Something Beginning With D – As the episode opens, a blue Subaru is on fire. Forensic technicians process the crime scene.  Nick Nolness (Alex Ferns) tells DI Lucy Chambers (Jessica Raine) that CCTV puts the stolen Subaru at the explosion at Rigby’s Toys. The owner, Jack Graham (Louis Oliver), jumped from a bridge and needed treatment. She says the bomber, an autopilot, believes he is invincible and free to do whatever. Sam Boyd (Saffron Hocking) informs them that the fire destroyed all evidence but a size 10 shoe print has been located. Gideon Shepherd (Peter Capaldi) is watching live footage of a house when he hears a loud bang. While he is gone, a news report about a 10,000-pound award offered for his arrest pops up on his laptop screen. After discovering multiple holes in the garden, he turns to see Sylvia Chambers (Barbara Marten). Startled, he assures her that it is only a bad dream. Inside, she imagines seeing an old man asleep on the sofa. He says the man isn’t there. She asks if they are there. Holding his metal box, he explains how he imagines it empty when his mind slips and shows her it is filled with his trinkets. She gently picks the box up. He turns to see the old man gone. The next morning, a curious Gideon digs up the lawn to find a black bag. Lucy informs Gideon that the owner of the house that he has been watching suffered several fractures and is in the hospital. He says Lucy was digging in the garden early this morning and points to the black bag. The rifle triggers a flashback of a young Lucy finding Sylvia after shooting herself. He insists she finds the bomber and utilizes Sylvia’s rifle for protection.

Lucy discovers a temporary butterfly tattoo on Isaac Chambers’s (Benjamin Chivers) arm. He says Meredith Warren (Talia Walker-Bassols) did it before applying a flower tattoo to her arm. She asks if Meredith is her best friend. He says she is his best friend. At the police station, Boyd has Ravi Dhillon (Nikesh Patel) watching a movie about life after death. The host (Robin Sebastian) says the answer may be in science, religion, or a house in Hackridge. The scene switches to a young girl, Evelyn Wiseman, who was able to speak in full sentences at an early age. Victoria Wiseman (Emma Cater) claims Evelyn talked about things that happened in the future. Evelyn draws a picture of death. Victoria says Evelyn talked about a pink dollhouse and it showed up two years. Evelyn foreseen their deaths in a car crash which on September 5, 1977. Stopping the tape, Boyd points out that Shepherd mentioned the date in a video and questions where Lucy got Evelyn Wiseman’s name from. She warns him of what will happen if his relationship with Lucy is found out. He says only she knows and Lucy isn’t dangerous.

Gideon teaches Lucy how to utilize Sylvia’s rifle. She stresses the need to stay out of prison because she is pregnant. He accuses her of keeping him waiting in prison for 25 years. In a flashback, the bomber (Jack Granville) watches Rigby’s Toys from across the street. Back to the present, Isaac plays on the playground with his classmates when he imagines seeing a dog. He closes and opens his eyes to find the dog has moved closer. Elena Rogers (Rosie Jones) sees him acting strangely. Later in class, she compliments him on his poem, “The Devil’s Hour,” He claims it was his idea but Lucy knows about it. He says The Devil’s Hour is mostly at night and sometimes during the day when he has bad dreams. She urges him to talk about his secrets if they make him afraid. At a park, Isaac and Lucy watch a man fish dead birds out of a pond. She sees Ben Watson (Nathan Parry-Davies) and a pregnant Kelly Watson (Mimi Joffroy) on a bench. After dark, someone wearing a hoodie steals the blue Subaru. A device can be seen attached to a truck parked nearby. At 3:33am, Lucy startles awake. Ravi mutters, “Somewhere hot and too expensive.” She documents it in her diary under “Sleep Talking.” She receives a call from Gideon about someone utilizing the key to steal the Subaru. He suggests the individual knows Graham and urges her to talk to him. She warns that impersonating a police officer charge means a six-month prison stint. He blows up the photo of the thief. At 3:46am, she returns to bed. After pinning the photo on the investigation board, Gideon starts to ascend the stairs when he hears water running. The tap malfunctions and in minutes, the water shuts off on its own. He finds his hands covered in blood. While scrubbing his hands, he has a flashback of a young Gideon screaming, “Hit me” and appears to hit someone.

In a shop, Greg Wiseman (James Fleet) is repairing a bike and accidentally knocks over a framed photo. While picking up the glass, he cuts his hand. He receives a call from a cop asking about Evelyn who is missing. Pretending to be a cop, Lucy informs Graham that someone utilized his keys to steal his Subaru. He may have lost his keys at a pub. Looking at a photo of the suspect, Graham identifies him as Steve Dunn. High on painkillers, he warns that Dunn is psycho. Elsewhere, Greg says everything Victoria said was true. On November 21, 1986, Evelyn told him that she wasn’t supposed to be there and he never saw her again. Boyd spots a cap with a yellow happy face logo and the pink dollhouse. Evelyn died two years ago. While showing her Evelyn’s photo of Porlock Bay, he says painting helped her make sense of the world. Evelyn named one a painting of a lone house on the moor “Far Away.” Boyd asks if she can take it. He says yes. Ravi snaps photos of her other paintings. In a video, Gideon said, “We found her an old house on the moor. Somewhere she’d never be found.”

Dr. Bennett (Meera Syal) shows Isaac that his camera is fully functional. She is recording their therapy session while Lucy is out. He tells her that the other children are in another loop. She asks him to explain but he refuses it is a secret. While she puts on music, he disappears and returns before Lucy arrives. Bennett doesn’t mention what happened to Lucy. Later at home, Isaac is packing to say the night with Meredith when he hears voices. He warns Lucy that Bennett knows what is wrong with him. She assures him that he is perfect. Later, Lucy waits until an angry man speeds away in a car to break into a building. Once inside, she calls Gideon who tells her to look for chemicals. Preparing to look inside a box, a Christmas ornament hits the floor and starts singing. Frightened, she stomps it until he goes quiet. The boxes are filled with knockoff sneakers. She breaks into a laptop which he claims to have acquired from a boy. Elsewhere, Meredith, Debbie Warren (Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty), Lee Warren (Thomas Dominique), and Isaac are playing a game. Isaac hears a dog growling and disappears. Back at the building, Lucy discovers the suspect plans to sell the Subaru. They are scheduled to meet behind Rigby’s toys on Saturday at 11am. Noticing a time variance, she fears it isn’t him when a vehicle pulls up out front. Elsewhere, Meredith and Lee find Isaac injured. He tells her that the dog bit him and Lucy scared it away.

Lucy listens as the man demands 15k and threatens to kill any child sent there. Her phone rings. She tries to run but the man grabs her and asks if she is trying to steal from him. Frantic, she pleads with him to let her go. He caps his hand over her mouth and searches her. She bites his finger, runs into a room, and shuts the door. He breaks into the room and she shoots him as the episode ends.

 

 

The Devil’s Hour Review

Isaac’s ability to disappear and reappear feels a bit forced. New details are needed to keep the plot spinning and viewers tuned in. While this is a unique move, it is hardly plausible. As the story develops, it becomes more twisted and unbelievable. At this rate, viewers will need to decide to stick with it or bail.

The paranormal TV show featuring Evelyn is very similar to A Haunting, a paranormal drama anthology. The series debuted in 2002 on the Discovery Channel before being picked up by the Destination America network in October 2012. Seasons 9 through 11 aired on TLC and the Travel Channel.

The episode deserves a 5.6 out of 10. Get more of The Devil’s Hour recaps here. Find out how to support our independent work at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. See what others are saying here.