BBC Two’s Northern Irish crime drama is finally back on our screens, turning ordinary children’s toys into a creepy serial killer’s tortured bed fellows and an innocent tongue twister into a moment of sheer breathless trepidation. Jamie Dornan continues to be able to convincingly play both the handsome, family man you feel safe sitting next to on the train and the nightmare that slithers into women's beds in the middle of the night to abduct them, often in the same scene. Meanwhile Gillian Anderson’s Stella is obsessing in her own way too; she must find that one clue that will help her crack the case, whilst still dealing with the lingering aftermath of her one night stand now that the press have been informed.
At the end of
Walk the Line Paul had stuck to his promise not to kill again, in fact one could make an argument that he is only back in Belfast at all due to the police pushing to find out his identity. Will he make it through another hour keeping to that deal he made at the end of last season? As I said in last week’s preview, I won’t be revealing any big twists or plot points here as the BBC are keen to keep things under wraps, but it’s no secret that Paul will be taking Rose away from her home and family.
Much of this episode is spent on the consequences and subsequent fallout of that being allowed to happen, as the Press Release tells us “Gibson is forced to face the fact that her words have tipped Spector off.” With the Irish press already sniffing around due to the one night stand with Olson before his shocking murder, it’s understandable that the force will be closing ranks in order to get this one solved with a limited amount of fuss as possible.
As for Annie Brawley, we've seen the promotional photos of her in hospital with Paul for this episode which may come as a bit of a surprise. Once again I am not going to give too much away about these scenes, but I don’t find it unbelievable that she has blocked everything about that night from her mind for now. We saw in the first episode that she is severely traumatised; she can’t even recall what she or her brother ate while out that evening before the attack so it’s not surprising that she doesn’t remember her attacker’s face in a different setting. Karen Hassan’s performance as the fragile victim coming to terms with her assault continues to be incredibly moving.
One scene from last week that has become a talking point is young Katie and what her intentions are this season. It cannot be denied that there is a certain type of person that can be drawn to a dangerous man, otherwise known as hybristophilia, or Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome. It is possible that she is displaying signs of this with him, which would make for some very interesting TV – not that the Daily Mail would agree with me I’m sure. On the other hand she may not actually believe that he is the killer and is just playing teenage games with him for the fun of it. That also can make for some good television as she interferes with his being able to sort out getting back with his family.
Episode 2 airs on BBC Two and BBC Two HD on Thursday 20th November at 9pm. Below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
“It’s also possible that this could all be our fault”
“This doesn’t even look like you”
“How can that be?”
“There was no other girl, you were the only girl and you’ve betrayed me”
“Help me, I don’t wanna die”
“I’m Paul Spector, may I come in?”
“She likes to ask a lot of questions don’t she”
“Mummy has a friend called Peter Piper?”
“We were due to meet today, please ring and let me know when you’ll be here”
“You can’t see past the killer, I want all lines of enquiry looked at”
About the Author - Sandi
Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Banshee, The Musketeers, Atlantis, and other BBC shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal, Game of Thrones and Elementary.
The questions that have bothered me most since the first episode are:
ReplyDelete1. What is going to happen to Rose? Why has Paul come back to haunt her?
I wonder if this quote has in any way to do with it: “There was no other girl, you were the only girl and you’ve betrayed me” Maybe Paul thought she betrayed him in some way? And that set off his hatred of dark haired young women?
2. What does Katie think she is doing?
If she believes she can control a killer like that she is crazy. If she tries to rile him, she is on her best way to. If she just plays silly games because she fancies him, she does not know how dangerous they are. In any case - what she is doing could have horrible consequences.
Paul going to see Annie in hospital is a very chilling idea - even if she does not remember him at the moment, it could happen at any time!
Due to the restriction in place on this show I'm not able to answer questions like I normally do in comments unfortunately, but you do have the same questions that I think most people do about the show at the moment. What caused Paul to be like he is, the psychology of a sex criminal is fascinating, which is why I find this show so compelling, as is why certain people are drawn to the 'thrill' (for want of a better word) of the killers. So I am kind of hoping that the show does go there with Katie, as although it may be uncomfortable to watch, I think it's material that is worth exploring and that the show will do it justice.
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the different kinds of tension that this season is bringing, rather just having lingering shots of dead women with Paul posing and grooming them, we are seeing him gaining 'satisfaction' in other ways too. For example, the blonde on the train last week gave him a lot to think about as he got inside the mind of a potential victim without her even realising it. This scene with Annie is along those lines too, but with added menace that she is not just a potential victim of course, she has been beaten and half strangled by him already and he brutally murdered her brother too. And yes, she could remember him at any point, he's definitely living dangerously!