Good morning Retribution / One of Us readers! I’m enjoying this series so far (sounds odd to talk about a triple murder…) because it is very much of a whodunit and that is my jam. Last time we met most everyone, now let’s figure out who did what to do with the candlestick in the library! Rolling S1:E02 Beneath The Surface after the break.

So last time we ended with our gang standing around staring at poor dead Lee Walsh (Owen Whitlaw) whom they think murdered their grown children Adam Elliot and Grace Elliot (nee Douglas). The fact that Lee was clearly headed to see one of them and got lost in the storm is weighing heavily on at least one person, who presumably murdered Adam and Grace. Let’s find out who!!

Detectives are on their way from Edinburgh, where the couple was found, but they have their own kind of trouble as well. The lead detective Juliet (Laura Fraser) has been selling loads of LSD on the side to finance her kiddo’s operation.

Side note: young Jamie Douglas (Cristian Ortega) was seen going into the barn in the middle of the night, so he’s someone we can cross off the list as he is Too Obvious.

Young Claire Elliot (Joanna Vanderham) can’t believe everyone is taking Lee’s murder in stride, but her mum Louise (Juliet Stevenson) refuses to pretend to mourn for someone whom she thinks killed her son. Rob Elliot (Joe Dempsie) isn’t forming a parade or anything, but he similarly doesn’t want to deal with the police.

A voice calls out and draws them all away from the barn, it’s a journalist and a photographer who immediately aggressively taking pictures. What the hell?

They dispatch the intruders and Alistair (Gary Lewis) is sent home as he was only staying on because of the flooding.

The detectives have found CCTV footage of Lee 18 miles from the Douglas/Elliot homes, they’d better get a whole lot better at lying if they expect Juliet to believe them. Her partner’s barely awake, so maybe focus on him.

A little background for Lee, he’s a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, which means I will now link to the Red Production Company’s show Paranoid. You’ll see why if you watch.

Allow me my one skepticism re: the SatNav evidence of the stolen Lexus. If you were giving someone your address, would you give them your address or would you give them your postal code? I think that’s a plot device to keep us guessing between the two, and a clunky one at best.

The whole gang sets to work at getting rid of all traces of Lee from the two houses and surrounding areas. Sure, Rob, throw a big sheet over that upside down giant Lexus SUV, looks perfectly normal!

Anna (Georgina Campbell) and Claire destroy evidence and chat in the laundry room, Anna believes in Rob. He helped her after her recent trauma (she was raped by a man Rob has since been stalking) and she was Adam and Grace’s bridesmaids only two weeks ago.

Only two weeks ago they got married????

They’re all gathered in the yard hiding more evidence when the police arrive, it’s almost comical how flustered Louise is answering the door but you have to wait until people pretend to get a look at Lee’s mugshot for the first time to really laugh.

Juliet is carefully watching everyone’s faces while they talk, but her partner Andrew (Steve Evets) shares far more than she would like and it switches her focus eventually. There is a slight possibility that Grace might have crossed paths with Lee when she was volunteering at a soup kitchen he frequented, that’s all the detectives have come up with so far. They do suggest Lee may have been coming there to hurt the rest of the family, which moves Louise to break down.

Claire comforts Louise outside, was it she who murdered Lee in the barn in the middle of the night? Louise dares Claire to say something to the police and everyone holds their breath until she…says she has to leave for work. She calls her brother’s phone after she leaves, just to hear his voice again.

Jay (Chris Fulton) interrupts the detectives chatting with his call to Juliet, he’d like some more of that Papa Smurf LSD, please! He has a spreadsheet on his laptop that says he needs more!

Juliet thought that was a one-off, though, it’s as though she’s never seen Breaking Bad!

Over at the Douglas residence, our separate, unhappy family is fighting once again. Mum Moira (Julia Graham) is convinced Jamie murdered our (possible) murderer, he once brought a shotgun into school to scare someone. There’s something he’s covering up about his dad Bill (John Lynch) but we won’t find out now.

Alistair’s home and his missus Sal (Kate Dickie – Lysa Arron from Game of Thrones!) seems suspicious of his staying over at the Douglas farm, something with Moira perhaps? But I think he’s going to tell Sal what they did, which is probably not a good logistical move. Sal braces him quite firmly as to whether he did it or not, after all, he killed in the war.

TOTALLY not the same.

Claire visits with her charge Meredith (Ann Kidd), she cries like a little girl in a way she didn’t with her mum.

The detectives leave and the families regroup over at the Douglas residence, now everyone has lied and they’re all firmly in the same boat.

I didn’t think they had time for that! Hard pass on that, fanks, I nominate Bill and Moira as they’re the Couple More Likely To Dismember while hurling invective at someone else’s dead son for ruining their daughter’s life.

Seriously, though, Moira is HARD.

