The Fall, Series 2

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Series 2 of The Fall begins on Thursday 13 November, 9pm on BBC2.

Here's the trailer. youtube

Was the car maybe near the old outbuildings she asked them to investigate when they looked at the thermal imaging?

ahhhh, I see the mirroring idea, but what does mirroring achieve for the police? Is mirroring going to make him more likely to say where Rose is? Has he known ever since the ceiling fell in that they are all watching him and waiting? I presume so.

Merlin is an AMAZING actor isn't he? When he was just Merlin I only ever noticed his mahoosive ears. But now, heLOOOO Detective Smoulder, you can take my details down at your convenience.
(cougar/perv emoticon)

Knew I recognised him, how stupid of me

I'm confuzzled..... Once the defrocked priest identified PS as Peter Baldwin does that mean that he has assumed the identity of Peter Paul Spector because it didn't make sense to me about the Spectors in North London adopting kids. The timelines seemed all wrong as the priest said PB moved to another boys' home until he was 15.
Granted I was watching it with my 77year old mother who gives a running commentary on every twist and turn [hmmmm]

Could be. I took it that Spector was the boy in the holiday picture on the beach and the woman was Mrs Spector. But he might have made it all up. The boy looked 10 or maybe 12.

I don't remember who found it or where it was.

That priest was terrible. I know he's serving 20 years and they have to give minimum tariff, but how could anyone like him ever be considered safe to release?

I also felt for poor Rose. That seemed realistic. I imagine in her situation you would swing between begging for your life to rage and contempt against your captor.

I suppose Spector knows that he's been caught and may be just leaving the film of Rose to regain control.

Detective Smoulder looks like Cillian Murphy's slightly less good/unearthly looking younger brother.

I find it hard to believe that the hapless Jim Burns is supposed to be a senior-ranking officer. His interview with the paedophile priest was risible: the guy is still dressed as a priest and obviously has a monstrous ego, so it would have been a much better approach to play to that from the beginning if the aim was to actually gather useful information. Instead, Burns immediately gets into a ridiculous pissing contest with him and wastes the whole interview trying to get him to admit the heinous nature of his crimes. Never gonna happen.

I nearly laughed out loud when Burns said to Stella "Can I help?". Unlikely, I'd say, unless she needs someone to divert traffic with a mournful expression.

Arf at "mournful expression"!

Hahaha Bofster. Brilliant.

Loved that episode. Stella and Peter are able to convey so many emotions through their facial expressions.

Detective Smoulder, handsome as he is , reminds me so much of my Fermanagh born Grandfather with his slow , measured delivery.

I tweeted @TheFallTV last night saying "Jim Burns: 'Can I help?' Stella Gibson: 'Yes, yes you can...' farm4.staticflickr.com/3172/2313454596_1517efa9c3.jpg"

Right... Just caught up.
Awesome episode!
Priest freaked me out more than video of Rose
Definitely mannequin in car
Loved Anderton mirror body thing & the DC at the end representing hid victims in looks.

Can't wait to find out what happens with Katie, what abt her diaries?

It's PS's dad, John Paul Marshall, who was adopted by the spect.ors. Assume his mother was C. Baldwin.

I don't think Stella would have touched Gail without permission in the way she did.

Brilliant episode, though at times the pace, which they've slowed right down, was torture! and being left hanging til next Thursday, I can barely cope!

Totally agree okitoki, Gibson's choice of arresting officer in both cases is to unsettle PS, by pushing buttons in his aberrant psyche. The mirroring idea presumably comes from him - the episode at work that DC Beardy imitated.

Though it's nice to see flashes of how on top of her game she really is, I am still slightly irritated by the portrayal of Gibson - especially her touching Gail, Yonic, totally agree. More unprofessional intimacy. So unnecessary.

I'm interested to see how Katie's story works out. In a way, more so than PS. I've not enjoyed her as a character (partly due to a weak performance I think). She didn't seem surprised when the police burst into the room. So the writers are all in with her being knowingly complicit - will she now break down at the horror of it? or will she emerge as being as damaged as she is infatuated?

