Season 1-5 Discussion

[sugarbaker design]

Thanks for reminding me about Sir Philip and the hammer, it totally slipped my mind.  I do believe Mrs. Slater killed both Jimmy and the other man, and while Mr. Slater played a part in the events, he wasn't responsible for the crime, although he was responsible for the coverup.

One more question:  was Mrs. Slater's black eye and other injuries accidents or were they caused by Mr. Slater, or one of the sons?

Edited April 26, 2018 by sugarbaker design

[SusanSunflower]

The son's malevolence seems out of left field, but, in concert with the husband's strange regard for his wife, suggested that she might well be being scapegoated for the crimes after being "driven mad" by 40 years or so of emotoinal abuse and that the son was, in fact, mimicking the sadistic behavior of his father. ...  She may have had longstanding "issues" including PPD but I had trouble imaginging her as johnny-on-the-spot at the exact right moment to kill either or both men ... but that's maybe becasue I believed her husband to be manipulative, lying scum  constantly deliberately intimidating a somehow "damaged" wife. 

I just realized I don't remember her "when I was young" backstory .... while I do remember that of the other two women, who while radically altered physicially own up to be part of a rough crowd. 

Edited April 26, 2018 by SusanSunflower

[kassygreene]

The son who visited her at the end, solely so he could do whatever minor cruelty was left (i.e. move her water out of her reach), had earlier in the "safe house" they went to to get away from the press denounced her as evil....  I totally bought that he genuinely believed she had done it, and he was genuinely revolted and infuriated.  She was in a state where, as they noted, she could not assist in her own defense, so his small cruelties were all he could do, as she no longer seemed to recognize or understand anyone.

Of course, in that state, she would also no longer understand what this hatred was all about, so the BMW son ain't much better then his ma....

[SusanSunflower]

He may have hated her for a long time.  The children of the mentally ill  often have ambivalent feelings.  His father was endlessly placing her ahead of himself and the family ... a saint, maybe?  She's been his burden for seemingly for decades, an albatross.  I found his cruelty deeply unpleasant and wondered if he was mimicking his dad in strangely banal revenge-taking.  How infuriating to him that she's "safe" for the rest of her life. He seemed loathsomely immature.  I wonder what the future holds for his father. 

[geekgirl921]

3 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

I was under the impression that the wife did both murders.  She was suffering from post-partum psychosis and both murders happened not long after the birth of a child.  What I'm not sure about was the deal with the well-off son (the one who drove the BMW).  He seemed very sadistic towards her - anger because she brought grief onto the family and his "perfect" life or was it implied that he was a prick all along?

I think he was kind of a prick all along. The other son seemed to be the one who was taking care of mom and dad and the prick son would wander in sometimes and mostly share stupid opinions about the state of mom and dad.

[fauntleroy]

Never mind - tho not convinced she'd have the physical ability to kill two guys.

Edited April 26, 2018 by fauntleroy

[kassygreene]

Since she attacked both of them when they were in flagrante delicto, literally and metaphorically with their pants down, and she wielded blunt instruments with physical as well as emotional fury, no, she had the ability.  

[SusanSunflower]

I guess I think she's mentally to unsound and could easily have been convinced of her guilt and her "peril" if anyone suspected .... Her husband struck me as untrustworthy.  Why would she kill someone having sex with her husband (a "secret" of uncertain clarity) ... Postpartum depression is usually associated with children being killed as insatiably demanding ...  or beliefs the children were possessed or that they themselves were terrible mothers going to ruin their children..  Suicide (attempted or successful) is not uncommon but violence towards the husband .... = nope.  It's part of the problem with small babies, it's hard to leave the house for any reason ... most in the link below didn't except some notable drownings. 

 

14 moms = https://www.babygaga.com/14-moms-who-killed-while-suffering-from-ppd/

[kassygreene]

She didn't kill someone (two someones) who were just having sex with her husband.  She killed two men who were having homosexual sex with her homosexual (or functionally  bisexual) husband.  At the time of Jimmy's murder, sodomy had only been legal in the UK for about 8 years.  The rage of being betrayed, plus the rage of being betrayed by other men,  plus her untreated postpartum depression (or psychosis) added up to criminal attacks.

