Hi everyone, welcome back to The Fall where hopefully we’ve dispensed with the medical dramz and are back on the murdery and detecting paths, fingers crossed! Rolling S3:E2 His Troubled Thoughts after the break!

We left Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) awake and undetected while Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) comforted an elderly relative / stranger and Rose (Valene Kane) recovered 15 steps away in ICU. We’re in the hospital watching Paul play possum while Stella swims laps in a pool.

The Hinky Night Nurse gives Paul a sponge bath whilst Stella has her own water therapy, I feel slightly pervy watching her bum piston in and out of the water and the showering, but it’s very visually striking.

Burns (John Lynch) grabs Stella (well, approaches her, not Trumps her), he’ll need to talk to her before the meeting with the Ombudsman. He’s been instructed to identify Spector to the media as who they’ve arrested, she knows a fair trial is just that much harder after, but he’s not wrong when he says the information is already out there. They need to get ahead of it.

It’s been a circus already, they only have two cards. One: they have him. Two: they have Rose and let’s all join hands in a nondenominational prayer circle that she’ll testify.

The whole thing about him being shot in custody is NOT going to look good, even if the cops didn’t do the actual shooting.

That’s not what Burns is there to tell her, however, her task force is being moved. In this case, moved means GONE and it’s happening right now and that WAS her being informed, fanks.

Burns is SUCH a giant acid bath of a colleague. He spends all his time making sad eyes at her whilst doing everything he can to bring her down to his level, because she is ABSOLUTELY above. You know the type, clings on and undermines her while “helping” her and SHE JUST DOESN’T APPRECIATE ALL HE DOES FOR HER! Acid bath.

Katie (Aisling Franciosi) is piercing her own nose (WTH man! Warning! THAT IS NOT HYGIENIC) before school, I’m actually quite surprised she is allowed to go to school, since she’s on house arrest. She ends up with a bull-ring; those are very popular and super gross.

Burns wants to know why Stella brought Tom Anderson (Colin Morgan) onto the task force, he frames it as though he’s trying to prepare her for questions she’ll face at the inquiry, but I bet inside he’s screaming “IS IT BECAUSE HE’S YOUNGER?? FITTER?? WHAT IS IT, STELLA?? WHY CAN’T YOU LOVE ME!??”

I am just going to say: I also thought Stella promoting the young detective was out of order, and thought it had to do with her being attracted to him, although I can’t honestly remember if they were banging just before she brought him on or after. I just assumed she knew better than me, she IS a fictional detective, after all, and perhaps she saw past his model-y good looks.

Stella was impressed with how Anderson handled the McPherson suicide, which Burns points out a bunch of holes in, and she saw potential.

HAHAHAHAHA for reals! Honestly, HOW is this guy allowed to be in any type of position of power, he’s so emotional! Those eyes!

He thought Anderson wasn’t physically capable of restraining Spector due to his slight (model-y) build, but honestly, Jim. It doesn’t matter how muscle-bound or how much middle-age spread you have going on, it’s not going to stop bullets from an irritated minor gang member.

We’re not done with the pouting, though, now that we’ve attacked Anderson’s credentials and manliness, we’re going straight to the heart of it:

Stella finally understands what I’ve been shouting about

She reminds him: mud-slinging goes both ways, Mr. Begging For A Cup of Vagina in Front Of The Hidden Suspect.

Katie angsts all over her mam (Lacy Moore) about the nose-ring, she just cares about how Katie looks, not how she feels. Why can’t her mam understand the LOVE she has for this manipulative psychopath who has probably completely ruined any chance at healthy relationships later??

Stella sees Danielle Ferrington (Niamh McGrady) on her way back from the inquiry, the young policewoman is struggling with her (totally justifiable) shooting of Tyler and has been suspended from front line duties. Stella commends her on her lethal response, many women don’t have that instinct when confronted by a threat such as Tyler with a gun intent on killing Spector.

Stella invites Danielle to join her task force (where was that again? Some office building somewhere? Someone get a coffee machine requisition in, STAT) and reminds Danielle: she’s chosen to work in “a masculine, paramilitary patriarchal culture, let’s not let them beat us.”

