As the second episode of Too Close begins, Dr. Emma Robertson (Emily Watson) walks on a bridge while her daughter Abigail runs in the distance. Emma calls her daughter’s name just before Connie Mortensen (Denise Gough) walks up and grabs the little girl’s hand. They continue further from Emma who steps inside and answers the phone. The woman on the other end tells her she has had it with her. Emma freaks out and tries to reach Abigail but finds herself locked in the building. She wakes up and the intro begins. After the introduction ends, Emma takes medication and pulls a letter from her purse. Emma lights a cigarette while Connie plays with her lighter. Later, Emma tells Si (Risteard Cooper) not to tell her that her job is too much for her. He claims he wasn’t going to but woke her up because she said she needed to be up early.

Si knows what day it is. He tells Emma he’ll meet her downstairs. Emma is shown standing near a bridge taking a picture before we join Addy (Chizzy Akudolu) who is busy bothering Connie. She encourages Addy to go away. Emma enters the room and Addy says she wants to talk to her about night shifts. Dr. Robertson doesn’t want to talk about that right now so Addy leaves. Emma gets right to work with Constance who claims it is sexy that Emma is being assertive. Emma shows her a picture of the bridge and says the storm was severe that night. She wants Connie to try to remember anything she can about the event. Connie is shown a few more pictures before she asks Emma if she is going to throw up again and says DCI Tennison wouldn’t have done that. Emma tells her that her future is looking pretty grim since she could serve life in prison or life in a psychiatric hospital.

Then, Emma turns the conversation to the fact that Connie started taking antidepressants three years ago. In May, she was put on corticosteroids for hair loss and lorazepam for extreme anxiety and insomnia. Emma tells her that hair can fall out from stress or shock so she wonders if something happened to Connie. Before she answers that question, Connie wants to know who Kenneth Baines is. Emma realizes that Connie saw the letter in her purse so she moves it. Then, the conversation turns to Ness (Thalissa Teixeira) and Connie asks if she wants to know if they had sex. In a flashback, Connie’s mother has lubrication and tells Connie it is important to have a healthy sex life. Ness arrives with Polly and Connie believes something is wrong. She learns that Leah has left them because she was miserable. Connie tries to comfort her friend. Later, Ness takes a bath and claims she is going to be one of those single people who nobody invites to dinner.

Connie suggests otherwise since they’ll invite her to dinner every night. Back in the present, Connie can’t understand why her mother won’t visit. She feels wobbly without her mother so Emma says she’ll get her something for anxiety. When she goes for a cup of water, she notices the unicorn iron Connie stole from her phone. Emma wants to know where she got it. Connie tells her she has quite a temper under that chilly veneer. Emma tells her she knows nothing about it, but Connie knows she got pretty wrecked at dinner on Thursday. She tells her the other things she learned before telling Emma to hide her notifications. Emma calls her tedious so Connie apologizes for losing her gloss. Connie wonders if it is inevitable for female relationships to eventually take on a sisterly irritation. Emma quickly tells her she isn’t her sister or friend. She also reminds Connie she isn’t the one who drove a car into the river with children in the back.

Connie believes Emma wanted to before denying that is what happened. Emma gets loud and asks what happened then. That makes Connie think she was right about Emma having a temper. Later, Dougie Thompson (Ariyon Bakare) finds Emma sitting at the park by herself. He knows about the case because he saw Emma’s name in the newspaper. He tells Emma that she really makes a big difference. Then, he tells her he still sees the old group, including Jim, Pete, and Sally. Emma learns that Sally is having a birthday party on Friday at The Bell. She is invited to come before she learns how Doug is doing. They chat a bit longer before Emma leaves. She returns to Connie and immediately apologizes. She says the line has to be very clear that this is a professional relationship. Connie knows Emma always tries hard to do things right but life is messy.

Then, Emma asks if Karl (Jamie Sives) found out about her feelings for Ness. We see a flashback with Connie and Karl in bed together. He tells her that he fell in love with her all those years ago because she was a live wire, but he thinks he might’ve clipped her wings. He asks if she feels like she is just going through the motions so she thinks it might be the antidepressants. Karl admits he feels numb and would like to feel alive again. He denies having an affair so she asks if he fancies other people. He asks her the same and she admits she does. Karl says yes too. Connie believes that is natural after 15 years and they shouldn’t beat themselves up about it. He believes she has always held a torch for that professor bloke named Jonathan Hapgood. She doesn’t say anything. Next, she meets with Ness and tells her that Karl said they should take other lovers. Ness believes Karl is trying to have his cake and eat it too.

