As the episode begins, DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) stays at home alone until Adam (Jassa Ahluwalia) enters and grabs something from the fridge. Cassie wants to know about Adam’s night with Martin (Peter Egan), but Adam says he thinks she should let it go. He says Martin knows exactly what he is doing and it has nothing to do with his girlfriend. Adam apologizes before Cassie says it is okay but Adam shouldn’t come running to her in ten years when he doesn’t have money for a deposit on a flat. Adam says he knows now and thanks his mother for that. Martin plays the same crossword as Cassie but gets upset and forcefully slams his pen on the table. DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) returns to Sal (Michelle Bonnard) and apologizes for not being there to help.

She isn’t upset and welcomes him home. He learns the girls are excited to have their own rooms. Marnie (Lucy Speed) takes care of her son Jack Barton (Rory Averdieck) while Dean (Andy Nyman) learns that Casper (Jacob Lang) won an award for debating. Casper told his dad about it, but Dean was too busy with Jack’s evening. Dean quickly tries to make it up to his younger son by apologizing and telling him he is an absolute star. Seconds later, Cassie and Sunny meet with Dr. Leanne Balcombe (Georgia Mackenzie) to learn more about Matthew’s remains. Leanne tells them about a depressed fracture about the victim’s temple. Cassie is asked if the forensic botanist, Jay, contacted her yet. He hasn’t but he has some interesting results on the leaf material found on the T-shirt.

Jake Collier (Lewis Reeves) enters and tells them that Murray checked the cellphone records and found that the suspects haven’t been contacting one another. They haven’t contacted each other using their cellphones yet. Seconds later, DS Fran Lingley (Carolina Main) tries to track down information about Clive Walsh and Sunny talks to Cassie about speaking to Hendon who has been trying to locate the intake’s lead trainer for them. Cassie says it is extraordinary for five newbie coopers to be involved. Fran talks to the receptionist and learns that the last record of Clive shows he was given a residential place just under two years ago in a halfway house in Bow. Fran jots down the information before we join Fiona (Liz White) and Liz (Susan Lynch).

Liz tells Fiona she is going to have to search her for a wire. Fiona finds that insane but she lets Liz search her anyway. Then, Fiona agrees to show Liz her phone so she can make sure she isn’t recording their conversation. They discuss their conversations with the police. Liz says she told them the truth, but Fiona admits she said she was too drunk to remember anything. Liz gives her advice to let the truth slowly come back to her if they interview her again. When Liz asks Fiona if she remembers it Fiona recalls Rob getting pulled over and Liz driving the rest of them home. Then, she remembers Liz taking the car back to Rob’s place which was close to where Liz lived. They agree Liz walked from after that. Liz is convinced they won’t find out about the pub since there is no connection to them.

Fiona isn’t so confident though since she is worried they could find someone. She is concerned they’ll find out about the pub and the rest. She goes on to say that they might find out what Liz did for her and she can’t be cold and hard about it like Liz can. Liz says she is trying to stay as dispassionate as possible because that is the most useful thing to do right now. Liz says she has to go before giving Fiona a Hotmail address she set up in case she needs to get in touch with her. Liz kisses her, tells her she is still beautiful, and says she hopes her life has been happy. Meanwhile, Murray (Jordan Long) contacts Cassie to let her know that Matthew Walsh was cautioned in a pub just three weeks before he went missing. He had a physical altercation with another drinker.

