There are moments from our past that define us. Sometimes it’s for good, and sometimes it’s an event that haunts us even as we try to move forward. Last Seen, the new limited series for Apple TV, is a show that certainly zeroes in on that concept.
The series is about a man who is haunted by a traumatic event from years past. He can’t move on. Through a new twist, he gets a chance to possibly make things right. Apple TV shared the first two episodes, including the series premiere titled “The Dispatcher," on Sept. 9! Let's dive in and talk about what happened in the first episode.
Ian Ridley's quiet life
We meet Ian Ridley (Patrick Brammall) as he’s a man trying to make the most of his life. He’s harboring deep hurt thanks to a past trauma, but he’s trying to move forward in his personal and professional life, though not always in a healthy way. He’s got a new relationship with Poly (Taylor Ferguson). It turns out she works for him at his day job.
That job is working as a supervisor for the emergency services dispatch. Ian used to be a police detective, but after his daughter was kidnapped 11 years earlier, he lost his way. He became an alcoholic, his marriage disintegrated, and he left the police force. But now, he’s six months sober. He has friends and support, and he’s trying to make a difference as an emergency dispatcher.
We see early on he’s talented at his job. He helps on a call, and he is passionate about the job. But that passion leads to him sometimes overstepping his bounds. But, his quiet life is broken up by a discovery — a body is found buried in the woods.
Ian worries the body might be his missing daughter, Maggie
We learn that 11 years earlier, Maggie Ridley was taken from her home. She was a three-year-old girl. While her father and her family searched for her, she was never found, and no leads were found, either. So, when a body turns up, Ian makes his way to the scene. There, he encounters the lead investigator, Isabel Pena (Zahar Newman), who isn’t keen on him interfering.
The body is that of a child, but it’s unclear who it might be without DNA tests. The body has been in the ground more than a decade, meaning it could well be Maggie. When Ian continues his own investigation, he finds a nearby man who raises dogs that has Maggie’s outfit in the kennel. He assumes this might be the man who committed the crime, but that’s quickly disproved.
More importantly, the discovery of Maggie’s clothes with the body points to it being Ian’s daughter. He doesn’t take the news well. Ian falls off the wagon quickly and, in his drunken state, turns his attention to a problem that he feels like he can solve. He tries to safeguard a woman who previously called emergency services about a drunk and abusive ex.
That leads Ian to a violent confrontation at a public carnival. Ian is able to intercede, but it’s not clear if it’s the right thing. The next day, Ian is released to his friend, Donald (Daniel Henshall), who is the one who helps him battle his sobriety. Donald encourages Ian to let go and to begin to heal.
That leads Ian to finally try to make peace with his ex-wife, Deb (Jessica Wren). Deb has moved on and is remarried to Bill (Bert LaBonte), a cop, and expecting a new child. She is ready to lay Maggie to rest, and Ian agrees to participate in the upcoming ceremonies.
But as the episode draws to a close, we get a hint there might be more to it. Donald wasn’t in Port McKenna when Maggie went missing. But his brother, Henry (Brendan Cowell), was a resident. And Henry seems shaken by the news of the discovery of a body. He rushes home to his own family — which includes a teenage daughter. Could it be that Maggie isn’t really gone?
This is the first half of the two-part premiere of what is only a six-episode season. That makes for a short commitment, and as you’d expect, the plot comes fast and furious. The series doesn’t even wait for a second episode to point in the direction of there being more to the story, and the hope is future episodes expand on this idea and what might have happened.
Last Seen streams Wednesdays on Apple TV. We'll be sharing recaps all season long on Show Snob.
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