Unforgotten series 5 *spoiler alert*

The writer tied himself up in knots with the plot, such an unengaging story in general. I also couldn't give the shiniest of shits about grandma or Jay. With the Jessie character it was just so dull - hubby having an affair with his SIL - how many times have we seen that in a TV drama?

Whole thing was a boring mess.

Tony Hume was Ebele's father. He raped her mother. I can't remember if we ever knew who Precious's father was.

I was pretty disappointed with this and felt it didn’t have the emotional punch of the previous series (especially the first two series). The links between the characters seemed far too convoluted to me and didn’t really ring true. There was a bit too much “lecturing” which felt bolted on, rather than organic to the storyline IMO.
I couldn’t warm to Ebele, which was a problem given she was central to the story.
I thought there were a few plot holes too. Was it really that easy to get a private DNA test done in 1988, when the police had only just started using it themselves? I was also a bit doubtful that Ebele’s mother’s letter would have been kept for her all that time, given the family dynamics. The cult thing was a red herring, and I didn’t see the point. The brother stealing his half-brother’s identity seemed unlikely, and was ultimately confusing. What was the interest in fauvism meant to convey? I also think there was a point when one of Sunny’s colleagues used the “Royce” surname when they weren’t supposed to have known about it at that point.
I didn’t mind so much the process of Jess settling into the job. But the infidelity storyline was frustrating - did he really leave because of a kiss (not affair) with the sister? But the sister invented a full-blown affair?
I confess I was losing interest towards the end so I may have missed some nuances.

Yeah that affair thing was really odd. Knowing how important the first day of a new job was to her he tells her that morning? Really? Does he hate her, as that's the only explanation for someone doing something so cruel. What a nasty thing to do. He seemed to be a blank character other than that. Sat in his friend's house staring at the floor? Zero personality so unlikely someone so bland would do such a thing.

As someone else said, could not engage or care about any of the new characters at all in this. All pretty unpleasant in the actual story. None of the themes thrown in ever got developed or resolved. This series previously was so good in tying things up and making you really care about the people in it.

I don't think I can forgive Chris Lang for writing that sarcastic clapping towards Hume by Jess. Just too on the nose.

Agree that was awful. Cringe. Amazed the actor agreed to do it actually. Is it the same writer as the other series? Why is this one so terrible?

Reminds me of the new Lee Child Jack Reacher books he writes with his brother compared to the amazing earlier Reacher books. Dross.

That seemed like a very unprofessional thing for a detective to do during an interview. I agree that it was very jarring.

Totally, it was crazy

I found the anti Tory agenda distracting. Ok I get it he’s a cartoon style evil Tory minister who made some cuts! Every five seconds someone mentioned cuts! Even when she was talking to her poor Dads wife saying how much she loathed him personally she brought up Tory cuts! Not realistic and smacked of a spoon feeding anti Tory agenda.

I admit I think this series should be named Unbelievable as there were so many characters, behaviours etc which didn't make sense; however had I drifted off in disbelief in that interminable interview with Bele in the last episode or was there no explanation as to why Precious was stuffed up the chimney of the empty house? Her son was taken away & actually had a sort of grave dug for him in a garden. I wouldn't stuff a dead rat up a chimney & I thought Precious' mother grived over her body for a while after her death. Bele was a big strong woman & Precious was tiny but - stuff her up a chimney?
I am also a tad bemused that we now have to wonder how many overworked social workers have taken to upskirting & theft to give them a break from work. I know all social workers are not perfect but it is a it bit weird to have endless moralising about how there is not enough money provided combined with a story line of a social worker who is vile.

And when she was viewing her body at the start, she was saying something like "what did they do to you" over and over to her daughter. Then said it must have been a man, it's always a man. When in fact it was her and her grandson who had done whatever was done to Precious. I'm actually unclear still on what exactly happened tbh. Did her grandson pull the gun on Tony because he wanted money, Precious jumped between them and got shot. Then how did the grandson die?

No the grandson shot first then precious turned it on herself. Jay lied to frame lord H. Lord H just took it probably as punishment for the cuts. Never mind the effect on his family? 🤔

I agree.

Was starting to warm to her & then thought how ridiculous & unprofessional.

Not sure any of the prosecution witnesses would come across well in court but luckily for them they won't be needed as Lord H only given about 3 months, I think, due to his cancer. Think he was off to Dignitas to end it early when he was arrested on the plane.

Oh it was all so silly.

Still love the team though. Best bits were them piecing through the clues.

She was Comfort in Casualty.

and bloody annoying in that too. Just something highly irritating about the way she overacts.

Agree - it was just so heavy-handed and poorly done.

I think Chris Lang should get in a co-writer for the next series, if there is one.

I’m actually feeling annoyed with myself for watching the whole thing in the hope it would improve. It’s a shame because I don’t watch much British TV drama’s but Unforgotten series’s 1-4 were really high quality.

Or punishment for the rape.

Yes I found the constant overtly political (anti-Tory) comments spoiled it. It is unrealistic to have everyone in a police station having the same political views.
'New Tricks' did reality much better with Dennis Waterman's character as one of the more conservative ones.

I groaned too. CRT and slavery tick. At least we were spared the transgender theme.

Not the greatest series. Disappointed on the whole.

Finished this last night, and as someone who thought Nicola Walker never acted but just had annoying mannerism, I wasn't bothered by her not being in it. But put off by new lead as she had that strange hair style to an actress in another series which is meant to look all sophisticated or something but actually looks like someone with dirty hair that needs a good comb. (Sorry sounds very trivial)

And was never that taken with Sunny ... so why did I watch?

Well as someone said up thread for the plotting and the team working out how all the links fitted together.

And how easy it was to go down the wrong route. So that was the part that the social worker played. What looked like suspicious behaviour in terms of the crime they were solving, was because of his criminal behaviour. (I kept thinking what's Poldark doing in Paris!!) And of course helped Sunny's character seem even more out of step with his partner by being on Eurostar whilst she is having a miscarriage.

I thought the actor who played Jay was really good at being unlikeable, but also sympathetic. Almost want a whole new series to show what happens to him and his grandma now they have found each other, but have a new secret to cover up. ie false evidence against the evil upper class tory.

I thought Martine Laird was brilliant. Again on one level really unlikeable (and lucky to have such a loyal partner) but thought she conveyed how her whole live had been blighted not only by her family, but not being able to get justice because of her race and sex, and living with the fact that her daughter hated her.

And agree that maybe this series it was a bit too heavy handed with the social messaging, but that is really what the series have always been hasn't it? A vehicle to expose the social injustices of the past, that led to some people disappearing and only being found years later by accident.

Was there ever a plot line where say for instance in a moment of carelessness a driver killed a pedestrian, and hid the body. ie no politics, just about how a member of the public not only did a bad thing, but then tried to cover it up?

(I am wrong in remember as Cassie also having to deal with a husband she felt estranged from, or rather that he felt there was no place in her life as work took precedent?)

Was the security guard in the last episode Derek Griffiths of 1970s children's tv fame? Sure sounded like him

Yes