I know I said I dig it when Stella does a sermon from the mount about our current culture with regards to the male / female dynamic but that seemed…more flag-wavy than script.

They’re reviewing Paul’s status at the hospital, Hinky Night Nurse is Keira Sheridan (Aisling Bea – wait, two Aislings and two Bronagh’s in the cast? Are those the European equivalents of Kayleighea and Emaleeeily?)  and Paul’s a go for surgery!

Review time! The Chief Constable Franks and Deputy Chief Constable Jim Burns will be giving evidence, looks like CC Franks (Patrick FitzSymons) is planning to let Jim Burns handle most of the heat.

Stella is being interviewed under caution, which she was not informed in advance. Kinkhead (Genevieve O’Reilly) will tell her that at least, but not much else. Does she want to attain representation?

Jim Burns has to explain all KINDS of things, starting with how they didn’t know James Tyler was a threat even though they knew he had a violent history AND a handgun he stole from a police officer. They make a big deal out of the police officer whose gun Tyler stole not having it secured by a lanyard: this is what happens when bureaucrats get to nitpick people who actually do shite.

Kinkhead investigates all shootings in the district: let’s get started. How was your Risk Assessment before you moved Spector, Stella? Robust? They review while Burns sings Stella’s praises to the heavens while painting Spector as a bogeyman unlike any other.

Well, we knew this moment would come; Rose is awake and sees Spector wheeled through ICU, don’t worry, it’s not as though he were awake or murdery or anything, Rose! A nurse lies to her to relax her, honestly: they need to have her moved to somewhere safe, this is BULLSHIT.

Well now this is getting odd; Kinkhead and Stella are going head to head over Stella’s forcing of the boot of the car, Kinkhead seems to think Stella should have had it checked for booby traps or gone through the rear seat. Stella and I are nonplussed, but Kinkhead is all steely ginger control. Stella brings up that Rose was within 15 minutes of death, they had a duty as police officers to protect and save her life. Kinkhead wants to know if Stella thinks she had that same obligation to Spector?

Another man is in the room taking notes: no name yet. Hang in there, we’ll get it!

Moar time with Spector on the surgery table and not irritating me, yay!

Kinkhead wants to know why Stella was cradling Spector in her arms, it was to keep his airways clear and put pressure on the wound, of COURSE

And hey, why no body armour, Stella? You knew Tyler was a problem! The Tyler question was Stella’s last for now, she gets into her car to be driven back to the hotel.

Burns identifies Spector on TV, hmmm. Time will tell if that was a wise choice, but I’m going to assume NOT. It will, however, make it easier for his children to search him out online; Olivia finds a picture of Katie in an article based on an interview with Katie’s friend Daisy (Tara Lee) and calls Katie, who’s just making her way into the hospital with her gross unhygienic nose piercing that’s probably throbbing like a motherhumper right now. NO I DON’T THINK I COULD GET ANY MORE WORDS IN THAT SENTENCE, FANKS!

Katie is FURIOUS about her friend selling her and her (imaginary) boyfriend out, it slows her from heading straight up to Paul’s room. Paul posted some comments on Daisy’s videos?

Stella’s checking out her new digs, are they being hidden away in a corner? I mean, I guess technically they got the guy, so. It is a lovely space, all light and airy.

Paul is awake and in some kind of seizing distress, this face should have made me worried, yes?

It did not. He was fine eventually, they need to get some handcuffs on that piece of shite. Rose is RIGHT THERE. Nurse Keira gets the worst of his spasm, with his hand squeezing the life out of her arm.

Rose has had it, she wants to go home, she knows that’s not some random car crash victim in the corner under distress. Katie is clocked by the police outside the ward, she’s still under house arrest, right? She runs

Sally Ann (Bronagh Waugh) is called in to see the Head Teacher (Laura Hughes); they figured out that Olivia used the staff computer and phone and they’re very nicely kicking the Spectors out of school.

