TV Focus//The Fall - Episode 2
Caution! May contain spoilers!
“It was a
mistake. I thought I was good at reading
people. I was wrong…”
Starring: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan.
The opening montage
of the killer preparing and posing the corpse of his second on-screen victim by
bathing, painting her nails and posing her on the bed he strangled her somewhat
brutally on last episode mixed with Stella welcoming a visitor to her Hilton
suite and enjoying some impromptu sex with a good view sets a distinctly
emotionally cold for this episode as the action proper begins.
The introductions of
last week are pushed aside with the focus now on the police procedurals. But unlike
many dramas that have this in the standardized mode of office interviews and
solicitors intervening its confined to a small part of the action. The various
strands of plot are bought together as the reporter whom Stella (Gillian
Anderson) rather memorably told to “fuck off” last episode after he door stepped
her in the hotel she’s so often seen looking pensive in, runs a story anyway about the "meeting" and
the killer (Jamie Dornan) reveals his death fetishes in all their somewhat lurid
sickness. Despite all this though, the emotional connections you find yourself making with these genuinely flawed personalities make the creepy scenes all the more fascinating...
The opening scenes
where he poses the body is particularly notable, juxtaposed as it is with the
one night stand Stella has with the soon to be shot down detective she invites
to her room the first episode, for its deliberated cold heart and lighting. The
sparse incidental music throughout adds considerably to the tension and claustrophobia,
making the very occasional shocking moments that much more dramatic.
The action moves
along considerably too with the possibility of the teenage babysitter Katie whom has annoyed the killer by stealing
the lock of hair from his previous victim looking precariously on the edge of
being victim number three as the episode ends. And with his daughter having
seen him pinning down Katie through the traditional crack in the door it looks
like the secret killer will be having some difficulties separating the
seemingly ideal family life he hides in the comfort of from the sexually tortured man of the
darkness we’ve seen in tonight’s episode…
Best line: “Should I
take your number?” Stella’s one night stand as he leaves the hotel room. Will
she come to regret giving him that number? We think so!
The new Killing?: Darkness? Check! Murder? Check? Icy female lead? Check! Definitely getting
warmer…
Reviewed by Sebastian
Gahan.
