The Missing (BBC drama)

heldel00

Kettleson wrote: »

I thought that was it, game over? Ollie dead and Mr Hughes positively and irreversibly insane, meanwhile French Detective returns to our screens with a new series?

Non?

Ah, so dad gets a shave, was proved right after all, AND French Detective turns out to have been involved from the start? (I mean, just who was he chasing in that black car at high speed)?

Mon seigneur!! Ce ne est pas possible???!!!

We'll have to wait I see. I for one have never watched an 8 episode series, it was fab from start to finish. James Nesbitt is brilliant actor.

My Tuesdays revolved around it for the past 8 weeks!

Kettleson

heldel00 wrote: »

My Tuesdays revolved around it for the past 8 weeks!

...and mine. Non regrette rien

Merkin

I agree that it was good, don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed it hugely. A lot of very subtle and intelligent clues en route but I don't feel that that was the conclusion tonight. Perhaps I'm wrong. I get the impression that a second season will revolve around Ollie being found given the closing credits.

Kettleson

Merkin wrote: »

I agree that it was good, don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed it hugely. A lot of very subtle and intelligent clues en route but I don't feel that that was the conclusion tonight. Perhaps I'm wrong. I get the impression that a second season will revolve around Ollie being found given the closing credits.

But it was a girl on the swing? Non?

Merkin

Kettleson wrote: »

But it was a girl on the swing? Non?

Which I interpreted as fairly generic/stock imagery. They probably are not sure themselves where they'll go with their writing so best to give a non committal, open to interpretation 'spoiler'.

Marje

Different story for the next series:

brand-new case, a new set of characters and a new location in the second season, which will also unfold over two time frames similar to the first season. Harry and Jack Williams are attached to once again write and executive-produce.

Link

I enjoyed it, we found out what happened fairly early in the episode. Was expecting maybe Olly would be found but it wasn't to be - we will never find out like Tony what happened... I think the writers have left it to us to decide or imagine what became of him.

8mv

Well, that was bleak and disturbing - great though. I've found a new respect for James Nesbitt. Looking forward to the new season, wherever it goes to.

Heavy Pierre

Pile of dung. Made Amber look like golden globe material. And that's saying something.

the deftone

8 hours of investment from the viewers, only for the writers to say 'not telling!'

F**k off.

ynwa_17

Thought the show was excellent and provided the sort of ending that Amber should've. Fully believe Ollie is dead, however:

https://twitter.com/oliverwpk/status/544988871315165184

Just another red herring? Obviously the writers has left it at the viewers discretion - whether they choose to side with the Mother who has closure or on the Fathers side, who now seems to be trekking the globe in search of an answer. I wouldn't be surprised if the ending was a dream scene, much like Garrett's Wife's one. The Efit's resemblance is far too good, which makes me believe it was a dream scene

Betty Bloggs

I'm wondering if that boy in Russia was Ollie too? Looks way too similar to the newspaper age projection picture and just the way he was looking at the picture then at Nesbitt looked like some small glimmer of recognition, but I'm possibly just seeing what I want to there.

If Ollie is alive but the second season is new cast and characters, it could still in it's final episode tie in with the gang from Ollie's case and information could emerge that showed Ollie was alive and how he ended up in Russia.

Hopeful thinking probably though..

Ceist_Beag

No look Ollie is dead, end of. The bit in Russia was just to show that whilst Emily moved on with her life, Tonys was ruined by the disappearance of his son and unless he found a body he would never accept the truth. The story is over, the writers did tell us what happened, and then showed that Tony just refused to accept it. It sounds like some viewers are doing likewise!
I thought the ending was ok and just showed how what really killed Ollie was really bad decisions by the brothers - had Alain just moved the body to the side of the road and drove off, or had he stayed with the boy in the house until someone arrived, or had George not rang the complete psychopath to get involved, or had Alain not left the boot open, he would most likely have been fine. As a parent I found those scenes hard to watch as it was so frustrating seeing one bad decision after another. Overall the series was excellent, however I really don't think I can sit through a second one, especially where we are already told that the child in this case is abducted and what happens is even worse.

SusieBlue

I binge watched the entire season over the last two days. Excellent series, probably one of the best of 2014. I had always been indifferent to Nesbitt but he was amazing and I have a huge new found respect for him.

It was very tastefully produced imo, series like this can sometimes go down the route of being cheesy and overly dramatic (in all the wrong ways) but it was almost as though I was watching real events unfold. It was raw, emotional, and very powerful performances all round from the cast.

I wasn't overly impressed with the ending..I'd have liked to have known where Olly ended up but obviously it was purposely written that way to keep us guessing.

