Blast From The Past, A Conspiracy Connection & More Curious Cases!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog, and my first tv reviews of 2026. The three shows I watched each containing different types of mystery. These consist of one show using blasts from the past to piece things together, a second series of a show that linked to the US Embassy, and a second series of a show seeing the autistic criminal archivist helping the police solve more curious cases. 

Lazarus:

The first show I’m going to talk about is Lazarus, created by Harlan Coben and starring Sam Claflin and Billy Nighy.

As explained on an Act On This with Daniel O’Hara (who directed the last two episodes of the show), the plot of the show goes as follows:

“The six-episode series follows Joel as he returns home after his father’s death, only to uncover a web of cold-case minders, family secrets, and mysterious visions that date back decades”

Sam Claflin took on the role of Joel Lazarus, or “Laz” for short. I haven’t seen him in anything properly since The Hunger Games Franchise (where he played the role of Finnick Odair) and Peaky Blinders (where he played the role of Oswald Mosley), but wow he was a brilliant lead. He had this kind of 6th sense when people from the past came to meet him, and the prep he put in to show his aggressive and frustrated side when no one believed him about it really shone through. Ewan Horroocks took on the role of the younger version of Joel, and he did a brilliant job in making the present Joel feel the way he did throughout the series. And you could tell how hard the death of his twin hit him. I also loved his on screen chemistry with Bill Nighy, who played his deceased father Jonathan Lazarus. Throughout this show, I got to know their relationship better, and the reason why Joel became a psychiatrist. I also got to see that Jonathan had some more dark secrets to hide when it came to his patients. I don’t say what specifically, as I want to let anyone reading this see for themselves, but let’s just say that even I was shocked by what I found out!

There were many other characters who impacted Joel’s journey, each with their own secrets. One of them was Joel’s sister Jenna, played by Alexandra Roach and the younger version played by Lucy Chambers, who got herself in a situation in her youth which caused friction between the two siblings, but still supported him in finding out who killed their sister Sutton (who I will get onto in a minute). She at first didn’t believe Joel about what he saw in Jonathan’s offices, but at the end when she listened to the tapes (as Jonathan said he records all of the sessions), that’s when she realised he was telling the truth. Eloise Little took on the role of Sutton, who was also Joel’s twin. This meant that finding out who killed her had more meaning to him, knowing that he should’ve protected her. There was also Billy MacIntyre (Lex Shrapnel with Charlie Mann playing the younger version), who made Sutton jealous in their youth which I think contributed to her death. There was also Joel’s childhood friend Seth McGovern played by David Fynn. After watching him in Daddy Issues, I didn’t expect him to be in a drama like this. But his portrayal of the copper was brilliant, and he added in some of the odd humour to help balance the light and shade of this thriller. I also quite liked how he was rubbing Joel about his thing for Jenna, but I could see the chemistry between the two. We also got to see Joel’s ex Bella played by Karla Crome, who I think the break down of their relationship was affected by the death of Sutton, and her son Aidan, played by Curtis Tennant, really fooled me. As at first she was trying to work out how to help with his problems, and he appears when you least expect it, but by the end, a quote from Jonathan and what Aidan did at the end of the series was kind of a foreshadowing moment. Detectove Alison Brown, played by Kate Ashfield, also surprised me. At first initially offering support following Jonathan’s death, her secret linking to certain murders really surprised me, and the final episode where Joel heard everything on tape was really not something I was expecting, but in the best way possible! There was also Sam Olsen played by NAME, who everyone talked about him for his past crimes and for being a creep, and episode 5 really confirmed that. I can’t image in how hard he must’ve prepped for playing this type of role, but he definitely pulled it off. Episode 5 really did reveal Sam’s true colours, and his version of the night Sutton was killed was quite morbid. There was also former psychiatrist and Joel’s love interest Laura Mainard (played by Rosie Gallagher) where at first he thought it was another vision, but once he realised she was real, they struck up a nice bond between the two and helped him find out what happened with Jonathan’s patience. And speaking of Patients, a shoutout Sianad Gregory, Leon Ockenden and Jaouhar Ben Ayed, who took on the roles of Cassandra Rhodes, Neil Croft and Harry Nash and all did a brilliant job at adding those little moments to the story. And Joel’s patient Arlo Jones (Jack Deam) definitely made his mark in the series. From his creepy beginning to his moments in episode 5 and 6, he really did play a big part in making Joel see the bigger picture as to the murders of Jonathan’s patients. 

