With its early critics comparing it to Bodyguard, expectations were high as the BBC’s new thriller The Capture kicked off on Tuesday night – and it did not disappoint.
Delving into the ever-increasing reality of the “post-truth” era, the six-part series looks into the effect that fake news and deep fakes have on the criminal justice system, and whether we can always trust what we see.
The first episode saw former soldier Sean released from prison after having his conviction of an unlawful killing during active duty overturned at appeal.
His freedom was soon under threat again, though, when damning CCTV footage of him assaulting and kidnapping his barrister, Hannah, after a night out came to light.
With the walls closing in on Sean, his innocence was up for debate once again – serving up a whole lot of questions...
Was Sean actually innocent of the unlawful killing?
Sean was released after Hannah managed to prove that the video evidence that secured his original conviction was flawed. But as he later says in the pub, it doesn’t mean people actually believe he is innocent – it just means the evidence is erroneous. So should we trust the outcome of his appeal?
Well, we should bear in mind that the footage doesn’t actually capture the moment the insurgent reached for a weapon as Sean had claimed, while the fact he shouted “get the fuck back” doesn’t necessarily mean Sean was in enough danger to shoot the man.
Who was watching Sean in the van as he left the pub?
Following his release celebrations, Sean headed out of the pub to his car, but one particular shot showed someone in a brown van apparently watching him.
Who could this have been and why did we not see them? And did they follow him to the bus stop where he caught up with Hannah?
Who would want to set Sean up?
Sean’s original case appears to have been a pretty high-profile one, meaning there are probably a lot of people who have strong thoughts about him. Therefore, it’s highly likely there’s someone out there who hates Sean (and the fact he’s been acquitted) enough to want to set him up – but the question is who? And is it someone we’ve already met?
Could it be his solicitor?
We might be clutching at straws in the hope of finding answers here, but did anyone else notice a dodgy look from Sean’s solicitor when Rachel informed them it was Hannah who was the missing person?
It may well have been a look of concern for her safety, but it could also be interpreted as one of panic, potentially indicating he might have something to do with her disappearance.
Where did Sean go?
After Sean left the bus stop, his movements for the next 80 minutes were unaccounted for while he was in a CCTV blind spot. If he wasn’t doing anything with Hannah during that time, then what was he up to? And was he deliberately avoiding surveillance?
Is Sean’s memory to be trusted?
At the end of the episode, we saw Sean having a flashback to the scene at the bus stop, which seemingly showed him remembering his assault on Hannah.
However, Sean has clearly been traumatised from his time in the army and his subsequent jail stint, so can his own memory to be trusted? Could this vision actually be him just starting to believe the things he’s been told he’s done?
So, did Sean really attack Hannah then?
The evidence does look pretty damning, but we know this is a drama that explores the effect of deep fakes and whether CCTV can always be trusted. So, we’re probably going to have to wait right until the end of the series to find this one out.
Is Hannah dead?
Between the two CCTV cameras where Sean’s movements are unaccounted for, there is a river, which police suspect is where Hannah’s body is. With a search now underway, are police about to make a gruesome discovery? Or is Hannah still alive and out there somewhere?
The Capture continues next Tuesday at 9pm on BBC One.