The attitudes and actions of her husband and her doctors (according to her husband) were consistent with the times.  Presentism leads us to forget that our default expectations are not how people always were.

[catrice2]

8 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Didn't the coroner establish that Jimmy was tortured before he was murdered?  Did Mrs. Slater torture him?

On a purely shallow level, the actor who played Sir Philip's son was gorgeous.

He is on the Royals on E! every week...you can enjoy the view.  He is a favorite of the show and in almost every scene. 

[sugarbaker design]

1 minute ago, catrice2 said:

He is on the Royals on E! every week...you can enjoy the view.  He is a favorite of the show and in almost every scene. 

Well, I think I found a new show!  ☺

[SusanSunflower]

and I might argue presentism also in the idea that a wife (in the throes of psychosis) )would angrily track down her husband based on some "unthinkable" suspicion (even if she suspected he was seeing men)  ... most women were utterly dependent on a husband's salary, particularly those with small children ... but I don't think that's why she didn't kill the person who she recognized and who had betrayed her.  "Stereotypically"  husbands routinely controlled finances, drank grocery and rent money away at the pub, women didn't drive and didn't venture out alone at night ... being divorced was sharmeful ... Let's also not forget that he would have been left with two children to raise as a single parent if she had been suspected ... good luck entrapping a new wife. 

seriously, nevermind ... 

Edited April 27, 2018 by SusanSunflower

[Mermaid Under]

Series 2 began last night in the US. 

I absolutely love formulaic drama, and this series and the actors are terrific.   But it felt like they took all the suspects from the last series, put them in a soda bottle, shook it up and let it spray out.

Prosperous white man in position of power with shady past (who also happens to be gay).  Woman with shady past that she is hiding from husband and family.

Still looking forward to watching the ending.   

[attica]

One of the things I find really satisfying about Brit-crime shows is how they focus on the plodding research. Yup, 500 watchmakers to check. Everybody sighs, and then gets on the phones till they find the one they need.

[JudyObscure]

   I agree about the same group of characters all shook up.  Then there's the screenwriters tendency to make every story "diverse" to the point of appearing to fill slots; LBGT person, immigrant, Muslim, POC.   As much as I prefer Brit TV to our own I think they're even worse about that.  The BBC, in particular, is forever trying to teach us things.  The two gay Daddies are so devoted to their little girl I feel smothered for her.

I really enjoy this series, though. Salisbury is so beautiful, it's a character all its own.

[SusanSunflower]

Part of what's so soothing about British crime shows (most of them) is the feeling that the show's world is populated by competent and intelligent people who care and work slowly and thoroughly (which was much of the allure of L&O: original recipe) as opposed to Rambo Cops&Robbers/Cowboys and Indians shenanigans, guns drawn always.  It's in little things like the obviously caring and observant child's teacher (rather than a too-busy-to-take-a-breath-or-care stereotype).  It's a slower world, recognizable and appreciated, at least to me as a boomer. 

While the "inclusion" at times feels like tokenism, I do appreciate particularly the at-home scenes and not entirely for the "yeah, they vegg out in front of the TV just like us" moments, because there is more conveyed.  I agree about the utterly suspended-in-time depiction of same-sex parenting -- usually shown as affluent and very secure (no working class stiff scared to be 10 minutes late to work tensions).  I like DCI  Cassie Stuart living with her dad, perhaps more comfortably (and convenient) for her than for him (not sure). 

An other police procedural I caught this week was a four part (1 hour) on Nexflix called "Collateral" ...darker, concerning smuggled immigrants ... caught some flack for being too politically charged.  Cary Mulligan,  Nicola Walker as a gay Anglican priest supervised by a gay Angiclan bishop (not for laughs, just irony) and other excellent cast. 