The incident took place at the Ifield on Hendon Lane and everyone who trained at the academy drank there. They wonder if he got into a spat with one of the probationers. Then, Cassie and Sunny approach Ian Henderson (Ian Burfield) who trained all of the suspects. He stays by telling them about Ram (Phaldut Sharma) who he says hasn’t changed in 30 years. He says he was cocky back then and still is today, and he used to play the race card at every opportunity. Once they move past that, Ian says he always thought Ram would go right to the top or end up in prison. He tells them about Ram’s good attributes but says he is very angry as well. He says the proof is in the pudding and wonders if they’ve checked his disciplinary record over the years. Ian says he thought he was untouchable and he believes Ram would’ve been inside already had he been white. When asked if he has a generalized prejudice, Ian says they wanted his opinion and he has given it. As the conversation turns to Dean, we see that Dean and Ram have decided to meet. Ian says Dean was the polar opposite and one of the most instinctive cops he has ever trained. When pushed about being a team player, Ian says he worked well alongside others on the job.

He wasn’t great socially thought because he was private and secretive. When asked about Liz, Ian says she was a natural and they used to call her the Prof. He goes on to say it wasn’t easy to admit you were gay back then so things were harder for her. She didn’t have any open relationships but she was as thick as thieves with one girl. As for Fiona, he says they called her the wet blanket. She was capable but had no idea what she was doing and hated the whole set-up. He says he liked Rob who he called a nice guy. He says it didn’t surprise him because Rob wasn’t the sharpest knife and he was a gentle giant. Then, he says they formed a little gang although they came from different backgrounds. On the day of the passing out parade, he noticed that not one of them had a guest so he thinks that might’ve had something to do with it.

Dean asks Ram if he thinks he is going to be able to find stuff out if it moves forward and Ram says he’ll do what he can. He believes it is best to stick to the truth they know and they’ll be fine. Ram asks him about the business the other day and if it went okay. Dean says it was fine before thanking Ram for helping him out on short notice. Both say they’ve moved on now and it’ll be the last time. Fran tracks down Clive Walsh (David Schofield) and tells him about his brother. Cassie talks to the botanist and learns that the plant material on the shirt is native to the north so it is unlikely it was grown down here. He tells her she should be looking at vegetable plots in gardens or an allotment close to the last spot Matthew was seen. Sunny learns that Clive is happy to come in so he says they’ll be back in about 20 minutes.

Cassie learns from Sunny that Clive was actually with Matthew the night he disappeared and was having a pee in the bushes when the car pulled up. Clive saw everything. Murray meets with an officer who remembers the probationer involved in the altercation because of his color. She says Walsh made a pass at a woman who was likely also a probationer. She blanked him and he got a bit upset so another guy she was drinking with got involved. She says Walsh allegedly made racially abusive remarks. Murray assumes it wasn’t a big deal since Walsh only got cautioned, but she reveals Walsh gave the lad a bit of a kicking. He was let off because her sergeant wanted it buried. They had only started recruiting ethnic minorities and didn’t want a court case. Her sergeant likely deliberately left the other names off of the report.

Clive goes to the station to tell Sunny and Cassie about the night of his brother’s disappearance. When he went to urinate in the bushes, he heard someone shout “Oi! Walshy boy!”. He turned around and saw a guy getting out of a car about 50 yards away. He says it was an Asian guy and his brother saw others in the car so he just ran. Clive had never been in a fight in his life so he ducked down and hid. Then, the tall driver got out and followed the other guys. 30 seconds later, another followed. Clive says he could still see two others in the back seats but they got out after about five minutes. They went in the same direction as the others. He confirms that the last two were women and he never saw any of them or his brother ever again. He had a job in a club in Cyprus and had to fly out the next day to start and he didn’t hear about his brother’s disappearance for weeks.

When he got back in early June, everyone thought Matthew was lying low because of the warrants out on him. Clive knew in his gut that his brother wouldn’t turn up one day. He never told anyone because he didn’t want anyone to know how he hid like a gutless coward. When Clive leaves, Cassie says they know that all of them got out of the vehicle. She goes on to say they’re all in the frame now. After that, Jake and the others try to find out about the allotments in the area. Karen says the only concrete thing she has is on Fiona Grayson and that is a 1993 dangerous driving conviction. There is nothing on Liz and nothing on Ram besides his disciplinary record. Dean has no criminal record, but she hasn’t been able to find his birth certificate either. She can’t find him on the census prior to 91 either.