However, I think its very telling that Georges was in front of the van during the scene where the Romanians were showing him what they did with Olly, blocking our view. It could have been his dead body or it could very easily have been a crate with the boy inside, ready to be shipped away. I'm guessing this was also done purposely so they didn't have to commit to a specific ending after just one series, and have more leeway for the next ones events.

I'm really looking forward to the next series, and I hope like a PP says that it ties in with Olly's story even if there's a new cast and a new focus. Hands down one of the best series I've watched, I'm only gutted I didn't find it sooner!

Kettleson

@Betty. Funny how it all makes sense after a nights sleep. (Seriously I did dream about it!)

"You must never give up hope"....Because he's found something!!

Here's my theory: it would seem cruel to consign Ollies dad to a life of insanity.

The mobster whom the Mayor got to dispose of the body, well he's not the murdering psychopath that he might appear to be.

"He seen my face....I finished the job", is an excuse and further deception.

His sister in Russia was childless and heartbroken after an accident, and he did not have any intention to kill a defenceless child.

He was compromised in his obligation to the Mayor, and bringing Ollie to the Hospital would have exposed past wrong doings. So he heavily sedated Oliver to make him look dead, (perhaps even momentarily covering him in clear plastic), then showing him to the Mayor in the back of the van.

He then transfers the sedated Oliver to the black car that we see in the high speed chase and takes him to Russia.

Oh yes, Ollie is alive and well, but may now unfortunately be a member of the Junior Mafia!

Happy Christmas one and all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3J7trGtpB0

Ceist_Beag

... and all the blood was what then? Think you have to accept the reality here Kettleson!

Mr E

A terrific end to the series, and a very logical, well thought out explanation to what happened to Ollie.

My take on the ending is that Tony just refused to move on (with enough seeds planted by the writers to ensure that some viewers will refuse to move on too)

Kettleson

Ceist_Beag wrote: »

... and all the blood was what then? Think you have to accept the reality here Kettleson!

Nah...that was a pot of red gloss paint that Ollie opened and was going to complete the drawing on the wall with.

volchitsa

Mr E wrote: »

A terrific end to the series, and a very logical, well thought out explanation to what happened to Ollie.

My take on the ending is that Tony just refused to move on (with enough seeds planted by the writers to ensure that some viewers will refuse to move on too)

I'm undecided. I have a gripe with the idea that the brother (juge d'instruction?) would not even look in the car boot to see the child first time. It struck me as completely implausible when it happened, so when the plot then depended on it that rather destroyed my "belief" in the storyline. They should have kept him away from taking the risk of meeting his brother, done it all by phone, wouldn't that have worked better?

Other than that (but it's a biggish gripe for me, I can't see how someone would tell anyone they had a dead child in the boot of the car and the person wouldn't even look! Never mind someone who's professionally involved) I did find the other loose ends pretty satisfactorily tied up. I liked it.

Have to say I found Nesbitt terrific at the end. To me he's lost the plot (Tony, not JN).

I hope (from a plotine PoV only) that it doesn't turn out that the boy is alive somewhere. Much as one would wish it IRL, that would be just too much to swallow in fiction. Like Sherlock Holmes coming back from the Reichenbach Falls.

Kettleson

...or waiting for the next series to find out "Who shot JR".

I can see the T-Shirts now....

"Ollie alive and well" versus "Ollie in shallow grave".

smurph266

Hm I dunno, it all seemed like a pretty ridiculously unlikely ending to me; there would have been blood marks all over the road where he had been hit by the car and the police were going over that area with a fine tooth comb but didn't find any, also a bit of an unrealistic reaction from the mayor, a corrupt but not evil, intelligent man: when his brother said he had killed a young boy through drunk driving he decides to just destroy the body? not to check its pulse, not place it somewhere to be found, not tell his brother to own up, hmm seems like a bit of a rushed, unsatisfactory ending after a long drawn out series

HeidiHeidi

Am I the only person who credulity snapped when the case is solved by a) a retired detective who swans back into the station out of his bee-keeping retirement, complete with gammy leg, and takes over the whole investigation, and b) the parents of the missing child who march into the hospital and are first into the room of the chief suspect and get to interrogate him (and attack him) while the police look on?

Meanwhile, the actual detective (Laurence (sp?)) trots along after them all, taking phone calls and doing.... well, not a whole lot, really?

Sorry, now, I know police shows can't be 100% reality, but that was just too much for me.

It also felt to me like the Russian scene at the end was tagged on as an afterthought - took me a while to figure out what the hell it was about. (I didn't see the post on here about "keep watching after the credits" until much later, so still haven't seen what that was about - but if it's vital information for this or the next series, they really need to put it in the main programme, or flag it - who watches through all the credits any more )

Won't be tuning in to the next one.