[catrice2]

This did not record in my area and it is not on for next week! I did not get series 2??!!!

[SusanSunflower]

Strange.  I don't know your area but if USA, should be is viewable http://www.pbs.org/shows/   ( but I only see Season one E1-2-3, but nothing for series --

yes, but  oddly enough I find it here (S2E1) here http://www.pbs.org/collections/new-videos/  (only a 30 second preview elsewhere) 

[fauntleroy]

I had a similar reaction, of being spoonfed the edifying cod liver oil of diversity yum yum, down the hatch! Some committee of right-think has final say on the script I suppose. And was surprised that the same plot mechanics were used again - the now virtuous and upright citizens who thought they had put their unseemly pasts behind them, but are maybe not entirely surprised at the knock on the door by some methodical copper, even after all these years...

[sugarbaker design]

I'm not a huge fan of formula TV shows, that is of course I happen to like the formula.  Murder in the past, 4-5 sermingly law abiding suspects with questionable pasts and a determined cop.  I'm sold.

In addition to Salusbury, I love seeing Brighton.

[fauntleroy]

Come to think of it in first arc, ex-racist who now devotes herself to underprivileged black kids is exposed but still generously forgiven by the warm-hearted next gen of those she harmed. In 2nd arc ex-prostitute who now devotes herself to troubled (but merely misunderstood!) youth. Will she be exposed but still generously forgiven by her traditional but warm-hearted family?

In both cases guilty of the exact most abhorrent thing most difficult for current loved ones to abide. Atonement, in its various or in these cases similar forms. Susceptible to heavy-handedness, let's hope they don't knock us over the head with it.

Still one of the best things to come along on PBS in a while as far as I'm concerned.

Edited May 2, 2018 by fauntleroy

[proserpina65]

On ‎04‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 1:12 PM, sugarbaker design said:

Didn't the coroner establish that Jimmy was tortured before he was murdered?  Did Mrs. Slater torture him?

On a purely shallow level, the actor who played Sir Philip's son was gorgeous.

That actor played Amanda's husband on Grantchester.  I thought he was quite the attractive asshole there, and yes, here he was downright beautiful.  And more sympathetic than I expected based on the first episode.

 

On ‎04‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 3:51 PM, 12catcrazy said:

I was under the impression that the wife did both murders.  She was suffering from post-partum psychosis and both murders happened not long after the birth of a child.  What I'm not sure about was the deal with the well-off son (the one who drove the BMW).  He seemed very sadistic towards her - anger because she brought grief onto the family and his "perfect" life or was it implied that he was a prick all along?

I wondered if maybe he hadn't seen something when they were burying the second guy.  I forget how long it was between children, but he might've been old enough.  He seemed unhappy to have the brother bring their mother at the house where they were hiding from the press, and that was before we found out that she was the killer.

 

Just watched the beginning of Season 2 last night, and again, I love the focus on plodding police work as the way the crime is investigated.  Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar are terrific.  Both of their performances feel very lived in.  Plus, I love seeing actors I haven't seen in awhile, like Holly Aird.

Edited May 4, 2018 by proserpina65

[geekgirl921]

Well, this week's was disturbing. I feel bad for a lot of these characters.

[Pickles]

Yes, this storyline is grim. To me though, the three suspects don't seem that much younger than the dead guy would have been. Sorry, I am terrible with names. Aren't they portraying the three suspects as having been children, when the dead guy was in his thirties? Or am I mixed up on the timeline? 

[SusanSunflower]

Surprised how quickly I was drawn into the story about half-way through episode 2 (which had seemed sort of replay of series 1).  The 10 year age difference between a street-tough 25 year old and a 15 year old (or 12, 13, 14 year old) street kid is enormous.  Think Fagin and Oliver Twist.  As is often forgotten, abuse only sometimes makes the abused a "better person" and it's absurd to expect selflessness or even much compassion out of those who have experienced little.  So often it's presented as a puzzle that the abused, abuse in turn ... but it's more  a matter of exerting power and punishing rather than "pleasure seeking" (see also rape).   Again, as with last series, the fact that people can and do (almost inevitably) change (for better or worse) is writ large.  When cornered, the old "survival" instincts are awakened  with the adrenaline of desperation.  Looking forward to next week.  

