‘Marcella’ made a very dark return to our screens on Monday (19 February) night, as the crime noir introduced us to a disturbing new case which centres on the world of paedophilia and child killings.
As the cast previously warned, there were no answers to the questions that were left over at the end of series one (don’t worry, they are coming though), and instead, it threw up a load more that are going to keep us hooked for the next eight weeks...
Why was Marcella on the roof?
The episode began with a flash-forward, showing Marcella heading to the top of a building, seemingly ready to jump off. She was followed up there by Tim, who appeared to make an attempt to talk her down. But what has driven Marcella to contemplate suicide? And how did she get the cut on her forehead?
Who is keeping the boy locked up?
As we flicked back to the present day, disturbing scenes saw a teenage boy being held captive in a derelict house, but it remained unclear who was keeping him there.
This scene was establishing the new case, so we don’t think we’ll be finding out their identity any time soon, but we soon started suspecting a number of characters - namely convicted paedophile Phil Dawkins. More on that later...
Who killed the boy found in the wall?
Marcella’s team soon got to work on a new case after the body of missing schoolboy Leo Priestly (who just happened to be a friend of Marcella’s son) was found in the cavity of a wall.
Likewise, we don’t think we’ll have any answers to who killed him until the final episode and it’s likely it ties in with the other boy being locked up. However, neighbouring ’70s rocker Reg Reynolds was put firmly in the frame as a suspect, when it was revealed the wall had been accessed from his side.
What is Nick supposed to have done?
We met Eric (the chap with the 1996 tattoo on his head), who was watching a boy called Simon play football, waiting for his dad, Nick, to come home. When he did, Eric threatened to tell Nick’s wife something, but he claimed she already knew. Frustratingly, we didn’t get to find out what was said.
Eric told him his sister was “missing child support because of [him]”, which could suggest Nick has a child with her? Or perhaps he reported her for something? Either way, it remains unclear how the two men are connected.
Was the pink pig significant?
In the foodbank, Eric’s niece was with a pink pig, and just moments later, a similar one was spotted in the room where this mysterious man was preparing to conduct a procedure on the captive boy. Does this suggest Eric is connected to the man?
Is Adam being groomed?
Partway through the episode, we were introduced to a character called Adam, who was a friend of Nick’s son. As he was held in detention, it was revealed he had drawn a picture of a schoolboy killing a man.
Later on, viewers saw him making secret calls to a number late at night, before her later got into a strange-looking car on his way home from Simon’s house, all of which points to him being preyed upon.
Did Edward have something to do with Leo’s disappearance?
They were supposed to be walking home from school together on the day Leo was abducted, but Edward left him alone. It also appeared that Marcella and Jason had tried to hide this fact, suggesting there could be more to this.
Leo certainly seemed menacing when playing with the mouse in his bedroom, and we have a feeling he’s a character to keep an eye on.
Who attacked Marcella in Reg’s house?
After Marcella paid a late-night visit to Reg’s house to have another look at the scene where Leo’s body was discovered, she was attacked by a mystery assailant. Just who was it?
We were also left wondering how they could have got past the police presence outside the property, unless it could be that the attacker is a member of the force themselves...
Is the factory boss linked to a paedophile ring?
Red Cow Gifts had hit the front pages over claims they exploited teen workers, before it was revealed Eric was a member of staff there.
The factory boss was seen later briefing his lawyer, as it transpired he was using young workers and switching them to zero hour contracts once they hit 21, before replacing them with 16-18 year olds. Could it be that his business is providing a conveyor belt of young people for paedophiles to abuse?
What are Reg and Alan hiding?
After Alan was questioned about Reg’s whereabouts at the time of Leo’s abduction, he claimed they were out of the country on tour. Police suggested Reg could have been involved in paedophilic activity back in the 1970s - something Alan shut down.
However, when Alan picked Reg up after he was released from police hold, he asked the rocker if he’d divluged something during questioning, to which he responded the police “hadn’t even asked”. What was it?
Also, we couldn’t help but notice Reg seemed to be speaking fine to Alan, despite Alan telling police he’d had a stroke years previously that caused his speech to become muddled - who’s lying?
Is Phil connected to Leo’s murder and the captive boy?
Despite his earlier denials he had acted on any recent urges, it was revealed convicted paedophile Phil Dawkins was still active, with young boys being delivered to him.
You may have noticed not only was he using a different name (Mr Jones), but the building looked strikingly similar to the one the other boy was being held captive in, which could mean Phil is the one holding him, or is this too obvious?
Meanwhile, we know the original investigation into Leo’s disappearance couldn’t find any link to Phil (who also claimed to have an alibi), but could this be revisited now we know that Leo is dead?
Whose car did Adam get in?
We’re guessing it probably belonged the person he had been messaging. Although, it could have been totally innocent - don’t forget the ‘Marcella’ writers do love to drop in a few red herrings.
Who is watching Marcella?
At the end of the episode, we saw that someone was watching Marcella at home through the webcam on her laptop, before we saw a man watching on the other end. Could this be Tim? He’s certainly had enough access to Marcella’s house, and don’t forget he was already in the house when she arrived home earlier during the show, giving him prime opportunity to set the webcam up.
If it is Tim watching her, what exactly is he hoping to find? Could it be that he is actually working on a case against Marcella after finding out she moved Grace Gobson’s body at the end of the last series? Although if he really wanted to nail her for that, surely he has enough evidence already?
‘Marcella’ continues next Monday at 9pm on ITV.