As the opening episode of The Jetty begins, a podcaster begins describing Hap Lake to her podcast listeners. Someone wearing a motorcycle helmet is shown in front of a fire. The podcaster says her name is Riz Samuel. Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) wakes up. She grabs a knife and goes downstairs to investigate the noise she just heard. Ember walks outside where she encounters her daughter, Hannah (Ruby Stokes), smoking a cigarette. Ember denies she’s been sleeping with the knife. They talk about how it feels less safe without Hannah’s father. Hannah knows her mom misses him more than she lets on. Ember reminds her he wouldn’t have liked her smoking. The next day, Ember rides with her partner Hitch (Archie Renaux).

They argue about their ages before they reach the crime scene. They talk about the Dinghy King which used to be run by Ember’s husband. She confirms her husband was Mack. They speak to Rob who claims the fire was set deliberately. He explains that Brad Ashby has been threatening to do it since the auction. Rob suggests he got Liam or Ellis to do it. Hitch doesn’t think women are arsonists although Ember argues otherwise. They learn that there was no attempt to cover the arson. Rob is doing the work himself because no one wants to cross the Ashbys. Ember scolds an officer for not collecting evidence. Next, Ember and Hitch speak to Brad, Liam, and Arj (Matthew McNulty). Hitch tells them that Rob Trent is accusing them of the arson.

Brad (Dominic Coleman) insists they were in the pub until three. Outside, Hitch tells Ember he’s tight with them because he spent most of his youth in there. Arj comes out to speak to Ember in private. He says the boat hut was a dream for him and Mack. He says he’s weeping and he’s out there killing it. Ember yells at Ellis to get off a woman nearby. She follows Miranda Ashby (Shannon Watson) in hopes of talking to her. Miranda throws up and tells Ember that she’s fine. Ember asks her what was going on with Ellis Ashby (Ross Thompson). Miranda gets a ping on her phone before seeing a car driver away. Then, he yells at Ember to get out. In the car, Ember talks to Hitch about Ellis manhandling his cousin in a possibly sexually inappropriate manner. They see Hannah walking with her friends so they stop them for a chat.

Hitch tells Ember there isn’t enough room for everyone. Ember kicks him out and gives the girls a lift. Chloe (Nina Barker-Francis) and the others arrive. Ember asks them about Miranda. She’s told Miranda doesn’t have an eating disorder. Ember returns to pick up Hitch who learns Miranda is pregnant despite barely being 16. Miranda’s body crashes into their car. Ember and Hitch go to the hospital where they encounter Liam and Brad (Arthur Hughes). Brad warns Ember she better hope Miranda gets better. Sheena is in there with Miranda. Sheena (Georgina Rich) tells Ember that she didn’t see it coming. The baby is fine. Sheena doesn’t know how far along she is. Ember offers to go get them. Sheena refuses to give her consent for that.

Sheena says you can’t always protect them. Ember asks if it was Ellis. Sheena tells her to go and not to come back. Ember tells Hitch that Sheena doesn’t want them to know Miranda was underage when she conceived. Malachy (Tom Glynn-Carney) drops off a young girl, Amy (Bo Bragason), who is late to school again. During detention, Amy asks Caitlin (Laura Marcus) if she wants to get out of there. Amy gets up and walks out of the classroom. Caitlin follows her moments later. Ember goes home and tells her daughter that Miranda jumped off the roof. Hannah claims she doesn’t know who the father is. She admits the father might be a bit older. Ember insists her relationship with Mack wasn’t the same because she was 17 at the time. Hannah claims her mom is out there enforcing random crap.

At the police station, Hitch and Ember discuss whether it’s a family matter. Lawley (Eleanor Nawal) asks for an update. She tells them there is no Miranda Ashby case. They learn that Ryan is in room four. Ember goes on a rant about tourists owning the properties now. She says the arson is going to be impossible to solve. She wishes she could tell him otherwise, but that would just be pandering to his massive sense of entitlement. Ember urges him to move on. Caitlin tells Amy she got detention and has been grounded. Amy thinks they should celebrate. They go to Amy’s house and drink some of her parents’ alcohol. Amy thinks Kitty suits Caitlin. Amy shows her the horse named Kingpin. She pleases the horse before saying they’re going to shoot him for the insurance.

Ember has to break up a fight between Liam and Riz. In private, Riz admits she thinks Miranda was raped. She knows someone else who slept with the man. Ember asks who. Riz won’t tell her because she’s a journalist and the woman is her source. She tells Ember about her podcast and how she’s researching the disappearance of Amy Knightly. Riz got a note from a girl who wanted to meet her there. The girl claims the father of Miranda’s baby is a serial abuser of underage girls. Amy and Caitlin catch up with Malachy who rolls a joint. Malachy talks about his philosophy and how he believes they’re animals obeying their urges. Caitlin asks how old he is. Later, Amy tells Caitlin she should say if she thinks Malachy is too old for her. That’s why she broke up with her old best friend.

