We’re back! We’re finding out more and more about The Stranger every time we see her, but let’s be honest: we mostly want to know how it pertains to our Adam, winsomely played by Richard Armitage. We’ve got Siobhan Finneran and Kadiff Kirwan as our intrepid detectives on a (most likely related) case, let’s find out what that Shaun Dooley is up to tonight! Rolling all the spoilers for The Stranger S1:E1.4 after the break!
We open where we left off, with The Stranger (Hannah John-Kamen) following Ed Price (Anthony Head) as he arranges tough-sounding business deals and strides about in a smashing tie. The Stranger has forgone her Baseball Cap of Mystery, I think that’s worth a look!
She follows him into a coffeeshop for lunch, mimicking his every move and word but I can’t tell yet if they know each other. She sits with him and nope, he doesn’t know her. But he’s about to, because she knows alllll about him.
He has had a series of affairs over the years (I was surprised he didn’t hit on her), causing a lot of pain and even resulting in one child he doesn’t know of. (I’m guessing her) She’s not as composed as she has been, when she hands over the information of his child born on the less cosy side of the blanket, he gets aggressive and words fail her.
She settles for flipping the table and running off, she’s definitely too connected to this case. Very Real Housewives of New Jersey.
*I’m sorry, Martin Killane (Stephen Rea) for suggesting you were maybe The Stranger’s dad and maybe killed her mum and hid her in the basement as symbolized by antique Dresden doll porcelain figurines. I’m guessing you murdered a lot of other people, still, your happy wee face isn’t off my list.
DS Johnanna Griffin (Siobhan Finneran) found her best friend Heidi Doyle (Jennifer Saunders) shot dead in her own shop last episode, what Johanna doesn’t know is that it’s connected to The Stranger AND was done by fellow cop Patrick/John Katz (Paul Kaye).
She watches in a daze as the scene is processed by her partner DC Wesley Ross (Kadiff Kirwan).
Almost calling her estranged husband Phillip and instead turning to Wes. She pleads with him to not tell their superiors that she knew Heidi, she wants to work the case.
Oh Johanna. That would taint the whole case and then if they even do find someone (IT WAS KATZ), they would have trouble prosecuting.
One possible problem is that she showed Katz a picture of them together on holiday, so he might spill the beans. OR. He might have some other things on his mind about this particular murder and let’s face it: he’s working the murder. The prosecution is already in the toilet before they’ve even started.
Like Broadchurch! Have you seen Broadchurch? It’s got Olivia Colman and I love her. It’s also got David Tennant, so you can see how it would be impossible for it not to be amazing, except for the second series. I would sooner have Katz shoot me in the leg than watch the second series of Broadchurch again.
Where were we??
We’re with our main man Adam Price (Richard Armitage in the same blue suit, day after day and still looks fresh as a daisy) knocking on his neighbour Doug Tripp’s (Shaun Dooley) door.
Quick catchup: The Stranger told Adam that his wife Corinne (Dervla Kirwan) had faked a pregnancy and miscarriage two years back, now he can leave his lying wife and run free in the fields like a little girl. Adam confronted Corinne, who refused to discuss it, mentioned another woman who faked pregnancies named Suzanne Hope and said she’d explain everything right before she disappeared. Adam saw Corinne on the phone the day she absconded (possibly with a significant amount of money from the football club), turns out she was talking to Adam’s best friend Doug. Doug has always been entirely too silly to be believed and slightly more inquisitive than a best friend should be. I’ve had him pegged as a dark horse for a bit.
And now we’re back!
Adam hits Doug with his lie right out of the gate, why was he talking to Corinne?? Doug does not invite Adam into his home where he can be overheard by his wife, but instead drags Adam outside. Doug allows Adam to fill in the blanks about the phone call, Adam thinks it’s about the missing money from the football club and Doug rolls with it.
*I believe zero words that are coming out of Doug’s face right now.