 

[O/T for Trevor Eve fans:  Discovered "Burnt by the Sun" (which I've never rewatched) is available on Amazon.  May be hopelessly outdated wrt African colonialism but I remember it as fairly sumptuous -- Not Jewel in the Crown level but similar genre -- my memory, a solid three 2-hour installment watch.  Also Susannah Harker]

[atlantaloves]

Season two is even better than Season One, I love it. This is almost as good as Prime Suspect, and that is saying something. NW is one of the best actors out there!  She can play anything. And yes, there is a Season Three folks! Hope PBS shows it! 

[kassygreene]

Red Letters are Good Friday Agreement - a reference even I get....

Yeah, it is still very good in my opinion.  The mid-episode climax (the tag to the original episode 3) made me glad that we get two parts at a time; the end of this episode leaves me wishing I didn't have to wait a week for the conclusion but also glad that it isn't dragging out any longer than three weeks for us.  I look forward to season 3 too.

Edited May 7, 2018 by kassygreene

[JTM]

On 5/2/2018 at 2:41 PM, fauntleroy said:

I had a similar reaction, of being spoonfed the edifying cod liver oil of diversity yum yum, down the hatch!

I think it must be quite wearying for people of colour to see actors who look like them actually included as the ordinary Britons they are in the casting of British tv shows... only to have even the concept that they might actually just BE ordinary Britons extra-dismissed by the addition of snark about manufactured diversity.

[fauntleroy]

47 minutes ago, JTM said:

... only to have even the concept that they might actually just BE ordinary Britons extra-dismissed by the addition of snark about manufactured diversity.

Well spare the snark, spoil the networks was the old TWoP motto, after all. But no worries, I am having trouble keeping up anyway, it is getting a bit grim for my taste so only half-watched this last one. The scene where the boy overhears the dad who should know better shouting the mum's GREAT SHAME, which the boy naturally promptly reveals to his shifty mate, who of course turns around and...well there is a certain inexorability. It's just murder upon murder and ruined lives upon ruined lives. Unrelenting bummerness. Maybe they could just have a day at the beach - Stuart and Khan investigate who is stealing Brighton's ice cream! 

[sugarbaker design]

The Mahmoud family secret's impact on the kids was tough to watch.  I'm sympathetic to 3 of the 4 main suspects:  the widow, the nurse and Mrs.  Mahmoud, but I'm having a hard time trying to see Colin Osborne as anything but a lying ass.  I'm hoping Simon wises up, grabs the daughter and gets the hell out of Brighton.

[proserpina65]

On ‎05‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 12:09 AM, fauntleroy said:

Well spare the snark, spoil the networks was the old TWoP motto, after all. But no worries, I am having trouble keeping up anyway, it is getting a bit grim for my taste so only half-watched this last one. The scene where the boy overhears the dad who should know better shouting the mum's GREAT SHAME, which the boy naturally promptly reveals to his shifty mate, who of course turns around and...well there is a certain inexorability. It's just murder upon murder and ruined lives upon ruined lives. Unrelenting bummerness. Maybe they could just have a day at the beach - Stuart and Khan investigate who is stealing Brighton's ice cream! 

Well, it is a show about police investigating crime - it's bound to be a bit grim.  And this unit specializes in murder, so even grimmer.

12 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

The Mahmoud family secret's impact on the kids was tough to watch.  I'm sympathetic to 3 of the 4 main suspects:  the widow, the nurse and Mrs.  Mahmoud, but I'm having a hard time trying to see Colin Osborne as anything but a lying ass.  I'm hoping Simon wises up, grabs the daughter and gets the hell out of Brighton.

