TV Reviews: Harlen hit, Baby Thriller & Coming Back to Allsbroke!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog! In this blog, I will be taking you through 3 more TV shows I've watched so far. These feature a thriller based on Harlen Coben's novel with the same name, a drama which involves a custody battle, and the return of a scouse comedy which actually had a really heartwarming message at the end! So without further ado, here are some more TV Reviews!

Missing You:

The first show I’m going to review is “Missing You” based on the novel by Harlen Coben, produced by Danny Brocklehurst the last few episodes directed by Isher Sahota, and featuring a star studded cast, including Rosalind Eleazer, Ashley Walters and Richard Armitage.

This follows the story of detective Kat Donovan, who after discovering an ex on a dating site, she searches for answers on the disappearance of him 11 years before the series started! 

Rosalind Eleazer took on the role of Kat Donovan. I loved how I feel she used her job as a way to cope with the disappearance of Josh (played by Ashley walters), and that he’s the only man she’s ever loved. That along with finding out the truth behind who really killed here dad Clint (played by Lenny Henry who his a dark secret of his very own) and not bad man monte leburne (played by Marc Warren) made it a good objective for her throughout the series. But the disappearance of Dana Fells (played by Lisa Faulkner), also gave her something to think about, with the help of her son Brendan (played by Oscar Kennedy).

The supporting cast have had an impact on Kat's mission to locate Josh. These include her friend Stacey Embalo (played by Jessica Plummer), who had a very interesting job which came in handy for helping Kat, Yoga instructor Aqua (played by Mary Malone), who's link to Josh was quite heartbreaking and actually traumatising for her, and DCI Ellis Stagger (played by Richard Armitage), who did everything he could to keep the truth from Kat. There was also the eerie Titus (played by Steve Pemberton, and was the complete opposite to the comedic roles he normally plays), who's business came with a price if you didn't do as you were told, which is what missing Rishi Magari (played by Rudi Dharmalingam) experienced. Another person who had an affect on Kat's life was Calligan (played by James Nesbitt), who at first glance seems like a baddie, but really he just liked the build up to it and wouldn't actually go through with a killing. Catherine Ayers and Charlie Hamblett took on the roles of Nia and Charlie, two of Kat's colleagues, with Charlie being a new starter and a tech genius, who did everything they could to help Kat find the missing people, whilst they also had a personal connection of their own. I won't say any more as I'll let you guys watch the series to figure out how its developed.

I don’t think I have any downsides to the show, as what you see is what you get with anything by Harlen Coben. But I think (and this is also a positive), that my only thing would be that just when things get interesting it’s the end of the episode. But that’s when you also know that you’re hooked onto it as you know you just want more. But I guess also the ending seemed abit uncertain after that shocking secret from Josh and Clint. But despite an incline of what would happen next, maybe it’s one of those things where you guess what would following the end of the series. 

Overall I would give the show a full house 5 out of 5. It had everything from drama, twists and turns, and Harlen Coben did it again! I can’t wait to see what he does next! 

Playing Nice:

The next show I will be talking about is Missing You, starring Niamh Alger, James Norton, James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay.

This tells the story of couple Pete and Maddie who go on a battle for justice when another couple come forward about a secret linking to their children.

James Norton and Niamh Alger portrayed the roles of Pete and Maddie beautifully. With James best known for being a baddie in Happy Valley, it was good to see this caring side to him, but also the sensitive side when it came to the custody battle. The chemistry with Niamh is also beautiful to see, and she is definitely the sort of person who suits the role of someone who has battles of her own but covers them up with a tough exterior. But this just shows that she’d do anything to help her children no matter what the cost. Miles and Lucy (played by James McArdle and Jessica Brown Findlay), also seemed like the perfect couple at first but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Miles has abit of a dark side to him and would do anything to get what he wants. Lucy is abit more vulnerable, and only plants on a mask to avoid suspicion, and her involvement of what happened to the children at the end of the series is actually quite heartbreaking (but I’ll leave you to watch the show to see what it is). 

