- Frances Cairnes begins her search for the person who killed her six-year-old son in a hit and run. DI Strangeways arrives on the Isle of Wight, hoping for a fresh start after the death of his colleague.
- Episode opens with woman, Frances, stating she is going to murder a man. A man, Nigel, is with his male therapist talking about flashbacks. He's obviously reluctant, complaining about the expense and distance for him (a ferry ride away). He's eager to keep working through this, to keep busy but needs to keep it secret from his employer who would likely put him off duty if they knew he was so affected. He has accepted a new assignment away from his London job at the Isle of Wight police department. He arrives there, having just replaced the Detective Inspector who dropped dead on a golf course. The desk still hasn't been cleared, with his predecessor's personal photos etc. It is mentioned Nigel just went through the death of his police partner's on-the-job murder in London. He finds a Freemason's pin, and a painted rock in an envelope.
He is then interrupted to speak to a dead boy's mother, Frances, who is in from London after having received a "no-further-action" letter from his predecessor. Nigel reviews the existing hit-and-run case file quickly and then speaks to her. He apologizes about the lack of support followup to the letter. She is angry and hostile. He tells her the investigation is still open but the lines of inquiry were exhausted. He gives her the standard assurances but she challenges him and he secretly feels she is justified. As she goes into the restroom to compose herself, he begins to have a panic attack.
She is then seen telling her school she is taking time off from her teaching job. She visits her bank, transferring savings from her deceased husband's life insurance payment, and admits she's writing a crime novel about a murder. Due to a last-name change, she needs new bank cards. She then leases an apartment across the water from the Isle of Wight.
During Nigel's latest therapy session, we hear his partner died of a shotgun blast to the face. He confesses he made glib assurances to the dead boy's mother but he knows she deserves more from the police. Frances explores the neighborhood near the accident. She speaks to neighbors, wears an ID badge, and poses as "road safety" to do interviews. She explores her theory about the quad bike rally that Easter weekend. In her apartment, she has pinned up a local map with her investigation notes. She visits a local garage to find any info on damaged bikes. She makes up a story about someone running into her car and hones in on a personal approach, appealing to their sympathy. She follows a quad bike to a trailer home and has a confrontation with a boy's father. DI Nigel gets called out to a pub about young man duplicating his older brother's drivers license illegally. His brother is characterized as a "vicious bastard." Nigel is seeing in action the provincial policing methods at Isle of Wight and complains it's more akin to "social work" than actual policing. But he has no other life plan options at this stage. He stops to inspect the accident scene, sees the roadside memorial with fresh flowers from residents. He suspects this brutal crime has affected the community more than they have admitted. His subordinate complains the town won't provide proper speed cameras so they hold up hair dryers instead, hoping to fool some into slowing down. Flashback shows the boy Martie finishing up decorating the rock before walking towards the steps down to the roadway below.
Frances locates a woman working as a model during that Easter weekend car rally and tracks her to her event hostess job. During a smoke break, she speaks to her. She pitches novel-writing research by allowing her to follow Lena on her model jobs. She offers to drive her to jobs. Frances asks her about Lena's forehead scar. Nigel speaks to his sister Kate and niece Birdie via video call in Australia. He attends a memorial service for his London police partner Shannon where her sister Niamh speaks. He then visits Frances' London flat to return the painted rock. He sees pictures of Martie, Frances and her deceased husband. Lena admits her mother died of a prescription overdose eight years ago. She says she lives with her half-sister in the half-sister's London flat. Frances and she get drinks; Frances ends up carrying her back to Lena's flat and hacks into Lena's phone. She sees many calls to a "George."
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What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of Episode #1.1 (2020) in Australia?
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