JoeA3

I kept waiting for "super detective" Julian to rubbish Alain's story by declaring that no evidence was ever found in the surrounding area of a traffic accident... but no, he just accepted his story! WTF.

It seemed clear that the accident scene was close to the swimming pool. The cops would have combed the area for clues, right? Surely there would have been lots of evidence at this supposed accident scene? Blood on the road, tyre marks, debris from the car - those Mondeo front bumpers are made from eggshells after all! And did Alain ever explain where his car disappeared to? And no one witnessed him driving erratically and no one else drove by in the immediate aftermath of the accident?

That for me was the biggest stretch in credibility of the series.... it even beats Tony's cover up of the Garrett murder.

what was after the credits?
something about the second series?

last episode not bad overall. endings to good series are always a bit divisive - definitely took the Russian scene to mean that Tony just couldn't leave his past behind him. Don't think that the kid was Ollie - even if he was still alive Tony would have no chance in finding him. The kid looked Russian in features in any case.

Kettleson

The Romanian school teacher and ex-/recovering drug addict, sister of the Romanian member of the 'Caid de Cité'...what was it that she knew? Was that ever disclosed?

Kettleson

Kettleson wrote: »

The Romanian school teacher and ex-/recovering drug addict, sister of the Romanian member of the 'Caid de Cité'...what was it that she knew? Was that ever disclosed?

she didn't know anything.
she was trying to help the police on 2 occasions find out stuff from the Romanians,

1. 2006 - what was going on with the "package" (maybe Ollie) being transported. Gets her throat slashed, barely survives.

2. present day, where is Karl Sigue? (the house cleaner). finds out from her brother that he's in Brussels.

brian_t

glasso wrote: »

what was after the credits?
something about the second series?

Charlie19

I was happy enough with how it panned out.

Id say ollie did die in that house that night and the ending with Nesbit in Russia was just showing that Nesbit couldn't let it go.

Edit: Just read what glasso posted and its more or less what I thought.

volchitsa

Yes, I think so too, if only because he was clearly badly injured from the accident and even though he came round initially, he would likely have died from lack of medical care, possibly from head injuries or internal bleeding. No time for infection to set in, I guess, but it's hard to see how a five year old could have survived for long in those conditions of stress and with no medical care at all.

Kettleson

This is TV land Volchitsa...anything can happen. I think Ollie will be found and will win X-Factor 2015.

His dad might just win Britains Got Talent with his incredible ability of smashing 30 coconuts against his head in 60 seconds.

Betty Bloggs

Was reading a few comments today from here
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-12-16/the-missing-did-we-get-the-ending-we-deserved

and someone made the speculation that maybe the next series will be about Ian Garret's daughter that "went missing". That line could tie in with some of the characters/gangs we have heard off in Ollie's case.
I can't remember though if we were told how long ago Ian's daughter disappeared although I suppose they could do a series based a few years in the past and bring it's conclusion up to present day.

I agree with the people who felt the whole story about Alain hitting Ollie with the car just seems far fetched to have left no forensic evidence behind at the scene. Part of me was wondering if Alain only fed that story to the mother because he felt guilty and to finally give her some closure and to get them all to stop investigating the case and searching for Ollie, although I suppose he didn't have much to lose by telling the truth on his deathbed.

What exactly was Vincent going to do or say to Ian Garrett if Ian had still been alive when he went searching for him?
He then tracked down Ian's wife, was he going to say more to her before he realised she was so mentally unwell and also saw her as a victim?
I often felt that he knew something more that he was going to expose but I suppose if he did know something he would have had ample opportunity to say it given that Ian was dead and he never did so maybe he didn't have any crucial information. I thought his suicide note was going to make some "big reveal" but alas no.

I think I've turned into Tony with all my ideas!:o

I get that this was deliberately done by the makers to leave some people feeling like Emily - that the case was resolved and another few like myself feeing a bit like Tony and still looking for answers, but I hope that in the next season if Ollie is not alive that they learn information of his body location just so that Tony and viewers like me can finally get some confirmation about it all!
I don't think this will happen though so I'm just left to wonder if the boy in Russia is Ollie or if I'm over-thinking things because I just don't like the ending at all.

I really didn't like the ending. I don't always have to have a neatly packaged ending in a tv show or movie, with some I actually like an uncertain ending that leaves it a bit open to interpretation, but I didn't want that with this short series. It just seemed to build up such a good plot and interweaving stories that led to nothing but Ollie following a fecking fox and getting hit by a car and then killed needlessly. It annoyed me to say the least.

Until next series, I'm just going to tell myself that the boy in Russia IS Ollie, that he somehow managed to end up in a safe home, and maybe even that Tony finally does get proven correct with DNA tests and he finally has some peace in his heart. If these are just hopeful delusions then so be it!