As this episode of Time begins, Orla (Jodie Whittaker) serves customers in a pub. Her boss (Philip Hill-Pearson) takes her in the back and shows her the CCTV footage of her stealing money from the register. Orla explains she took just over 500 because she needs to find a place to get her kids back. She pleads with him not to tell the police because she’ll never get her kids back. The boss calls the police anyway. Orla is taken back to the prison. On day 119, Marie-Louise O’Dell (Siobhan Finneran) speaks to Abi (Tamara Lawrance) about the wound on her face. Marie asks if she’ll seek revenge. She insists she won’t say anything even if Abi says she will.

Then, she says she won’t let someone get disfigured. Kelsey Morgan (Bella Ramsey) is shown around the mother’s ward. She is reminded it’s very hard to get a place here and not many women do. When she leaves, she tells PO Martin (Lisa Millett) she is moving in there as soon as she can. Martin warns her she’ll have to convince the board first. Abi watches Lou Harkness (Julie Graham) leave the cell. PO Carter (Louise Lee) gets Orla registered into the prison again. Orla tells her she needs three priority numbers approved because her kids are in care. Carter will only let her have two. Orla yells from her cell to tell another inmate what she did. When Adam Muller (Nicholas Nunn) shows up for visitation, PO Martin rushes to let him hug Kelsey.

Adam steps out and Kelsey claims he is just stressed. Then, Adam is there for the scan. The nurse says her drug use hasn’t done any harm from what they can see. Kelsey asks Adam to marry her. He agrees. Kelsey tells the others about the scan when she gets back. She begins freaking out so the others have to calm her. Then, they turn on music and begin dancing. Abi looks at the ultrasound picture later in her cell. When Abi’s mom visits, she learns about the attack and the fact that the attacker was never caught. Abi explains that she couldn’t tell them who did it. She tries to figure out why her mom is there. Abi asks where that love was when she was growing up and when her baby was born. Back then, it was constant criticism and abuse. Abi claims her mom ran off her dad.

Abi goes back to her cell and thinks about the baby while in the shower. When she steps out, another inmate admits she has been told to hurt her. Abi tells her to go back and say she tried, but she was too good for her. Abi hits her to make it more convincing. Outside, Abi sees Donna (Kayla Meikle). Abi approaches her and tells her that he’s coming. Kelsey approaches Marie to say she wants to marry Adam. Marie tells her that the governor doesn’t think Adam is a good man. Kelsey says they love each other and curses the lot of them. Kesley calls Adam to say she won’t get into the mother and baby unit if they get married. He claims the nun is just jealous of her. Orla is returned to her cell with Abi and Kelsey. She tells Lou that she got 12 months for theft.

Orla immediately tries to get Kelsey to eat something. When Marie returns, Kelsey tells her what Adam said. Marie takes Orla but won’t say what is going on. Tess Palmer from Social Services tells Orla that her mother is dying. They’ve moved her to a hospice. Tess Palmer (Danielle Henry) and the kids are there when Orla makes it to the hospice. Kyle (Isaac Lancel-Watkinson) questions why she’s there and why she didn’t turn up on another day. Orla says she doesn’t get a say. She tells them she loves them. Kyle argues she wouldn’t be in jail if she did. Orla checks on Elizabeth (Karen Henthorn) and puts lotion on her hands. Elizabeth says she tried, but Orla was always a much better more than she could be.

Orla admits the kids don’t see it that way. Elizabeth says the world is not a straightforward place for women. Orla believes she’s lost them. Later, Abi hears someone trying to get into her cell. She tells Marie who believes talking would help. Marie argues that the women might understand if Abi told her story truthfully. She invites Abi to talk about it in her group. Abi asks to hear Marie’s story. Orla tries to get in touch with Kyle but no one answers. Abi catches Donna alone and threatens to burn her with an iron. When Abi asks why she took it so far, Donna reveals she loved Tanya. Donna goes on to say Tanya loved her and Abi ruined it. Abi lets Donna go but warns her not to think she is weak. During the next session, Marie says she thought they’d talk about men. Abi joins them. Marie asks Kelsey if she’d like to speak first.

