I am giving this series a 9 out of 10 because nothing is perfect. I was stuck at home with "man flu" and decided to watch this series from start to finish in one sitting. I could not stop watching. Apart from the need to hit "pause" to take a comfort break, I was transfixed. I missed season 1, but now have to find it in the hope that it is as good as this season was. I found the episodes of season 2 emotionally draining. What I mean is that the whole issue of child abuse presented in this series caused me to feel great empathy for the victims and even hatred fro the unknown perpetrators of the crimes. I am glad that three characters will not be charged. They have suffered too much already. I rarely have such an emotional response to TV fiction; however, the way this series dealt with the trauma inflicted on these children and the impact it had on their adult lives is all too real. The topic was dealt with sensitively yet it hits you in the face. I will certainly look out for the next season. Well done people, you have created a gem and the actors deserve great credit for their portrayal of victims and detectives with a sense of humanity.
19 Reviews
A superb conclusion.
Sleepin_Dragon13 August 2020
Cassie learns the truth, and has to face up to some horrific historical events.
It's been a terrific second series, it genuinely hot better and better as it progressed, concluding with this terrific final episode.
The writing has been sensational, the cast, acting etc have all been phenomenal, the story was great, but it was the character play that made this so exceptional.
Cassie is given some real depth as she is made to confront something so huge, something she'd never have been prepared for. The scene where Colin explains his story to Cassie was heart breaking, Bonnar was phenomenal.
Terrific, 9/10.
It's been a terrific second series, it genuinely hot better and better as it progressed, concluding with this terrific final episode.
The writing has been sensational, the cast, acting etc have all been phenomenal, the story was great, but it was the character play that made this so exceptional.
Cassie is given some real depth as she is made to confront something so huge, something she'd never have been prepared for. The scene where Colin explains his story to Cassie was heart breaking, Bonnar was phenomenal.
Terrific, 9/10.
Speechless.
mattharrington15 June 2021
WOW. That was WOW! How did I ever miss this truly phenomenal piece of television when it was first shown on PBS? Why did this not get more press and accolades over here in the US. Spectacular. Extremely moving, truly spectacular.
British drama at its best.
shell_webb19 July 2018
Not going to give any spoilers but have to say unforgotten is one of the best detective shows I have seen for a long time and the ending was brilliantly written and acted especially by Mark Bonnar who played Colin. Can't wait to watch the next series
Powerful, moving & simply brilliant
lowerorchard11 October 2018
The finalé was such a tremendous conclusion to a brilliantly written and acted series. Thought provoking and humbling, it was a perfect way to end. I have watched 2 seasons now and absolutely and unequivocally recommend this as top drawer British police drama of the highest quality. What a story!
Gripping and heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time
mbottomley-5082912 February 2021
Some of the best tv ever made what more can be said apart from amazing. Heartbreaking to think that has and probably still happens to people. This episode made me cry as a man it would be hard for anyone not to feel moved by this episode.
Mark Bonar a standout in this.
Njs201621 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The whole episode is well done. Script on point and Nicola Walker excellent. I had to add a review to mention the scene with Mark Bonar at the end of the episode. Stunning acting. Truthful. Humane and he is one of the best actors of his generation. Great series.
Punishment!
Hitchcoc17 December 2021
It is good to see a series where things are just not black and white. We have watched five episodes showing us the pain and horror of the characters as they try to live while the past haunts them. It begs he question, "What is the role of the law?" Is justice meted out when monsters are "victimized"? The acting and the script are masterful. Every once in a while something is serendipitous and this is true for me. I was searching for something to watch and the title attracted me. I had not heard of this. While I thought the first season was excellent, this one will be very hard to hold a candle to. Masterful drama with a heart.
46 minutes of TV at its peak
tonylaurent-0086828 December 2018
One simply doesn't see better TV than this episode. Superb script, unpredicatablel but plausible story twists, great production quality and an amazing cast. Nicola Walker - what can one add? She is as good as it gets.
I am 59 years old - a voracious reader, and lover of high quality film/TV. As the decades rolled by I came to realise that European police procedurals are above the rest - with the odd exception like 'The Wire'. British TV - and French/Scandinavian/Belgian too - bring a grittiness and reality that are compelling. Hollywood - study what comes out from the other side of the 'pond' and learn. And no blazing guns.....and nobody with Hollywood 'work done' faces. For me, these days, American TV is what I watch if I cannot access anything from Europe. 'Breaking Bad', 'Sopranos', 'The Wire' and their ilk are too small a minority these days.Sad.