It’s Rob, Bill and Moira heading off with Lee in a truck, see what I mean?? Okay, so they just bury Lee in the Lexus in the back forty, fine, while Anna keeps watch on the press with binoculars.

Leah Elliot (Elizabeth Healey) finds her husband Peter (Adrian Edmondson) crying on his knees in the living room, he never told her he had a family before? And that he’s not been in contact for years and years? He’s devastated about the loss of Adam.

They all work together to get the hole dug, I don’t mean to harsh your buzz, Dougelliots, but that looks too shallow.

Earlier we saw Jay recruiting a junior drug dealer, I’m guessing he’s Damien (Ryan Paterson) and he’s selling 14 hits of LSD to Craig (Daniel Campbell) for a camping “trip”. Craig is clearly not a regular user, nor does he want to share any of his bootle with his younger sister Jenny (Amy Dunese).

Claire almost hits Jamie with her car, him walking across the road in the middle of the night in the dark. He confesses about visiting Lee in the barn and she comforts him right until he tries to kiss her.

I FINK he’s pretending to be someone else online to interact with her, but he may have just hacked her phone. At any rate, he’s mortified and she’s confused.

Claire gets home to find Anna and Rob preparing to leave, they argue over who’s the biggest hypocrite for leaving, since she and Rob both chose to leave today. Rob used the Anna’s rape as ammunition against his sister (because apparently it happened to HIM?), Anna and I are not happy.

We’re listening to Peter’s saved messages again, this time there’s one from Adam? He’s scared and needs to talk? What can that be about? Oh but Peter is off to see everyone in Braseton.

Louise is watching wedding videos when Claire gets home, she’s off to her room to stare at wedding photos on Facebook, where she also chats with dishy Sam while Jamie watches. So he’s hacked her, not catfished her! He doesn’t seem to enjoy hearing himself described as the “weird kid next door” which is why eavesdropping SUCKS.

The rest of the Douglases are having as much fun as Jamie is, Bill drinking morosely by himself while Moira burns what can only be love letters.

I do like shows that show how messed up families are! Not just mine! One of Us! One of Us!

I JUST SAW AN AGA COOKER.

Side note: A long time ago I was a prep cook in various restaurants and I’ve had a cooking blog and was a baker and basically: love all things kitchen-related. It all came to a head when I started recapping the show Last Tango In Halifax with the incomparable Sarah Lancashire. There was this massive house called Harrogate and a huge Aga cooker. I’ve only seen one Aga in my life in person and I made the kind of noise that isn’t normally made in public when I touched it. The salesperson laughed to himself and said “I know” to me. Long story short: I’ve wanted an Aga my whole life (well, since I read my first Agatha Christie novel) and just today I had a package from England arrive with a cookie tin in the shape of a cooker. I can die happy.

Oooh it’s a saucy red Aga too! I’ve been staring at eggplant coloured ones online, but that red jobbie would do in a pinch.

Sorry, sorry, Louise is scrubbing her house, something I also do when I’m stressed out! Oh but she finds the murder weapon hidden in her house, so we must immediately switch our focus to everyone who does not reside in that abode.

Alistair shows up for work the next day, confusing Bill who sent him on a paid vacation. Alistair and Sal have been talking and it seems the game is on and he’d like some money, please. Blackmailers never prosper, my friend, just ask Mr. Boddy from Clue. Oh wait, YOU CAN’T.

We’re out camping with Craig and friends, they discuss their upcoming acid drop while at least two people make humping noises in the background. It seems Jenny lifted part of his stash while he wasn’t looking, I hope the fact we see her really high up on a balcony doesn’t mean anything.

Or

Juliet and her daughter cuddle and talk about the upcoming operation in India (India?) where people smile like they mean it! Yuki (Kae Alexander) interrupts with the newspaper, remember that picture the photographer took of all Elliots and Douglases together coming out of the barn that the journalist SWORE wouldn’t be used? It’s on the front page and it’s super interesting to Juliet since the families both said they stayed home and didn’t go anywhere, like next door to visit the Douglases.

Juliet also noticed another odd thing, there’s Louise out walking around outside in her slippers the day after a massive storm.

Claire has adopted Meredith entirely, or is it the other way around? She’s making hints about doing something wrong and that’s also probably not a good idea.

She comes home full of fire: she can’t keep this to herself and longer, she’s got to tell the police what happened!

Louise pulls out the knife she found in Rob’s room, Claire walks away with it as Louise cries.

Rob is doing what the English do instead of therapy (gardening) when Anna walks into the backyard with two coppers. They need to talk to him and we’re out for this episode.

Interesting that Anna looked defiant rather than worried in that last scene, I think we’re meant to assume Claire has ratted out her brother. HOWEVER, I’m very sorry, Claire, I have to name you as Lee’s murderer because you’re so clearly the least likely suspect. That’s it, I’ve decided! Until next time!