Hate – The episode opens with John Sweeney (Shaun Evans) answering the phone. Delia Balmer (Anna Maxwell Martin) is restrained to a bed in a nearby room. Leah (Amanda Wilkin) became concerned about Delia when she didn’t show up for her shift. He lies about Delia’s grandmother being ill. Leah accuses him of lying and threatens to call the police before abruptly ending the call. John is frantic. Delia offers to speak to her. He claims everything he said about Melissa was a lie and reluctantly unties her. With the muzzle of his gun pressed to her head, she tells Leah that she has a case of food poisoning. Leah is hesitant to believe her.

In the tub, Delia urges John to see a psychiatrist. He contemplates going tomorrow. A short time later, she strips the bed and asks John to drop the linen off at the launderette. He suggests disposing of it in the ponds in Hampstead. She convinces him to sell it and stresses the need for her to work to pay the bills. He says she will tell everyone about Melissa and reminds her that she asked him to move out. She claims to have been angry when she said it and professes to love him. He insists on having sex. He is asleep when she slips out of the house and rides her bike to work.

Leah urges Delia to report John to the police. Delia tells her about John killing Melissa and tossing pieces of her body in the canal in Amsterdam. She refuses to go to the police and involve Leah for fear he will kill them both. A short time later, Delia arrives at “Hope & Haven,” a women’s shelter. Imelda Dunning (Sophie Ford) offers her a place to stay in Kings Cross. Delia complains about the drugs and sex workers in Kings Cross. Barker notifies the police.

Barstock Road Police Station – Delia tells DC Flynn (Matthew Aubrey) and DC Collins (Steve Edge) that she is being forced to report John’s abuse. She says John kept her restrained to a bed and repeatedly had sex with her for almost four days. She claims he made her utilize the cleaning bowl as a toilet and one time, she urinated on the mattress because she was too afraid to wake him. When Flynn asks if she consented to having sex with John. Raising her voice out of anger, she says he had sex with her body, not her brain. She assures them that John killed Melissa and his drawings are proof.

Flynn and Collins take Delia home. John is gone but his drawings of Melissa’s decapitated body are still there. Delia explains the concept of each of the drawings. Flynn and Collins are not convinced the drawings are of Melissa. She refuses to go to Kings Cross. Collins vows to have the police patrol the neighborhood. She orders them to get out of her flat. Once alone, Delia scrubs the mattress. The door locks are replaced.

Six Months Later – Leah and Delia are out celebrating a new job contract. Delia gifts her a bracelet. Leah thanks her and says she loves it. A short time later, Delia tells Leah about her brother, Stewart. Leah questions how she stays in the flat that she shared with John. Delia says he is not going to force her out of her home. Leah waits outside while Delia goes into her flat. Delia finds John hiding in the bathroom. She tries to flee but he catches her. Seeing a commotion inside the flat, Leah takes off running. John tells Delia that he forgives her for reporting him to the police. She denies telling them about Melissa. He considers killing them both. When he tries to grab her tongue, she bites him and flees into the bathroom. He demands she open the door. She spits bloody spittle in the sink. The doorbell rings and sirens can be heard in the distance. Delia emerges from the bathroom and John grabs her. He threatens to kill her if she doesn’t get rid of the police. Frantic, She opens the door and runs away. The police arrest John. Leah finds Delia.

Barstock Road Police Station – Collins and Flynn inform Delia that John is being charged with false imprisonment and assault. Collins says John will attend a hearing before being transported to Her Majesty’s Prison Pentonville. He believes the new offenses and an extensive criminal history, John will not be granted bail. John tried to kill his wife after being released from prison. Collins insists she cancels her Christmas holiday abroad because she is the key witness in the case. During a search of Delia’s flat, Tom Macklin (Matthew Trevannion) and Barker discover a bag containing ropes, a handsaw, plastic, a sponge, and cleaning fluids.

Amsterdam – Astrid De Vries (Sallie Harmsen) informs Inspector Stilma (William Brand) that Delia’s boyfriend, John Sweeney was arrested for assault. She says Delia claims John killed his last girlfriend, Melissa Halstead, and disposed of her mutilated body in a canal in Amsterdam in the 90s. She questions if the body discovered in a suitcase three years ago in Leidsegracht belongs to Melissa. A short time later, Astrid calls Mellissa’s father, Jack Halstead (Mitchell Mullen) to request a blood sample for a DNA profile. He agrees to do whatever is necessary to find out what happened to Melissa.

At court, John pleads not guilty. Delia is at work when Janice Rainsworth (Stephanie Street) informs her that she has a call from the police. Collins informs Delia that the judge granted John bail, so he can spend Christmas with his family. She complains about being forced to spend Christmas alone. He warns her against staying at her flat. She refuses to stay in Kings Cross. She calls Stewart Balmer (Cory English) to tell him that she is going to spend Christmas with a friend.

Jack’s DNA does not match that of the female’s body found in the suitcase. Astrid calls forensics to ask if it could be a mistake. The doctor assures her that it is accurate.

Delia tells Leah that she is going to stay in Kings Cross over Christmas break. It is dark when she arrives outside her flat where John approaches and orders her to go inside. When she refuses, he stabs her repeatedly with an axe. Hearing the commotion, Joshua Wilson (Jack Franklin) grabs his baseball bat and walks outside where he sees Delia being attacked. He hits John with the bat before he flees. Mrs. Wilson (Alice Barclay) tells her father to call 999. A short time later, a beaten and battered Delia is in the ambulance. The paramedic examines her body for injuries. Her heart stops as the episode ends.

 

Until I Kill You Review

Delia fails to convince the police that John killed his ex-girlfriend, Melissa, and disposed of her mutilated body in a canal in Amsterdam. Astrid believes Melissa is the woman found in a suitcase in the 90s. Melissa’s DNA is compared to that of her father, Jack but it is not a match.

After three months behind bars, John is released to spend the holidays with his family. Refusing to stay in Kings Cross, Delia is attacked outside her flat. A neighbor, Josh rescues her but the damage is already done. John stabbed her numerous times with a knife. Her heart stops beating in the ambulance en route to the hospital.

 

I haven’t read the book, so I cannot comment on it fairly. Anna Maxwell Martin’s performance is outstanding but unfortunately, she could do nothing to make Delia likeable. Delia’s belligerence and refusal to comply with the police nearly cost her life.

Shaun Evans’s portrayal of John Sweeney is excellent. Unfortunately, he looks nothing like the real John Sweeney.

The cinematography is subpar. The constant sway of the camera is obtrusive and annoying. It does get easier to ignore about halfway through the episode. I rate the episode a 6 out of 10.

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