Adam wants to know why his friend didn’t tell him.
Corinne asked for one more week to be able to prove that she didn’t steal the money (sure sure), but Doug pressed forth. Adam doesn’t understand that but now I’m wondering about who made the complaint about the money in the first place. Was it Doug? Did Doug steal the money himself?
Ed kept that baby picture The Stranger gave him, even with all the table flipping and lack of evidence. Ed calls his grandson Tom (Jacob Dudman), who’s been worried ragged about his missing mum and not that interested in his long lost grandfather doing a guilt-bligatory check up.
The unlikely team of three police officers including the murderer and a close personal friend examine the bake shop where Heidi was killed. SOCO (Vikash Bhai) gives them the rundown of her injuries and the evidence, Katz’s helpful suggestions of possible murderers (basically, Not Me) is met with strong resistance by Johanna. Too strong – it’s absolutely normal that they focus on the partner first and she’s acting as though that’s heresy. Her “It could be anyone” is totally true, though!
Katz will take care of the CCTV and I just bet he will.
Adam and Corinne’s sons have had enough of Adam’s lies about where their mother is, they confront him as soon as he walks in the door. Young Ryan (Misha Handley) thought of tracking down their mum via the FindMyFamily or something app, Adam is very excited to hear that Corinne is still in town.
The boys pile in to go where the phone shows up, Martin Killane’s coming too!
Once they’re on the road making small talk (Killane talking about women being trouble and giving him an ulcer is exactly what I’m talking about!! Watching him) and suddenly Corinne’s phone is on the move. They speed up in the most careful carchase ever, using signals and everything. They think she’s at Rycroft Station (?), everyone splits up and looks for her but d’ya know how easy it would be to toss a phone on a train? Super duper easy.
Corinne’s phone leaves on a train driving right by her son Tom.
The gang drives to Harpurton Station through some really picturesque countryside, they come to a dead end by a creek and young Ryan’s had enough. He takes off running across a truly beautiful bridge, finding her phone by itself as I expected. Ryan immediately thinks Corinne had jumped off the bridge, but Adam reassures him: she’d never do that. “We’ll find her.”
Adam and Killane brainstrorm after, is it possible that Corinne is faking this? No, no, but Killane once again directs Adam away from telling the police and it makes me wonder again.
Watching you, Killane.
Johanna has the unenviable task of informing Heidi’s husband Ian (Guy Oliver-Watts) of her murder, vowing that they’ll find them, they’ll get the bastage.
Johanna throws out the rest of Heidi’s cake at work and takes a call from Philip (Don Gilet), her spouse that she recently separated from. He asks her to come home. He’s…younger? Yes? And bakes scones, so atta boy!
She collapses into his arms in devastated sobs.
He counsels her later to take some time off, she shouldn’t be anywhere near this case. Stay home and grieve. She can’t.
Adam and Ryan cuddle up in bed later, Adam trying to reassure his son that his mother wouldn’t have done anything untoward. Ryan chooses to blame his mother’s disappearance on his dad, based on the “I need space” text from Corinne’s phone. I bet you six Canadian Tire dollars that she didn’t send that text, nor the one to friend and fellow teacher Vicky Hoy (Jade Harrison).
Adam stays up late, drinking beer and poring over his phone in a still inexplicably crisp white dress shirt.
He scrolls deeper and deeper into Corinne’s Recent Calls, finally selecting “That Btch” and checking against his phone.
I BEG YOUR PARDON.
And who is Sally Prentice (Camilla Arfwedson) when she’s at home? Ahhhh, she’s a beautiful woman that Adam clearly has seen in various states of undress.
They meet at a bar for a drink and try to stammer through small talk while he tries not to climb out of his skin at the memory of touching her.
Now the question every cavorty married man in the world has asked his side piece since time immemorial:
She sure did! Aha! Two years ago when Corinne faked that pregnancy (maybe) and it was a Stay With Me Pregnancy! Sorry, sorry, I don’t think any of that is exciting, I’m just happy to be right. Yikes.
