Ian Ridley (Patrick Brammall) is determined to find the truth about his missing daughter. In the new Apple TV series Last Seen, he’s been on a roller coaster.
In episode 3, he discovered that his good friend and his sponsor, Donald (Daniel Henshall), has been lying. This week’s episode, “The Truth,” is about getting to the bottom of what happened.
Following Donald
Following last week’s confrontation, where Ian indicated he knew Donald was lying during an AA meeting, Donald is beginning to crack. He calls Henry (Brendan Cowell) and wants him to confess the truth. He doesn’t want to lie to Ian or the police. But Henry presses him into keeping quiet a bit longer. It’s clear Henry has some hold over Donald, and it’s powerful. Little do they know, the meeting was just what Ian wanted.
Rather than staying to press Donald, Ian is employing some old investigator’s tricks. He is watching outside and sees Donald meeting with Henry. He decides to follow Henry, but along the way Henry catches on. So, Ian is forced to press the issue and try to force Henry off the road. It backfires, and Henry pushes Ian into construction, causing Ian to crash.
Henry races home and finds Sarah (Chloe Jean Lourdes), pushing her to get ready because the police are coming. Sarah doesn’t know what that means, and she suspects her father isn’t being truthful, but she also loves her parents. Meanwhile, her mother, Jenna (Maxine Peake), is missing. Henry needs his family to all tell the same story to avoid suspicion.
Police investigation
Ian, in the wake of his accident, goes back to Detective Pena (Zahar Newman), telling her that Henry pushed him off the road. It’s enough to get the police looking at Henry and Donald. They pull Donald in for a chat, but he’s not forthcoming. He won’t answer any questions, but before they push him too far, something comes up that cuts the interview short. Henry has arrived at the police station.
Henry is telling a different story about who is the aggressor. But Detective Pena still has questions. She asks to go back to his house, and Henry reluctantly agrees. The police allow Ian to come, but he has to wait in the car.
While at Henry’s house, they meet Sarah. She has a chat with Detective Pena and sticks to the story Henry has given her. Henry even provides a birth certificate, so Detective Pena leaves, much to the objection of Ian.
But the visit by the police has spooked Henry. He knows it’s only a matter of time, so he tells Sarah to make plans to leave—with or without Jenna. Sarah doesn’t want to go, and Donald doesn’t think his brother should drag Sarah to the old family compound. But Henry sees it as the only way out, for now.
Jenna cracks
Meanwhile, the investigation is stymied. Ian can’t get any answers from Donald, and he shares his suspicions with Debbie (Jessica Wren) and Bill (Bert LaBonte). But when they can’t find evidence, Ian is dismissed. He seems to be out of leads, despite his strong conviction.
But when Jenna arrives at Debbie’s store, saying things that pose more questions, it opens things up again. It causes Debbie distress, which lands her in the hospital. Ian implores Bill to take him seriously and go there to follow up with Jenna, and he agrees. They had to go to Henry’s house, but Bill implores Ian to remain with the vehicle.
As they pull up at Henry’s place, he’s packing to go. Bill tries to talk to him about what happened, and Jenna walks up and begins speaking. So, too, does Sarah. She is protective of her mother, allowing Ian an opening to plead with Sarah that she is his daughter. Sarah responds that Jenna and Henry are her parents, but quickly Jenna responds that they aren’t her parents. Both Ian and Sarah are stunned, but they don’t have time to dwell on it for too long.
As they are flummoxed by what they are hearing, Henry is pushed to react. He pulls a gun and opens fire, as Bill does, too. That leaves Jenna on the ground, hurt with Sarah trying to stop her wound. On the other side of the fence, Bill is down, too. It’s unclear if he’s injured or has been killed.
This is only a six-episode series, so I knew things were going to move quickly. But we certainly are moving at lightning speed now. The truth about Sarah and Maggie is out, and Bill might be dead. I am curious to see where we’re going in the final two episodes of the season.
Last Seen streams Wednesdays on Apple TV.
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