Silent Witness season 27 continues with the concluding part of the two-part story, "Grievance Culture" (available to watch now on iPlayer, the episode will air on BBC One on Monday, January 22 at 9 pm). Warning spoilers ahead in our recap of episode 4...
So one man who very much has a grievance is Professor Peter Cherry, who can't believe he's been passed over for the top job at the School of Criminology. The episode opens with Cherry ranting about the youth a lecture theatre packed full of young people. But the big question of the episode is is Cherry so mad at the interview panel he killed two of them? And does any of this connect to the man found by The Thames?
Fire horror
Jack is at the scene of the fire where Valerie burned to death. Nikki inspects the burnt corpse. Bull says the fire started in the kitchen on the gas hob, which had a pan of cooking oil on. Nikki says there's no evidence of third-party involvement, but we know someone was there. Gabriel says the victim Valerie was also on the interview panel with Harrison.
We cut to the third member of the interview panel, Elizabeth Newport, who's given a file she apparently dropped by suspicious Vanessa. Surely the police should be warning Elizabeth there's a killer about?!
Bull, a man with a tendency to tell a dodgy joke, has a lead on the Robinson case (the man found beside the Thames). Jack inspects Robinson's car.
Vanessa lies to Cara telling her that Jack "is a seedy gross old guy who sends me a text and tries to get me alone and drunk so he can grope me". Gabriel tells Jack Vanessa has put in a formal complaint against him and he has to take it seriously.
Jack asks Nikki what he should do. Nikki speaks to Cara, saying her friend is making false allegations. But Cara looks torn over whom to believe.
Bull is annoyed they can't find a reason for Harrison's death. "Who else was on that panel?" he belatedly asks. Bull and Gabriel finally get around to talking to Elizabeth (Emily Piggford). Elizabeth says that Peter Cherry has a grievance against her after the panel knocked him back for the job due to his controversial views. That led to a complaint and a campaign against him. Could Gabriel be a target too as he's been given the job Cherry thinks should be his?
Cherry tells his students by the time he finishes teaching them they will have all the skills to get away with murder (a comment that will later haunt him).
They go back to the victim's house. Jack and Nikki wonder why would you heat a pan of oil before you’ve even taken your coat off?
Cherry is placed by cameras at the scene of Harrison's death and talking to Valerie shortly before her death!
Cara sneakily goes onto Jack's phone and sees that Vanessa messaged Jack to arrange a pub meeting, telling Jack that both her and Cara would be there, confirming Jack's telling the truth.
Jack discovers Harrison was killed by something put in his water bottle. Nikki, Jack, Gabriel and Bull go to confront Cherry, who's wise to the fact they suspect him of murder. Oddly, Gabriel is there given they suspect Gabriel could be in danger!
Jack, who seems to have forgotten Nikki got locked up in the last episode, seems happy enough when Nikki heads off to take Cherry’s fingerprints alone. Cherry admits hating Harrison to Nikki. Cherry says Nikki reminds him of his late wife. Nikki tells Cherry about the drug in Harrison's water bottle.
Vanessa is attacked!
Vanessa is off to meet Cara when she's attacked and gagged by a masked person. Cara sees her being dragged off. She alerts Jack and Nikki. The attacker takes off their mask it's Celeste, Cherry’s supporter! She says she knows Vanessa was behind the malicious complaint. The second attacker is Cherry's other supporter, Haidar! They say they will punish her using laughing gas — Cara then walks in and they grab her as well!
Nikki and Jack arrive at the campus, but can they find the women in time?. Celeste has doubts about killing them both, but Haidar continues. Nikki and Jack find them all and rescue Cara and Vanessa.
Cherry rings Nikki and leaves a message that he knows who murdered them and he knows that he's responsible. Cherry takes his own life. He feels responsible for Celeste's crimes as she wrote a paper he marked "brilliant" that showed how to commit an undetectable murder.
Robinson, the bridge victim, turns out to have a massive life insurance policy. Bull hints to Nikki that they shouldn't conclude Robinson killed himself so his widow gets the life insurance.
Gabriel opens a letter from the late Cherry recommending Cara for a work placement. Elaine, Robinson's wife, visits Nikki and Jack. She says the life insurance isn’t paying because they say he may have taken his own life. She says they will lose the house. When she leaves, Nikki tells Jack they won’t say Robinson took his own life.
Gabriel heads into the ring after expressing doubts. Gabriel gets knocked down, but gets up again! He loses the fight but seems to be happy he's done it.