I'm not feeling a ton of sympathy for the widow.  She obviously knows more than she's telling.  Of course, it'll probably turn out that he was abusing her, and my opinion of her will get turned upside down.  Given the writing so far, I have great hope that her story will be complex and interesting, just like the others.

[attica]

When Cassie and Sunil were arguing, I was decidedly unhappy.  I don't like it when mom and dad fight....?

[Irlandesa]

On 5/7/2018 at 10:28 AM, Pickles said:

To me though, the three suspects don't seem that much younger than the dead guy would have been.

The dead guy was 39 when he died in 1990.  So he'd be 67 now and 65/66 when this originally aired in the UK.  Mark Bonnar (Colin-gay lawyer) is 49.  The nurse's age was give as 48.  And Sara, the former sex worker, was 21 in 1990 so 48 as well. 

I am really enjoying this series, although I'm glad I held off on the first two airings of season two until today so I don't have to wait very long for the conclusion.  I do see the pattern compared to the first season, though, so I'm trying to guess what will happened based on what happened in the first season.

Everything will work out for Sara.  Colin won't be responsible for the old murder but might end up killing Flo's mother or step-father. (Or maybe it'll be Simon but Colin will cover for him.) 

And I'm not sure how a five year old will have pulled it off but he will be responsible for killing his father because he's the one we'd least suspect.  His mother then covered it up. 

[AZChristian]

The scene between Colin and Cassie was so powerful for me.  As a formerly sexually abused child, it went right into my soul when Colin talked about how when the abuse happens for the first time, "it changes you instantly and forever."  I have been dealing with a relatively minor issue with the one person in my life I fully trust, and this morning . . . to put it mildly . . . I exhibited (verbally) that rage that Colin spoke of.  I was so angry for hours that I didn't even want to be in the same room with my husband.  But watching that scene tonight, I stopped the DVR and was able to verbalize calmly why I think I reacted so strongly.  It's as though by not respecting my feelings about a minor recurring issue, I was again that little child who was being told, "I don't care how you feel about what I'm doing.  Just shut up and put up with it."  Once I was able to grasp what Colin was saying, I felt like I understood my reactions so much better.  It was powerful.

[kassygreene]

Red Letters were Donkeys Ears, which I guess is another Brit cultural reference I don't get.

I suspected about halfway through that it was going to be a Strangers On A Train thing - guess cops don't have time for classic movies.  But it was structured well, and no one got off free - Sara's past will be known, Colin's anger issues still endangers the adoption, Marion is still broken, the Wife/Cop is punished with the end of her ability to be a cop and reputation as a good one, as well as damage to her marriage and to her relationship with her son.

And our dogged coppers got to do the thing good cops aren't supposed to do: render justice, which is supposed to be the province of the courts.  No one ends cleanly.

[JudyObscure]

Just finished watching and I'm emotionally exhausted.  The British do crime dramas almost too well.

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

The scene between Colin and Cassie was so powerful for me.  As a formerly sexually abused child, it went right into my soul when Colin talked about how when the abuse happens for the first time, "it changes you instantly and forever." 

"The End of the World as We Knew It," is an autobiography by Robert Goolrick describing his childhood abuse in just that way.  I read it last year and fully understood that "changed forever," thing for the first time.  My heart just bleeds for all of you victims.

[Kemper]

Love this series...however.  I got a phone call the last five minutes or so and am not sure about the ending.  Were the three conspirators going to be arrested or were they going to let them off? If so, how would this be explained to the rest of the police staff?

I love this series as I love all the British mysteries.  They are tough, gritty, sometimes blackly funny (Midsomer Murders) and don't always have the happy ending.

[AZChristian]

7 hours ago, kassygreene said:

Red Letters were Donkeys Ears, which I guess is another Brit cultural reference I don't get.

I suspected about halfway through that it was going to be a Strangers On A Train thing - guess cops don't have time for classic movies.  But it was structured well, and no one got off free - Sara's past will be known, Colin's anger issues still endangers the adoption, Marion is still broken, the Wife/Cop is punished with the end of her ability to be a cop and reputation as a good one, as well as damage to her marriage and to her relationship with her son.

