The much watched series returns for a four part mystery concentrating on blackmail of a politician, the death of a girl and of course the personal battles and relationships of the two leads, Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) and Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger). Beginning with Robin getting married and yes to that loser of her boyfriend, Matt (Kerr Logan) who didn't do much of anything other than boozing and sleeping. As well as being jealous somewhat of the time she spends at her job and her work. Of course Strike is invited to the wedding and turned up at the reception too, though admittedly he got rather bored and doses off. Not surprised really. Though once again there were major pangs and deja vu relating to Sherlock and John Watson's wedding, which turned out to be more eventful than this.
As the couple dance, Strike leaves but not before she can't stop staring at him and he at her. As he leaves she goes after him and says she'll accept his offer to return to work after he fired her last series. As they hug, more connotations of Sherlock and of course also a little Doctor Who with Amy and Rory's wedding when Doctor Eleven walked off on his own.
At work with a new receptionist who really didn't want to be there and wasn't so good at what she does either. Neither was the guy he hired out to help him who botched up following a person of interest in one of Strike's current cases. So he fires him too. As Robin returns to work, a man, Billy Knight (Joseph Quinn) turns up and hides out in the office, a potential client who can no longer keep his childhood secret a secret. He tells of witnessing the death of a girl on the hill with a painted horse. He was six and he saw the killer placing her on the eye of the chalk horse and strangling her until she pissed herself. He won't give his details but Strike convinces to write down his address, until the receptionist walks in and scares him off as he tears the paper from the pad. Robin filming the incident on her phone the entire time.
Strike uses the tried and tested method of pencil rubbing over the remaining page and finds a possible address. Arriving at Billy's flat he breaks in and finds a run down place with leaflets advertizing CORE and a time and date of a meeting. An anarchist housing group protesting against a new development. Strike goes to the pub as Robin has other plans and ingratiates himself into the group asking about Billy. One of the women says the speaker is Billy's brother, Jimmy (Nick Blood). They don't know where he is. Jimmy takes his brother to a 'safehouse' and gives him a knife and chopping board to film him cutting himself and is obviously going to use this for blackmailing purposes.
As Strike leaves the pub he is watched. Arriving at the office he is stopped by a man in a car, the politician Jasper Chiswell (Robert Glensiter) who wants to hire him as he's being blackmailed. He wants to get something on his blackmailer. This leads Strike to get Robin to go undercover at the Houses of Parliament, plant some bugs in the offices, especially of Geraint Winn (Robert Pugh) a smarmy MP who is involved in a charity. Whilst Robin acts as an intern who is Chiswell's goddaughter. Not a very robust perfect family, as Strike knew his eldest son, Freddie who died and he had to investigate his death. He was hated by his men. The younger son, Raff (Adam Long) killed a woman whilst high and got a light sentence obviously. Chisel also doesn't get on with his second wife, Kinvara (Sophie Winkleman). His daughter, Izzy (Christina Cole) is in on the operation. But small world that she knew him at uni along with his ex, Charlotte. As well as Investigating Freddie's death in the army!
Having to wear brown contacts which are scoffed at by hubs, he prefers Robin as is since she's far better looking and in held in high regard. Again he doesn't do much of anything! As we get flashbacks to the wedding and the honeymoon on the beach, again her job is mentioned and she's happiest whilst working. Yeah we don't need to wonder why. She and Strike manage to find out the house which has a barn and inside is a map of the dell where Billy said the body was buried. Venturing out Robin manages to dig up the bones wrapped in a pink blanket and are chased back to the barn by dogs. (Look the Hounds of the Baskervilles - ha.) As she makes a run to the Land Rover they manage to escape.
Though she didn't get the message when she realized Matt had deleted Strike's messages from her phone and that was the moment she should've walked away. Obviously that wasn't going to happen. Ha, Strike asking for mustard and potatoes at lunch with Chiswell he never got, reminded me of his meal every night whilst performing in Rosmersholm. Potatoes galore and eggs, pickled herring!
Apparently Robin tells Matt she can't do this and wants to go back as it's over but he's poisoned with the cut he got whilst swimming which ruins her chances. Wouldn't put it past him doing this deliberately but he gets her to promise she'll stay with him.
So a year later she does exactly this and returns to work and her PTSD in all from last season as she was attacked by the Strangler. It's no surprise she reacts with shock when Billy is there and when she storms out from the Parliamentary office when she sees Raff there. Strike has taken up with Lorelei (Natalie Gumede) adding more drama to the no-starter of a relationship. Sexual tension is high and even Lorelei notices this As with Robin's comment of "she bakes" when they ring ehr cake for the housewarming party.
The eye of the Horse of Uffington - thought a good in yer face to their prospective relationships/partners ha. Billy and Jimmy's father worked with Chiswell adding more to the lot. Were they both involved in the girl's murder and why. Funnily Strike doesn't know what Chiswell and their dad were exporting - be it human trafficking by chance, drugs??
This one appears to be dragged out into a 4 parter whereas the others in the series were parts each but there were added bits in here that weren't really necessary and just used as fillers. We get to see the wedding/honeymoon and the aftermath in flashes and learn Robin is suffering from panic attacks and is having therapy. (Again a Watson moment.) Also speaking about Strike. But she doesn't want to leave Matt even though shes miserable. Good to see Tom return to this as this was filmed around last September shortly after his West End stint in Rosmersholm.
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