British TV/General Discussion

Well  ..  that just jumped onto the site as I was  writing it out  ..  go  figure. 

 Brit  ..  I rewatched  Unforgotten  again  and counted up the  sub plots  ( or  red herrings )  plots by another name.  Counted   4   in  all.   

1.  Focused on a worker at de gaulle  Airport  in  France . 

2.  Young drug  addicted  couple ..  he's  also a purse  snatcher. 

3.  Old guy who got the bad medical report  , who likes playing  ping pong . 

4.  Middle aged couple looking for backers in their  restaurant  business. 

Nothing ( at this point )  ties any of the 4 to the body in the chimney  found in London .  The first Ep. just introduced us to them.  Second Ep. should start  filling out more .. hopefully  start  unwrapping the  red herrings from the leads. 

Liked the interviews with the director and cast at the end ..  same for  Van der Valk. 

@solar wrote:
Well  ..  that just jumped onto the site as I was  writing it out  ..  go  figure. 

 Brit  ..  I rewatched  Unforgotten  again  and counted up the  sub plots  ( or  red herrings )  plots by another name.  Counted   4   in  all.   

1.  Focused on a worker at de gaulle  Airport  in  France . 

2.  Young drug  addicted  couple ..  he's  also a purse  snatcher. 

3.  Old guy who got the bad medical report  , who likes playing  ping pong . 

4.  Middle aged couple looking for backers in their  restaurant  business. 

Nothing ( at this point )  ties any of the 4 to the body in the chimney  found in London .  The first Ep. just introduced us to them.  Second Ep. should start  filling out more .. hopefully  start  unwrapping the  red herrings from the leads. 

Liked the interviews with the director and cast at the end ..  same for  Van der Valk. 

he's also a purse snatcher. 

And, maybe a murderer I am afraid. Solar, when he attacked the girl to get her purse (obviously for drug money) she struggled and fell, hitting her head on the concrete. There was a lot of blood. I am not sure she lived through that and they never followed up on it. So that's left hanging and I have a feeling that this is coming back to haunt him. 

If she died, there is no one to give any type of description of him, but if that purse is found and anything in it identifies her (and gets tied to him), he is facing a lot of time in prison. The thing is he has no idea that he might have killed her, he ran off and kept going. The last thing we saw was her on the concrete with blood spilling out underneath her head. 

This storyline may wind up a red herring as we possibly see the investigation of the purse snatching and her death (?) unfold as their vignette. Next episode, I assume, will give us more clues whether either of these two have any connection to the skeleton in the fireplace.

Another episode of Unforgotten - beginning tonite .... on Masterpiece  - according to Alan Cummings! 

Oh I've gotta say how much I love that man's intros, and how much I've missed them!!  LOL

I think that once Jessica moves past the angst of the unfaithful hubby (I hope she moves past quickly) I will enjoy her role as the lead. She is very young, but she must have the smarts if they put her in charge? and then there's Sunny, he is more than capable of running the investigation on his own, I have to wonder why he turned down the job...numerous times!!! hehe- that little smile when he threw that out there!!! I know he's lost without Cassie, but he stayed in the same unit, continuing their work??  To me it would have made sense for him to move up, continue to close these old cases, and be the guiding hand to some of those that have never investigated an 'old case'. 

But, I can get onboard with this new dynamic, and am also pleased that we have a wide array of suspects to choose from again!

Hi  appara  ...  good ta hear from ya .  soooo it's on to  Ep. 2  tonight  with  the  charming Jessica  ....... better start seeing an  attitude change with this one starting tonight . I know she 's got a lot of personal stuff ta deal with but the staff don't know this ... all they see is the office side  ...  and for them that's  enough.    Hope she can do a course  correction and soon for the good of office moral.  Lets start picking out the Red Herrings after tonight  or start ta make a good guess at them  at least ,   eh?   lol

Oh I've gotta say how much I love that man's intros, and how much I've missed them!!  LOL

Appara, I am totally with you. So good to see him again. Sets up the whole episode for me, wouldn't be the same without him.

