REVIEW: Innocent, Series 2 Episode Four

 REVIEW: Innocent, Series 2 Episode Four 

It feels an odd thing to say when discussing a series only four episodes long, but with this latest episode of ITV's series 'Innocent' we have once again reached the conclusion of another series. It's this point in the show that we discover just who the culprit is behind the murder, and why they exacted these actions. A conclusion can make or break a TV Show; a good one leaves a lasting impression, whilst a bad one can cloud judgement on a television series for life.

Thankfully, the conclusion to the second series of Innocent falls into the second category. We start with Sally (Katherine Kelly) and Sam (Jamie Bamber) rekindling their love for one another in bed. You just know things are going to end badly when two characters are this close together. I's the calm behind the storm, both characters seemingly getting everything that they wanted in spite of the fact that Sam's really supposed to be with Karen (Priyanga Burford) right now. They're finally getting the life back that they had before.

Although of course there's still a long way for Sally to go yet before she gets that life back properly. Once again, the school is a prime example of that, as Beth (Amy-Leigh Hickman) spits in her face and calls her a slut. There's a real sense of a lack of fairness to this, as rather than Beth being the one punished it's Sally who ultimately gets the stern talking to. She's still being judged despite what's now known to be an incorrect court ruling, because it's all about maintaining the reputation and the standard of the school. This sense of unjustness is threaded all the way through Sally's journey in the series, and it really allows you to root for her more. By this point we just want to see her happy.

Which makes you think it's maybe a good idea of her's to travel away and start a new life. Somewhere where she won't be judged by what she was labelled as in the past. After all, a new area of he counry won' have witnessed her wrongful arrest. It feels like a crying shame for the character, but her motivations make sense, and you can understand her desire to move. By this point it would make less sense if she stayed put, because she really doesn't have much of a life in her current place. I mean, surely there's only so much time a character can spend in a place where they are clearly no wanted?

Karen seems more and more suspicious by the minute. Here we see her questioned further by the police as they find traces of her hair on Matthew's coat. The fact that she even admits here to threatening Matthew goes some lengths to almost convincing you that it could be her behind the murder. Although because they so heavily signpost it in this episode, at the same time it does make you suspect that it is most likely somebody else. After all, they surely wouldn't give away the murderer right from the start of the episode itself.

The reveal of who the murderer actually is isn't too surprising all-in-all. I had wondered if may have been Beth, given her history with the troubled child. We knew that he had been bullying her at school, so it wasn't too unlikely a prospect to imagine her retaliating and becoming responsible for his murder. It's still a satisfying reveal, and it still works, but it's maybe not quite as left-field as the reveal of the murderer in the first series of Innocent. It would have been nice had it turned out to be someone who had seemed considerably less likely to be responsible.

Sam's involvement is much less expected. It turns out that Sam is actually gay (or at least bisexual), and engaged in a sexual relationship with Matthew despite only being sixteen years of age. Despite being just on the edge of a legal relationship, it still can't help but feel disgusting, purely down to the fact that this is still a grown man engaging in these sort of activities with a school kid. It's gross, and there's a certain satisfaction as a result in seeing Sam arrested at the end of the episode. He deserves that arrest for sure, especially as he also lied to both the women in his life instead of telling them that he's attracted to men.

Overall, the conclusion to Innocent's second series provides a worthy finale to this most recent run of episodes. Whilst perhaps not quite as strong as the first series' last episode, this still provides a decent ending to the narrative of the second series. It's just a shame that the murderer turned out to be a somewhat unsurprising pick, as it would have been nice to have seen it be someone a little more unexpected.

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