With only one more episode in the season after this one, it’s not surprising that everyone is starting to seem more and more suspicious. And that extends to some folks who aren’t even involved in this case, like Jess’ Dirtbag Husband. We’re kicking this week’s episode off at her place, where she’s watching him with the kind of expression that would leave ME quite scared, but he is somehow ignoring entirely.
Dirtbag Husband, oblivious: What time do you get home tonight?
Jess: I know… I know everything. I talked to my sister again. The only chance you have of saving any of this is if you tell me everything. So. Think that over. Bye kids! Love you!
Kids: Bye mom! Love you too!
Also a mess, interpersonally? Sunny, who’s trying to call Pathologist. Again. He leaves a message that’s basically “I want to stay friends with you, hope I didn’t do anything wrong, call me.” Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone did anything WRONG, per se, but I do think there’s some possibly insurmountable awkwardness to deal with. However, that will have to wait: Sunny’s arrived in Ireland to look into Melinda. And back at the station, the lab has made a DNA match on Gerry’s sweater. But it’s not to Martin: the DNA is Asif’s! Obviously, they’ll ask him in for an interview, but first, Jess has a talk with Taylor’s headmistress. Alas, it doesn’t seem as though our pals will be able to interview the kiddo at school… because she’s just been expelled for attacking a teacher. DC Babyface, meanwhile, is still reviewing footage from the parking lot near the dump site. The only weird thing she’s found so far is a car pulling in around 3am… the day before Gerry was reported missing. But 3am is so weird that Jess asks DC Babyface to look up the vehicle’s owner anyway.
At the same time, on her way to her interview with Sunny, Melinda stops in at the hospital to see her fiance. Well, I say that, but by the sound of this conversation, her intention is to break off the engagement.
Melinda: It’s not you, or the accident, it’s me: I’m a bad person and a liar.
Fiance: What??
Melinda: Look, my whole job is pretending to be someone I’m not. I did maybe believe some of this stuff back at the beginning, but now I don’t, and I need to stop. I’ve done one really horrible thing in my life.
Fiance: What thing?
Melinda, ignoring that: You deserve better. I love you, but I can’t do this.
And with that, she kisses him goodbye and leaves, ignoring him crying and calling out her name from the ward. Back at the station, the team reports something interesting: in one of the messages between Gerry and Melinda, they discussed renting a storage facility. There’s several between the pub and where she lived, and based on her big move to Ireland, it seems likely that she would have had to put a lot of her stuff in storage. And there’s something else: that car that entered the parking lot in the middle of the night? The plates don’t technically exist. It’s not clear from the footage what kind of car they’re looking for, but DC Babyface hopes other nearby footage will save the day.
Jess: So, what, we think this is someone scoping out the dump site?
DC Babyface: Or… maybe we should confirm when Juliet actually last saw her husband.
Jess: You think he might have been killed a day earlier? Interesting. What about the call he made to the brewery employee?
DC Babyface: All the file says is that they got a call; we have no proof that he was the one on the other end of the line.
Jess: Right. DS Beanpole, try and find that employee. DC Babyface, start figuring out what cars everyone was driving in 2021. DS Grumpy?
DS Grumpy: So I’ve been trying to find that family that Gerry had a fight with, the Dowaris. Meanwhile, Martin’s Mum’s in the ICU: she’s had an overdose of barbiturates. The pills were crushed up into a drink, so she may not have taken them herself… especially since Martin’s missing.
At this moment, Martin is standing close to a cliff edge, having a meltdown, and repeating “sorry mum, I was just trying to help” over and over. Thankfully, before he can hurt himself, a man walking his dog calls out to ask if Martin is ok, prompting Martin to run away.
Done running away? Pathologist, who finally calls Sunny back, and tells him that she’s sorry for being weird, but that it’s because she’s got some baggage… baggage she should have told him about already, and is willing to share. She even invites him to meet up when he returns. Reader, I’m not sure I want this to turn into a relationship (dating a coworker seems… ill advised), but Sunny needs and deserves to have a confidant and friend, so I hope these two can work something out.
Meanwhile, Jess shows up at Juliet’s work to ask her some followup questions. Specifically: what does she remember from the day her husband went missing.
Juliet: Just what I told the first cops.
Jess: Got it. You were really thorough, but one thing you didn’t mention was seeing him the morning he disappeared. Just wondering if you remembered seeing him then, or even the night before.
Juliet: I feel like I would have said something if my husband hadn’t come home.
Jess: Ok, but when we first talked you mentioned a meeting he was supposed to be at, out of town, the day before he disappeared. Did he travel a lot for work?
Juliet: Yeah, a fair amount.
Jess: So is it possible that he might have stayed there overnight? We’re just wondering if he might have gone missing the day before.
Juliet, starting to get hostile: But he sent a voicemail in the middle of the afternoon the day he disappeared.
Jess: Well, we’re looking into that. Look, the vibe I’m getting is that your marriage wasn’t the closest at this point… maybe you wouldn’t have known if he didn’t come home?
