The launch of ITV’s latest thriller ‘Liar’ made for some uncomfortable viewing on Monday (11 September) night, as it set up the story of a possible date rape.
Penned by the brothers behind hit BBC drama ‘The Missing’, the first episode saw newly-single school teacher Laura (Joanne Froggatt) go out on a date with widowed surgeon Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd), but both had two fundamentally conflicting recollections of the evening.
When Laura woke up the next morning, she believed she has been sexually assaulted, while Andrew was convinced they had an “amazing night”, and refused to accept her version of events - but who is telling the truth, and who is the ‘liar’?
That is something we will (hopefully) find out over the course of the next five episodes, but these are our immediate thoughts after the first chapter of this tale...
Did Andrew’s phone battery really die?
After he walked Laura home, Andrew’s phone was conveniently dead when he went to call for a taxi. Even she remarked what a coincidence it was, so could it have been a premeditated ploy to get into her house and drug her?
What happened ‘last time’?
During a conversation between Laura’s sister Katy and her husband Liam, she told him about Laura’s claim she had been raped, to which he asked if the police know “what happened last time”. Had Laura been sexually assaulted - or claimed to have been - before? Or perhaps she’s had another run in with the police?
What is Laura’s medical history she keeps mentioning?
At various points in the episode, Laura hinted she’s had mental health issues before. After reminding her ex Tom she’d previously been on “medication”, she was heard in a conversation with Katy, saying: “Look at my medical history. They will call me a mad, hysterical woman telling lies about the hero surgeon.”
What happened to Laura exactly, and is her medical history somehow tied in with what happened ‘last time’?
Why did Andrew really go and see Laura in the classroom?
As a surgeon, you’d think Andrew would have more sense than to go and track down a woman who has just accused him of rape. Unless it was a twisted attempt to get her to believe his version of events?
Did someone see Katy and Tom on the pier?
After accepting some dodgy phone calls and talks of “working late”, it was revealed Katy had been having an affair with her sister’s ex, Tom. As they met on the pier to discuss Laura’s case, it seemed as if they were being watched, but who was it, and will they keep their secret quiet?
Did Andrew swap the glasses?
After seeing a pair of wine glasses on Katy’s table, Laura had a moment of realisation that Andrew could have swapped their glasses the previous night to drug her, remembering he was drinking from a glass that had lip stick marks on. And while no drugs were found in her system in the forensic examination, she pointed out that he could have used GHB, which used in the right quantity, does not show up in the bloodstream - something he would have known as a doctor.
However, could there have been a more innocent explanation to the glass? Could he have legitimately picked up the wrong one by accident (unlikely), or maybe his glass wasn’t washed thoroughly prior to use?
What really happened to Andrew’s wife?
When Tom (also a policeman) began looking into Andrew’s background, it emerged his wife took her own life back in 2006 - something that attracted coverage in the press at the time. It could be entirely plausible she killed herself, or but there could also be a darker reason for her death that was covered up?
Did Laura just compromise her case?
We’re no legal experts, but we’d say Laura’s decision to post her allegations against Andrew online is going to have some repercussions.
‘Liar’ continues next Monday (18 September) at 9pm on ITV.