Welcome back to Rose and Maloney! We need to find out what’s going on with Daniel Berrington;

Did he or his brother Matthew kill poor Mr. Towns so awfully? And Whathispickle Calum? Who killed Calum? Let’s find out while rolling S2:E2 right now.

We ended last episode with Rose finding an absconded Daniel in her closet, now it looks as though she’s planning to stash him at her mum’s place, which means I GETTA SEE ANNE REID AGAIN! Squee!!

She introduces Daniel as a friend who needs a place to stay for a couple of days, which means she clearly isn’t planning to hand him over to the police just yet. It’s a testament to how much Rose believes Daniel that she has no compunctions about leaving him with her mum.

I forget how much I love Anne Reid’s work; I spent quite a bit of time being completely annoyed by her as Celia on Last Tango in Halifax and it’s as though I forgot how much magic she can infuse every single line with. The pause, the slightest of eye rolls, and the way she sets her mouth, it speaks volumes and I can appreciate it so much better knowing that she won’t say something against our Caroline. Yes, I DO know we’re talking fictional characters, honest!

Suffice to say; Bea does not approve of this raggedy young man being left with her for a weekend. I’m just saying a haircut wouldn’t go astray.

Calum’s dad Alexander (Kevin McMonagle) cries as he identified the body; Maloney and Bruce (Rose’s boom-boom partner from last episode) watch as Bruce taunts Maloney: “your boy’s really done it this time.”

Maloney denies all ownership of Daniel Berrington: you lot were the ones about to release him! But that’s changed, oh yes, the Home Office has had it up to HERE with having to overturn their shoddy convictions and they aren’t taking it any more! Only Subpar Work or bust! Daniel’s screwed them over, so now they get to screw over the CJRA without guilt. You don’t want to know what he means by that, Maloney. And I’d say Rose got what she wanted anyway, even if she didn’t want it more than once.

Maloney finds a young woman bawling her eyes out in the hallway, it’s Katy (Alice O’Connell), Calum’s girlfriend and she doesn’t understand at all. Why would anyone hurt lovely Calum? Alexander pops into the hallway just then, hovering over her protectively and screaming at Maloney: “You did this! Why couldn’t you leave it alone, you stupid bastards! Can’t you see what they’ve done now??” and me and Maloney want to know who’s THEY??

There are televised appeals for Daniel to return now, creepy Mark from the reformatory and Daniel’s former dad (before he ditched Daniel like a defective bedspring); people are worried that he’s done this. Matthew watches too, I’m surprised that hasn’t been mentioned.

Bea catches Daniel watching the news, I bet she knows exactly who he is. She’s putting him to work in the meanwhile, does he know how to use a saw? He sure does!

The CJRA are looking at the evidence of Calum’s murder; Wendy is blaming everything on Rose because she’s being called to the Home Office.

Rose arrives at her mum’s home to hear sawing noises and laughing that COULD be shrieks of terror, if you were perhaps influenced by gory pictures seen just previously. She races upstairs to find them having a grand old time, dragging Daniel out figuratively by his ear. Bea has always wished she had a son and who SAYS that?? Okay, I’ll be saying it to my boys in a few years – Y R NUN OF U IN A DRESS??  But that’s just part of her charm.

She drags him round, she needs his trainers and all of his clothes!! Someone’s killed Calum and was stupid enough to leave a big old footprint in the middle of the blood: gimme dem shoes! He’s shocked about Calum’s death, but he’s taking too long to process and SHE DOESN’T WANT TO GO TO JAIL, DANIEL! Drop trou now!  She’s risking everything for him and she doesn’t know why he’s MAKING HER!! But he likes her, okay? That calms everything down; can she please have his trainers? They don’t match the pattern at all, and aren’t all bloody or anything.

Daniel wants to talk to Matt; he gets really confused. The case workers have him convinced that Calum and Matt weren’t with him and he doesn’t know what is true or not anymore. She tells him: they absolutely were with him. Why would the case workers do that?? They weren’t there? Is this like in Making A Murderer where someone’s just doing their job, not listening and there’s a presumption of guilt and poor Brendan Dassey tried and tried to argue and then just rolled? She makes it clear for him: “I’m the one. I’m the one you tell the truth to.”

She tries to take him back through the evidence as they watch his police interview but he just can’t remember. They used to go there so often, I can see how it would get difficult to sort one time from another, except for the murder bits. He remembers Matthew squeezing his hand to let him know the game was all good; did he always do what Matthew wanted asks Rose? He did, Matthew was the clever one! He knew how to manipulate people!

Oh and hi Maloney!

Rose doesn’t think Daniel did it, Maloney, whew, that’s a relief, who’s up for a cuppa for the road?

