At the beginning of the 3rd episode, Paula (Vicky McClure) agrees to tell Ellen (Morven Christie) the truth about her life. Ellen is escorted to Caris’ bedroom. Paula explains that her child was killed two years ago in a vehicle accident. She admits that Caris was not her daughter. Ellen makes her escape and rushes home. There, she tries to convince Ian (Richard Rankin) and Kieran (Navin Chowdhry) that Paula needs help. They refuse and Kieran pleads with Ellen to keep the revelation a secret. After Kieran leaves, Ellen turns her attention to Ian and tries to get him involved. Ellen insists Paula is a lunatic and she needs to be brought down. That night, she tells Ian that she wrote a letter to the police. Also, Ellen has a nightmare involving Paula at work.

The next day, Ellen doesn’t believe Paula will show up for work. When she arrives, Paula is surprisingly already sitting at her desk. Ellen heads to her desk and tries to ignore her. However, Paula quickly breaks down and is comforted by David (Dougray Scott) and Lucy (Kim Allan). This makes Ellen look like the bad guy. She is confronted by David seconds later. They get into an argument about Kay believing David was having an affair. He has an outburst and reveals that Kay accused him of sleeping with Ellen. David seems to hint that he does have feelings for her. Eventually, Ellen walks off of the job and quits. She tracks down Paula and tells her immediately. Paula seems happy and suggests Ellen should stay home with the baby. Paula urges Ellen to put the baby at the center of her life, before Ellen makes her departure.

Later, Paula and Kieran seem to split from one another. They agree to distribute their child’s stuff evenly. Ellen quickly begins hunting for a new job. Paula learns and begins acting like a reference to hinder her chances. During one interview, she runs into Georgia (Sharon Young). Georgia again refuses to speak about Paula. Ellen quickly discovers that Ellen is afraid of her. Georgia notifies Paula of the meeting as soon as Ellen leaves. Paula pays Ian a visit at work. She tells him that the baby might not be his and could be David’s. Next, Ian and Ellen sit down with the social workers. While Ellen remains calm and collected, the revelation has definitely changed Ian’s attitude. In the morning, Ellen receives an invitation to a party at the library. Since it came from David, Ellen admits she shouldn’t go. Ian tries to convince her otherwise.

David contacts Ellen and tells her that Paula will not be at the party. With that, she decides to attend and does so with Ian in toll. When they arrive, they quickly speak with David. He admits he wants to use the library as a way to honor his wife. During the party, Ellen notices Paula on the floor above them. Despite Ian’s concerns, Ellen chases her down. This gives Paula the opportunity to pretend Ellen pushed her down the stairs. The police and EMS arrive. Ellen is arrested. After she is released, Ian refuses to allow her to see the baby. At this point, Ian also accuses Ellen of sleeping with David. He leaves with the baby. In the morning, Paula receives a threatening phone call from Ellen. Ellen promises to dedicate all of her time to getting even. Paula visits Ian at home and gives him a baby tracker of sorts. Next, Ian and Ellen sit down for negotiations.

Ellen notices that Ian is requesting a paternity test. She refuses. After negotiations are ended, we watch as Paula continues to build a relationship with Ian. Ellen meets with David and tries to convince him that Paula is a psycho. David admits he believes Ellen has gone off of the rails. As the conversation intensifies, David admits he told Kay that he would’ve had a baby had he slept with Ellen. He also admits he got drunk one night and might have told Paula the same. She quickly realizes the Paula put the paternity test in Ian’s mind. Ellen pleads with David to just look at Paula when he is in the office again. Next, Ellen pleads with Rianne (Sarah MacRae) to take her to see the baby. She tries to convince her that doing so would be a bad idea. Ellen visits anyone, but finds the house empty. Then, she visits Paula’s place.

Ellen watches through the window as Paula plays with her baby. Ellen immediately rushes over to Beth’s (Siobhan Redmond) place. Beth agrees to help Ellen, because she doesn’t want her son near Paula. Rianne and Ellen discover an article online that speaks about the death of Paula’s baby in a hit and run. They get the license plate number and track it down. Ellen learns that Georgia was the driver. She confronts her once again. Ellen pleads with Georgia to speak with the police, since they refuse to listen to her. When Paula heads to work, she sees the police inside. She immediately heads in the opposite direction. Back at home, Ian begins prepared lunch for himself and the baby. While his back is turned, the baby is snatched. He quickly placed the blame on Ellen. He calls Ellen and pleads with her to bring the baby back or she could go to prison.

During this same time, Ellen receives a text message from Paula. She is told to meet her at the scene of the fatal accident. Ellen rushes over and meets with her. She is led to a garage and both get inside of a vehicle. Ellen attempts to notify the police, as she hears the baby cry through some type of surveillance device. Paula manages to convince Ellen to swallow a handful of pills. She promises to save the baby, if Ellen takes the pills. Then, Paula leaves Ellen trapped inside of the vehicle. Nevertheless, Ellen uses a crazy scheme to break free. She rushes to the library and gets the baby. Paula also arrives and is subsequently arrested by the police.

At the end of the episode, Ian visits Ellen at her sister’s house. He tries to see the baby. Ellen refuses and admits he is only allowed to do so on the weekend. Then, she heads to the library and runs into Vernon (Gilly Gilchrist), who offers her a job. Ellen refuses and admits she wants to remain home with her daughter. Then, Ellen visits Kay’s burial plot. She reads a book to her daughter, while David approaches from the back.

 

The Replacement Review

The Replacement’s final episode was hit and miss, but mostly miss. Overall, the finale wasn’t bad. Paula was finally brought down, but she did manage to change Ellen’s attitude towards her daughter. Ian was also punished for refusing to stick by his wife. The ending scene was a little awkward. Perhaps David and Ellen got together? Sadly though, the car breakout was an embarrassment. What the heck were the writers thinking when they threw that nonsense in there?

Up until this point, The Replacement was fairly realistic and plausible. Then, they decided to throw logic right out of the window. Those 4 or 5 minutes really ruined any credibility the series had. The finale was mostly disappointing and all it took was a few minutes to destroy it all. Who knew it was possible to power a car with a flashlight battery? A 5 out of 10 is deserved. Catch up with previous recaps of The Replacement now!