Finding Your Runaway Child, Moore School Shenanigans, & Swapping Floods For Fires!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. This is another TV Reviews, and this one included a show based on the novel by Harlan Coben telling the story of a father finding his runaway child, seeing more shenanigans at the iconic school in Manchester, and series two of a show where we swapped floods for fires! So without further ado, here is what I thought of these three shows!

Runaway: 

The first show I’m going to talk about is Runaway, based on the novel by Harlan Coben, and starring James Nesbitt and Ruth jones:

As explained on IMDb, the synopsis of the show goes as follows:

"Simon's perfect life is shattered when daughter Paige runs away, later found strung out in a park. Simon's search leads into a dangerous underworld where an act of violence rocks his life."

James Nesbitt took on the role of Simon Greene. It was nice seeing him not being a member of the police, showing off his versatility from previous Harlan Coben shows. You can see how much passion he has in finding his daughter, whilst also having showing some f his Irish charm and humour. And following a altercation where he went viral for the wrong reasons, lets just say that I do not want to get on his bad side. Elena Ravenscroft played by Ruth Jones. A lot of you may recognise her as her role of Nessa in Gavin and Stacey, but this role proved she can do both comedy and drama. Let’s just say she’s someone not to be messed with, and will go to extreme lengths to get what she wants. I did wonder why she was stalking a woman in a cafe multiple times, but I changed my opinion of her after mentioning why that was, linking to a moment from the past and her Kate husband Joel (Simon Bubb). Despite meeting a dreadful fate in episode 6, she managed to help Simon not only look for his daughter, but also reveal links into the case of other sons like Henry Thorpe, which was called upon by his father Sebastian (Simon Thorp). Paige Greene (Ellie de Lange), played a key role in the show, as from her first appearance in episode 1, to finally reuniting in episode 8, she had one hell of a journey. I don’t know what lengths Ellie had to go to to play a character that’s so vulnerable, but she smashed it out of the park. And her whereabouts was actually more heartbreaking and understandable, knowing she did the right thing. At first from her university friends Katie and Judy (Clara Lioe and Chenee Taylor), I didn’t know what to think, but when she revealed everything that happened, that d is send me in a shock. Particularly how her mum and Simon’s wife Ingrid (Minnie Driver) was involved for most of the case, and how she links to the murder of Aaron Corval (Thomas Flynn), but I kind of understand why she did what she did. I also understand Simon’s unease when it came to the relationship of de Jay Stansfield (Mark Bazeley), who made him question if he kids are really his. Thankfully with the help of lawyer Jessica Kingberg (Tracy-Ann Oberman, who you may recgonise as the iconic Chrissie Watts in EastEnders), he got what he needed, and it turned out Ingrid only used him as a fake alibi for the shocking twists at the end of the series. 

