REVIEW: Innocent, Series 2 Episode Three

 REVIEW: Innocent, Series 2 Episode Three

If there's any common theme present throughout Innocent's second series, it's that people aren't exactly who they seem. Matthew's supposed Dad John (Andrew Tiernan) isn't actually his Dad, the seemingly quiet Anna Stamp (Ellie Rawnsley) actually a stirrer, and - as per the main point of the series - Sally (Katherine Kelly) didn't actually kill Matthew. In the world of Innocent, there are twists to the expected, and nothing should be treated as gospel. The truth is always waiting to come out. Which seems to be the big driving force between Sally and Sam's (Jamie Bamber) romance. Sam is currently engaged to new partner Karen (Priyanga Burford), but he clearly still possesses feelings for Sally. It's no surprise that they rekindle those feelings by the end of the episode, but it works as a triumphant moment. We want to see these two reunite. We're rooting for them because they are made for each other. Sam's daughter with Karen, Bethany (Amy-Leigh Hickman), is very troubled it seems, as we learn more about her background. It turns out she has had some very serious mental health issues, to the point where she has been taking anti-stress pills. This is one of ITV's strong points as a channel in general; they are great champions of mental health awareness, and they contribute greatly to raise awareness of a very important issue. It's great to see it explored here, and it's included naturally too, in a way that speaks to the character of Bethany. She's a kid who has been a victim of bullying at school, which explains exactly how she was led down this dark path. The bully, it turns out, was Matthew. Previously Matthew had been portrayed in the series as this golden boy; a teacher's pet who had been thought of fondly by Sally and others around the school environment. Here we get to hear a different side to him, and it makes him feel layered and fully fleshed out rather than giving us a vague description. We get a greater sense for the kind of person Matthew was, a greater idea of why anyone would want to kill him. Murder, after all, has to be driven by something, and maybe in this case it was his bullying ways? It certainly seems as though the bullying may have some relevance to the murder, as Karen comes across extremely cagey here. She met with Matthew on the night he died over his bullying of Bethany, resulting in a slight altercation on the street, but she is strangely reluctant to give the police any of this information, and it falls to Sam to inform them. There's this wonderful sense of irony that the woman who has been very judgemental over Sally is now the woman being judged; it's almost like the ultimate payback for Karen's clear dislike for Sally, and it's brilliant to see her get some form of comeuppance.

John is another who seems as though he could be a potential killer. Not only has he admitted to arguments with his non-biological son Matthew before the murder, but he's also lost his alibi. Personally going into the fourth episode, I don't think it's him, but the episode certainly does a good job at presenting the possibility. It sets up the thought that it could be him in a way that feels believable, and which makes you question whether it maybe is him who is guilty of the crime. One person it is certainly not is Matthew's actual biological Dad Gary (Jason Done). He seems the total opposite of John, a bit calmer and more collected, with less of a violent streak. He also has an alibi, which is always useful in situations like this. He's not as interesting a character as John overall, but he's fine and serves the narrative's purpose. It would have been nice to have seen him imbued with more personality in the screenplay, maybe some form of quirk that makes him stand out as a character, but he fulfils the plot's requirements well. Overall, Innocent's third episode of Series Two is a decent instalment of the show's most recent series. It develops the narrative further in a way that helps maintain audience interest, and provides a plot with enough twists to keep things interesting, but it's a shame that when we meet Matthew's real father properly after the previous episode's cliffhanger, that he didn't have a little more personality. He gives the bare minimum required for the story but I'd have liked to have seen a greater sense of character for this individual within the screenplay as a whole.

What are your thoughts on the third episode of Innocent's second series? Let me know in the comments.