I am 59 years old - a voracious reader, and lover of high quality film/TV. As the decades rolled by I came to realise that European police procedurals are above the rest - with the odd exception like 'The Wire'. British TV - and French/Scandinavian/Belgian too - bring a grittiness and reality that are compelling. Hollywood - study what comes out from the other side of the 'pond' and learn. And no blazing guns.....and nobody with Hollywood 'work done' faces. For me, these days, American TV is what I watch if I cannot access anything from Europe. 'Breaking Bad', 'Sopranos', 'The Wire' and their ilk are too small a minority these days.Sad.
Magnificent
geoffsmith501 April 2021
Absolutely brilliant
veljovicaco16 October 2020
Last episode, so this is a Series 2 review
gdump27 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I liked the series right up until this episode. Consider my rating to be a melding of an 8 for episodes 1 through 5 and a 1 for this last episode.
The idea that an investigation with a large number of people on the team could just be suspended by the lead investigator is ludicrous, especially after she broaches her theory to the team. There is no way that I can see that such an investigation could be terminated without someone doing something illegal.
Even if we feel that there is no moral reason to pursue prosecution, that doesn't mean that the police have the right to stop, even if that were possible. It is their job to bring crime to light. Deciding on the appropriate punishment, if any, for 3 obviously well planned murders is quite literally the sole purview of a judge and jury, not the police.
The idea that an investigation with a large number of people on the team could just be suspended by the lead investigator is ludicrous, especially after she broaches her theory to the team. There is no way that I can see that such an investigation could be terminated without someone doing something illegal.
Even if we feel that there is no moral reason to pursue prosecution, that doesn't mean that the police have the right to stop, even if that were possible. It is their job to bring crime to light. Deciding on the appropriate punishment, if any, for 3 obviously well planned murders is quite literally the sole purview of a judge and jury, not the police.
The horrifying reality of human pain
pjdickinson-2782231 May 2023
This was an incredible story of suffering painstakingly presented. It's both terrible and completely understandable. The writing and performances are incredible. You might think that as a professional you would do the "right" thing but this was so well put together over 6 episodes which accumulated in showing unbelievable pain.
It's not an enjoyable thing to watch but it's incredibly powerful and it blurs the lines between right and wrong in ways you don't want to imagine and wouldn't want to.
It's a story of lives ruined. It started with a murdered man and ended with the revelation of people who walked around alive but were killed years ago. It's an astonishing piece of TV.
It's not an enjoyable thing to watch but it's incredibly powerful and it blurs the lines between right and wrong in ways you don't want to imagine and wouldn't want to.
It's a story of lives ruined. It started with a murdered man and ended with the revelation of people who walked around alive but were killed years ago. It's an astonishing piece of TV.
Season Two Ending is Simply Brilliant
dk-173 May 2021
Life is but a dream. The Brits remind us that they have The Bard in all that they do when they do their narrative best. That dream is also a nightmare. Hamlet knew it as he paused clutching his bodkin, facing the existential threats we all eventually suffer, if we are allowed to live at all.
There is no greater suffering than that experienced by a child from a personal assault by a trusted adult. The West derives much of its authority falsely from the rape of the innocent, whether it be its children suffering at the hands of priests and teachers and familiars, or its adults suffering under the sadistic authority of university cults of future authority or the ranks of the military or any cut throat business enterprise the GNP depends upon.
At every turn there is a Bill or a Hillary or a Donald or an Ivanka or a Jared or a Vladimir-their manipulated armies of the abused waiting in the wings to act in thrall over permission to project their abuse on a monumental scale-who keeps the tradition of loyalty through sadistic abuse alive.
Then in the middle of the world falling apart because the abused no longer know how to inoculate themselves and others against a simple virus, comes the closing scene of season two of UNFORGOTTEN; we are saved by beautiful narrative that proves our species is not utterly rotten out to the core by the abuses of the elders.