Side note: I’ve been drinking SO MUCH TEA since I got back from my jaunt across North America, my belly is so much happier now! Yay!

Let’s just say: Maloney does not agree with Rose’s decision to investigate herself instead of turning over the wee lad to the police. Like that, but with more almost-swearing.

Out of the corner of his eye, though, he sees Daniel rubbing his head in interview: is that blood? Daniel was hit on the melon, he’s still bleeding and maybe he was knocked out and THAT’S why he can’t remember being in the bathroom.

Maloney pops ‘round to see Daniel’s mum, he wants to see Matthew, but oh: not there. Alexander Roxton is there shouting at the front door; oh ho! The upshot it that Calum and his family did the Berrington’s a favour (covering up which son was the murder is the obvious inference) and they had to go to “sodding Canada” and heeey eyyyyy. There’s no need to get down on Canada just because your boy was under the influence of a wee Machiavellian psychopath at a young age; that could happen to anyone: ask Dylan Klebold about that. Well. If you could.

Bruce is at Rose’s flat, even though he’s “not keen to be seen” with her, she wants Daniel’s medical records. He won’t give them to her, it’s a breach of whathaveyou and the Home Secretary wants to be vicious AND popular and anyway, the most important part is when she says they can go to bed now. She’s changed the sheets and everything. He’s confused: she wouldn’t go to bed with him if he had given her what she wanted? No, “ever heard of integrity?” bravo. I call Scottish Smolder on that.

Maloney’s following Alexander Roxton now, the bereaved father is drinking up a storm and blaming himself for allowing Calum to come back to England. Calum’s mum died, “she didn’t like Toronto” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I love Toronto, but being from western Canada I snickered.

Maloney asks about the fateful day and I swear; I’m trying to concentrate but there’s a 60 year old woman with her bewbs out behind them listening and it’s very distracting. They’re gorgeous, love!

Roxton isn’t talking anyway, he leaves saying “those brothers, they’re the devil.”

Daniel’s having nightmares about the murder too; he’s even wet the bed. Hmmm, is that regression or a seizure?

Maloney and Rose are both approaching Roxton now; guess who’s dead too? No, GUESS???

It looks like a straightforward suicide, but I dunno, that’s awfully convenient what with all the shouting at Berrington’s parents.

Maloney wants to call the police, guess who doesn’t want to follow official channels? No, GUESS????

Bea finds Daniel going through Rose’s things looking for his parents address; now she trusts her daughter, but “don’t you dare make a monkey out of her or I’ll have your bollocks.” He understands. He wants to leave, and she reminds him he’s free to go whenever he likes. But he isn’t likely to get far, is he?

Rose and Maloney are interviewing Katy now, how long were she and Calum together? Did Calum every talk about being scared of Matthew? Why would he be scared of Matthew, they talked on the phone all the time! She doesn’t know and she hasn’t heard the name Daniel Berrington until the night before! Time to go, Rose hands Katy her card and they go. 5 seconds later, out pops Matthew and now I’m worried for Katy’s safety.

Maloney warns Rose in the parking lot, if she doesn’t turn Daniel in, he’ll have to. She’s a big girl, she can take it, she reassures him, she’ll keep him out of it and do whatcha gotta do, Maloney. That’s MUCH more effective as a deterrent than saying “don’t please!” Plus, she looks gorgeous and like Lady Justice personified, very determined. She’ll catch the bus, she needs to think and before she can get the whole sentence out, he’s in the car and leaving. Pfft Maloney.

Daniel’s made it to his former parent’s house (surely he knows he’s been fired?), seeing his mum pacing draws him to the front door. His dad answers and I’m just worried about the panic button the police have installed just in case he shows up. The good doctor doesn’t waste any time pressing the DURESS button as Daniel claws at the windows and begs his family to let him speak to Matthew. Oh Daniel.

Rose is watching the tapes again while Bea is being hilariously mean again “children will disappoint you” (she says to her child); “they can’t help it.” It’s time to ring the police, isn’t it? Rose asks if she disappoints Bea sometimes? She does, she wishes Rose were more sensible about herself and then she goes, leaving Rose to call the police.

She’s dialing, but her eyes are still on the screen and I know we have about 5 seconds to see something before she turns herself and Daniel in. What we get is the dad coming into the interview room; let’s see what’s shaking. Daniel asks how Matt is; his dad says that Matt’s fine, he’s been with Calum all day and Daniel’s done a very bad thing. He can’t help Daniel, he doesn’t know him and it’s heartbreaking to hear an adult talk to his child like this. Talk about psychopath. Could the dad have done something?