Juliet, annoyed: We were fine. What are you getting at? I can’t stop you from having your little theories!
Jess: Sure can’t! And BTW, I talked to your kid’s school this morning, and found out she’s been expelled?
Juliet: What the hell are you doing talking to them? You’re not talking to her. I’ve tried to be helpful, but you’ve gone too far, and I want you to leave. Unless you’re going to arrest me!
Jess: Ok, I’m leaving, but I will need to talk to her. She’ll have an advocate there, and be protected, but this is a big deal. Anyone who tries to get in the way of the investigation might be charged with obstruction.
And if you thought her day couldn’t get any worse, Juliet’s boss calls her in for a quick chat the second Jess leaves. Things are not looking good: since Juliet has refused to accept the board’s early retirement offer, they’ve decided to suspend her pending an external investigation. This news is too much for her, and she impulsively grabs a hot cup of coffee off her boss’ desk and upends it onto his lap. Not a good move, especially in the middle of an investigation!
Outside, Jess gets a call from DS Beanpole with an update. Not only is Asif at the station for an interview, she’s also heard back from the former pub manager. According to this witness, Gerry was physically abusive to Juliet. Jess calls Sunny up to share this news with him.
Sunny: Wow. I’m honestly kind of shocked? She doesn’t seem like the kind of lady who would put up with that.
Me: Oh, you sweet summer child.
Jess, mad: Yeah, what she said. You know anyone can be a victim of domestic abuse!
Sunny: I’m so sorry, I do know that.
Jess: No, it’s ok. Just a lot of stuff happening in my personal life. Anyway, definitely follow that up with Melinda. I’m working with social services to figure out how to interview the daughter. She MUST have seen something, we just need to know what.
At the same time, Juliet calls up a lawyer in an attempt to prevent that same interview. She says it’s just because she wants to protect her kid, but the lawyer explains that because Taylor might know something, the interview will definitely go ahead. It’s also looking like Juliet won’t be allowed to sit in, as she might herself be a suspect.
Meanwhile, DS Grumpy arrives at the address associated with the Dowari family, only to find a pretty large pile of unopened mail — never a good sign. He calls up the post office to ask about mail forwarding. And in Ireland, Melinda’s solo cry at church is interrupted by the priest, who tells her that she shouldn’t come there anymore because of her breakup, and maybe more importantly, the thing where British police are interviewing her. She’s quite upset, but he doesn’t back down. Not the best interaction to have right before facing off against Sunny, but here we are. At the interview, Sunny starts by picking apart the timeline for Melinda’s relationship with the victim: they have proof that it went on for much longer than she’d said. After Sunny tells her he’s got access to their emails and texts, she comes clean: they dated for about four years.
Sunny: So why did you lie?
Melinda: I panicked. I saw in the papers that he had been murdered, and I got scared that you might think I’m a suspect.
Sunny: So what you said last time, that the relationship just kind of fizzled out, was that true?
Melinda: Yeah, I just kinda got bored of him.
Sunny: And he never hit you?
Melinda: No, I already said!
Sunny: Well, you’ve lied to us a lot. We have evidence to suggest that he hit his wife, we know he attacked one of his best friends, and we know he used violence against some of his tenants. So.
Melinda: Not me!
Sunny: Ok. Did he ever blackmail you?
Melinda: Huh? No.
Sunny: So what did he mean by these text messages?
Melinda: I can’t explain these — I don’t remember them.
Sunny pushes, but she remains adamant. Moving on, Sunny asks why Melinda moved her flight to Ireland months earlier. She claims it was just about getting more time to settle in, but he clearly doesn’t believe her. About any of this, obviously. Sunny also asks if Melinda ever met Gerry’s wife (no) and whether they can search her storage unit back in the UK (not unless they get a warrant). It’s a fairly tense conversation, and after she storms out, the Garda who’s been observing tells Sunny there’s something he ought to know.
The Garda: This is a small community. It’s hard to keep secrets here, and she’s never figured that out. If you want to know about her, go talk to the priest. He’s been really paying special attention to her since her fiance got hurt… if you know what I mean.
OH SNAP. Also an oh snap moment? DC Babyface finally gets a tip on the signs they’ve put up around the marsh. A woman whose father worked nights at a nearby gas station remembers her dad telling her that he’d run into someone throwing something into the marsh. Her dad has since had a stroke, but DC Babyface asks to interview him anyway. And DS Beanpole has just gotten access to Melinda’s storage unit. But that’ll have to wait. First, we return to the station, where Jess is about to interview Asif. Things don’t start out great, as she refers to him by his first name, not his last, which he finds offensive. She apologizes, and starts asking questions about the DNA/Gerry, to which he pretty uniformly replies “no comment.” It’s only when Jess pivots to ask about the Dowari family that Asif replies.
Jess: When did you last see them?
Asif: When I stopped working for the council. September 2020.
Jess: Here’s the thing. We have a witness who used to work with you, and they said that they saw you in January 2021, and you told them you were still helping the Dowaris even then.