Amy wants to have a sleepover at Caitlin’s place. Caitlin admits she doesn’t have any other friends. Amy thinks she should tell her mom that. Ember visits Chloe to ask for something. She wants to know if she knew about Miranda being pregnant. Chloe admits she knew because she did the referral. The father never came to the appointments and she never asked. Chloe says she seemed to take the termination in stride. Ember and Hitch go back to the boat hut where they see a vehicle parked. They go in to look around. Ember runs into Blake (Peter Sullivan) who says he has permission to be there. Ember doesn’t want him to take that stuff because they found the condom. She threatens to arrest him so she can get the evidence. Blake knows they’ll never test them. In the car, Ember tells Hitch the same.

Sylvia (Amelia Bullmore) is visited by Riz who comes inside. Riz wants to use Sylvia’s psychic abilities to learn more about Amy. Riz admits she thinks Amy Knightly is dead, but Sylvia says people around here think she ran away. Sylvia says towns like this grab you by the ankles and don’t let go. When Sylvia uses her power, she sees water and a boat. She tells Riz she didn’t see anything. Riz asks about the weed she’s been smoking. Ember tells Casey (David Ajala) she was looking for Lisa only to find out that she died. He agrees to speak to her about her problem anyway. Ember says she’s having difficulty sleeping. Casey learns about Miranda and what Ember experienced. They end up discussing the case and the fact that the suspect is attracted to young girls. Ember insists her husband was different.

Amy arrives and tells Caitlin that her mom needs to phone her mom to prove she’s really there. Caitlin’s mom Joan (Clare Calbraith) says hello. Amy thanks Joan for giving her a second chance and promises not to get Kitty into any more trouble. The girls go upstairs moments later. Ember finds out that Arj is taking part in the cancer support run. They run together and talk about Mack’s past relationships. Ember asks if there were many and whether they were young. Arj insists Mack didn’t set out to fall for someone younger than him. He claims Mack hadn’t done it before. Once Arj runs ahead, Ember walks through the woods and approaches Riz. Ember asks her not to exploit her source. Riz was surprised Amy’s disappearance didn’t cast a shadow over this place. She says Amy has been cleared away. Riz thinks girls like that are stories to be told.

Ember runs into Sheena who says there has been no change with Miranda. Ember asks her about the visit to the abortion clinic. Sheena was 16 when she had her oldest. She believes abortion crossed Ember’s mind. Sheena has to run to the hospital. At the hospital, Ember learns that Miranda’s condition has worsened. They decided to deliver the baby. Martin Roberts (Rick Warden) asks to use the bathroom before Amy comes out. Amy tells Caitlin she had a bath because her bath has Jacuzzi jets. Amy invites Caitlin to sleep with her. Once Caitlin climbs into bed with her, Amy asks if she’s ever come. Then, she asks if she wants to do it now. Amy says it isn’t gay if she doesn’t touch her. Caitlin begins touching herself until she hears stones tapping the window.

She finds Malachy outside. Amy says she’s going out and she urges Caitlin to come with her. Riz sends Ember a recording with her source and says they should share. Ember listens to an interview with the woman who talks about the abusive man. The woman says the man was different from boys her age. People can be nice, but they can still be controlling. In a flashback, Caitlin worries about leaving with Amy and getting into trouble. Ember looks through Mack’s stuff. Hannah joins her. Hannah a picture of a girl who turns out to be Amy Knightly.

 

The Jetty Review

The Jetty stars Jenna Coleman as Detective Ember Manning who is tasked with investigating a possible arson. When a young girl, Miranda Ashby, ends up seriously injured, Ember learns she’s pregnant. That opens up an array of emotions for Ember who was involved with a man older than her. She questions whether her relationship could be classified as abuse.

It appears that her husband, Malachy, is actually Mack who was involved with Amy Knightly before her disappearance. The opening episode of The Jetty left a whole lot to be desired with mediocre performances, horrendous dialogue, and a story that’s been rehashed blue million times.

The pacing is seriously torturous to the point that very little actually happens among the tedious dialogue. Ember is pretty much a billboard for lefty politics in many conversations even when that makes the show unbelievable. I am struggling to find anything original here. Ember is personally connected to a possible crime, we have a podcaster, it’s another bland British detective drama, and so on.

The casting is unbelievable although the point is clear. It was humorous to see Jenna Coleman sleeping with her makeup and earrings on. Among an endless list of British detective dramas, this one starts near the bottom of the list with the potential to redeem itself over three more episodes.

The first episode didn’t do a good job of building any sympathetic characters because pretty much everyone is easy to dislike including Ember. After all, she has constantly belittled her partner and citizens despite being a member of law enforcement. Then, Riz enters the picture and talks to Ember like she’s an idiot. A solid cast has been let down by a few outliers and shoddy writing. It’s infantile straight to the point of leaving Hitch on the street just because we need to see Ember as a strong, bad-arse woman.

The episode scores a 4 out of 10 because it offers so little to genuinely care about. Recaps of The Jetty can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. Discuss this show at the Reel Mockery Forum.