Rose and I are fully engrossed in watching this horrifying scene, so Matthew approaching her from the rear may have made at least one of us make a sound like a chew toy being stepped on. He followed her on the bus from Katy’s house and we just want to know: how is Katy?

He’s angry then, what is she talking about?? None of yous know what’s it like! To have to just put up with it! Put up with WHAT?? And then Daniel walks in JUST as we were going to hear from the wee murdery bastage, damnit! They shout at each other, Daniel screaming he didn’t kill anyone and Matthew going on “that wasn’t the GAME!!”

Rose calls Maloney, come over NOW. It’s time to find out what this game involved.

The boys grew up in a very tidy and strict household; they liked to go to Mr. Towns’ house because there was cool stuff like knives and guns (Jeebus wept); they were allowed to do bad things there. If Mr. Towns tried to stop them, then they’d frighten him (IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL PUNCHING AN ELDERLY GENTLEMAN IN THE BELLEH? Frightening someone??) until he told on them.  They didn’t go back for a long time, but see, Danny wasn’t as smart as Matthew and let’s take a peek into Daniel’s past in the Berringer family. Matthew is narrating.

That fateful day, Daniel was coming off a week of being starved by his dad; Daniel had to sit at tea with everyone else but wasn’t allowed to partake. Before tea every day, their dad would smack each of Daniel’s hands with a metal ruler for “letting them all down again” and for the love of. So Daniel is ravenous, with bloody knuckles and a brother who wanted to help him. The dad’s sorted that sommat’s off about Matthew’s behavior and watches him try to hide food for Daniel. Matthew gets his hands beaten as well, in front of Daniel and their mother.

So the brothers were angry and on edge when they entered Mr. Towns’ house, Matthew urging Daniel on but this time Mr. Towns was ready for these little shits. When Daniel ran at him, Mr. Towns took the charge and threw him off easily. Daniel’s forehead bounced off the sink (the bloody mark) and he was out. Almost satisfied, Mr. Towns turned and grabbed his straight razor and made for Daniel so Matthew jumped at him and Mr. Towns was left bleeding in a pool of his own blood with a shard of glass in his shoulder. Calum ran back to the Berringers to get Matthew and Daniel’s dad, who took stock of the scene and the bleeding but alive Mr. Towns and sent Matthew away.

Rose clarifies: Mr. Towns was alive when Matthew left and Dr. Berringer was there? Yes

Well we can figure out the rest; Daniel’s just shocked that Matthew left him there unconscious. The Roxtons covered for everyone and technically, Matthew was responsible, but the real murderer was Dr. Berringer, who told Matthew “he had to save his best son.” Daniel, Matthew and I maybe cry at that.

Bruce is surveying all the shite about Rose in the tabloids, they’re going after her with everything they can. He calls Records and we know what that means!

Maloney’s the one that receives Daniel’s medical records, slightly surprised and a little confused by Bruce’s (thankfully non-sex-related) note.

Dr. Berrington is ready for his next patient, but no, I don’t think he IS ready for Rose. He admits to everything, wow, I hope she’s recording this! Her face when she uses the “best son” line…she braces him about the results of the post mortem on Arthur Towns, turns out Mr. Towns didn’t die from that chest wound, but rather a deliberately inflicted slice across the jugular. Can’t have been Daniel, what with him being unconscious, and Matthew was already sent away, right? Hmm, she ponders and Dr. Berringer makes a run for it.

It’s all over, though, Matthew’s in the hallway to confront him about the murder of Calum. Alison’s already turned over the doctor’s shoes, looks like there is a match to the print found at Calum’s scene.

Ah at least Daniel gets to confront his horror of a father before he’s arrested, I bet that felt good. How sad, the evil some people can wreak.  Maloney thinks Dr. Berringer is the worst person he’s ever met and I would have to agree he’s right up there. Don’t have kiddos, psychopaths.

Maloney teases Rose about the tabloid headlines; no bad publicity, right? And why doesn’t the Home Office have a dossier on him, as they do Rose? “Nobody cares about you, Maloney” hahahahaha.

We’re out to Dr. Berringer being driven away while Maloney corrals the brothers: let’s see if we can’t get this sorted out, shall we?

That was a good end to this story, I didn’t see the dad-twist coming until almost the very end, so I have to give it snaps for that. They were painting a large red flag on Matthew for most of the show and I fell for it, but I have to say I really enjoyed the work of Andrew Lee Potts as Daniel. He draws the eye with his intensity and I am interested in seeing more of his work. Of COURSE Sarah Lancashire was amazing, I love watching her face when she’s working through things. I think I already waxed enough fangirling re: Anne Reid ^^^ so until next time you guys! Cheers!