I think my downside to this series was that I'm just left with wanting more. Even though it’s set out as one series, I always want to know what happened following it. That was seen when Joel was visiting Laura and attempting to break the cycle Jonathan mentioned, and what he saw after that really made my jaw drop!

Overall I would give it a full house! It was tense, had twists and turns, and Harlan did it again with surprises I did not expect. If ever you see a drama by Harlan Coben, you know it’s going to be good! And this was one of them! 

Red Eye:

The next show I’m going to talk about is Red Eye, starring Jing Lisu and this time Martin Compston.

This second series sees DI Hana Li solve a mystery involving important people from the US, teaming up with someone from her past. 

Jing Lusi once again smashed her role as DI Hana Li. Like last series, she’s not afraid to bend the rules, which definitely doesn't go well with her boss Superintendent Simon O'Brian (played by Robert Gilbert) and just like last series it definitely worked in her favour. We also got to see an emotional side to her, which I don’t think we really saw in the last series. This really I guess gave a more emotional arc to the character, but like the professional she is, it didn’t let that stop her from cracking the case. And despite it being her birthday when this took place,, it didn’t let that stop her from doing her job. This series saw her work with a face from her past in the form of RSO Clay Brody played by Martin Compston. What I learnt from him was that he definitely suffered from trauma, something I can relate to, which led to an incident with their teacher. But over the series, they realised they had more in common than they thought, and if Hana didn’t intervene at the end of the series, he would’ve gone back to his dark ways. So in some ways meeting Hana again was a sign to put the past behind him. And even I was shocked about Brody and his link to Air Marshall John Johnson (Guy Williams), and his reason as to why he kept it a secret all this time, and I could also understand Hana’s betrayal. 

Like the last series, there were many people who have helped Hana solve the mystery. These included Director General Madeline Delaney, played by Lesley Sharp, who once again proved that she is exceptional in her job, and a woman not to be messed with. This time it was her that was in the air in danger, but her professionalism in a dangerous situation like this just shows what a great leader she is. At first she gained her trust from American DSEC Alex Peterson, played by Nicolas Rowe, but after hearing his involvement in the case, the tables soon turned. And her speech at the end of the episode just shows how angry she felt about him betraying her.  There was also her half sister Jess Li, played by Jemma Moore, who was frustrated with Hana having to work on her birthday, but could understand why that was. Like last series, she somehow got herself involved in the situation after working on a piece of one of the pilots involved. She also ended up working with Delaney’s Ruth, played by Cash Holland, who once again was loyal to her, but found herself in a life or death situation by the military police. But if Jess wasn’t there, it could’ve been so much worse. There was also John Tennant, played by Jonathan Aris, who Delaney called as a last resort to helping her in need, knowing his bluntness will help the situation. Despite the tensions they had last series, if John hadn’t been there, the scenario could be so much worse. I would also like to give a shout-out to former Actors Workshop Nottingham member Steph Lacey who took on the role of Megan. I can’t imagine the amount of preparation needed to learn all of the terminology someone of high status would need to use, but like last series, she executed it beautifully. And as a disabled person myself, it’s great to see that representation on screen once again. Fox, played by Tom Forbes, was a brilliant villain of this series. I liked how he changed his disguise completely and his tactics to achieve his target. I thought it was fantastic. I must congratulate Tom on the preparation he did beforehand, because it can’t have been easy being a killer. There was also a guest appearance from Matt Nolan, played by the legendary Richard Armitage. He was there when Jess and Ruth got themselves in a tricky situation, and he was able to help them and also give Jess great advice from the last series. Finally there was US Ambassador Ronald Tillman, played by Trevor White . Something about him was off the moment I saw his character, but after he also met a fatal end, the link between him and Peterson was soon clear. 

I don’t think I have any particular downsides. I just wish we got to see Hana celebrating her birthday properly as a way to end the case on a high. But Hana being Hana, she’ll want to crack on with the next mission. 

Overall, I would give the show a 4.95. It was tense, suspense, and lots of surprises that really kept me hooked.

Patience:

The final show I’m going to talk about is Patience, starring Ella Maisy Purvis and Jessica Haynes.

This sees the autistic criminal archivist help the police solve more cases in Yorkshire, along with her own journey navigating new challenges.

