Lorraine watches surveillance footage. Del stares at a picture of Carlton wearing a silver necklace. Kayleigh, wearing the same necklace, stars into space as the episode comes to an end.
Stay Close Review
The camera speed is absurdly fast, making it impossible to focus on the characters and scenery for more than nanoseconds. About halfway in, it is no longer noticeable probably because you become accustomed to it.
My initial thought, the plot is uncompelling. My opinion never changed after watching the first episode. It is questionable if it will maintain our attention throughout eight episodes. James Nesbitt is not enough to drive the story.
I cringe at the absurdity of petite Megan Pierce taking down two grown men. Regardless of how much the writers want us to believe such nonsense, it is ridiculous. This is not a Marvel Comics publication, but a mystery crime drama. Nowhere in the description does it say Megan has superhuman powers. The episode deserves a 7.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