Connie believes it could be really good for her as well since she is available. Connie seems surprised when Ness asks her if she is going to track down the professor. Later, she rides on the bus and removes her ring. She meets Johnny Hapgood (Stephen McCole). They have drinks before heading outside. Johnny says he has to go. Connie tries to kiss him but Hapgood says he can’t. He admits he is seeing someone and thought Connie was trying to write an article. Connie leaves in a hurry and calls Karl. She admits her meeting was such a disaster. She returns home and tries to call Nessa but only gets the voicemail. She thanks Billie for watching the kids before telling Josh (Henry Helm) to clean up the mess. Connie calls herself an idiot before joining Anne (Isabelle Mullally) on the couch. Connie gets a call from Karl. He must’ve accidentally called her because it sounds like he is having sex.

She continues listening as it intensifies and Karl tells Ness she is beautiful. Later that night, Karl returns home and Connie asks him about work. She asks him about stopping by Ness’s on the way home. He claims he stopped there to look at her boiler. She confronts him about it so Karl reminds her he doesn’t ask what she is up to. She isn’t happy that he slept with her best friend but Karl says he knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it. We return to the present and Emma finds out that was the shock she experienced. Connie wonders how long the kite has been stuck in the tree like that. When Emma leaves, she listens to a radio interview about Connie and tells them to shut up. She looks up and sees Simon meet with a woman and hug her. She leaves him a message saying she won’t be early so she’ll meet him there. When she meets with him, she tells him about the letter that came from Kenneth.

Emma admits she wanted to read it together. Si checks his phone but won’t say who called. Si reads the letter and says Kenneth wants to meet. Karl visits Connie and gets a hug. Addy breaks them up before Connie admits she can’t remember where they are in their relationship. Karl says they’re at the end. She asks about Josh and Annie but Karl won’t tell her how they are. He gives her some magazines before leaving. Connie breaks down and later tells Emma it was like he wished he’d never met her. She admits the fact that she was left out is what really got her. Emma says it was a good thing she had her mother. In a flashback, Connie takes her mother in for a check-up. Julia is obviously having problems with her memory. When Julia steps out of the room, the doctor says it is okay for Connie to say she isn’t coping despite the antidepressants.

Connie admits she isn’t sleeping, her hair is falling out, and her chest feels like it is going to explode. She is offered lorazepam and told Leah swears by them. She takes the medication and tells Emma how she felt after doing so. She says it got to the point where you have to take a pill just to feel normal. When you need to ask for help, you don’t have the strength to do it. Connie asks if they can stop and Emma says yes. She tells Connie she has done really well. Once again, Connie asks who Kenneth Baines is. Emma simply says he is a lorry driver. When Emma leaves, she finds Kenneth and watches him from her vehicle. Then, she approaches a house and rings the doorbell but nobody answers. She goes around the back and finds the door open. As she steps through, she yells for Connie’s mother Mrs. de Cadenet.

She encounters James who says they’re clearing the place out. She helps him with the books as the phone rings. Emma asks about it but he says he never answers the phone. They talk about Connie’s condition which Emma calls dissociative amnesia. Emma explains it is a mechanism that the brain has to cope with trauma. He breaks down and admits he can’t understand how she could do that to those poor girls. He wonders if they did something terrible to cause it but Emma says no before encouraging him to visit his daughter. Emma soon learns that Julia is dead and was before all of this occurred. When Emma leaves, she calls and tries to get James home care since he is showing signs of confusion and living in squalor. Then, she calls Phil and asks why the death of Connie’s mother wasn’t in the notes. She goes to Connie’s room and waits. When Addy brings Connie back, she asks about the night shifts but Emma only tells her to leave them alone.

They sit down and Emma asks Connie if she remembers her mother dying six weeks ago. Connie asks if she knew this. Emma says yes and reminds Connie that her mother took a lot of paracetamol accidentally because she kept forgetting she had taken it. Connie surprises Emma by asking what her daughter’s name was. Emma asks her to keep her daughter out of it, but Connie claims she can’t when her grief runs through every syllable she utters. Connie says they are the wrecked people. She learns that her daughter’s name was Abigail before the session ends. When Emma leaves, she notices the kite still stuck in the tree above her. She receives a call from Si but doesn’t answer it. Meanwhile, Connie begins ripping pages from a book and throwing them aside. Emma goes to the birthday party while Connie starts a fire. She watches the fire burn as the episode ends.

 

Too Close Review

I have found myself deeply enthralled by Too Close much like Emma is captivated by Connie. The show’s many twists and turns are surprisingly authentic and jaw-dropping. They’re extremely well-done thanks to the great writing and the nature of the show.

In a way, Emma and Connie have different storylines but they’re also tightly bonded. Emma’s decision will have a major impact on Connie and the outcome of her trial. At times, it feels like one or the other is in full control of the conversation but both women are bending. It is a mutual arrangement since both are wrecked people who’ve been put through turmoil.

Will Emma do something equally violent? Will she help Connie escape a life sentence? This episode was great from start to finish so I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10. More recaps of Too Close can be found on Reel Mockery here.