Multiple characters also made their mark and impacted Simon’s journey to find Paige. These included his two other children Anya and Sam (played by Ellie Henry, who was Lao known for playing Freya in Hollyoaks, and Adrian Greensmith). Sam in particular helped Paige with her escape, and felt guilty for for giving her guitar away. But he and Anya managed to help Simon make a link to one of Paige’s professors, that tuned out to be an important part of the mystery. There was also Ingrid's sister Yvonne (Ingrid Oliver), who was always there for the family whilst Ingrid was in a coma for most of the series (and I’ll get onto it in a moment). But some secrets she kept from Simon got him really wondering what his family are keeping from him following his attack to Aaron in episode 1, which went viral. Another person who helped Simon was Cornelius (Lucian Msamati), who yes did have a bad background, but made it up by doing some good, even keeping an eye on Paige. He also kept Simon company when visiting Paige’s dealers Rocco and his assistant Luther (Marcus Fraser and Connor Porter). But Luther’s reaction to Ingrid was what caused her to be in a coma, and Rocco's information on Paige’s whereabouts were also vital. Detectives Isaac Fagbenle and Ruth Todd (Alfred Enoch and Amy Gledhill), were both people who knew how to do their jobs, particularly when targeting Simon as the obvious suspect, whilst also having their own little life affair. But I could see that they both had different viewpoints of the case, with Isaac revealing he knew Cornelius when he was younger, having a more emotional reason as to why he gout him down as to having an alibi. But they managed to put their personal differences aside and help find the missing links between Paige and Henry. Elena's tech woman Lou (Annette Badland) also knew her stuff. I’m amazed at how a woman of a certain age knows a lot about technology, but it just goes to show that age really is just a number. And it seemed to have worked in her favour, as her findings made a big impact, particularly in the first episode. There was also former care kids now killers Ash and Dee Dee (Jon Pointing and Maeve Courtier-Lilley). We could see Dee Dee's journey into this job, and obviously hired Ash to join her, knowing that it’s their way to gain back control. This is shown when they go to their old foster home, where they went through a painful experience. At one point Ash was even contemplating why they do what they do. And “The Shining Truth” was led by “The One” Caspar Vartage (Ken Bones), who use mostly women to I guess control them into keeping his money his. But one person that stopped him was mother Adiona (Geraldine James), who tried to warn her son she had to give up, but claim he was a stillborn (something in which Caspar ordered her and every other woman to do), showing that she was secretly against their rules, but obviously had no choice but to stay, as it was a killed or to kill situation. 

I think my only downside is that with many Harlan Coben shows, you’re always left with wanting more at the end of the series. I know that’s how his structure is always laid out, but that’s when I know I’m enjoying a series, as I just want more following the aftermath of the main objective.

Overall I would give the show a full house of 5 out of 5. It was tense, it had surprises, and once again gave me surprises which even got me leaving my mouth open! 

Waterloo Road:

The next show I'm going to talk about is series 17 of Waterloo Road.

Once again this show saw both teachers and students trying to get through a typical day of the iconic school in Manchester.

Jon Richardson once again took on the role of Darius Donovan. You know when you hate a character, when you know you hate his tactics to getting into power. Whilst he did have some good things to offer, his extreme ways of getting the top job were awful. Another spanner was thrown when Nisha (Saira Jackson), was expecting a baby. The return of Jack Rimmer (Jason Merrells), also threw him on edge, and tried to make Serena Michelle (Kerry Howard), see that he’s taking advantage of Stella (Lindsay Coulson), to take over as head. But his lies sook caught up to him, and if it wasn’t for Ben Drake (Fintan Buckard), he wouldn’t have gotten found out, with Stella giving him a proper grilling about the money, Hope drugging him. Kym Marsh also returned as Nicky, who coming back as a placement to help children who need that additional support. But the return of her ex Anthony "Tony" Walters (Karl Davies), caused a spanner in the works, prompting her to make a decision to leave Waterloo Road. We also got to see the development in Mitch and Joe’s (Christopher Jeffers and James Baxter) relationship, at first annoying Schuey, but Joes reason as to why he and Mike didn’t get on made him understand that little bit more. I can imagine the awkwardness when Joe saw Mike (Ryan Clayton), came back in episode 6, who give a talk following Tony’s disgusting moment. But I’m glad they reached an understanding, with Mike also giving some wise words to Schuey (which I’ll mention when I talk about the students). We also saw Donte (Adam Thomas), have two challenges of his own. The first being Izzy and her anger (which I’ll mention in the student section of the blog), and his challenge with how to work around students like Forest (Alfie Corbett). Advice from Neil didn’t do the trick, but another piece of advice from Steph (who I’ll mention in a moment), changed the way he saw things, giving him the confidence needed to be the great teacher he is. Neil as also being his typical usual self, although sometimes I don’t think he realises the impact on what others say. The main examples being the aftermath of Tony, and how the girls should be more watchful, whereas both Mitch and Nicky point out men should also be aware too, and also getting caught up in a situation when former teacher Steph Haydock (Denise Welch), returned as a supply teacher, along with Coral Walker (Rachel Leskovac) coming back from maternity leave. Even though her teaching methods are unique, they managed to have an impact on the students but in a good way, and despite Neil making his relationship status clear, I have a feeling there might be a love triangle in the next series. 