She tells them about all five of them having no guests at their passing out parade. She says Ram was pushing the envelope even back then and Murray struck gold this afternoon. Murray tells everyone about the incident in the pub in Hendon. They wonder if the girl in question was Fiona Gray or Liz Baildon. Murray is working to track down the landlady Susie Montgomery and Cassie believes that argument could be their possible motive. She wants to confront Ram with the new evidence and see what they get. Sunny asks Cassie in private if they should wait to see what Murray finds out about Montgomery. Cassie believes she is likely already gone so she wants to pull Ram as soon as possible. Cassie checks her phone and finds a message from John. After that, Ram goes to the clinic with Anna (Clare Calbraith). Cassie goes to the cafe and meets with John (Alastair Mackenzie).

She is busy but offers to give him about five minutes. He quickly shows her pictures of some of the properties close to his new workplace so he can find out what she thinks. Cassie admits she spoke to a lawyer about Martin because she wanted the top line on their rights. He doesn’t think that is a good idea and Cassie explains she can’t shake her anger. He pleads with her not to tell either of them that she spoke to a lawyer. Marnie greets Dean when he returns home. She has been trying to get in touch and Claire didn’t know where he was. Dean says he was at the meeting before he learns that Jack’s temperature has climbed to 101. She isn’t sure whether it is another infection but admits his chest sounds dreadful. She catches him off guard when she says he never told her about the police coming to see him. He says she shouldn’t worry and it isn’t about “that”.

He says there is nothing that will ever be able to connect them to that now. Dean explains it was some weird historical case from 30 years ago. Ram is brought to the station where he is questioned about March the 30th or the day of his passing-out parade. He chuckles when asked why his family wasn’t with him. He explains he was supposed to be a doctor or lawyer and he knew his family would come around. He claims he can’t remember who he went with and when he left, but he remembers leaving with Rob and Liz. He remembers their names because Rob was their designated driver but had a few drinks that night and Liz drove the car after that. Sunny admits it is odd that their recollections are pretty much identical. He is asked about Dean Barton and Fiona Grayson but he claims he doesn’t remember them.

Then, he is asked about the vehicle stopping once before. He says it was the first time the vehicle stopped before they show him a picture of Matthew Walsh. He denies knowing Walsh. He is confronted with Clive’s statement. He quickly asks if the witness is white because Asians slightly look the same to them. Cassie says she thinks he knows him because she thinks he had a racially instigated fight with Walsh prior to that night. Ram laughs and asks what evidence they have. He wonders if they’re serious before saying he thinks they’re done here. When he leaves, Sunny says he thinks they need to slow down but Cassie says she just wants it over since she shouldn’t even be there. Eugenia (Mina Andala) confronts Liz and says she heard the police officer the other day. She goes on to say she is sorry but he has to resort to this and Elizabeth should’ve been better.

Liz doesn’t know what she is talking about, but Eugenia says she isn’t greedy and doesn’t want luxuries. She wants to be able to heat their flat and feed her child properly. She explains she is blackmailing her for 287 pounds for her overdue gas bill and 9 pounds an hour. She knows it sounds pathetic but she is willing to tell the police what Liz’s mother told her if she doesn’t pay up. Liz relents and tells her she can have it. When Fiona returns home, she is confronted by Geoff (Daniel Flynn) who spoke to his brother about what is going on. She tells Geoff she killed a child 27 years ago. They claimed she was speeding while doing 42 in a 30-mile area. She lost control going around the corner but she thinks the girl was on the wrong side of the road. They collided and the toddler in the back wasn’t properly fastened so he died. As a result, Fiona received a conviction for death by dangerous driving.