Kelsey refuses. The others begin questioning why the baby killer is there. Marie says she invited Abi who brings up the fact that nothing is confidential in there. Marie agrees to leave the room. Donna begins talking about watching her son play footie at the school. She got upset because they let two other subs play but not her son. Donna told him not to worry because he’ll get on in the second half. Her son wouldn’t put on his jacket even though it was the coldest day of the year. Her son never got to play. Donna confronted the teacher about it later. She hit him after he said her son wasn’t good enough. He fell and cracked his head. This wasn’t the first time Donna had hit someone. She served four years before going for parole.

She told them she didn’t think she had hit the teacher hard enough. She gets another year and this happens again. They told her this was just keeping her away from her little boy, but Donna claimed he wasn’t her boy anymore. He’s a man now. After the session, Abi tells Marie that Donna mainly spoke. Marie reveals she was with a priest named Peter. She’s known him for about eight years, but it’s been going on for about a year. Marie would pack it in for him, but he wouldn’t pack it in for her. On night 195, Kelsey calls Adam to say her board is on Tuesday and he needs to be there. Adam says he has things going on. He eventually promises to be there.

Then, Orla calls Kyle to sing happy birthday to him. He hangs up on her. Next, Kelsey soon worries that Adam isn’t coming. PO Martin believes she is better off without him. She urges Kelsey to go in there and tell them why this matters. During the hearing, Kelsey insists the reports do not tell the full story. She explains she hasn’t been using and she hasn’t caused problems. Kelsey claims she’s changed because she has something more important to think about now. She promises she won’t let them down because she’ll make it on the outside. When she returns, the others learn she should hear something in the next day or so. Orla gets upset and tells PO Martin to send her back. In private, she complains about losing her kids after years of hard work while some smackhead gets to keep her baby.

Lou gets a card from her son Stephen. She agrees to go to mass since that was the agreement. PO Martin tells Kelsey that they said yes and she’ll move in before her due date. Marie calls Stephen and introduces herself as the chaplain at Carlingford Prison. He says he wants nothing to do with her so he obviously didn’t send the card. Stephen says she punched his wife when she was seven months pregnant and they lost the child. Tess brings the kids to see Orla. She explains that Kyle is gearing himself up to come because it took some persuading for him to come. Orla hangs out with her other kids. With five minutes left, PO Carter informs her that he’s not coming in. Orla causes a brief scene before calming down.

Kelsey complains about the pain so Abi goes for help. Kelsey speaks to someone on the phone before they agree to send someone over. Orla calls Kyle to say she understands why he didn’t want to come in. She asks if he’d prefer to wait until she is released because she doesn’t want to hurt him anymore. Orla explains she panicked and that’s why she stole money. The call ends when Orla’s credit runs out and there is nothing she can do about it. Orla takes another prisoner hostage and makes her hit the buzzer. Martin learns about Kelsey, but the midwife is not working together. She checks on Orla who threatens to cut the prisoner’s throat if she can’t talk to Kyle. Martin calls for backup. Kelsey finds blood coming from her crotch.

Abi pleads with them to send someone to help Kelsey now. Orla scolds Martin and tells her she should be ashamed of herself. Donna tells Abi to do something for Kelsey since she used to be a nurse. Abi reluctantly tries to help. Orla is warned that the riot squad is going to come for her. Orla gives up. Kelsey gives birth to her baby with Abi’s help.

 

Time Review

Episode two of Time’s second series was strong in some areas, yet not as impactful as it could’ve been. The finale really needs to go all out to pull on our heartstrings to make the series just as strong as the first. Three episodes were just enough for the first series, but this one may be skimming the surface a bit too much.

Plus, there are more fundamental characters being juggled so there needed to be more time for each. The characters aren’t as easy to sympathize with this time around for a handful of reasons. Orla’s rash actions at the beginning were one reason, but having to juggle so many concurrent characters doesn’t help.

Truthfully, this just feels emotionless compared to the first series. The stories are interesting and they’ll likely mean something in the long run, but the emotional connection to the characters simply isn’t there. The finale may change that as Orla gets closer to the end of the line. This episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Time are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link.

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