As this episode of The Rising begins, Alex Wyatt (Nenda Neururer) drives a car with Joseph (Solly McLeod) and others in it. They encourage her to go faster. A car accident leads to the death of Danny (Adam Abbou). In the present, Alex looks at the memorial. When Alex rides back home, she runs into Neve Kelly (Clara Rugaard). She admits she was expecting Alex to freak out now that she knows who she is. Alex already did that and thought she was going crazy too. Neve tells her that her father can see her as well. She insists Alex doesn’t have to be afraid of her. After Alex says they think she was murdered, Neve confesses there is a lot she doesn’t remember.

She can’t figure out what happened to her since she can’t talk to Joe. Although Alex doesn’t think Joe would do anything to her, Neve isn’t sure since they had an argument that night. Neve wants her to question Joe to find out what he has done. He might say something to her since they’re cousins, but Alex says they’re not exactly close. William (Nicholas Gleaves) tells Michael (William Ash) and Joseph that they want to set up an interview with Joseph in the next few days. Michael doesn’t think he should be worried about this and should instead focus on Neve. As Alex enters, William says he knows it is bad timing, but this is a great opportunity for him.

William notices Alex so he tells her about Joseph’s sponsorship deal. Alex manages to convince Joseph to come outside by pretending her bike brakes feel strange. While he looks at the brakes, Neve instructs Alex to ask if he hurt her. Alex starts by saying they’ve barely seen one another since she got back. Joseph admits he has been busy training for the race. She congratulates him on the win and says it must be nice having a family that is proud of you. Alex is sorry for what happened to his girlfriend. She asks whether he wants to talk about it, but he doesn’t. Joseph tells her about the vigil at the club for Neve this afternoon.

He asks whether she is coming. Alex admits she didn’t really know her. Joseph describes her as cool and suspects she would’ve liked her. After Neve requests she brings up the party, Alex says she saw them together at night. She questions what happened since they were arguing. Alex reminds him that he can talk to her about anything. Joseph says the bike is fine although he thinks she already knew that. Alex just wanted to be sure since she doesn’t want to have an accident. He tells her to leave it while walking away. Christine (Ann Ogbomo) arrives and asks Alex what she said to him. Alex asks whether it is always her fault. When Christine walks away, Neve checks on Alex.

Next, Neve follows Joseph to her house where he hugs Maria (Emily Taaffe). Once they go inside, Joseph is told to come around whenever he because it might help to just sit in her room. Max (Cameron Howitt) seems to notice Neve’s presence before Joan Connolly (Karen Henthorn) interrupts to take his bowl. Joseph tells Katie (Robyn Cara) that he texted, but she didn’t reply. She walks off after claiming that she didn’t see it. He asks Maria if she is coming to the vigil since it wouldn’t feel right without her. He offers to call it off too. She claims it is fine, but she doesn’t want people asking how she is doing right now. Joan is adamant that they’ll be there. After Max takes a picture, Daniel (Alex Lanipekun) tells him that now is not the time.

Joseph asks Katie if she’d like to help out at the club. At first, she says no. However, her father convinces her to go. Neve follows them back to Joseph’s camper before they go inside. Joseph wants to know why she has been ignoring his calls. Katie promises she hasn’t said anything to anyone. He tells her that she needs to keep her mouth shut because he is the one who will get blamed. Joseph pulls out Neve’s jacket and tells Katie that he needs to get rid of it. She warns him that he’d be destroying evidence, but he already knows that. They go outside and place the jacket in a burn barrel. Katie drops the box of matches while trying to strike one.

Neve grabs the box and throws it elsewhere, but Katie picks it up and lights the fire anyway. Neve goes to Alex to tell her what she saw. Alex doesn’t think Joe is a murderer. Neve needs to find out what he has over Katie who lets people take advantage of her ever since her mother left. Alex believes Joe always gets his way. After Neve asks what that means, Alex tells her to get her dad to ask him at the vigil. Neve doesn’t think Joseph will ever tell her father anything. She suggests Alex could try again before asking what happened between them. Alex says this town infects everyone and everything. They’re only pretending it is okay when it is really never okay.

Once Neve asks why she came back, Alex insists everyone has to face their demons at some point. Neve asks her to come to the vigil because she needs a friend. Alex reminds her that she really doesn’t know her. Christine gets into the car with DS Diana Aird (Rebecca Root) who says they found fragments of Neve’s necklace in the boat. While many people had access to the boathouse, only two were connected to Neve. One is Daniel who took his son out sailing. The other one was Joseph since he worked there sometimes. Diana argues that would give Joseph’s father Michael and the entire Sands family access too.

Michael was away on business that night. They called the motel so his alibi checks out. Daniel is a person of interest though, especially with what happened to his first wife. Christine suggests otherwise since they know Daniel had nothing to do with Victoria’s disappearance. They’re still looking for the jacket Neve was wearing. They agree they need to attend the vigil. Christine says there is always someone who talks too much when they get emotional so they’ll get them eventually. William approaches Alex to ask what is going on with her and Joe. She claims it is his problem and not hers. When William says he is going through a lot, Alex suggests they all are. He encourages her to get out there and start building trust so she can make friends.

Before he leaves for the vigil, he tells Alex that she can trust him. Alex crams the bread into her mouth while remembering the crash that killed Danny. Tom Rees (Matthew McNulty), Nicky (Oliver Huntingdon), and the others begin arriving for the vigil. Alex arrives at the vigil and holds Neve’s hand. She knows what it is like being alone so she agrees to help Neve find out what happened. Tom meets with Neve inside. He offers to take Joseph outside, punch him, and make him tell talk. Neve doesn’t think that is helpful and going to the police won’t work because he burned the evidence. Alex comes over to join them. Tom and Alex never believed in this type of stuff until now.

