Silent witness

[lastqueenofscotland]

It’s back! Anyone else love this show?

I think it was her husband, yes. Although they didn't make that at all clear I don't think.

I knew the gay couple were relevant!

I was uncomfortable with them making one of the abused women a serial killer though. It fed into the "you can't believe them they're all nuts" vibe of the sexist judge.

Its got people talking about what goes on in family courts.

They seem to have completely dropped the Nikki Jack possible romance storyline they seemed to be heading towards a few series ago - the ridiculous Mexico episodes in particular seem to ring a bell on that front.

I love this show even though it’s utterly mad.

Not sure I liked the abused woman being the killer either.

Well odd one. Not liking the crazy lying woman addition. As said by @SoupDragon feeds into what the judge thinks. (Can't say I was too sad to see him stabbed, terrible as that is to say.) Because whilst we have the constant not all men / it's not just men chest beating (that required a lesbian couple in a domestic abuse heavy story line), there the believe that one woman doing something all women are lumped into it. (Consider the whole driving situation, where men are statistically the highest dangerous drivers there's no condescending blame on solely men, but it's all "women drivers" once one women does something wrong.)

It really irritated me that it had to be made about Nikki as well.

I think it was supposed to be (the murdering) woman wasn't abused but manipulating.

Also couldn't help noticing how it was over when the mens' murders where solved but not the woman (well not clearly, my sound was playing up on the recording at the end but did Cat only talk about her gran's abuse. Didn't make it clear that her mum was also abused.) Bit like the horrible suited detective thought Cat's dad's murder what in the need of the "best people"!! (Presuming because it was an able bodied male.)

Also where some of the male actors having a competition as to who could do the most ham acting?! I wasnt entirely sure if Cat's dad's reaction to being told his wife was dead was poor acting, or the character's poor acting that he was surprised/sad. I was unclear mostly as it was never made clear who actually killed her.

Oh and another thing!! Did Nicci kill her dad?

The Nikki flashbacks irritated me too, but I was left mainly concerned as to Poppy and Daisy and where their mother's actions left them.

Same @Lobsterquadrille2 that was the bit that didn’t ring true for me -she was so determined not to leave them.
Felt like she was the murderer just for the sake of shock plot twist to be honest

@Genehuntssexyhands exactly! Presumably the father would get custody? It made it so completely unlikely.

Nikkis dad was in it several series ago..........played by Leigh Lawson.

Ok, that might be ringing a bell. Evidently didn't kill him with the shovel then!

I thought that Nicki’s dad abandoned her and her mum and that was why the father/daughter relationship had broken down? I don’t recall domestic abuse being mentioned before. That really changes Nicki’s back story and seems a bit clumsy and ‘convenient’ to this episode.

Or maybe I just don’t remember the whole back story properly?!

The way the flashbacks were done made it seem like she had repressed the memories.

Another one here a bit confused about the ending. So abusive husband killed wife found on train tracks? Mum of 2 killed murdered woman's abusive murderer husband and abusive drug dealer boyfriend of mixed race woman and stabbed sex pest judge?

And, was abusive husband of murderous abused wife, played by Chummy's lovely DH from Call the Midwife???

I was torn between thinking it was really good to have some of the difficulties for women in refuges, trying to keep their children safe and much more shown in a tv drama.

But also worried someone needing a refuge will now think they are going into a hot house of criminal activity.

Not sure there was ever a romance likely between Nikki and jack but always thought she would have a long distance relationship with Harry (may have got the name wrong - but the posh one). Instead she ends up having a long distance relationship with a wierd american. (Presumably to sell it to american tv).

I was nearly right about saying I thought it was the mother in law who murdered the murdering husband. She was an instigator / coconspirator. Which made we wonder what happened to Cat? Mother killed. Father killed. Grandfather killed. Grandmother arrested for consipiracy to murder. But there she is cool calm and collected sitting on a bench to give Nikki her caring sharing moment.

And come to think of it should she have been questioned for peverting the course of justice as she lied with her grandmother about whether the grandfather was at home or not!

I am not against them having the lesbian DV storyline but it looked a bit clumsy as though it was originally going to be a straight couple and then they thought it would look like a cliched story about a violent Black man.

For me the almost most depressing part was believing that the judge and all the other public school boys would be sitting in clubs working out how to thwart women's rights.

Also dont remember there ever being any indication that the boss (Thomas?) was interested in becoming an MP!

But I suppose by having the characters back stories a bit vague then can then add it bits to suit a particular episode.

I found much of it somehow “off”. I just can’t see Nikki being a child who witnessed domestic abuse, it didn’t ring true for me.

In a story about abuse against women, why did we have a violent woman killing and stabbing? It was all wrong!

Clarissa and Nikki should have told that senior policeman where to stick his misogynistic views.

The Grandfather wasn't killed. He was arrested for the murder of his son-in-law.... after being set up by the geandmother and Tina

Did anyone else's mind descend into the gutter when they showed the sign for the Gentlemen's Members Club?

Mrs Golightly i was surprised at that too. MRAs on twitter are loving it.

Oh dear, my memory. Thanks FourDecades. But presumably assuming he was released, he is now known to be a domestic abuser and Cat wouldn't be allowed to live with him.

Its just a lose end. You would think Nikki might have asked.

Interesting that on twitter everybody is saying but who killed the woman found on the rail tracks. This doesn't seem to have been explained well in the drama, so now I am wondering if I did just assume it. But do remember the lock up.

Apparently Emilia Fox co-produced this episode. Not sure that that means anything!

I agree with others that this was a pretty confused couple of episodes. Good that they mentioned the number of women killed by their partners in the UK, but then somehow fed into a “my ex is a crazy bitch” narrative, which sold the theme short. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was written by a man (although I don’t know).
Also didn’t like the Nikki back-story. I feel there was some retconning going on with her backstory here.

I feel like the characters have lost their personality a bit this series

Harry was a much more suitable love interest for Nikki than her current American diplomat beau.

I thought the most recent storyline was muddled. Agree that it wasn't really obvious that Cat's dad killed her mum. Or any of it really.

This one was muddled and the last one introduced us to the 'perp' only in episode two. Something's going wrong. Wondering whether this whole season has had different writers/directors/producers? Is the writing on the wall for the drama (always did prefer Waking the Dead)?