And our dogged coppers got to do the thing good cops aren't supposed to do: render justice, which is supposed to be the province of the courts.  No one ends cleanly.

Well summarized.  In these situations, the victims may persevere and get to a better place as adults, but it never stops affecting us.  Even with years of therapy and a refusal to wallow in what happened, it does change us and how we develop into adults. 

And in the case of those on "Unforgotten," the perpetrators got what they had coming to them, but there is no real "ending cleanly" available to the victims.  My first thought on waking up this morning was, "What about Colin's adoption?  What is going to happen to his blackmailers?  He STILL has rage.  It's justified, but if he doesn't get a handle on it, the rest of his life may be ruined."

[Jeffurry]

We had to pause and play back two scenes last night: Sunny said "shtum," which is Yiddish for "quiet," and in the very next scene an officer said "shlep." British English has much more Yiddish than we thought! No wonder I felt less Jewish than my non-Jewish British friends when I lived there.

[Brattinella]

58 minutes ago, Jeffurry said:

We had to pause and play back two scenes last night: Sunny said "shtum," which is Yiddish for "quiet," and in the very next scene an officer said "shlep." British English has much more Yiddish than we thought! No wonder I felt less Jewish than my non-Jewish British friends when I lived there.

I was thinking of the word shtum last night., and realized that shtum and snog are words that haven't really made the trip across the pond.

[catrice2]

I was not at all surprised at the ending, but it was not very satisfying or realistic to me.  Clearly the barrister is close to a break down and it is just a matter of time before he cracks. Also, did they resolve the whole blackmail  thing going on with his daughter's parents?  

[krankydoodle]

1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

Also, did they resolve the whole blackmail  thing going on with his daughter's parents?

I think Masterpiece cut some scenes out. I read a recap describing something that I don't remember seeing in the final episode: Tessa and David Walker's son Jason finally setting up a date with the downstairs neighbor he was awkwardly trying to flirt with during an earlier episode.

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, Kemper said:

Love this series...however.  I got a phone call the last five minutes or so and am not sure about the ending.  Were the three conspirators going to be arrested or were they going to let them off? If so, how would this be explained to the rest of the police staff?

From what we saw on PBS, this season/series ended with more ambiguity than the first one. 

Cassie had her theory but she didn't have proof that they even knew one another until she found the three of them at a pub.  She was the only one who saw them but even with that, she only has one death that is flat out listed as murder.  Marion's father's death was listed as a suicide.  Colin's abuser's death was listed as an accident, I believe.  So she would face the challenge of getting those other deaths opened up as potential murder cases.  Then she'd need to prove that Marion killed Walker, Colin killed Marion's father and Sara killed Colin's abuser.  And she'd still need to prove that they knew each other back then.  Then there's the challenge of convicting three people who killed abusive pieces of crap.

So I think she could just tell her team that she thinks she knows what happened but realizes they're just not going to be able to prove it. 

In the end, all three seemed to confess to their spouses.  Colin went to Simon.  We didn't hear.  Then he looked up the stairs towards Flo's bedroom but he ended up leaving.  Whether or not he gets to raise Flo/live with Simon/deals with the blackmailers is left in doubt.  We see Marion tell her husband the truth but she leaves after so we don't know if their marriage is over (even though we know her sister believes her).  And we see Sara crying while telling her husband. 

1 hour ago, krankydoodle said:

I think Masterpiece cut some scenes out. I read a recap describing something that I don't remember seeing in the final episode: Tessa and David Walker's son Jason finally setting up a date with the downstairs neighbor he was awkwardly trying to flirt with during an earlier episode.

Yes, that wasn't there.  And I hate when PBS cuts out scenes when they have all the time in the world.

I was left with the question of why David Walker framed Colin for rape.  Did we ever get an explanation as to why he'd do that?

