Alternating timelines - the 'go to' plot device that the people who make TV love - and people who watch TV hate! But in this case, it works well and actually makes sense. Also - it's not too confusing for the viewer!
Some well-known faces from every other TV drama are wheeled out in this above average drama. Some will find their faces reassuring - others (like me) will find them annoying... especially Juliet Stevenson who is just too overexposed to the point where I can no longer see past the face of an actress into the soul of a character.
But that aside, this is still a pretty captivating addition to the library of British commercial television drama... even though the ending is pretty silly and very implausible.
The story is about a documentary maker (Stevenson) who delves back half a century into the mystery of a missing child for which her step-father was hung for murder.
Greg Wise who plays the stepfather is the stand out here. He's another seemingly never out of work actor who shows up several times a year on TV in something or other. But this role is a true masterclass. His expressions of initially evil and eventually fear are worth a thousand words.
There are themes of family skeletons and police evidence tampering played out against a backdrop of domestic friction. The investigator is having a tough time ignoring her daughter as she seems to be a wannabe goth! But she plows on with her important work anyway.
Meanwhile, in another life, a young detective on his first missing persons case, struggles with his colleagues as he is determined to hang a man for murder despite having no body. The court scenes are very intimidating and the hanging is also very dramatic.
So - if you can stomach seeing the same old faces on your TV and you're willing to put up with a rather convoluted final act then it's worth your time.
