COLLISION: Part 2 of 5

[SPOILERS] I enjoyed this more than the first part, but it still feels a tad lifeless. It's clear that the idea behind Collision is that everyone caught up in the pileup has a backstory that DI Tolin (Douglas Henshall) will uncover, exposing their guilty secrets in the process. Part 2 mainly focused on young Gareth (Anwar Lynch), whose girlfriend Alice (Lenora Crichlow) was killed in the crash. He's blamed the accident on being distracted by the police car chasing him for speeding, but Tolin senses that Gareth is hiding something to protect Alice's memory...

SIO Ann Stallwood (Kate Ashfield) was also introduced into the story as Tolin's co-investigator, and it became clear the two have a romantic history together, but Tolin's since ignored her for a year. The reason for Tolin's interest in this tragedy is also hinted at, as I suspect he took time off work after being involved in a similar crash himself (one that put his daughter in a wheelchair?) The lack of a Mrs. Tolin is also suspicious, so I presume she died in whatever tragic event befell him?

Elsewhere, millionaire Richard (Paul McGann) was taken to the nearby motorway services station with a dislocated shoulder, that kindly waitress Jane (Lucy Griffiths) popped back into place. Inevitably, there was chemistry between the pair, and Richard appears to be Jane's knight in shining armour, who will whisk her away from her inconsiderate, unromantic boyfriend at home. Of course, I'm guessing that Richard is going to have some skeletons in his closet that will give Jane pause for thought.

We also learned that secretry Karen (Claire Rushbrook) had been approached to steal her company's data and pass the files on for a newspaper expose, but the information is now in the back of her impounded car and she's stuck convalescing in hospital. A later scene found her being led away by two mysterious men, supposedly aware of her theft and hoping to get the "Locust" data back? And finally, Danny (Dean Lennox Kelly) has fled the crash scene with minor injuries, knowing he'd be arrested if the cops find whatever contraband he was smuggling into the country -- but it appears to have been hidden so well that nobody's discovered it yet.

When you boil it down like this, part 2 sounds very compelling, and it certainly wasn't a bad hour's entertainment. I'm just not that interested in anybody yet -- although Henshall got a few moments to shine when his grim demeanour cracked, and Griffiths exudes likeability. But too many characters are stereotypes -- or, rather, that they're existing as stereotypes until they get a chance to shine as the focus of an episode. Well, hopefully. Gareth was certainly more interesting here than he was last night, anyway.

A few of the storylines still feel like they're going down a very predictable path; a brief scene informs us that Sidney Norris' real name is Sidney Morris, and am I the only thinking he changed it because he's on the sex offenders registers? Regardless, it's fun to follow a story pre-crash via flashbacks and piece together information about the secrets people are hiding in the post-crash present. Here, Tolin eventually worked out that Gareth was smoking weed which may have dulled his reaction to the crash, but he didn't want Alice's father to know his beloved daughter was likewise a recreational drug user.

Overall, Collision still has a dreary "ITV drama" feel to it, couldn't hit an ad break on a gripping note if it tried, and I'm not sold on a few of the characters and strength of their storylines (yet), but there's enough intrigue and good performances to keep me watching. I hope tonight's third part kicks things into gear, though.


10 November 2009
ITV1, 9pm

written by: Anthony Horowitz & Michael A. Walker directed by: Marc Evans starring: Douglas Henshall (DI John Tolin), Kate Ashfield (SIO Ann Stallwood), Sushil Chudasama (PC Sanjay Gopal), Andrew Brooke (PC Alan Clacy), Pip Torrens (Deputy Com Fraser), Paul McGann (Richard Reeves), Jo Woodcock (Jodie Tolin), Christopher Fulford (DCI Stephen Maitland), Dean Lennox Kelly (Danny Rampton), Craig Kelly (Jeffrey Rampton), Frank Harper (Derek), Claire Rushbrook (Karen Donnelly), David Bamber (Sidney Norris), Brian Pettifer (Ed Wilson), Di Botcher (Mrs Whitfield), Lenora Crichlow (Alice Jackson), Anwar Lynch (Gareth Clay), Nimmy March (Carol Jackson), Colin McFarlane (Bill Jackson), Zoe Telford (Sandra Rampton), Nick Moss (Jake), Pano Masti (Ozan), Lucy Griffiths (Jane Tarrant), Matt Ryan (Dave Brown), Christopher Villiers (Keith Fowler), Jocelyn Jee Esien (Cindie Smith), Joe Westcott (Simon Parker), Caroline Trowbridge (Mrs Parker) & Phil Davis (Brian Edwards)