As the episode begins, Nathan (Russell Tovey) stands in his home and contemplates the past before we jump back and see Holly (Amrita Acharia) preparing to hang pictures on the wall. She asks Nathan for permission and he promises that he doesn’t mind. Holly reveals that she speaks to Elise sometimes when she is having problems with her home and issues at work. Then, Nathan sits at the dinner table and tries to call Holly but she doesn’t answer. He leaves her a message asking her where she is. She comes storming through the door moments later and apologizes for being later.

She also reveals that she lost her phone. Then, they begin discussing what Holly wanted to talk about initially. She says she got her period but is worried about the money. Nathan seems eager to go through with it but Holly isn’t sure. She doesn’t want to keep hoping so much only to lose them. Nathan tells Holly that they can stop or take a break. He suggests going on holiday to Greece. We jump back to 2009 and join Nathan at the party. He grabs a drink before spotting Elise dancing in the distance. Once he gets his drink, Bob (Bertie Carvel) arrives and begins talking to Nathan.

Nathan explains why he decided to come to the party after all. Bob insists drugs help deal with not liking parties. They head to a private area where Bob snorts drugs and they talk about Bob’s beliefs. He tells Nathan about post-bereavement hallucinatory experiences and says eight out of 10 people will see the ghost of someone they lost. He isn’t sure whether they’re experiencing an objective phenomenon or something psychological. Eventually, Bob tells Nathan he saw one before Nathan decides to head back to the party. Moments later, Nathan steps outside and starts punching numbers on his phone but Elise interrupts.

After a short break, we jump back to 2010. Jacki (Nina Toussaint-White) tells her boss that she knows the family of the missing woman. She knows the sister because they were in the same year at school but it won’t be a problem. They sit down with Nathan and interview him. He agrees to walk them through the events on the day of Elise’s disappearance. Nathan can’t recall seeing or speaking to Elise during the party since there were so many people there. In a flashback, Elise tells Nathan she is leaving because of her ex Richard. Bob arrives in his vehicle and tells them happy New Year. He invites them to go out for a drink and says the night is still young. Elise suggests going to The Wheatsheaf and says it would be embarrassing to go home so early.

Nathan agrees and goes along with them. Back to the interview, Nathan claims he couldn’t get a taxi so he decided to walk to the train station. He claims it was just him and Bob. Next, Bob drives the couple toward the bar. He suggests stopping nearby to take drugs. They stop by “The Hollow” and Elise tells them what the locals say about it. She says it is like a lover’s lane during the summer but it is haunted by the gray lady. Bob insists there is a river nearby because haunted places usually have water nearby. He explains why this happens. He goes on before snorting more drugs. Then, he decides to go for a slash but Elise warns him about the gray lady.

He admits he might be gone for a while. When he walks into the woods, Nathan and Elise share drugs. Then, the detectives want to know more about the drugs. Jacki asks Nathan if he might’ve sold drugs to Elise but he denies everything and asks if he needs a lawyer. He learns that the detectives have traced his movements with Bob. They have a picture of Bob and Nathan at 4:12 AM and Elise was last reported alive around 4:30 AM. In a flashback, we see Nathan digging with his hands. The detective says Elise was heard banging on her ex-boyfriend’s window and demanding to be let inside. They believe Elise was home when Nathan got home so he isn’t a suspect.

After a break, we jump to 2013. Nathan arrives with flowers. We see his date with Holly before her father answers the door. Nathan tells Mr. Fox who he is but learns that Holly isn’t home. Mr. Fox agrees to let Nathan come inside and says he could use the company. Nathan steps inside and chats with Mr. and Mrs. Fox. They chat about Nathan trying to buy a house and his short date with their daughter. Holly arrives home moments later and is surprised by Nathan and his flowers. They go outside to the garden and Holly isn’t happy with Nathan.

He apologizes before Holly apologizes for not taking his calls. She admits her parents will never forgive her if she doesn’t ask Nathan to Sunday lunch. After that, Nathan brings flowers to a party with Holly and her friends. He is surprised to find that Jacki is friends with Holly. She keeps a close eye on Nathan throughout the party. She invites him to join her outside and asks him if Holly knows. Nathan confesses that she doesn’t. Jacki believes Holly should know the truth and that Nathan is lying to her. He says he only wants to make her happy and she is. Jacki threatens to bury Nathan if he hurts Holly. One night, Nathan gets up and goes to the bathroom so he can check his phone.

Bob calls him before we see how Bob found Nathan’s phone. Bob encourages Nathan to act quickly because they’re running out of time. The Fox couple sees a car outside and Mrs. Fox suggests calling the police. Bob threatens to tell them that Nathan buried Elise. Mr. Fox steps outside and approaches Bob’s vehicle while Nathan pleads with him to stop. Nathan agrees to help Bob move the body tomorrow night so Bob leaves and says nothing. Nathan joins Bob and threatens to kill him if he messes with his family again. Bob says it’ll be over soon before they head to the scene. In a flashback, Nathan runs through the woods in a panic. Bob asks Nathan what he did after they pull Elise’s body from the vehicle.

Once they arrive, Bob admits he used to return there sometimes and Nathan doesn’t understand that. Meanwhile, Holly tells her parents why Nathan isn’t joining them. Instead, Jacki is coming. Jacki arrives as Bob and Nathan grab their shovels and prepare to dig for the body. Nathan asks Bob if it is true that he was Elise. Jacki hangs out with Holly while they dig. Jacki asks why Holly has been checking her phone every few seconds so Holly says Nathan hasn’t been himself. She says it is something he does when he is stressed. He has sleeping pills but he doesn’t take them because he is worried about a fire. Holly tells Jacki about Bob. Bob and Nathan finally find what they’re looking for.

Jacki leaves and remembers what Nathan said during the interview. She rushes to the police station and parks in the parking lot. She goes inside and searches for Elise’s files. She looks at the key witnesses in the case and finds Nathan’s name there. She watches videos of Nathan’s interview and listens to his answers. He claims it was only him and Bob. Then, she watches Bob Morrow’s interview.

 

The Sister Review

The Sister isn’t perfect by any means but it is watchable. The acting isn’t terrible and the story is unique and interesting. With not much else going on right now, The Sister is worth checking out. At the very least, it is holding my attention. I am eager to see how things are going to play out and what will happen to Bob and Nathan in future episodes.

The episode was decent so I’d give it a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of The Sister can be found on Reel Mockery.