Tom doesn’t understand why they can see it, but nobody else can. Neve asks them not to talk about her when she is standing right here. Joseph eyeballs Katie once she sits down. Nicky approaches Joseph to offer him a drink, but Joseph says he’ll find him later. Nicky tells him to forget about going to the police. He just wants to make sure Joe is okay. Although he claims he is, Nicky doesn’t believe it because he is acting like he never broke up with Neve. Nicky says it is stressing him out him keeping secrets. Joe responds by saying he has kept plenty of his although Nicky doesn’t think it was anything like this. When Joe tries to step away, Nicky stops him and says they’re going to have it out.

He wants to know why Neve was finished with him. Nicky says Joe looks like he is about to lose it big time while Joe thought Nicky would be happy they broke up. When Nicky asks why, Joe says it is the way he looks at him. The detectives watch as Nicky gets upset and pushes someone as he walks away. Neve tells Tom to see if he can get Nicky to talk. As Katie goes to the bar, Burns (Edward Judge) tells her these are scary times and he can be her bodyguard.

Although he claims he is being friendly, Alex calls him a twat. They argue briefly before Burns leaves. Alex strikes up a conversation with Katie by calling herself a friend of Neve. While Alex talks to Katie, Neve guides her through the conversation. Alex knows Neve would want her safe so she wants to help with whatever is going on with her and Joe. She brings up the jacket when Katie doesn’t want to talk about it. Joe joins them to see what is going on. Alex tells him they’re just chatting although he seems a little stressed out. Katie quickly says she didn’t tell her when Alex asks him about burning Neve’s jacket. Alex tries to get answers out of Joseph until he says she is the only killer he sees around here.

When Neve catches up with Tom, he reveals Nicky thought he was hitting on him. He doesn’t think Nick is going to rat out his mate anyway. When Joan and Maria arrive, Maria says it isn’t a vigil and is just an excuse for a piss-up. Daniel tells her to give it half an hour while Joan goes for the drinks. Tom tells them he doesn’t really want to be there. Maria doesn’t either, but Max talked her into it. She apologizes for possibly overacting last night as Daniel admits they’re all handling this in their own way. They concur they don’t want a fallout. William gets everyone’s attention to remind them why they’re here. He asks Tom or Maria if they’d like to say something. Tom tells Maria he can.

When he takes the microphone, he says he doesn’t know what Neve would want him to say. She tells him to ask them to screw off. Neve thinks they’re vultures that came to gossip and get pissed. Tom thanks everyone for coming before giving the microphone back to William. Everyone shares a drink to Neve. Daniel offers to let Tom come back with them, but he is going to stick around for a bit. When he leaves, Tom asks for a double vodka. Diana approaches Alex outside as she continues remembering the car accident. Alex says she has a crappy job, her parents treat her like she is five, and everyone hates her. Diana hugs her while admitting she knows how it feels to be the outsider.

She promises they’re stronger than the lot of them and is always here if Alex needs her. Alex eventually says she isn’t fine at all. Diana goes back inside and arrests Joseph on suspicion of murder when he refuses to go with her. William tells him to just go with it because they’ll sort it out. Maria doesn’t understand. Neve begins freaking out while hearing a scratching noise. She keeps hearing it until she screams stop and blows out all the candles. At the police station, Joseph claims he last saw Neve around 11 PM. His statement doesn’t match up with a witness who saw him arguing with Neve around 11:45 PM. Joseph hesitates when he is asked about burning Neve’s jacket.

He is shown pictures of Neve and the wounds on her neck while Diana asks whether he killed her. Joseph says no because he loved her. Alex asks Neve what happened back there. Neve confirms it was her because there was a scratching noise that she couldn’t get rid of. She wonders what Katie is doing there. Michael argues with Diana about Joe being there. Diana reminds him that Joe has at least destroyed potential evidence. He is told not to go anywhere because they’ll need to talk to him again. Before Katie is interviewed, Neve tells her she loves her and pleads with her to tell them whatever she knows. Once Diana arrives, Katie worries everyone is going to hate her because she lied in her statement.

She reveals that Joseph didn’t kill Neve since he was with her all night. Neve listens as Katie says they were having sex in his caravan. She storms out. Katie tells her mother that they’re releasing Joe. Neve tells Alex that she trusted her. It feels like her life is a lie and she is only finding out now. Alex knows she is going to be in so much trouble for telling the truth about the jacket. Neve admits she knows about Alex since it is a small town and everyone talks. Alex thanks her for not judging her.

There is something Alex wants to tell her. Meanwhile, Joseph tells his family about the photos Diana showed him. He is worried he’ll have those pictures in his head forever. Michael tells him to be strong and he is a good person, but Joe says he isn’t. Alex takes Neve to the memorial where she tells her how her parents felt. It haunts her every day that she can’t bring Danny back. A flashback shows that Joe covered her eyes before the crash. Alex thinks that guilt would still be there and should be no matter how long she served. Joe likely feels it too. Although she can’t make it right, she can help Neve. She mentions the sound at the vigil.

She heard it and has heard it before at the memorial. After the car accident, Alex heard the scratching noise. Neve heard it when she came out of the lake when it felt like something was watching her. She believes there is something in the woods.

 

The Rising Review

As The Rising continues, we learn more about Neve’s death and those who are potentially responsible for her murder. While Joseph didn’t kill her, he slept with Katie that night and burned her jacket so he likely knows more than he is saying. With the latest revelation of the scratching noise, I am worried this will veer off course and transform into something a bit silly.

The acting from the main cast is pretty good while some acting is bad and some of the casting choices are questionable. My biggest concern is the pacing and the episode count. While it is interesting right now, I question whether the story can retain its mysterious allure for eight episodes. The third episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Rising are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support us at this link.