Lets start picking out the Red Herrings after tonight  or start ta make a good guess at them at least, eh?  lol

Solar, thumbs up! It's time to jump in. 🙂

Interesting. I can't. Contrived partners at odds. How original. I feel badly for Sanjeev but it's a paycheck. Hope it's a big one. Oh well, no loss. 

Ditto on Miller's Professor. He should sit in a room and watch the original. I feel badly for Frances La Tour.

Van der Valk. No comment. I'm with the ME. Really?

See you all.

Well  Brit  ...   the  onion peel  has started and  we know  a little more about  some of these  4 different  story  lines .   The strongest seems ta be the  restaurant couple  with the woman being the mother of the murder victim ( or at this part of the investigation  points that way )  Have not really confirmed the victim is who they think it is  but I think they are on the right track .  Sunny seems ta think the mum over - reacted upon the new ..  interesting  that .  The second story line relates to the  drug addict couple .  I think the drug  addicts girl friend  was a friend of the murder victim  (  just  my  guess  )  .   That's it.  Just the 2.   Ping Pong boy is Lord  Hume of the House of Lords  whose only action so far is to get his  grandson ( I think )  off  a  suspension  for a dorm  sex assault  at his Ivy League  Uni.  Still no  connection  between  Lord  Ping  Pong  and the  chimney girl.  Time may or may not  tell.   Last is the  guy  living in  Paris  (  who may work at De Gaulle  Airport  )  Have not seen any connection  to the murder as of  yet.  Things still frosty between  Sunny and  DCI  James .  I think it's to the point of no return , now.   Basing this , thinking back to my own working days and how office politics  plays out .  COULD  BE  WRONG  but  lets see .   lol     PS   Good job in  identifying  the murder victim  from  Sunny and his team   ...  tell me why again  DCI James  is there  hanging around   ????????     ......   that is ,  when she IS in the  office  ......   Ohhhhh   ...   cutting  remark  from  Sunny  about  that .      

"Unforgotten"... 

Is it just me or do the episodes feel like they go by so quickly. I am so transfixed watching for clues that when the end comes I'm like "What?! , we are done already"?! 

Still didn't get enough information this episode to make any predictions. At this point (in my eyes) I think they are all in the frame for some kind of involvement. We now know who the mother of the victim is. What was the victim's name - Princess?  I can't remember, they did tell us. We know that the mother knows much more than she is letting on. Her comment in the clips from the next episode tell us that from her "why didn't they leave her alone" or something to that effect. (I do need a rewatch - little bits of information did not stick with me this first go around). I do think the elderly, ill gentleman has something to do with the victim. He's definitely still in the frame for me. 

Oh by the way, the actress playing his wife is Hayley Mills. What a blast from the past it is seeing her.

Could the drug addicted young guy (with the severely addicted girlfriend) be the victim's son? He would be about the right age. Now, that would be an interesting tie-in, coming full circle with us now knowing who the mother is and then finding her son as well. We will have to see.

The only person (I find) still out there is the guy who left the UK to live with his partner and her children in France. He is running from something - what, we don't know as yet; so it is possible he has some involvement with the victim or something around the fringes of this case. I don't believe (at least at this point) he is involved directly in the murder though. 

The girlfriend's ex!! Gees, where do women find these men - standing outside the prisons? He's one scary dude, and I don't believe for one second he ever had (or has) a soft side that she fell head over heels for. All I could think was why would you ever think of having children with a man like that. 

Well Solar, Charming Jess has gotten worse, no attitude change for the better as yet and if she wasn't there she would not be missed one iota. Appara, I think the angst with the unfaithful husband, who has now officially left the domicile, will be with her for the foreseeable future. She was taken totally unaware of his true feelings about the marriage and she won't get past this anytime soon. The saga will continue. 

Silver lining, Sunny has been allowed to really shine. Pleasure to see him leading in the investigation and really showing everyone in the team his stuff. He doesn't have Cassie to kowtow to (even though they were very close and he loved her as a friend and colleague, she was always the driving force as his superior) and he certainly does not kowtow to DCI Jess. Team Sunny all the way here.

