Countdown to Thirteen: Dalziel and Pascoe: Season 11, Episode 4 – “Fallen Angel: Part 2” (2006)

The conclusion of the story.  In this second episode, the mystery gets more twisted and complicated, going to some unexpected places, and for my money, it also gets more interesting on the whole. 

The deeper Dalziel and Pascoe dig into the death of the jockey and the apparent race-tampering going on, the more they realize it all ties back into the case of Julianne, the stable worker whose disappearance they uncover during the investigation (not that Julianne’s family, of course, hadn’t known she was missing – just that the police didn’t seem to know or care about it until now.)  As more shocking events occur around the stable, the detectives work to solve the riddle of Julianne’s disappearance, sure it will lead them to the source of everything else that’s happened.

There’s a lot going on here, from a light aircraft crash to a mystery baby to shocking reveals about various one-shot characters.  I can’t say that it all necessarily hangs together (given that this is the show’s eleventh season, there’s a better-than-decent chance that they were stretching for surprises at this point,) but there are both some good points of interest and turns that I wouldn’t have predicted, which is a must for any mystery.

As the case expands, it also delves more into the creepy behavior of some of the stable guys, especially the alpha male Eddie.  Naturally, this can be uncomfortable to watch, but I prefer seeing a point to its inclusion in the story rather than just having the guy be an intimidating lech without comment, even if that means putting another Jodie Whittaker character through having to deal with another leering guy like that.

Speaking of Whittaker, she has more to do here.  I won’t get into the details of it to avoid spoilers, but I feel vindicated by a sense I got watching her character in part 1 and figuring there was more we hadn’t seen yet.  I will say that we get some strong acting from her in a couple of pivotal scenes, which I of course appreciate.

And once again…

Accent Watch

Northern.

Recommend?

In General – Again, maybe, if this is the type of show you’re into.

Jodie Whittaker – I might.  She displays some chops here in an early role.

Warnings

Disturbing images, violence (including references to rape,) creepy sexism and sexual references, drinking/smoking, and strong thematic elements.