Asif: That coworker would be mistaken.
Jess: I actually think that’s not true, and that you very kindly continued to help the Dowaris, pro bono. I also think that the assault on Gerry was revenge for how he treated that family. I think you’re a good person, and I worry that you went back a few weeks after, and things went too far.
Asif: No comment. To all of that.
Jess: Look, right before I came in here I got a call from one of my officers who has managed to track this family down. He’s on his way to talk to them now. Is there anything else you want to add now?
Asif: No. Comment.
Meanwhile, DC Babyface talks to her witness’ father, who is very forthcoming. His bike light was out, so the person he saw that night didn’t see him approach. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know if the person throwing things into the marsh was a man or a woman: they were wearing a mask, it was raining, and it was also 3am. But he did see that the person was leaning over a bag, and when they heard him approach, they stopped and tried to hide whatever they had back in the bag. They walked off, but a little later he heard a splash, and then a car starting. He doesn’t remember anything more, but he’s got something better: until he had his stroke, he kept a daily journal, which he can check for more detailed information, including the specific date of this run in.
Back in Kent, a woman on the street recognizes Martin, who’s standing outside Gerry’s old pub. Or rather, the building where the pub used to be. She explains that the brewery sold the building, and, when he says he’s looking for Juliet, the stranger says that she’s moved. He thanks her, and runs off. In Ireland, Melinda has been fired over video call for “moral failings.”
Melinda: So, because I was hooking up with a priest, or because of the murder investigation?
Producer: You pick. You get four weeks notice. You’re welcome.
Fun. Also “fun”: Jess meets up with Dirtbag Husband, who finally admits that she’s been right all along. What her sister told her was true, and there’s more: he also cheated with other women. He insists that this isn’t who he is anymore, and even tells her that he’s been seeing a therapist… who has helped him realize he’s got a sex addiction. This is such a classic cop out for cheating that Jess can’t help but laugh in his face. And even after that, he thinks she’ll still be interested in rebuilding their partnership. Unsurprisingly, she is not, and dumps him. Finally.
Over at Juliet’s house, she’s trying to lecture her daughter on controlling her temper.
Taylor, quite correctly, based on what we’ve seen so far: Mom. I learned it from watching you. Dad got angry, but you got furious.
Juliet: Listen, I think the police are going to want to talk to you. If you can just say what we talked about…
Taylor: You want me to lie for you?
Juliet: No! But this is serious. We can’t just tell the truth, or they’ll jump on the opportunity to mess up our lives.
Hmmm. I don’t know about that! And neither, I think, does Taylor, but we’ll just have to see what she’ll tell our pals. Speaking of whom: Jess’ mother has come over to support her kid and talk trash about Dirtbag Husband (mood). And in Ireland, Sunny has a chat with the priest.
Sunny: Look, I don’t want you to have to be involved in this, and I don’t want you to have to be gossiped about, but I need information. I know you’ve been a… good friend… to Melinda. I don’t need details, but I also know that friends tell each other things. So. Did she tell you anything about why she came out here so suddenly?
Priest: I didn’t know she’d done that — she didn’t mention anything about changing a flight. But. Um. This was told to me as a friend, not in confessional: she had a long relationship before she came here with a married man, and she had a baby with him.
So that’s a pretty big bombshell! While Sunny processes that, DS Beanpole oversees the search of Melinda’s storage unit, which turns up a shirt with a bit of blood on it. Asif has a meltdown in the cell where he’s being held. And Juliet approaches the student who filed the complaint against her. Quite understandably, the student doesn’t want to talk, but Juliet apologizes.
Juliet: Look, if we can’t disagree like adults that’s a problem. And I messed up. I’m also sorry about the book. Maybe it was provocative, subconsciously. It IS a good read though. The older you get, the harder it is to keep adapting to change: you bend, and then finally one day you just snap. But I’m sorry: you were right, I was wrong, and I should have done better. I just wanted to say that.
Student: It’s hard for us too. To see so little change; real change. I’m getting the same degree you’ve got, but it costs so much more and doesn’t even get us a job after. We’re angry too, and scared that we’re going to get it wrong. I don’t want you to lose your job. We just want to be heard.
Juliet: You are. Loud and clear.
Student: And it was. A good book.
It’s almost as though if we had this conversation several episodes ago everyone would have been better off! Anyway, as she’s leaving, Juliet gets a call from Jess: they’ve found an advocate to sit with Taylor, and Jess would like to arrange that interview ASAP. But before we do that, DS Beanpole gets an important update: the bloody jacket found in Melinda’s storage unit? It matches Gerry’s DNA, so Sunny and a Garda head straight to Melinda’s place to arrest her. They read her her rights, and cuff her, but all she says is “I didn’t do it.” And back in the UK, in the middle of the night, Martin breaks into Juliet and Taylor’s house. What does he want to say to them? What happened to Melinda’s baby? And who killed Gerry? We’ll just have to wait for next week’s season finale to find out!
