I remain so torn about this series. On one hand, the dialogue is still very on the nose and the whole show lacks subtlety, preferring to hit us over the head with how determined and firm in the face of wrongdoing Emma Banville is. But on the other hand, the plot is intriguing: I do want to find out who murdered Linda Sims. Why is Michael Gambon’s Sir Alastair McKinnon so bothered by Emma’s investigation? Was Tony Pullings (Alec Newman) more than an opportunist making a quick buck off young girls? And where does slippery Tony Blair-esque MP Matthew Wild (Jamie Bamber) come into it all? Surely it can’t be as simple as that he murdered Linda and the whole thing has been covered up for years, can it?
One thing I am sure about: the Syrian counter-intelligence strand is a distraction. Heather might claim that the American interest is all about Miriam and her husband but, thanks to her conversations with McKinnon, we know better. Whatever she’s trying to cover up has its origins in 2003, Linda’s death and possibly the early days of the Iraq war.
Our heroine
After last week, when everything seemed to unfold rather too smoothly for human rights superlawyer Emma Banville, the wheels came off this week, and some might say justifiably so. It’s one thing being a maverick determined to challenge justice and quite another to decide that the best way to convince the mother of a dead girl that you should exhume her body is by leaning in close and suggesting it might give her closure. This recap does not generally condone violence, but rarely has a punch been more deserved.
It wasn’t just Linda’s parents who were infuriated with Emma either – Maggie Berman stuck the knife in over her lack of progression in the case, while even faithful supporters Monty and Dominic seemed chary of her desire to leak Linda’s photos to the press. That decision itself yielded mixed results: most problematically it annoyed Olivia because it “broke the rules” which in turn led to her sanctioning a raid on Emma’s house to arrest Miriam, meaning that all those exhortations for Miriam to stay put and everything would be alright were in vain. But at the same time it did flush out someone else who had come into contact with the sleazy Tony Pullings. Something of a score draw then.
The conspiracy
“There’s a police coverup or a paedophile ring or they’re protecting someone on the American base.” The way this show is going, I’m betting on all three. The biggest problem with Fearless is still the slightly overstuffed plotting. While the cold case murder is interesting and well-handled, with its hints of Iraq war connections and long-suppressed secrets, the modern-day Homeland-style stuff is pretty much as you’d expect: lots of talking about Isis and surveillance scenes and shots of Heather stomping around being both cryptic and evil.
That said, I did like the way it’s the little things on this programme that create the biggest problems: thus Miriam (presumably) called her husband in Raqqa not because she was helping him organise a terrorist network but because she feared she might lose her son. That fear was entirely ungrounded but sparked by a phone call from the adoption agency for Steve and Emma. Similarly, Emma leaked the photos to help Kevin’s case but her doing so led to Miriam’s arrest. There are also some nice moments of ambiguity: how innocent is Miriam really? What’s on the sim card she gave Emma? Is Matthew Wild the upstanding young politician he pretends to be, or altogether more dangerous? How much does Kevin really know about Linda’s death?
The rest
Whatever the ultimate purpose of their conspiracy, the Americans made their presence felt by taking out the lovely Dominic in a manner that was both ruthless and incompetent given that he survived to point out that this was a “classic counter-surveillance move”. In truth, ruthless but incompetent could sum up Heather’s whole approach to spy craft. She does a great deal of hanging around in dark places and threatening people, but this scheming only seems to make things worse. No wonder I’m warming to Olivia Greenwood and her deeply sceptical looks at the games other people play. Poor Olivia is caught between the self-righteous and slightly narcissistic truth-seeking of Emma and the sinister manipulations of Heather. I hope she continues to chart her own course, while showing us how to give the impression that you’re rolling your eyes without actually doing so.
Additional notes
• I would like to see more of Annie and her son. It was interesting that he protested against his father and interesting too that she both burnt the photos of Linda and told Kevin she’d had enough.
• Emma’s scene with her dying father was well played by Helen McCrory. McKinnon insists her parents are good people and Emma must have been “got at” at Cambridge but I’m not sure it was that simple.
• I liked the Sims’ American-themed bar – it was a realistic touch given that that part of the world has always been home to both US airbases and Americana-themed events.
• I’m not sure Emma and Steve’s relationship is one that would accommodate a child – and not just because of the whole counter-terrorism raid thing. There is an element of them being together because they amplify each other’s faults, and it’s hard to see quite where a child would fit.
Most rebel with a cause moment of the week
Counter-terrorism forces just raided your home? Don’t panic. Simply stand outside, calmly smoking a cigarillo and talking to an important witness in a different case. It’s guaranteed to fill your hidden listeners with impotent rage.
Quote of the week
“So, in addition to leaking nude photos of a murdered teenager to the press, she allows a terrorist recruiting network to be run out of her home …” Well when you put it like that Heather.
So what did you think? Are you still on board? Does the Syrian stuff work or does it feel bolted on? And who do you think killed Linda Sims? As always all speculation is welcome below…