Just want to give you all a heads-up and a recommendation. One of my local PBS stations recently aired the movie The Red Violin. It is also streaming on Amazon Prime and a few other services (which have ads). 

If you don't have Prime and can catch it on PBS it is well worth DVRing for a future watch. I saw it years ago and it is a wonderful story. It is the history of a beautiful violin made in 1681, following its' life to this century. It is a sweeping, moving story. 

My grandfather was a violinist who had two beautiful instruments himself, so violins were very much part of my early upbringing. 

@solar wrote:
Well  Brit  ...   the  onion peel  has started and  we know  a little more about  some of these  4 different  story  lines .   The strongest seems ta be the  restaurant couple  with the woman being the mother of the murder victim ( or at this part of the investigation  points that way )  Have not really confirmed the victim is who they think it is  but I think they are on the right track .  Sunny seems ta think the mum over - reacted upon the new ..  interesting  that .  The second story line relates to the  drug addict couple .  I think the drug  addicts girl friend  was a friend of the murder victim  (  just  my  guess  )  .   That's it.  Just the 2.   Ping Pong boy is Lord  Hume of the House of Lords  whose only action so far is to get his  grandson ( I think )  off  a  suspension  for a dorm  sex assault  at his Ivy League  Uni.  Still no  connection  between  Lord  Ping  Pong  and the  chimney girl.  Time may or may not  tell.   Last is the  guy  living in  Paris  (  who may work at De Gaulle  Airport  )  Have not seen any connection  to the murder as of  yet.  Things still frosty between  Sunny and  DCI  James .  I think it's to the point of no return , now.   Basing this , thinking back to my own working days and how office politics  plays out .  COULD  BE  WRONG  but  lets see .   lol     PS   Good job in  identifying  the murder victim  from  Sunny and his team   ...  tell me why again  DCI James  is there  hanging around   ????????     ......   that is ,  when she IS in the  office  ......   Ohhhhh   ...   cutting  remark  from  Sunny  about  that .      

Solar, I think you and I were writing at the same time as I didn't see your comment before I wrote mine! Good point about the addict girlfriend being a friend of the victim - that thought crossed my mind, but then I got caught up in thinking about the boyfriend possibly being the victim's son and it flew out of my head. 

that is , when she IS in the  office  ......   Ohhhhh   ...   cutting  remark  from  Sunny  about  that .      

I said the same in my comment about this - particularly Sunny's "cutting remark", but edited it out because I was going on too long! 

tell me why again  DCI James is there hanging around...

Yep, spot on. She is going to have to start plugging in, hopefully in a positive way, 'cause she has been next to no help so far.

@BritMystery   wrote     ...... but then I got caught up in thinking about the boyfriend possibly being the victim's son and it flew out of my head. 

Good  point  Brit  ,  never thought of  that  ,   remember Sunny asking  gramma  about  him  ...    no  contact  between them , age would be right , around  25  .  If it turns out to be true won't he be pleased ...  Gramma owning a restaurant   ....    lots of purses ta steal .   lol  

Van  der   Valk ...   Freedom  in  Amsterdam  Part   2   ...   be careful  watching  this one .   The scene where  Lucienne Hassell  is getting her  hand  stitched up  ...  just that , it  shows a close up of stitches going in ,  didn't need ta see  that .  (  time  4:38 )   Rest  of show not  bad.   Can't understand  ' Free - Runners '  ...   jumping from one building to another  10  stories up .   Ultimate  rush  I guess .   

@solar wrote:
Van  der   Valk ...   Freedom  in  Amsterdam  Part   2   ...   be careful  watching  this one .   The scene where  Lucienne Hassell  is getting her  hand  stitched up  ...  just that , it  shows a close up of stitches going in ,  didn't need ta see  that .  (  time  4:38 )   Rest  of show not  bad.   Can't understand  ' Free - Runners '  ...   jumping from one building to another  10  stories up .   Ultimate  rush  I guess .   

