At the beginning of the second episode, Ellen (Morven Christie) dreams that Paula (Vicky McClure) is holding her child. She wakes up from her nightmare seconds later. Ellen tries to call David (Dougray Scott), but only gets his voicemail. After she is released from the hospital, Ellen sits down with two detectives. They confirm that Kay simply jumped through the skylight. Afterwards, Ian (Richard Rankin) attempts to comfort his wife. Nonetheless, Ellen remains convinced that Paula had something to do with Kay’s death. The next day, Ellen gets a visit from Paula. They speak briefly about Kay’s death. Rianne (Sarah MacRae) emerges seconds later and is introduced to Paula.

Ellen and Rianne manage to prevent Paula from seeing Leah. Once Paula leaves, Rianne agrees with Ellen that the woman is a little strange. Next, Ellen pays a visit to David. She learns that Kay thought David might’ve been having an affair. He refuses to say who she accused him of having an affair with. Ellen manages to escape to the bathroom. There, she finds Paula’s lipstick on the counter. Next, Kay’s funeral begins. Ellen notices that Kieran (Navin Chowdhry) is nowhere to be found. Ellen winds up with a mess on her t-shirt. She is forced to give a speech on Kay’s behalf and nearly gets embarrassed. Paula takes the stage after Ellen breaks down and covers her with her coat.

At the end of the event, Paula tries to encourage Ian to force Ellen to bring Leah in to work. Afterwards, Ellen follows Kieran and speaks with him at a nearby café. Kieran admits he was with Paula when they learned about Kay’s death. When she returns home, she finds Beth (Siobhan Redmond) outside. Ellen quickly accuses Ian of lying to his mother. Nevertheless, Beth admits she is there to help. The next day, Ellen returns to work and is greeted by David. He thanks Ellen for coming back to work and helping in Kay’s absence. With Paula using Ellen’s old office, Ellen is given permission to use Kay’s for the time being. Seconds later, Paula enters and speak with Ellen about her encounter with Kieran. Ellen allows Paula to look at pictures of her daughter. Paula also mentions her daughter, Caris.

Ellen invites herself and her family over to Paula’s place. Paula seems stunned at first, but she agrees to the arrangement. Once Paula leaves, Ellen reaches out to Caris online. That night, Ian cares for Leah. Ellen visits David and watches Paula leave his house. Then, she speaks with David about Kay’s phone. After a brief fight, Ellen is given permission to look at the phone. Ellen discovers that Kay had recently been at Jarman McCreadie Partners. She also finds a business card with the name Georgia on the back. David denies knowing someone named Georgia. He also lies about Paula being over at his place. Back at home, Ellen receives advice from her mother in law. Beth suggests Ellen should get to know Paula better and see what she can uncover. Ellen researches Paula’s background and discovers she used to work at Jarman McCreadie Partners.

The next day, Ellen visits the address and finds out that it is a fish and chips shop. Ellen receives a message back from Caris. However, we see that it is Paula pretending to be her daughter. After a drink out with Paula, Ellen sneaks into Paula’s office and looks at her contacts. She finds information for Georgia. Seconds later, Paula interrupts with Caris (Christiane Robinson) beside her. After a formal introduction, Ellen makes contact with Jarman McCreadie and schedules an appointment. At home, Beth tells Ellen to keep her enemies close. She also admits her son is worried about her. Then, Ian and Ellen argue about Ellen’s persistence. The next day, Ellen takes Leah to work and lets everyone see the baby. Paula is given a chance to hold her.

Next, Paula becomes angry when she notices Ellen breastfeeding the baby. She sends Vernon (Gilly Gilchrist) into Ellen’s office to disturb her privacy. Paula continues to watch Ellen as she speaks with David. David offers to give Ellen a promotion and let her take over Kay’s role. Ellen agrees to think about it. Seconds later, Ellen leaves the office. Paula speaks with David and learns that she went to visit Jarman McCreadie. Ellen arrives and sees Georgia (Sharon Young). She learns Leah locked in the vehicle and chases down Georgia. This gives Paula a few seconds to sneak in and snap pictures of Leah locked in the vehicle. Georgia refuses to speaks with Ellen. That night, Ellen and Paula agree to celebrate on Friday. When Ellen arrives home, she notices the cops leaving her place. Ian reveals that they’re being monitored by social services. Ellen is forced to speak with them about her situation. While she is put on probation, she doesn’t get in any trouble for the time being.

The next day, Ellen and Ian visit Paula’s house. Paula admits Caris is over at a friend’s. Ellen quickly brings up Georgia and asks Paula about her relationship with the woman. The conversation gets awkward, so Ian decides to split. Paula insists Kieran can take him home. This leaves Ellen and Paula all alone. Paula quickly asks why should would want to kill Kay. Ellen suggests it may have something to do with David. Paula quickly denies the accusation. Ellen insists she will get to the truth sooner or later. Ellen continues asking questions. Paula eventually concedes. She tells Ellen she has won, as the episode ends.

 

The Replacement Review

The Replacement’s second episode dove deeper into the mystery surrounding Paula and her family. Simultaneously, Ellen has become obsessed with finding out the truth. Paula is definitely hiding something, but Ellen might be taking things too far. She has already shown that she is willing to put her daughter at risk to expose her archrival. The mystery of the show is excellent and definitely entraps the viewer. We can only hope the finale uncovers the truth and doesn’t leave us hanging.

The 2nd episode deserves a 7 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of The Replacement now.