I was ready to dislike this week's episode. For me, Shetland is at its best when it's telling parochial stories about island folk, so I wasn't sure the temporary shift to urban far-right politics would work. Turns out my concerns were unfounded: as well as providing some lovely scenery, the coldness and remoteness of the Nordic countryside were a great tonal match for the subarctic archipelago.
One thing this show isn't great at doing is resolving its cliffhangers. Back in week one we saw them bury Malone alive, only for him to turn up a week later with a grubby beard and slightly muddy trousers; and last week Malone attacked Benny with a ball hammer, only for Benny to survive with a few broken fingers and the odd butterfly stitch. I mean, I'm no expert when it comes to violence, but surely these fuck-ups should be more fucked up? The cliffhangers promise game-changing developments, only to deliver trifling inconveniences. I wonder how they'll solve this week's cliffhanger? Perhaps the owner of the black van is simply trying to sell them cut-price halibut.
Excluding Lizzie's death (which is still shrouded in mystery), a lot seemed to slot into place tonight. We now know how Sally came to be on Mati's radar, the calibre of his character (evidently he's something of a shit), and why he might've wanted Sally dead. I'm suspicious of Lars, however. Him dumping Tosh to go see his 'sick grandfather' seemed random, and what was that airport footage all about? I've looked at that scene several times now, and have no idea what he was trying to get at. He's either the nicest person who ever lived, or is going to end up at the centre of some police corruption scandal. He was in the perfect position to steal Mati's records, after all. For Tosh's sake, I hope he turns out to be a good guy, as the writers are desperately trying to pair them up—although the fact that Lars thinks Tosh's real name is a bit shit doesn't bode well.
And what's the story with Jo? I've been suspicious from week one that she has feelings for Alan, but the way she looked on seeing him and Cassie alone on the beach, not to mention her wearing Sally's press lanyard whilst looking at herself whimsically in the mirror, all seem to suggest that there's weirdness afoot. It's like she's trying to be Sally—which of course, gives her a strong motive for murder. You can't replace someone if they're still alive. I did laugh when Sandy knocked on the door and she jumped. Isn't she supposed to be deaf? Yes, she probably reacted to the movement (I'm fanwanking here), or maybe felt the vibration, but they really are working hard to explain how someone who can't hear, seems able to hear so much.
Kate Kilmuir getting off with Malone, although adequately foreshadowed, still felt oddly unearned. Why Kate would bring Malone to her home, fully aware of her daughter's animosity towards him, and then lock lips with him in front of a double window just as Molly's walking by, at best needs some sort of explanation, and at worst feels like sloppy writing. They've been trying to drive a wedge between Kate and Molly since episode one, but this felt like such an inexplicable event. If Kate finds Malone attractive after his prison underwear story, then fine: but why so little respect for her daughter's feelings? It just feels like we're missing a huge chunk of history. And why is Molly so certain of Malone's guilt anyway? Lizzie died before she was born, so the hatred can't be personal. Is it just a case of old familial grudges dying hard?
Drew walking into the North Sea just as Perez decided to pay him a visit, also felt a touch serendipitous. Should Perez have divulged the details of the case to him so readily? I get that Drew's an ex-policeman, and that he worked the case prior to Perez, but he keeps terrible company, is the epitome of a bigot, and is terrible at keeping secrets. How much time elapsed between Perez telling him about Donna's past indiscretion, and Drew blowing her off on the doorstep? Unless Perez is deliberately trying to draw Drew out by feeding him selective information in order to provoke a reaction. The question is, what was Drew referring to when he asked Donna whether there was anything she wanted to tell him? Was he asking about the one-night stand itself, or its ramifications?
Other Thoughts:
—You know you're screwed when your own mother refuses to defend you against an allegation of murder.
—The constant mispronunciation of Hagen is becoming hilarious. Even after confirmation that it's Har-gen, none of the English speakers seem able to consistently pronounce it correctly.
—In Norway everyone seems able to speak just 'a little English', yet all have immaculate diction, and always know what's being said.
—Drew lives in a big house for a retired detective who looks like he's been dragged through a hedge backwards.
Quotes:
Perez: 'You step out of line one more time and I'll drive you back to prison myself.'
Perez: 'Innocent people don't go around breaking other people's fingers.'
Malone: 'To prove a point. To look everyone in the eye, and to let them know I'm a good man.'
7 comments:
This felt like a consolidation episode where not much happened but our theories were either destroyed or confirmed. Something's definitely up with Jo. We only know that she was in an abusive relationship because she said so. It's entirely possible that this is a figment of her imagination and that she's in Shetland for other reasons. Perhaps she's trying to escape the chaos she left behind on the mainland.
I'm starting to wonder if Kate knows more about Lizzie's murder than she's letting on. How can she be so sure that Malone didn't kill Lizzie? His innocence seems to hinge on a procedural loophole rather than on evidence to the contrary. It seems so strange that she'd pursue a relationship with her sister's alleged murderer..... unless she know's he's innocent for sure, and feels guilt over his incarceration.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any Wallanderier, they move the show to Scandinavia. Not that I'm complaining, I think it worked well, even if Molly seeing her mother snogging Chas Manson did feel badly set up. Molly wasn't even looking through the window, which I think was just poor direction.
@anonymous Plot twist: Molly has supernatural abilities which allow her to detect bearded men making out with her mother.
Second plot twist: everyone on the island has special abilities due to Forst Energy's pollution of the kelp. Hence Jo being able to hear despite being deaf, and Kate's inability to consider the feelings of others.
So Drew was attempting suicide because Perez didn't believe him?
Aron: I think it was a collection of reasons. Perez didn't believe him, his integrity as a cop was being brought into question, him messing up the case caused his daughter's death, his whole family is dead... and to add insult to injury, Perez told him that his girlfriend got knobbed by some strange rigger guy twenty years ago. All in all, Drew's having a pretty rough time of it.
I still think that Drew killed Lizzie and it's the collapsing of the case that's causing his depression. He knows that it'so only a matter of time before he's caught, and doesn't want to face the humiliation.
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