This is not an easy conversation for Sally, who was clearly in love with Adam and he maybe with her. He was on the verge of leaving his wife for her, it’s not clear if they ever crossed the line but the attraction is still alive in the air between them. Corinne calling her a homewrecker doused Sally’s ardour somewhat.
She leaves.
I felt that from HERE.
Adam finally heads to the police station to report Corinne as missing, Katz walks behind him and avoids Johanna who gets the news from Wes that the CCTV from the bake shop is missing, just for that day. Let’s check with Katz as to how that could have happened??!!
That’s the medium weird news, Wes has something even weirder to discuss.
If he means…
Johanna doesn’t try to sort out that (probably disgusting) riddle, Heidi’s daughter Kimberley (Callie Cooke) is calling. Johanna takes her to see her mum’s body.
Kimberley tells Johanna after about her last meeting with her mum, wait: was Katz a client of the SugarBaby website where Kimberley has been plying her wares? Or was he blackmailed separately and followed The Stranger to Heidi? I can’t see Katz being the type to pretend he’s not paying for it, hm.
Kimberley has her own line of investigation in mind, is Johanna a lesbian and was her mum Heidi running off with her romantically? You know, you can love a friend platonically without wanting to put the rails to them, Kimberley.
Kimberly finally comes clean about a much more likely motive, the blackmailing of Heidi because of Kimberley’s shenanigans as a sugarbaby. Of course, Kimberley doesn’t give that helpful bit.
Corinne climbs up on that very bridge where her phone was found and…jumps off.
WHAT??
But Adam said she would never
OHHH, Adam was having a nightmare. For the love of
Adam is rudely awoken by Tom frantically looking for his football kit; look kiddo, you can wash your own stinky shorts if you can be up all night drinking with your friends at a bonfire.
Tom meets up with friend Daisy (Ella-Rae Smith) at football, they come across the student that told them that their pal Mike had been arrested. Liv has cramps and more information; she wants to talk to Mike. She calls the night poor Louie the alpaca was murdered a “alpaca hit” and it’s weird because everyone thinks it was just Mike.
ALPACA.HIT
Wait. Wasn’t it just Mike? Who else was involved with hurting this harmless and lovely animal??
Ed shows up at the football match in bright white sneakers, he’s a doting granddad!
Ed asks to speak to Adam during the, erm, interval, he’s had a Damascene conversion! He wants to be a better dad and granddad moving forward. Adam struggles to accept this apology, he’s worked hard to not be the man his father is and he hasn’t always succeeded.
Mike Tripp has popped over to the football match too, filling Tom and Daisy in on the police interrogation. Screams draw them to where Liv (Humera Syed), the student with cramps earlier is in extremis, having collapsed on the field.
A montage gets us all riled up, Daisy trying to cajole her younger sister Ella (India Brown) into eating, Daisy texting Tom about a meet, Doug being ignored by his son Mike, Coach Bob Baime (Clinton Blake) checking the football club’s finances again and finally Katz running through the hospital to get to his daughter Liv.
That’s…a lot.
Johanna’s not letting the grass grow under her feet, she’s running this financial question to the ground already using the help of DC Marisa Desford (Tamica Greenaway).
Wes has weird but hopeful news from the crime scene, let’s go see…
Adam! What? Corinne’s prints were found at Heidi’s cafe, how is that? Is that the coffee group she used to go to and where she met the other lady faking pregnancies? How can this be a coincidence? We’re out!
One thing I don’t understand (one thing?) is that The Stranger was trying to help Adam when she must have known he’d at least contemplated infidelity, even if it only got to the unbuttoning that white shirt stage. The Stranger is completely unambiguous on her stance as far as cheating is concerned. No way would she be freeing Adam if he was also a liar. So hm. But maybe it was one of those get-really-close things, not an actual full blown affair.
Until next time!