Other supporting characters have had an impact on Pete and Maddie's fight to keep there but also claim their biological son David. One of them is their lawyer Anika Chowdhury (played by Sunetra Sarker, and was my favourite), who gave them realistic facts in the case, but supported Pete and Maddie every step of the way. Another was Maddie's colleague Ollie (played by Theo Ogundipe), who was always there for Maddie when she needed a shoulder to cry on. Pete’s childhood friends Stella and Jen (played by Rebekah Murrell and Amy Morgan), also had their backs during the case, and Pete’s dad John (played by Phil Davis), was also caught in the battle when it involved cannabis gummies. But Miles’ mum Edith (played by Maureen Beattie), was able to face her fears and three Miles off the scent. But I’ll let you watch it to reveal why that is. 

I don't think I have any downsides to it, as it was such a thrilling drama. But I think if I had to pick one, it would be that there may not be another series of it. Which was a shame, as it would've been great to see the aftermath of series 1, and how it would affect Lucy, Pete and Maddie. But like with Harlan Coben's work, sometimes one series is enough (as it was also based on a book with the same name).

Overall I would give the show a full house! It was thrilling, it had passion, and it showed two parents who would do anything to protect their children.

G'Wed:

The final show I’m going to talk about is G’Wed, casted by Harry Gilbert, and starring Dylan Thompson-Smith, and Jake Kenny-Byrne .

Following the brilliant first series, series 2 continues to see cheeky cheaply Reece Duffy and his friends explore the world and learn a lot about life, including various topics! 

Once again we saw Reece Duffy (played by Dylan Thompson-Smith), being the cheeky happy he is. But this series we got to see a more sensitive side to him following the return of his dad Alan (played by Craige Els), who was not the dad reeve thought he was. This then had an impact on his friendship group (who I’ll get onto later), and his mum Jodie (played by Leanne best), who had a new job of her own and a surprising secret between her and Mr Dunn (played by Philip S McGuinness), but it led to a beautiful moment between the mother and son at the end of the series! But that didn’t break his friendship with “posh boy” Christopher (played by Jake Kenny-Byrne), who had an emotional anniversary and seeing his relationship with Aimee grow. That was nice as well, as at the end of series 1 it didn’t state if they were a couple or not, but I’m glad I got the clarification needed! 

Reece’s friends also had their own journeys and dreams throughout the series. These include ted (played by Dominic Murphy), who was brave to take a step in the stand up world with the help of the Vivienne (god rest their soul), and Connor (played by Max Ainsworth), who embarked on a romance with fellow student Lauren (played by Nadia Kamalli), after their love of cars came to play, but it met with a serious allegation which was eventually resolved. Mia-Louise (played by Gemma Barraclough), also embarked on a romance with older boy James (played by Simon Lennon), but saw the reality of what it’s like to date an older man. Aimee (played by Amber Harrison), also had her own struggles with her dads MS (played by John Mcgrills), and resorted to extreme measures to help get the money. But I know that with the support of her friends she will find a way through it. Scousechella was also a big event of the series, held by bad boy Lewis (played by Paddy Rowan), and the biggest surprise of all was his side kick Kieron (played by Matthew Devlin), had a shocking secret following the events of the party. But I’ll let you watch the series to see what it is. 

I think my only downside to the show was that the ending seemed ab it abrupt. Yes the speech that Reece gave was a positive one, but it never solidified the outcome of if the relationships between them are on good terms or not. But judging from the reaction it definitely had a positive affect on the students.

Overall I would give the show a 4.9. Yes there were some moments that made me chuckle and whilst I didn’t laugh out loud for most of the series, it definitely made up for it with heartfelt moments. And I don’t know if series 3 will be the last one, but I can’t wait to see Reece’s journey now that he’s cut his dad out of his life for good.   

And those were my reviews of those three brilliant shows! Let me know what you thought of them, and also let me know of any other shows I should watch and review.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time...

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)