I too enjoyed the episode. Nothing earth-shattering, but a good watch. "Van Der Valk" is more character driven, where "Unforgotten" is all about sussing out the clues. Don't get we wrong, I thoroughly like the Unforgotten team - have to say though, it is the complexity of the stories that drives the series for me. Both series bring something different to the table, continuing on with a solid 2023 mystery season.

In the back of my mind I had an inkling the killer was who he was 🧐, but it never really solidified for me, so I was not surprised by the outcome, although it was a turn of events.

Speaking of Lucienne, what did she do with that fabulous hair-do she had been sporting the previous two seasons. This season's cut is similar, yet it is flat and not nearly as striking. I swear she was wearing a wig before and what we are seeing now is actually her own hair. It that was a wig, I would wear it myself if I could find it. She had the best hair on TV! 

@BritMystery 

In the back of my mind I had an inkling the killer was who he was

Fooled  me  Brit   ...    but I recognized  him from  playing   Nicola  Walker's  son  in  Last Tango .   Josh  Bolt.  

Unforgotten... now we are getting someplace regarding the "suspects". The story turns sordid as we find out more about Precious' life. Her mother seems like the root of her problems as we find out they were caused by her alcoholism and violent behavior (we have already seen her hit her partner and have been told she has done this before - so I believe she was very capable of being violent with her daughter, especially while under the influence of alcohol). 

The mother has been playing the victim card up to now and that is not the case. She seemed, at least by me, to do very little to help her daughter while she was in the midst of a mirried of issues - including being part of a cult at the age of fifteen. 

She  blamed her daughter for everything that she found she could not handle/deal with (that she actually caused). Sorry excuse for a mother and the fact that she never even tried to find her grandson speaks volumes about her character. 

The ex politician trying to wipe away all the harm he caused in his life now that he is facing a terminal illness is lying and knee deep in this. Who did he call?? 

The young drug addict is Precious' son. Lord only knows what he has been through in his life (as his attorney has hinted). Thank goodness the women he mugged and her unborn child survived his attack and he is not facing a murder charge. What a sorry mess this all is. These stories always are, as the onion gets peeled away the truth of the situation is so sad and heartbreaking. I have found that with every story in this series - there always comes a point when the unfortunate circumstances hits hard and you take a deep breath from the sorrow of it.

I was wrong about the guy in Paris. We find out he has a direct connection as her social worker, who was the last person to see her the day she died. I was so off about him, on the fringe he is not... he is also knee deep in this, the killer though? I don't know. There is a whole bunch of stuff going on around him. I need to rewatch again to sort it all out as I now see he is a key player. 

Sunny has to pull himself together because his grief over Cassie is clouding the important things in his own life. I am not so sure his partner was miscarrying, she told him that, but when she hung up the phone I didn't get any feel for the panic she should have had if that was the case. I think she made a decision about the pregnancy that did not involve him. I hope I am so wrong about this. Please wake up Sunny 'cause Cassie is gone and nothing will bring her back - you need to focus on your loved ones.

Yeah   Brit   ........   mother  of  the year  ,  she  is  NOT .    Glad  that  woman  called  out   Lord   Ping - Pong   when he offered  restitution  of  financial aid .  She called it right .    More of a gesture for himself than for her ....   remember it was  just last  Episode he got his grandson off  consequences  of that  dorm  sexual  assault  at his Ivy  League   college  so he's quite  selective about how his conscience guides him.   No  symphony  from  me  regarding  Lord  Ping - Pong. 