There is no greater suffering than that experienced by a child from a personal assault by a trusted adult. The West derives much of its authority falsely from the rape of the innocent, whether it be its children suffering at the hands of priests and teachers and familiars, or its adults suffering under the sadistic authority of university cults of future authority or the ranks of the military or any cut throat business enterprise the GNP depends upon.
At every turn there is a Bill or a Hillary or a Donald or an Ivanka or a Jared or a Vladimir-their manipulated armies of the abused waiting in the wings to act in thrall over permission to project their abuse on a monumental scale-who keeps the tradition of loyalty through sadistic abuse alive.
Then in the middle of the world falling apart because the abused no longer know how to inoculate themselves and others against a simple virus, comes the closing scene of season two of UNFORGOTTEN; we are saved by beautiful narrative that proves our species is not utterly rotten out to the core by the abuses of the elders.
So good
hazangel-8991019 May 2022
Season Two Review
southdavid22 September 2022
I'd ignored "Unforgotten" on its release, assuming it to be just another bland ITV cop show - but it's appearance on the Guardian's top TV of 2021 list gave me a reason to reconsider it. I started with the first season and enjoyed its combination of cold case plot and decent performances. Season two is a darker and sadder affair and more of the same, which I felt was both a positive and a little bit of a negative.
Dredging the river Lea uncovers human remains, encased in a suitcase and under the water for several decades. The team eventually discover the body belongs to David Walker, who disappeared in the late 1980's and whose wife Tessa (Lorraine Ashbourne) has subsequently joined the police force. The case will also involve Nurse Marion Kelsey (Rosie Cavaliero) and Teacher Sara (Badria Timimi) both of whom have aspects of their past they'd rather not come to light - and Barrister Colin Osborne (Mark Bonnar) whose recent adoption of a daughter is coming with unforeseen problems.
As I say, season one wasn't exactly sparkles and moonbeams, but the themes of season two are darker still. Without spoiling the who and the why, there are repeated and occasionally harrowing descriptions of child sexual abuse, though I have to say it's emotionally and honestly delivered by the actors involved. The performances, particularly in the conclusion, are world class, enough to make me forgive that some of that conclusion is lifted from a famous movie plot and that, for a second season - they get a form of natural justice as the resolution, rather than strict criminal prosecutions.
Perhaps that it's "more of the same" wouldn't feel quite so prevalent if there was a year between me watching the first and second seasons, but I rolled straight on from one into the other. When the performances are this good, and I still have two seasons to catch up on, I'll still roll pretty quickly into season three.
Dredging the river Lea uncovers human remains, encased in a suitcase and under the water for several decades. The team eventually discover the body belongs to David Walker, who disappeared in the late 1980's and whose wife Tessa (Lorraine Ashbourne) has subsequently joined the police force. The case will also involve Nurse Marion Kelsey (Rosie Cavaliero) and Teacher Sara (Badria Timimi) both of whom have aspects of their past they'd rather not come to light - and Barrister Colin Osborne (Mark Bonnar) whose recent adoption of a daughter is coming with unforeseen problems.
As I say, season one wasn't exactly sparkles and moonbeams, but the themes of season two are darker still. Without spoiling the who and the why, there are repeated and occasionally harrowing descriptions of child sexual abuse, though I have to say it's emotionally and honestly delivered by the actors involved. The performances, particularly in the conclusion, are world class, enough to make me forgive that some of that conclusion is lifted from a famous movie plot and that, for a second season - they get a form of natural justice as the resolution, rather than strict criminal prosecutions.
Perhaps that it's "more of the same" wouldn't feel quite so prevalent if there was a year between me watching the first and second seasons, but I rolled straight on from one into the other. When the performances are this good, and I still have two seasons to catch up on, I'll still roll pretty quickly into season three.
Partners In Crime
Lejink21 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I found the second series of ITV's "cold case" police procedural "Unforgotten" to be if anything, even better than the first. Once again Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar take on and eventually crack a labyrinthine case which connects a Moslem school headmistress, a top Scottish barrister and a hard working nurse who specialises in attending cancer-patients.
It all begins with the discovery of a thirty-year-old corpse found in a suitcase and eventually spirals out to take in a "Strangers In A Train" in-triplicate "you do mine and I'll do yours" murder-pact going back to separate cases of sexual abuse of innocent teenagers.