The students also got involved in their drama. One of them was Portia Weever (Maisey Robinson), who not only was she bullied for getting an STI, but was also a victim to Tony’s grooming, which was very hard to watch. But she knew she had a good support network, that and along with Nicky giving him a piece of his mind also exposed him for who he was. We also saw Izzy (Scarlett Thomas) and her anger reach breaking point. This affected her relationship with Cat, and also Donte, but soon realised she needed help and took a lot of things away. And after making the discovery in the last episode of the series, Donte and Neil realised if their kids are happy, there happy. Cat (Lucy Chambers), also had her own insecurities following Portia's ordeal, which could be linked by the separation between Neil and her mum. But Izzy was able to help her with lessons she took away from therapy, and it only made them stronger, surprising Neil and Donte, but if their kids are happy, they’re also happy. With the help of Portia, we also saw Shola (Chiamaka Ulebor), start a career in modelling. I hated the moment in episode 7 where the makeup artist criticised her just for basically saying she needed a shade of makeup that matched her skin. But Val was there to reassure her that it’s the makeup artists fault for not being educated properly. We also saw Tonya (Summer Bird), go through two journeys. The first one being her dad Tony, who at first thought that she really wanted to actually see him, but after finding out he’s a new teacher at a local football club, and after finding out that what he did to Portia, it really took a toll on her mental health. And with also the news of Ashton (Cory McClane) and Shola seeing each other didn’t help. So I do get why she needed a fresh start, but I was gutted when she didn’t go to the prom at the end of the series. Mind you, if I had to choose between not going and going despite being in a bad mood, I would choose not going to look after my well-being. We also saw a different side to Agnes Eccleston (Niamh Blackshaw), who had tension with Leoni who was revealed to be her niece. But an encounter with Ben and a test in her relationship with Schuey (Zak Sutcliffe), made her realise she needed to take responsibility for her actions. Not only did it make her relationship stronger, but also built bridges with Leoni, and her gesture for Portia just shows the kindness she brings. Schuey meanwhile despite being his cheeky self is also using anger for good, healing Leoni and her troubles. We also saw Luca (Danny Murphy) form a relationship with new student Freddie Hollister (Freddy Smith). I loved their chemistry on screen, but I could also understand Luca when he mentions why he initially declined Freddie about their relationship. But soon they communicated their own problems, and it was really sweet of Freddie to learn sign language. And after Luca initially had doubts about a flash mob, he still went ahead and it was one of the most memorable moments in the show. We also saw Stace (Tilly Amartey) adapt to life as a teenage mum. I can’t imagine how much she has to take on, but with support from Nisha and Wendy (Jo Coffery), and along with her friends Libby, Aleena and Lois (Hattie Dynevor, Sonya Nisa amd Miya Ocego) and partner Noel (Liam Scholes), she had the motivation to keep going. We also saw her and Joel get married, which was a lovely surprise to see, knowing that having a family is what they both want. 

I don’t think I had any particular downsides, but it was just that some of the stuff was simply just hard to watch. But once again I they were important storylines that should be implemented in and out of schools. And as someone who has a parent in the education sector, it’s important for topics like this for him to take into consideration.

Overall, I would give the show a 4.95. It had a blend of tension, suspense, humour and awareness. I can’t wait to see what they’ve got coming up for the next series! 

After The Flood:

The final show I’m going to talk about is After The Flood, starting Sophie Rundle and Lorraine Ashbourne.

Taking place a year after the devastating floods of the last series, series 2 saw Jo Marshall, now Detective Constable, solve a murder case following fires in the local moors. 