Above all Merlin is beautiful, I am transfixed.

off to watch again

Oh meant to say - I think the decision to arrest him suddenly was clear - he looked like he was about to flee. And from the presence of his passport in his backpack, they were right.

Scratch all that ^^

Watching back I don't know if it's about mirroring (reflecting, maybe). Anderson sits in a very different posture from PS, who has his arms crossed. Anderson is calm and open, with his hands on his knees. And Anderson talks, when PS is silent. The arrest plan is all about appearing unruffled - that's why the consistency with the arresting officer and first interviewing officer, it creates the impression of control. As for Anderson's, ahem, pleasing visage, I think it's Stella sticking two fingers up to PS ego - that's why she had Burns, the assistant CC, go to the scene and conspicuously not arrest him. Because it would outrage his narcissism to be passed over by someone so senior, and the oddness of the sequence will play on his mind. And PS trades on his good looks and charm; putting him across the table from someone who shares those qualities effectively removes them from the power dynamic.

Putting his feet on the table is another bizarrely childish defiance of authority, as was imitating his manager. Another facet to his psychosis, it demonstrates his total lack of respect for consequences and loathing of authority. He's fearless. I was struck by that in the fight / gun scene too. He mocks the situation by asking to get up because his knees hurt, even with a gun to his head.

Watching again and paying proper attention I'm interested to see what unravels next week. He certainly has some sort of end game in mind. I thought he wasn't quite sure they were onto him but I was totally wrong, he was for some time. So he must be prepared.

The finale is 90 mins, and this is how it's described on iplayer

With Paul Spector in custody, DSI Gibson desperately searches for clues to help find Rose Stagg. However, Spector does all he can to thwart her, locking them into a deadly duel.

Deadly, eh.

Right, that's enough spamming and overthinking for one night! off to bed.

That's a really good analysis, rooty.

I don't think it was so much being unprofessional, though it was. It jarred because it was predatory. When she kissed Reet there was more of the "testing this out, leaving room to pull back" body language. With Olsen, it was his choice to come to her after she'd indicated she wanted that. But with Gail, she'd just been woken up and was feeling embarrassed when Stella touched her, and they hadn't had much interaction before that. I think Stella would have asked her to take her hair down, not done it for her.

It was interesting to see Stella watching the traumatic Rose video, it is the first time we have seen any hidden emotion surface. Her tears were so striking, I don't think I have ever seen such beautiful, dignified, 'controlled' crying, it was deeply moving in a way, and shocking in the fact that we have never seen her let go of her feelings visibly before.

I thought Stella said "may I ?" as reached for Gail's hair? She does seem to disregard boundaries in her single-mindedness.

Why is Stella crying? Is she upset because she and the force have failed Rose or is she upset for herself? Does that make sense?

I've always felt that she and Spector are two sides of one damaged coin but that she managed to find a way to channel herself into good deeds. However we have also seen her take what she wants along the way and leave a fair bit of collateral damage too.

Gypsy, she was already reaching for or touching the hair when she said that. Plus if she'd been picking out a twig or something, her behaviour would've been more reasonable. But letting down the hair was something it would have been just as easy to ask and I actually think that is a piece of bad writing and plays to the judgemental view of Stella.

The implication throughout is that Stella has been sexually assaulted in the past. She's handled people very sensitively and suddenly she's in a subordinate's personal space without invitation or need? No.

Sorry, it's annoyed me no end.

Yes I agree gypsy, their are similarities in the two main characters, their strengths and flaws are quite similar and it is all being set up for a head to head, battle of wills and how much they understand each other's depths.
I know what you mean about the crying, it was ambiguous, yes she was upset at Roses situation, but also at her own inability and frusration not to have sorted it out and resolved it. Stella may have gone through some similar kind of experience and an understanding of the power/control thingies her past. It is unsettling to see a nice maiden melt slightly.

nice maiden??????
Ice maiden