The third episode followed the strong premiere of the series which took a fairly dark turn, as well as the second episode which focused on misogyny and harassment within the police force.

Both episodes quickly met with great success with viewers, but this latest installment follows Ellis (Clarke) and Harper (Andrew Gower) as they are called in village of Brindleton, where they investigate an apparent murder-suicide of a newlywed couple.

One of the most refreshing things about this series is the very fact that you think you’re dealing with just one case at first glance, but after some digging by Ellis, a whole maze of problems opens up.

Much like a complicated puzzle filled with new characters each time, the joy of any good crime drama is putting those pieces together and figuring out who the bad guy is.

But, especially in the third episode, your assumptions may get you nowhere, because in reality, the case extends much further than you initially thought.

Filled with familiar faces such as Coronation Streetit’s Charlie de Melo and EmmerdaleCharley Webb’s Charley Webb, as well as exploring themes of love and sexuality, we even see Ellis having to talk to someone on the edge of a cliff – talk about stress.

But, like the previous two episodes, Ellis draws inspiration from recent events, this time highlighting the virality of true crime and the boom in armchair detectives.

As we approach the case in question, it echoes the more recent real case of Nicholas Bulley and the way her initial disappearance ignited social media, prompting callous individuals to visit the place where she was last seen.

Never feeling heavy with its reminders of the real world, Ellis’ final episode also opens our main character to a whole new emotional depth. His private life remained as is throughout the series, with the viewer only given small windows into what Ellis left behind to come and do his work in these remote countrysides.

It’s easy to feel like things at home aren’t simple for our lead detective, but in the final moments of the series, we get more insight into this side of his life than ever before.

From the first episode, we’ve seen Ellis grip her phone like an umbilical cord, making sure her worn-out charger can still hold on so she never misses a message from the person she hopes to see most: her daughter Grace .

By the time the third episode rolls around, the audience has a pretty good idea of ​​what kind of detective Ellis is, but not so much of what she’s like in her free time. So it’s almost a selfish shame that we’re limited to this with Episode 3. just because we get a little more. “More!”, fans will rightly ask.

Not only in his personal relationship with his daughter, but also in his own partnership with Harper, we see things begin to blossom naturally, and it’s certainly a heartfelt crime-fighting duo we have here on our hands .

Clearly inspired, we discover that Harper has just started a distance learning course in psychology and clearly wants to break the cycle of bullish and confrontational behavior at the station he was originally at, with Ellis even spying on him on his own chief. understand nature to a fellow officer.

All of this is to say that while the third episode is another example of a well-executed mind-blowing affair – something Ellis does so well – it’s also a complete episode that’s fitting in many ways.

After facing steely officers and local residents in previous episodes, it seems this third final instance is where Ellis and Harper’s input was fully accepted by the station they worked with.

Likewise, Ellis says they should go for a drink once everything is done and dusted – mirroring the same offer Harper made to Ellis in that first episode, which collapsed pretty much like a lead balloon .

But at the pub is where Ellis’ mood instantly improves, when she realizes that the texts on her phone are actually from her daughter, who tells her that after her grandfather told her to do it, she’ll call Ellis later.

Soon, Ellis’s previous order for a cup of tea turns into a request for the entire bottle of overproof white rum sitting on the shelf and two glasses. It’s a celebration that Harper doesn’t really know the personal depth of, but one that they’re nonetheless willing to take a painful glass of rum for.

The enduring image of the series is that of a laughing Ellis, something we haven’t seen a ton of over the course of three episodes, but it’s a shot that happily teases what’s to come if Channel 5 orders the show for another season.

And that’s what they should do – Ellis has been a welcome addition to the many, many cop series on our TV screens, and frankly, we need a lot more of him.

Ellis is available to stream on My5.

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