Sophie Rundle once again praised her role of Jo Marshall. She was living her dream role, but still wasn’t one to follow by the rules, and determined to solve the case, even if it meant getting into some awkward situations. She also had to juggle that and being a co-parent to baby Eve with now ex husband Pat (Matt Stokoe), who split following his work with Phil Mackie in the last series (Nicolas Gleaves). I’m glad they were still on good terms, got Eves sake, and tried to everything in their power to bring him down. And I really thought for a moment that there may be a reunion between the pair, but let’s just say it didn’t go to plan. And it call came down to Mackie himself. After his involvement in Lee Ellison's death in the last series, he was certainly hot on their tail in trying to stop them. You know when someone is playing a baddie well, when you don’t like them one bit, and Nicolas did just that with Mackie once again. But Pats last minute actions got him exposed for what he really was. But he wasn’t the only one harbouring a secret. We also saw the arrival of Detective Sergeant Sam Bradley (Jill Halfpenny), who worked on the case with Jo, and the end of the series revealed why she really came to Waterside after Jo noticed some odd behaviour from her. We also saw the outspoken Molly Marshall (Lorraine Ashbourne) make her mark as a local councillor, and also being in charge of a local outdoor swimming group. And she’s still her usual stubborn self in some part, especially when she sees Jack and Sarah Mackie (Jacqueline Boatswain) together, and when she refuses to believe in Mackie's true colours. 

Like last series, many returning characters made their mark and there were some newbies who hid some shocking secrets. Two returning characters included Pats sister Kelly and husband Keith (Faye Mckeever and George Bukhari), who had a welcome home party for him following his run in prison. I’m glad Keith and Pat were able to make peace following the last series, and Kelly definitely isn’t afraid to say what she feels after she was questioning Jack about the living situation. And their daughter Sophie (Maui Connock), also picked up her strong attitude from Kelly, and had her one little mission following the floods of last year. There was also Jo's colleague Deepa Das (Tripti Tripuraneni), who was still a PC, and was there for Jo during the case, but was also under Mackie's wrath. We also saw the arrival of Tony (Ian Puleston-Davies), who was working with Molly for the local council, and not only was he scared for his daughter Donna (Jenny Platt), being in the picture for murder of her partner Xav Palmer (Matthew McNutly), but he also had his own health problems to face. These had an impact on his grandchildren Finn and Declan (Leo Flanagan and Oliver Nelson) for different reasons. Finn being the fact that he was already in hot water following about how he could’ve been linked to a terrorist plot before the events of the series, and Declan because of the case itself. I won’t say what but let’s say that in the last episode, Molly used a gentler approach to get him to open up what really happened. We also saw Mackies wife Sarah, who I could tell secretly wants out of trying to take down Jo and Pat, and her request for a divorce obviously had an impact on what he did to Pat. We also saw Jack Radliffe (Phlip Glenster), making a return, but I did feel for him when Molly refused to believe his intentions with Sarah, following their fling in the last series. He also wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, particularly towards Alan and Harriet Benson (Alun Armstrong and Step De Whalley), who was secretly in cohorts with Mackie, but him turning down the offer to lend Mackie some money as an order from Jack also didn’t go down well. And Harriet also had a surprising connection linking to Xav, which played a big part in the case. The final person who made an impact was Mackie's former foster child Saskia Bale (Rumi Sutton), who revealed to Pat the morbid stuff he made her do, which prevented her from going to university. But good on her for having the courage in episode 5 for taking the courage for making a statement. 

I think my only downsides were the following. Saskia didn’t get the justice she deserved, and also the end of the series ending on an emotional level. But at least Molly was there to comfort Jo after a fallout in the last episode. 

Overall I would give the series a 4.80. If was suspense, surprising and had lots of twists and turns. But I definitely wanted more after the ending, so if there is a series 3, I really do hope that we see Mackie on trial to expose his true colours, whilst also seeing Saskia getting the justice she deserves. 

And that is it for my latest set of TV reviews. Let me know which ones you have seen.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)