Sunny  still having  problems  with   ' gov '  , as she wants ta be called.   He did a hop skip over her ta get to the big  boss  to  complain.   " each day is worse that the last ,   she's rude ,  distracted ,  unpleasant  to  MY staff  " .   Wait  ..  did  he say  unpleasant to  MY  staff .    Sunny stop puffing yourself  up  ,  ya  makin'  yourself  look  bad.  Ta be  fair ta ' gov ' ,  I thought she was starting ta dig in a little more this Ep. ,  especially at that group meeting in her office not far from the beginning .  But  he's right , she can be sharp and  rude , I think relationships have been set by this point  and will go on this way.  (  wonder if I'm  wrong ?? )    Who was   Hand  Bag  Boy  talking to on the phone  , in the clip from  next  week ,   he  said he was there and  saw  it  all.  Was he talking to the killer ... and  knew everything .  Maybe he was looking for a pay out  but just might have been unknowingly setting himself up ta be killed .   Next week will tell a lot , me  thinks .   Will  rewatch .  

No sympathy for Lord Ping Pong from me either, Solar. Took a lot of strength to call him out to his face. Kudos to her, she nailed it, as you said - it had everything to do with making his conscious feel better and very little to do with her son and his potential.

Sunny truly sees the team as his staff, they are "his people" (meaning this in the best of terms) - the new Gov is an outsider to him (and to them) and he has had enough of her. I get his feelings, but he should have taken the job, and the fact that he didn't, is on him. 

It still is not going well, she has an abrasive personality and I expect to see no change regarding this. I will give her one thing, she is great when she realizes that the person she is interviewing is lying to her. She stays stone-faced, does not give an inkling that she knows she is being lied to and carries on. She handles these situations well, you can see her experience come out and I have to give her credit where it is due.

Maybe he was looking for a pay out but just might have been unknowingly setting himself up ta be killed .   

Thinking the same thing, not sure where this is going. We do see him talking to someone on the team (I am assuming) in next week's clip, telling them who they should be looking at, so maybe the team will get to this person before he/she gets to him.

@BritMystery       but he should have taken the job, and the fact that he didn't, is on him. 

Right  Brit  ....  he should have taken the job.  It would have been such a seamless transition  ,  so  natural.   He said it was  offered  several times and he turned it down.  Wonder why  ...  can't think if it was ever explained OR  will it be explained before the end of the series .   Got me thinkin'.   

@solar wrote:
@BritMystery       but he should have taken the job, and the fact that he didn't, is on him. 

Right  Brit  ....  he should have taken the job.  It would have been such a seamless transition  ,  so  natural.   He said it was  offered  several times and he turned it down.  Wonder why  ...  can't think if it was ever explained OR  will it be explained before the end of the series .   Got me thinkin'.   

Solar, my feeling is that, although he hasn't articulated it as yet to anyone - I don't think he could bear the thought of stepping in to Cassie's shoes and taking on her job, as if doing so, was erasing her in his mind...and even more so, acknowledging she is gone. 

It is not a logical response and we are seeing the end result of that decision because someone had to take on the position - if it was me, I could not have borne anyone else having her job, so I would have taken it just so I could go on working there. He's in the throws of grief, he is not thinking clearly - did he really think that he was going to get on hummingly with the new boss given the circumstances. 

The one exception, he mentioned a co-worker when speaking to the Superintendent, one of the women on the team that he felt could have stepped in to the breach and was passed over for Ms. Congeniality. That situation may have worked for him. He could avoid taking Cassie's position and things would have kept moving on smoothly as they all know and trust each other.

My question is will he ever admit he made a mistake - at least to himself, if to no one else - that he should have taken the job. We can all see that he is capable, in reality he has been doing the job since Ms. C. walked in the door. We wouldn't be where we are in this investigation without him - remember, she isn't interested in following cold cases unless they are recent. We wouldn't have known this was a case from the early 2000's if it wasn't for him.

Then again, maybe it all comes down to not wanting the responsibility of the job and I am reading way too much in to the why's of his decision.

I must say that Van Der Valk has definitely grown on me - good story this episode, looking forward to where it goes in part two. The hard night of partying... this group is a little past their prime to be rolling out of bed (or sprawled out on the deck of the boat) with serious hangovers to run to a murder scene. Reminded me of Miami Vice - Crockett lived on a boat (with an alligator) and although I don't remember any heavy partying, there must have been some. But... Crockett (and Tubbs) were younger and the coolest guys around. Piet and troop, not so much 😉.