Stella briefs the task force in the new digs; they must be very careful with evidence collection for this phase of their investigation. “Organization is crucially important” and I could not agree more. Anderson listens, but he seems…downcast yet smirky.

Status update: where are we? Rose’s car is being gone over by Forensics and they have a lead on where Paul was doing his dirty work in Belfast.

Nurse Keira is checking Paul’s brain activity in case there was damage, yay, looks as though there is movement and he is cognizant! Slap on some cuffs. Especially since she looks a lot like all of his victims. He’s groggy, but awake and able to conversate.

Sally Ann and her brother Jennings (Paul Kennedy) are having a cuppa and discussing next steps; he suggests she get a lawyer for Paul. There’s only one lawyer in Belfast that could handle such a case, he’ll call Sean Healy (Aidan McArdle) for her and is she planning to see Paul? Or take Olivia to see him?

Dr. Spencer (Barry Ward) introduces himself to Spector and it’s ludicrous to me how gently they’re treating him. It can only be a plot device to show how people feel about his being shot. The entire country and parts of England (around Halifax) know about his arrest as the Belfast Strangler, you’d think they’d be slightly more neutral and not so lovey-dovey. At any rate, the point of Dr. Spencer and his gentle questioning is that Paul appears to be a little confused about what’s going on, time-wise. He thinks it’s 2006 and whether he’s faking because he overheard or he really is messed up in the melon remains to be seen.

Rose still hasn’t been able to leave, but finally, Tom (Jonjo O’Neill) is there. He’s brought Nancy (Sonja Smyth Fuentes), now take her home, there’s a good lad!

Sean Healy is very excited about possibly taking on the case of the Belfast Strangler, he sets Wallace (Ruth Bradley) on the paper trail.

Dr. Spencer fills Paul in on the situation, somewhat, shouldn’t they have called in the gendarmes by now? Stella was informed, but why isn’t someone there? Stella gets the call about Rose checking out too and then DCI Eastwood (Stuart Graham) gives her the good news about Spector’s new lawyer. He’s a shark and reprobate of the highest order, they can expect turbulence at every turn. Stella:

Sally Ann questions Olivia about what she thinks about her dad, in this time of 24-hour news cycles, I worry for kids. There isn’t much people won’t share online with the slightest provocation. She’s bringing Katie to see Paul, anyway.

Katie’s standing out in the rain watching and waiting to see her “friends” outside the bar, Daisy isn’t the least cowed by angry Katie. Paul had been leaving comments on her videos, but Katie’s not listening to that, or the part about how obsessed she is with Paul. She squirts Daisy in the eyes with something painful and walks away quickly while Daisy screams.

Dr. Spencer fills Sally Ann in on Paul’s condition, moar medical jargon! Sally Ann was a nurse, so at least she gets it. Olivia is so happy to see her dad, but Paul’s confused at how big she is and how old his wife is. What’s going on? Now I believe he’s telling the truth about not remembering, if he loves anyone, it’s Olivia. He thinks he loves her…and she knows he does. That was a very sweet scene. It also left Nurse Keira firmly on #TeamSpector.

The task force is at Spector’s rental property, they’ve got his rental vehicle and everything that was left there now.

Wallace is working late and reading up on Paul’s case when a noise startles her and who’s creeping around the office?

Stella finds a bag of food, she realises that Spector must have been planning to feed Rose after all and they interrupted him before he could. I think she’s feeling responsible just then, but they couldn’t know. They find his suitcase full of underwear trophies, there’s quite a few more there than we know about.

Nurse Keira and Spector chat a bit, he’s confused by his inability to remember anything, including his daughter: he’s just getting snippets.

Stella’s found more and more information at the rental house: there are more victims. 9 or 10 and I am not convinced this evidence will be accepted as being handled properly. This whole case seems tainted and I’m concerned that nothing will be prosecute-able. And we’re oot!

I am curious as to what will happen with Katie, she started out as a loose end, but I’m starting to wonder if there is more to her role. And was Paul Spector out looking for other young women like Daisy? And how recent were these women that Stella just found out about? So many questions. Hopefully we get some answers next week, sorry I was so late this time! Until next time, cheers!