It’s unusual for the first episode of a TV drama to offer a resolution - in this case the apparent identity of its serial killer - but that’s exactly what happened in Monday (18 September) night’s ‘Rellik’.
The debut episode of the new thriller gave us plenty of answers, thanks to the back-to-front storytelling method devised by writers Harry and Jack Williams, along with a whole load of questions... and obviously zero ideas about how they fit together.
Viewers know that Steven Mills is ultimately shot by the police, while DCI Gabriel Markham ends up in the backseat of his car with his colleague and girlfriend, DI Elaine Shepard.
The conclusion of the story - which played out in the first minutes of the opening episode - also revealed that Gabriel is clearly very, very troubled by everything that’s taken place.
So how did they get to this point? What details are we desperate to uncover? Here are our nine burning questions...
1. Did Steven actually commit the murders?
While the shooting scene indicated that the police were certain they had the right man, our confidence in their certainty reduced as the episode continued.
It soon became apparent that Gabriel had his own misgivings about Steven’s guilt and his wife, Beth, refused to believe he would have been capable of the seven murders.
2. What happened to Gabriel’s marriage?
The first conversation between Gabriel and his wife Lisa was further into the episode than his numerous encounters with Elaine, so by the time she was seen asking him to end his affair, we already knew he’d broken this promise.
It was clear things between the pair had been rocky for quite some time, but was his affair the root of the problem, or the tip of the iceberg?
3. Why were the two police officers fighting?
Their colleagues didn’t seem too concerned by the scrap, but we’re desperate to know the cause of their row.
4. How did Gabriel get attacked?
Richard Dormer’s character has facial disfigurements which are the result of a recent acid attack.
It’s the serial killer’s trademark to make his victims harder to identify by covering their faces with a corrosive liquid, but how did the DCI come to be in this position, when he (obviously) wasn’t murdered?
5. Why didn’t he get thrown off the case?
We’re not doubting the detective’s commitment to bringing the case to a close and stopping the murders, but keeping an officer on the case when the suspect has physically assaulted him is an unorthodox move.
6. What’s the deal with Christine Levison?
It’s clear Gabriel once viewed her as a prime suspect and the fact she was signed out from hospital at the exact time the last murder took place certainly doesn’t do her any favours. But could this be an early (or very late, in terms the linear narrative...) red herring?
7. Who was the man leaving the country?
A number of characters will still unidentified by the time the credits rolled but he was one we were perhaps most intrigued by.
8. What are Isaac Taylor’s other links to the case?
Gabriel chastised himself for not realising Steven was one of the psychiatrist’s patients, hinting that he must have been linked to the case at an earlier point too.
The doctor was also seen nervously waiting for his patient at a motorway cafe, though he didn’t show up.
9. And finally... why was Gabriel’s daughter grounded?
Admittedly, this is one of the less pertinent queries, but we want the answer all the same, OK?
New episodes of ‘Rellik’ air on Mondays on BBC One at 9pm. Catch up on the series opener on BBC iPlayer.