Besides the Highsmith / Hitchcock connection, the plot also reminded me of one of the earlier series of "Line Of Duty", but we all know there's nothing much new under the sun when scripting shows like this and anyway this one had a lot more besides to say about relationships as we witness the impact of the gradually-revealed crimes on a childless traditional male-female couple, a separate male gay couple trying to adopt a young girl and a Moslem family. The three main protagonists all have additional dark secrets of their own which we see lead back to their individual and collective childhood traumas, all these back stories intelligently and sympathetically worked into the main detective thrust of the drama.
I can usually do without the insertion of the personal issues of the main characters being shoe-horned into the overall narrative but this time, the sidebars on Walker's father and Bhaskar's Tinder-adventures were more acceptable with even a drunken fumble between Walker and Bhaskar being neatly handled. The cast of backing character actors wasn't as starry this time as in Series one, but there was no discernible drop in quality plus I again enjoyed the parts played by the main detectives back-up team who thanklessly carry out much of the background research crucial to solving long-past cases like these ones.
My wife and I are playing catch-up with this series but have been highly impressed with what we've seen so far and are pleased that we have, I think, four more series, including one recently aired, still to see, even if sadly, as I understand it, the excellent Walker baled out before that point.
It all begins with the discovery of a thirty-year-old corpse found in a suitcase and eventually spirals out to take in a "Strangers In A Train" in-triplicate "you do mine and I'll do yours" murder-pact going back to separate cases of sexual abuse of innocent teenagers.
Besides the Highsmith / Hitchcock connection, the plot also reminded me of one of the earlier series of "Line Of Duty", but we all know there's nothing much new under the sun when scripting shows like this and anyway this one had a lot more besides to say about relationships as we witness the impact of the gradually-revealed crimes on a childless traditional male-female couple, a separate male gay couple trying to adopt a young girl and a Moslem family. The three main protagonists all have additional dark secrets of their own which we see lead back to their individual and collective childhood traumas, all these back stories intelligently and sympathetically worked into the main detective thrust of the drama.
I can usually do without the insertion of the personal issues of the main characters being shoe-horned into the overall narrative but this time, the sidebars on Walker's father and Bhaskar's Tinder-adventures were more acceptable with even a drunken fumble between Walker and Bhaskar being neatly handled. The cast of backing character actors wasn't as starry this time as in Series one, but there was no discernible drop in quality plus I again enjoyed the parts played by the main detectives back-up team who thanklessly carry out much of the background research crucial to solving long-past cases like these ones.
My wife and I are playing catch-up with this series but have been highly impressed with what we've seen so far and are pleased that we have, I think, four more series, including one recently aired, still to see, even if sadly, as I understand it, the excellent Walker baled out before that point.
Ultra compelling arcs, though too many left untidy
peterquennell1 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Deeply haunting, with a justified 8.9 rating as of this moment. Four gripping main arcs (see below) with fine casts, some state-of-the-art and humane team police-work, vivid locations, and a certain social value, though left murky is where the inadequate "system" should go from here.
There is also quite a loose-ends count, caused primarily by muchos time assigned to extraneous issues of Cassie, her father and son, and Sunny, all tangential to this investigation, which could have been moved to less-packed episodes. Some actors and their personas really were owed more detailed resolutions, more happy landings than we saw.
(1) Sara, a Moslem victim: Hauntingly played by a stoic Badria Timimi (her agent should please upload a good photo and full bio to the Pro area here) in the least resolved outcome, with an excellent Hassan Mahmoud as kind husband, plus three kids, an errant father, a Moslem community and a school-board committee. Given that her teenage history leaks out: How did she off the guy in the drifting sailing boat? Does her ticked off son come full circle? She had been exploited by some others than Walker: do they walk? What of the new steady-state of the middle eastern community? Does she get a better women's space in the mosque? And top unresolved plot points: Is she ever told that she is no longer under threat? And does she get the new headmistress job or doesn't she - continue her vital work?
(2) Colin, a lawyer (public defender?) and ex financial wizard by a fine Mark Bonnar, a non-gay who struck a nice one for gays: What happened to his blackmailers? How was the "suicide" hanging in a forest achieved? Did he and the boyfriend get to keep the attractive little adoptee or foster child? Was everyone at his former employers put right about a trumped up rape charge? Did he keep his law license? And top unresolved plot point: Is he ever told that he is no longer under threat? But big pluses: of the gang of three, he was the one that explained most vividly to Cassie what the three (and by extension tens of thousands of others) had had to live through. And he could probably stick to his vital work.
