Embark on the chilling debut of "The One That Got Away," a Welsh noir masterpiece that intricately intertwines a web of murder and unraveled love against the desolate backdrop of Pembrokeshire's winterscape. The series premieres with a haunting tale, set in a small town whose past whispers dark secrets and whose present trembles on the cusp of a fresh nightmare.
As the curtains part, we meet Abbi Rayner, a dedicated A&E nurse portrayed by Bethan Maclean, poised to embark on a romantic escapade to Paris with her boyfriend, Darrell (Rick Yale). The serene prelude is abruptly shattered by a foreboding text from her former flame, Ryan Moss, summoning her to a rendezvous amidst the foreboding woods. This eerie encounter marks the last fleeting glimpse of Abbi, before she enigmatically disappears into the shadows.
The last living soul to witness her in the flesh, besides a cryptic stranger lingering by the restless sea, is her colleague and kindred nurse, Helen (Rhian Blythe), who also happens to be the beloved wife of local detective Rick Sheldon (Richard Harrington). Their lives, once intertwined in the sanctity of their profession, now intersect with the dark undercurrents of the investigation that threatens to unravel the town's deepest secrets and the fragile bonds of love and loyalty.
When Abbi mysteriously vanishes, Helen dispatches her husband, Rick, to the police station, unwittingly igniting a sequence of events that will meticulously unravel ancient, deeply buried secrets. Abbi's abandoned automobile, left with a hastily packed suitcase, hints at a sudden departure, or perhaps something far more sinister. As the police delve into the surrounding woods, they stumble upon Darrell, a man on the brink of despair, firmly convinced that Ryan, a man with a troubled past of manipulating Abbi, holds the key to her disappearance.
The gruesome discovery of a young woman's body, concealed beneath a tarp in the forest's embrace, validates their darkest fears. The victim's face bears the telltale signs of brutality—bruises etched across her cheeks, and ligature marks encircling her neck, eerily reminiscent of the infamous 'Heart Knot Murders' that once shook the community to its core a dozen years ago. The police now confront a haunting query: has the original murderer resurfaced, or is this the sinister handiwork of a twisted copycat?
DCI Alan Vaughan (Ioan Hefin), Rick's superior, is racked with memories of the urgency that once permeated the first case, where two innocent nurses fell prey to a similar fate, their lives taken just days apart. Dreading a chilling repetition, he summons DI Ffion Lloyd (Elen Rhys), who shared the same grim battlefield with Rick all those years ago. Their professional reunion is fraught with a charged atmosphere, as their once-intimate bond crumbled under the weight of Rick's decision to leave Ffion for Helen, leaving behind a trail of unresolved emotions and tangled pasts.
As Ffion and Rick delve deeper into the intricate case, they find themselves at Ryan's house, a chilling abode adorned with haunting images and chilling sketches of Abbi, painting a macabre backdrop. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, the detectives encounter a perplexing absence of tangible evidence.
Meanwhile, Ffion's personal demons surface as she visits her parents, uncovering the stark reality of her father's advancing dementia and her sister's simmering resentment. These revelations serve as a poignant reminder of the complexities that intertwine with their professional pursuits.
The investigation takes a dramatic turn when they uncover a rented caravan by the seaside, belonging to Ryan Moss. Within its confines, they stumble upon a pregnancy test with a positive result, igniting speculation that Abbi was with child—a potentially explosive motive for her murder. The detectives hypothesize that Darrell, fueled by rage, might have ended Abbi's life and conspired to conceal Ryan's whereabouts, framing him for the crime.
The episode culminates in a shocking revelation that echoes through the community: Anna Jennings (Eiry Thomas), the terminally ill ex-wife of the man convicted for the notorious Heart Knot Murders, steps forward. With her dying breath, she proclaims her presence with Paul Harvey on the night the second nurse was slain, offering him an alibi that threatens to unravel the very foundations of the past conviction. This bombshell not only casts a shadow of doubt on justice served but also whispers of an unresolved terror lurking within the community's midst.
As "The One That Got Away" commences, it entangles its audience in a gripping narrative, seamlessly blending a tantalizing murder mystery with the emotional turmoil of its protagonists. The premiere episode sets the stage for a gripping series, promising to plumb the darkest recesses of a seemingly tranquil town, where shadows stretch long and danger lurks at every turn, leaving Rick's own family vulnerable to the specter of an unknown watcher.