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

 

Yes, that wasn't there.  And I hate when PBS cuts out scenes when they have all the time in the world.

I was left with the question of why David Walker framed Colin for rape.  Did we ever get an explanation as to why he'd do that?

I don't mind the cuts on subplots, especially if they are not germane to the main plot.  They should have cut the Cassie's father subplot, it was boring.

I also didn't get the motive behind Walker framing Colin.

[Jeffurry]

I referred to the first season/series of this show as "Boredchurch" but I really got into the second season/series. Like all of you I was annoyed when I found out how much they cut out, including Jason's entire subplot with his downstairs neighbor aside from the first scene with her. I liked her on Call the Midwife, another show that PBS removes scenes from.

[attica]

11 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

I also didn't get the motive behind Walker framing Colin.

If Colin was 'asking a question too many', it stands to reason that Walker wanted to stop that/discredit Colin from making any/any more trouble for him.

I will say, however, that I dislike using that 'false rape accusation' as a plot point. Literature is riddled with it; it hardly happens in real life, or at least in the way literature depicts it. Find new tropes, shows!

Not for nothing, Cassie, but Sanjeev Bhaskar has lovely pillowy lips to snog. Not 'shipping, here. Just saying. I endorse Cassie eschewing sexytimes with a subordinate, and I noticed with amusement that in every scene subsequent to the near-snog, he addressed her as 'boss' or 'guv.' Gotta keep those lines unblurred. Still: pillowy.

Points to Lorraine Ashbourne (Tessa, the widow/cop) for her face work in the interview scene where Sunny catches her out about being at the Orgy House. Watching her eyes go through 15 different emotions was super cool.

It also interested me that Colin would weep so copiously about so many topics, but be dry-eyed and steely when describing his childhood abuse. I think that was a good acting choice as well.

I love that Rosie Cavaliero gets as much work as she does; she can do a lot and she has such a warm screen presence (even when doing the cray). I think that would not be the case if she were American, sadly. 

[Mermaid Under]

Quote

 how much they cut out, including Jason's entire subplot with his downstairs neighbor

I'm not sure I would have enjoyed that subplot -  the whole getting a girlfriend/boyfriend on the way to happy endings.  Even though Jason was young when his father disappeared, and the story line didn't imply the father abused him,  he is still obviously very damaged goods.  Jason needs to deal with his anger or emotional or abandonment issues (or whatever it was), not get laid.

There were two other things I missed/didn't understand. 

First, the Cassie's father subplot.  What did happen when he confronted his dead wife's lover?  Since he knew about the affair, and decided to stalk the guy, what about the outcome caused him to get so drunk he apparently was robbed (I assume) and sent home with the police.  And the letter - did the lover hand it to him when they met, or send it along later?

And secondly, is it really so easy to drop a murder investigation?  How is Cassie going to explain that to the whole team, and to her superiors?  I'm assuming she is only going to share the truth with Sunny.

[AZChristian]

I'm so intrigued by what we might have missed that I've put myself in the queue at the library to watch the DVDs.

[atlantaloves]

Oh man, this was the best ever. Can not wait for Season Three. It was Hitchcock and Columbo.  I think Suni is in love with Cassie! I'm all in for this romance, but it will never happen. He's back to calling her guv. Bollocks! What a fantastic plot, perfection! So glad that she did not prosecute. Whew. Like I have said before this is as good as Prime Suspect!

[attica]

2 minutes ago, atlantaloves said:

It was Hitchcock and Columbo.

Hee, I did notice Cassie's habit of 'just one more thing'-ing.

 

On 5/14/2018 at 2:06 AM, kassygreene said:

Red Letters were Donkeys Ears, which I guess is another Brit cultural reference I don't get.

According to the internet, Donkeys Ears is rhyming slang for many  years. But it's also a pun, because donkeys' ears are long, which suggests a longer amount of time. (I continue to think rhyming slang is just unfair. It requires way too much work to decipher. Which I suppose is the point. But I'll grumble about it anyway.)