THE FIXER 2.4

[SPOILERS] It's great to see the spotlight focus on Rose (Tamzin Outhwaite) for The Fixer's fourth episode, even if her primary skill continues to be getting men into bed. Outhwaite's an attractive woman and I don't have a problem with the idea she uses her beauty to influence villains, but it's a frustrating that fluttering her eyelashes at scumbags is so often this ex-cop's only demonstrable talent. Episode 4 found creator Ben Richards joined by Rachel Kidd in the writing, but Kidd's female perspective wasn't the shot of tough estrogen I was hoping for. Still, this episode was much better than I expected, if a little uneven at times...

This week, Rose finds herself being stalked by Richard Millar (David Harewood), a former teacher who allegedly raped and murdered some of his students. Rose was the investigating officer at the time, but her covert mission to get closer to Millar by romancing him was deemed "entrapment" by the courts, the case collapsed, and Rose was abruptly cashiered from the police force. Millar fled to Malayasia with huge financial compensation, but now he's back and ready to rekindle his romance with Rose, whom he still believes loves him. It's an uncomfortable situation, but it afford Rose a second chance to outwit Millar and put some ghosts to rest by forcing him to reveal where he hid his victim's bodies...

Rose's plan to finally solve the mystery hat ruined her life is backed by Lenny (Peter Mullan), who just hates the fact a child-killer got away on a technicality, and the operation brings out an overprotective streak in Mercer (Andrew Buchan). Matters are complicated when Paula (Charlene McKenna), a teenage chambermaid at Millar's hotel, goes missing, and Mercer finds himself framed for rape and sent to jail after falling for a honey-trap set by government bureaucrat Symmonds (Elliot Cowan) in an effort to strong-arm Lenny into letting him pull his strings...

While I never bought into the idea Millar would risk getting back together with Rose after such a fluky escape from judicial process, this episode somehow managed to make it fly. It helped that Harewood made for a charming bad guy (banishing fresh memories of his performance as Tuck in Robin Hood), and while the uncertainty over Millar's guilt was never truly in doubt, there were occasions where I thought The Fixer might pull a twist and reveal Millar was innocent all along. But they didn't, sadly -- although it did leave us with a suitably numb feeling in the climax, as Rose opts to shoot Millar dead rather than risk him escaping justice again, even if it means she'll probably never find closure in the murdered students case.

Mercer being framed for rape felt a little tacked-on, but it was a development that passed quickly (perhaps too quickly?), and I liked how Symmonds was revealed as the man behind the trap. Cowan's quickly become a fascinating bastard for Lenny to grapple with, and someone with the connections and power to bend Lenny to his will, it seems. I'm sure we're heading for a finale that involves putting an end to Symmonds' machinations in two weeks, but a part of me hopes they keep him around and we're treated to a third series where Symmonds is in control of Lenny's gang.

Overall, the storyline was sometimes a little predictable (who didn't think Paula would become Millar's next victim the moment she appeared?), it suffered from a few clichés and you had to suspend your disbelief in a few places, but Outhwaite and Harewood both gave strong performances and the storyline was robust enough to keep you engaged until the raw climax.


22 September 2009
ITV1, 9pm

written by: Rachel Kidd & Ben Richards directed by: Sarah O'Gorman starring: Andrew Buchan (John Mercer), Tamzin Outhwaite (Rose Chamberlain), Jody Latham (Calum McKenzie), Peter Mullan (Lenny Douglas), Elliot Cowan (Matthew Symmonds), David Harewood (Richard Millar), Patricia Potter (Hanna), Charlene McKenna (Paula), Geoffrey Whitehead (Bob Winters), Nathalie Armin (DS Rowe) & Ingrid Oliver (Sadie)