(3) Marion, a cancer nurse, by a compelling Rosie Cavaliero: What was the final state of her husband, her supervisor, and her enabler mother? Why a suitcase and no attempt at faking a suicide? How did she get him into it and transport it? Why a shallow river? And top unresolved plot point: Is she ever told that she is no longer under threat? But big pluses: her pet patient might perhaps live, and the scorching u-turn of her sister (wow) when the revelations finally hit home. And she could probably stick to her vital work.
(4) Walker's ex wife and enabler by a steely Lorraine Ashbourne. Did she get to keep her police job? Get away with her enabling? Get her son (Will Brown) back, after putting him through a 180? She seemed to get off too lightly, though her excuse that the 80s were a free-for-all on easy victims was a minor plus.
I've seen Nicola Walker play a similar type on Broadway; in smart lead-from-behind and empathy, she has carved out an impressive niche. Sanjeev Bhaskar makes a likeable and loyal #2. Caroline Main, Lewis Reeves, and Jordan Long (is he funny or what?!) are shrewed supporting investigators. Andy Wilson is a talented, fast-paced director. And Chris Lang is maybe the best script-writer on humanity & crime; he goes the extra mile on modern investigation methods, but might watch the pesky loose ends. :-)
There is also quite a loose-ends count, caused primarily by muchos time assigned to extraneous issues of Cassie, her father and son, and Sunny, all tangential to this investigation, which could have been moved to less-packed episodes. Some actors and their personas really were owed more detailed resolutions, more happy landings than we saw.
(1) Sara, a Moslem victim: Hauntingly played by a stoic Badria Timimi (her agent should please upload a good photo and full bio to the Pro area here) in the least resolved outcome, with an excellent Hassan Mahmoud as kind husband, plus three kids, an errant father, a Moslem community and a school-board committee. Given that her teenage history leaks out: How did she off the guy in the drifting sailing boat? Does her ticked off son come full circle? She had been exploited by some others than Walker: do they walk? What of the new steady-state of the middle eastern community? Does she get a better women's space in the mosque? And top unresolved plot points: Is she ever told that she is no longer under threat? And does she get the new headmistress job or doesn't she - continue her vital work?
(2) Colin, a lawyer (public defender?) and ex financial wizard by a fine Mark Bonnar, a non-gay who struck a nice one for gays: What happened to his blackmailers? How was the "suicide" hanging in a forest achieved? Did he and the boyfriend get to keep the attractive little adoptee or foster child? Was everyone at his former employers put right about a trumped up rape charge? Did he keep his law license? And top unresolved plot point: Is he ever told that he is no longer under threat? But big pluses: of the gang of three, he was the one that explained most vividly to Cassie what the three (and by extension tens of thousands of others) had had to live through. And he could probably stick to his vital work.
(3) Marion, a cancer nurse, by a compelling Rosie Cavaliero: What was the final state of her husband, her supervisor, and her enabler mother? Why a suitcase and no attempt at faking a suicide? How did she get him into it and transport it? Why a shallow river? And top unresolved plot point: Is she ever told that she is no longer under threat? But big pluses: her pet patient might perhaps live, and the scorching u-turn of her sister (wow) when the revelations finally hit home. And she could probably stick to her vital work.
(4) Walker's ex wife and enabler by a steely Lorraine Ashbourne. Did she get to keep her police job? Get away with her enabling? Get her son (Will Brown) back, after putting him through a 180? She seemed to get off too lightly, though her excuse that the 80s were a free-for-all on easy victims was a minor plus.
I've seen Nicola Walker play a similar type on Broadway; in smart lead-from-behind and empathy, she has carved out an impressive niche. Sanjeev Bhaskar makes a likeable and loyal #2. Caroline Main, Lewis Reeves, and Jordan Long (is he funny or what?!) are shrewed supporting investigators. Andy Wilson is a talented, fast-paced director. And Chris Lang is maybe the best script-writer on humanity & crime; he goes the extra mile on modern investigation methods, but might watch the pesky loose ends. :-)
See also
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