Episode 2 begins with Sian Gregson (Jill Halfpenny) eavesdropping on Jessica (Claire Goose) and Alice Haynes’ (Freya Hannan-Mills) morning conversation about balcony renovations. Jessica consults Sian and although she offers her opinion, she appears to be much more interested in Alice’s current work. Nick Haynes (Lee Ingleby) soon joins with the proud announcement of his having fixed the shower. It doesn’t take Alice long to pick up on the slight passive-aggressive snubs between Nick and Sian. She later confronts him about it when he drops her off at school. Although he practically tells her not to get too attached to someone who won’t be around long, he doesn’t expand any further when she asks.
Sian somehow manages to crack the code to Nick’s safe and spends several minutes going through the contents. On her way to her room, she encounters Jessica who has just taken advantage of Nick’s shower repair. Jessica stops Sian for a moment to tell her to not say anything about sharing the news of Nick’s affair. Sian agrees and gives Jessica a receipt that she claims to have discovered on the kitchen floor.
It doesn’t take Nick long to realize something is amiss with Jessica when he returns home with the keys to the vehicle. She practically jerks them from his hands and storms off. After Sian denies having anything to do with Jessica’s upset mood, Nick discovers the receipt missing from the safe. He wastes little time confronting and accusing Sian. Despite all of Sian’s playing dumb, their spat ends with her taunting about having to pawn the necklace.
Sian appears to be in the middle of sabotaging the shower when a call comes into the main line. Sian appears startled for the first time when she learns from Mr. Farrow (Barry John Kinsella) that Alice was involved in an incident at school. Sian never corrects his referring to her as Mrs. Haynes and continues the ruse when she arrives to collect Alice.
When Jess returns home to confront Nick about the pawning of the jewels several things are revealed. The first is that the jewels were the only thing Jess had left of her deceased mother and the code to the safe was Alice’s birthday (September 7th). Although Nick does convince her that the receipt was in the safe, she believes that it was Alice who retrieved and lost it on the kitchen floor.
Alice opens up about the bullying with Sian which also leads to Sian learning that Alice thinks the family’s abrupt move from the city was related to Nick’s work. Much to Alice’s surprise, Sian opens up about being raised by her Auntie Fay (Marjorie Yates). Alice is shocked even more when Sian confronts the three bullying girls. Although the context isn’t revealed, whatever Sian says rattles the girls. Sian returns to Alice, with the opportunity to drive home.
Sian and Alice return home in a giddy mood where they are immediately confronted by a concerned Jess. Despite Jess’s incessant questioning, neither Alice nor Sian share more than the scantest of details. Once Alice rushes off to her room, an enraged Nick asks to speak with Jess in the office, alone. Sian spends several seconds eavesdropping on their conversation before Alice’s urgent pleas from the upstairs bathroom draw everyone’s attention. Nick manages to undo Sian’s sabotage but he and Jess argue the night away while Sian consults an adoption application of her phone.
The following morning, Alice appears troubled by Sian’s unannounced absence. Jess sardonically points out that Sian doesn’t need to announce her schedule. Jess is right in the middle to remind Alice that she can open up to her about anything when a text from Mr. Farrow comes in. By the time Jess reads it, Alice is out the door with her bicycle helmet on her way to school.
Sian breaks into Fay’s flat to retrieve several photos from the kitchen cupboard. She does the same upstairs from a nightstand but takes several seconds to look at this bundle. They appear to be images from a pregnancy. Fay soon returns and despite Sian’s best attempts, she is unable to make a clean getaway. This leads to a meeting where Sian swears she has found her little girl. Although Fay doesn’t expand on it, it’s clear that she doesn’t believe it.
Jess and Nick’s meeting with Farrow is equally unrevealing. They don’t learn much other than the fact that Sian impersonated Jess and Alice has been getting teased since joining the school. Nick appears deeply disturbed by Sian misdirection and tries to discuss it with Jess. Jess clearly doesn’t feel the same but thinks it might be time to share the truth with Alice. It’s unclear whether she is talking about the affair or the affair.
When Alice returns later that day from school, Nick and Jess attempt to open up to her about the adoption. It does not go at all as intended and things only get worse when Sian interrupts. By this time, Alice has stormed out of the room with the car keys. This eventually leads to Alice totaling the car. Although she gets rather banged up and bloody, she doesn’t spend any time in the hospital.
Later that evening, Jess is in the middle of a tantrum in the kitchen when Sian arrives. After a bit of back and forth, eventually tells Sian about Alice being adopted. Sian promises to speak with Alice and ends up in her bedroom. The episode ends with Sian telling Alice that she is her mother. It’s hard to tell from Alice’s reaction whether or not she believes.
The Cuckoo Review
I can’t say the episode was entirely horrible, although it was incredibly slow at times. Once again, I feel the cast did a commendable job. My biggest complaint with episode 2 would have to be the car wreck. That entire scene just felt out of place. The bully is also a bit annoying but I can understand the need for it.
The fact that the truth about the adoption was revealed so early on, I can only imagine that there will also be something even more sinister to follow. I’m half expecting it to be revealed that Sian’s baby died during birth or something similar. I’d give the episode a 5 out of 10 and still find myself intrigued to see how it all wraps up.
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