Viewed on 1st July 2018
1h 41min
8/10
The past few weeks I have been thoroughly enjoying the Prime Suspect series which I’m watching chronologically by release date. Each season so far contained two episodes, both focusing on one case with a usual plot twist at the end of episode one. By that logic The Lost Child is the first episode of season four. However, it was filmed as a stand-alone film.
Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) has been promoted. To someone like me who doesn’t understand police rankings, let alone those in the UK, it’s only obvious by Tennison getting her own office and no longer correcting people to call her DCI.
In the previous season we learned that one of her officers was gay. In this episode we learn that Inspector Muddyman (Jack Ellis) was abused as a child. It takes Tennison a suprising amount of time to realise his blood is boling and the case feels personal. We are made aware of it with close ups on his face and an unusual amount of screen time. He is unable to resist the stress of the apparent peadophile case, makes a mistake, and faces an inquiry at the end of the film. I don’t think we will be seeing him again. It would be interesting to see Tennison lose her cool and career over a case, but I doubt it will happen. She is portrayed as the hero.
As the film title indicates, a child has been kidnapped. The immediate assumption is that the perpetrator is a pedophile. However, an officer in the squad voices doubts – what would a pedo do with a two year old? The look on people’s faces express the unmentioned disgust, horror, and awareness of his naivety. The film presents some interesting British slang like “nonce” (originating from “nancy boy”, describing a pedophile) or “plod” (meaning police officer).
For the first time in the Prime Suspect series we are dealt a female murderer. She is a mother suffering obvious postnatal depression who figuratively loses her wits, chokes her two year old Vicky, and disposes of the body in the river. Do they ever explain the robbery and blow to the head?
Mid through the film Tennison cries heavily and we learn it’s her reaction to her abortion. At the end, the credits start rolling as Tennison sit quietly and contemplates her abortion… or the murder case… or both. There’s a very obvious comparison being made with the murdering mother. Where do you draw the line? Is Tennison also a murderer of her own child? By this time I feel like the series has a rather anti-abortion message. It’s probably the perfect contrary to Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’s “It’s fine, it was like a heavy period” in Veep S01E07.
I watch Tennison lead the investigation, shut down people she doesn’t want to hear, tell off those who deserve it. She is nailing her job as best as one could and I realise she is actually a pretty good female rolemodel. I quite admire her. She has definitely joined ranks with Dr Michaela Quinn and Mulan Fa.
I still prefer the previous show format where two episodes were dedicated to one case in one season. However, I still enjoyed this film. It also convinced me to take up Prime Suspect as a topic on Mastermind one day. In case Red Dwarf is taken.
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