Ella Maisy Purvais once again smashed her role as the self taught criminologist. I could sense her unease when it was announced that Bea Metcalf wouldn’t be coming back, but the way she powered through it was for me something to be proud of. And she used her unique abilities to once again help the police solve more curious cases. From hearing sounds other people couldn’t in episode 3, to seeing a chewing gum packet in episode 1, and a book with the same title as a plant in episode 6, those little details are some of the big things that can be viral evidence. Throughout the series, we got to see her interact with her new boss DI Frankie Monroe, played by Jessica Haynes. I tell you something, you do not want to mess with her, and I think Anthony Joshua in particular would have a run for his money if he ever came face to face with her. I thought she was really arrogant at first, berating her for how her brain works, but slowly they started to warm to each other, particularly when it came to the art of romance. But episode 6 really was the turning point when Patience mentioned a rule of when to call someone out, and soon they managed to put the past behind them, and made a really good team. We also got to see details of her past, and her relationship with former colleagues Chief Superintendent Callum Banks (John Hollingworth), and discovered the real reason why she came here. 

Like last time, there were some returning characters who impacted Patience’ journey. Two of them were DS Jake Hunter played by Nathan Welsh and DC Will Akbari, played by Ali Ariaire. They helped Frankie see that Patience is an asset to the team, and Jake was also there for Patience when she was navigating the life of romance. And speaking of romance, Tom Lewis once again reprised his role of SOCO team member Elliot Scott, Patience’s love interest. I loved their on screen chemistry, and after watching some BTS on social media, they did have a good friendship between the two. But the challenges he and Patience faced were also hard to watch. I get why he might be surprised at first by how Patience expresses her needs, but I felt he needed to understand why she has them, like planning things in advance. But it took until the last episode to realise how much they mean to each other. Overseeing the job as always was DCI Calvin Baxter, played by Mark Benton. Like Jake and Will, he was also keen to make Frankie see that Patience is an asset to the team, but also still made it clear they need his approval before proceeding with the cases. But he definitely learnt a lot about social media, in the form of social media expert Zinzi Rooks, played by Rhiannon Clements (who if you’ve seen Hollyoaks, you’ll recognise her for her role as Summer Ranger). I loved her enthusiasm for making the City of Yorkshire Police well known, but I did feel Patience irritance about her being in the limelight. However, if it wasn’t for Zinzi, Patience wouldn’t have the confidence to do a speech at the Viking Festival in episode 7 where she talked about her autism and how the police have helped her with her journey. There was also Dr Douglas Gilmour (Adrian Rawlins), who once again looked after Patience and also navigated her through problems like love and new changes. And also leader of the autism support group Billy Thompson (Connor Curren), which include members Clara and Alex (Aruhan Galieva and Stuart Laws), who not only helped her and there group to talk about topics that neurotypical people might not understand, to helping her with some of the cases (particularly in episode 4), he is the kind of friend you need by your side. There were also many guest appearances from different people in each episode. Some of these include Chris Gasgyone (who you might recognise as Peter Barlow in Coronation Street) who took on the role of stable owner Kevin gill with a bad temper, and Angus Wright who took on the role of magician Jay Preso, who surprised me in his involvement and how he covered up a crime in episode 3. There was also Lyra Kane, who took on the role of Lola, a young autistic girl, and I loved how Patience helped her family when they were going through a rough time. It was also episodes like this that show that every autistic person is different, and we learn about different terms like echolalia, a term used to help autistic people calm themselves down from overwhelm. Finally Emma Lowndes took on the role of wrongly accused murderer Nicola Barclay. I must say, she did a brilliant job to end the series on a high, and I could tell she wanted to be believed about being a murderer. I’m just glad Patience reasoned with her when the situation escalated. 

I don’t have any downsides to the show in particular, but there were moments where it was hard to watch as I find it relatable. These included Frankie’s comments in the beginning of the series, and also Elliot’s lack of understanding of why Patience needed a plan. 

Overall I would give the show a full house if 5 out of 5. It had humour, drama and once again proved that people shouldn’t be afraid of employing neurodivergent people. After a shocking revelation in the last episode, there has to be a third series of the show. Surely. 

And that is it for my first instalment of 2026. Let me know if you've seen any of these shows or other recommendations to kick off 2026!

See you soon for another blog. Until next time...

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)