She apologizes for not telling him and says she doesn’t know if it was her fault. He asks if there is anything else she needs to tell him and she says no. He is worried they’re going to lose their deposit and what he’ll do. Ram talks to Bal (Ronny Jhutti) about what people want the police to be. He wants to know if they want superhumans who never make mistakes or normal people who will make mistakes. Dean checks on Marnie who asks if he ever gets angry at Jack because she gets upset with Jack for being him. She confesses she has lamed him for his disability at least a dozen times in her life. She wants Dean to know she isn’t who he thinks because she is an awful person. She wants Dean to tell her stuff about his past and his family whoever they are. She says it won’t make her hate him but the years of secrets are killing her.

She keeps pushing until he says they’ll do this but not now. Jake tracks someone down while Anna and Ram receive news at the clinic. Cassie and Sunny receive the original files connect to Fiona’s driving conviction in 93 and learn about the child’s death. An officer smelled alcohol on her and tried to test her but she was too upset at the time. She was taken to the police station and blood tested but that evidence was lost. This happened at Kingston and Liz worked there at the time. Karen reveals that the 91 census details show that Liz and Fiona were living at the same address in Thames Ditton around that time. At the time of the incident, they were living at separate addresses but both were in the same area. Cassie goes through the three possible scenarios and ends with Fiona blackmailing Liz to convince her to get rid of the evidence.

Leanne calls and asks Cassie to pop in for five minutes. Ram tells Anna that he feels different now that they’ve just found out. She admits she has been spending days trying somehow to find a way of thinking that they wouldn’t have to do this thing. Ram asks what would happen if something happened to him and she had to do it all on her own. He can’t imagine how hard that would be but he isn’t saying they should definitely pick a termination. They agree to keep thinking about it a bit longer. Cassie and Sunny meet with Leanne and learn about a sharp-ended object roughly 10 centimeters long inside the skull cavity. Leanne isn’t sure what it is so she’ll need to open the skull to find out, but she believes it entered through the temporal bone fracture. When she examined it properly, it contains remnants of brick dust.

She believes he might’ve tripped, fell, and hit his head on the wall that had a metal spike while being chased or he was stabbed through the head with the object. The first theory says the chase led to an accident but the second theory says there is no accident. Jake seems to find the murder scene at this time.

 

Unforgotten Review

Despite only being 45 minutes or so, each episode of Unforgotten is always in-depth and complex. As a result, it takes me way more than 45 minutes to carefully recap these episodes and guarantee I get all of the fine details. Otherwise, I am worried we’d miss something important along the way and we couldn’t follow the investigation coherently.

The show is starting to heat up and we can tell that we’re getting so close to finding out exactly what happened to Matthew Walsh. Still, it is hard to say what happened so far. There are just so many possibilities that I could make a long list and that is one of the best things about Unforgotten. You just never know until it shows you.

During this episode, we learned that Matthew’s brother, Clive, was there when his brother was chased by the five people in the vehicle and all of them exited the vehicle. Any of them could be the killer or it could be multiple people. Ram Sidhu likely had a prior run-in with Matthew and it ended in racial instigation and an altercation.

Ram is pretty cocky about this because he somehow knew the case files never mentioned his name. Dean and Ram orchestrated Dean’s earlier drug smuggling operation so both of them are still into some shady things despite claiming this is the last time. Liz and Fiona were probably in a relationship many years ago and Liz might’ve helped cover for Fiona when she killed a child while drunk driving.

Eugenia blackmailed Liz to force her to increase her wages. Matthew had something lodged in his skull and Jake has likely found the murder scene. Didn’t I say a lot happened during this episode? I am also leaving out the minor points about John trying to buy a house and take Cassie away, Sunny moving in with Sal, and the new addition to the team Karen.

It’ll take a bit longer to fully digest the episode but I’d give it an 8 out of 10 right now. I expect things to get even better from here on out. Future and past recaps of Unforgotten are available on Reel Mockery here. Please forgive any typos above as it took me a few good errors to write all of this up and I need to stop for the night.