Marcella (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript

Policewoman Marcella Backland wakes in a bath, her head cut and bruised, seemingly unaware of what happened to her. Ten years earlier Marcella had failed to solve the triple Grove Park murders but now it seems that the murderer has struck again and Marcella is keen to close the case. Prime suspect Peter Cullen would appear to have an alibi - he was in prison along with convicted killer Clive Bonn but Cullen, even behind bars, can show his violent side. At the same time hard as nails property developer Sylvie Gibson aims to push through a deal along with partner Stephen Holmes, despite opposition from her children Henry and Grace, the latter having an affair with Jason, Marcella's estranged lawyer husband.

Thanks.

- Marcella, what do you want?

- Jason, you've got to help me.
- I can't.

No, there has to be a reason.
Just tell me why.

Look...

I'll call you once I've had time
to think about things.

Well, what am I supposed
to think about?

You didn't say anything.

And I don't know anything.

I'll call you tomorrow, okay?
This is not a good moment.

What am I supposed to tell the kids?



I don't know.

Look, I really can't talk right now.
I'm in a meeting.

You went back to work?

Yeah.

You went back to work tonight?

Yes, I went back to work.

Er, wait!
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

DTG Construction SE1, please.

Thank you.
Cheers. Thanks.

Evening.

Hi, love.

Hiya, Dash.

Good boy.

Busy morning?



I had to take
the car to the garage.

- I thought it was brand new.
- It is.

This was more the... human factor.

Sylvie.

Eh, crumbs.

Phil!

Nice to see you.

Glad you could make it.

Phillip.

So, how's the family?

Fine, fine.

Time moves on.

- Sarah turned 16 last week.
- Really?

Well, say hello
and congratulations from me.

It's not bad, eh?

Indeed.

I hear you've started doing
concrete jobs for Brenthams...

20% cheaper than you're doing them for me.

They're a new relationship.

It's a way of getting
a foothold in new markets.

Well, have you got tired
of your old relationships?

Of course not.

Jason?

With this new information,

I took the liberty of rewriting
our contracts.

You can't do that, Sylvie.

I represent more than half your turnover.

- Sylvie--
- It's a long way down, Phil.

Metaphorically speaking.
That wasn't meant as a threat.

You'll drop by a third,
but you won't fall all the way.

- Hi, it's Emma.

Please leave a message,
and I'll get back to you.

Thanks, bye!

Ems, it's Mum.
It's nothing in particular.

- I just wanted to, erm...

Well, I hope everything's fine, and,
er, we'll catch up soon, okay?

Big hug.
I love you.

Marcella Backland?

- It's "Marchella," but yeah.
- DI Rav Sangha.

I work with DCI Laura Porter.

- Right.
- It's about the Grove Park murders.

Come in.

You might not remember.
It was a long time ago.

2005. Two women, one man.
Killed in their homes.

Plastic bags over their heads.

Tied around their throats
with insulating tape.

Hands and feet tied with cable ties.

Trophies taken from the scenes.

I'm impressed.

Well, don't be.

We never got him.

Yeah.
Well, it looks like he's back.

We found our second victim last night.

- An 11-year gap?
- It looks like it.

So the woman we found last night,
Carol Fincher,

she lost her job at Bonn Electronics
six months ago.

Now, Laura seems to think she remembers
interviewing someone called Bonn

from the previous investigation,
but we cannot find the transcript.

Mmm, the second victim
was dating a Clive Bonn.

Er...

Yeah, but a few weeks before she
was murdered, we interviewed him,

but he had an alibi.

- Clive Bonn.
- Yeah, lives in Harrow...

or did at the time.

Can I take a look?

That's Liz Harper.

Husband came home and found her
two weeks ago.

Hmm. And?

Carol Fincher.
Divorced, no children, lived alone.

Found her last night, but as you can see,
killed before Harper.

Hmm. Peter Cullen.
Have you talked to him?

- He was our prime suspect.
- Mmm-hmm.

It's not him.
He's behind bars.

- For what?
- Manslaughter.

Killed his wife eight years ago.

- So he has killed?
- Yes, but not these two.

Yeah, can I, er, keep these?

No. Why?

Mmm, just to look over
with a fresh pair of eyes.

But you're not on the force, are you?
So... you can't.

Do you want to call Laura and ask?

DCI Laura Porter.

Erm, hey, it's...
it's Marcella Backland.

Hi, Marcella. My God, it's been ages.
How are you?

Er, I'm good, thank you.
Erm...

So one of your detectives
visited me today.

Yes, Rav.

Did you find something in the reports?

I want to come back to work.

This is DS Marcella Backland.

She's been on a career break
for several years,

raising a family, but she's back now,

and she's gonna be working with us.

Now, Marcella worked
on the Grove Park case back in 2005,

so we're pleased she's joining our team.

Right. Forensics have finished
at Carol Fincher's place.

Same kind of plastic bag and tape.

Sorry, the same as in 2005,
or on the other new victim?

Both. No signs of forced entry.
It all points to the same offender.

Did you get a hold of Clive Bonn?

Yeah, and he claims to have never met,
or even heard of Carol Fincher

or Liz Harper.

And what about the other suspects
from the 2005 investigation?

Well, we've got hold
of pretty much all of them.

They're being questioned and written off.
Alex.

Right. On all the pictures
we've got of Carol Fincher,

she's wearing this Thomas Sabo bracelet
with six charms on it.

It's missing.

Carol's telephone and computer records.

She was registered
with a dating site, Meet.

That's M-E-E-T, not M-E-A-T.

Anyway, erm, we're trying
to work out whether she's had

any contact with people on that site.

Right, and was Liz Harper
registered with them as well?

We're working on it.
But the...

the four last unanswered calls
to Carol's phone

were from a former colleague,
Joanna Dogan.

Right. Alex, Marcella, go and find her.

See if she knows anything
about who Carol might have met.

You want me to go?

Is that a problem?

- No, it's just--
- You weren't expecting to work today?

- Of course I was--
- Well, then.

I feel so guilty.
I should have gone over.

Why didn't you?

Erm...

There were times where
she wanted to be left alone.

You rang her...
quite a bit.

You didn't think it was strange
when she didn't call you back?

To be honest,
I was a tiny bit relieved.

She couldn't stop going on
about her husband leaving her.

Well, maybe it was the worst thing
that ever happened to her.

Right.

It's just, there is a limit to what
you can bear to hear over and over.

Were you aware that she
was a recovering alcoholic?

Yes.

And it didn't occur to you that...

maybe she'd started drinking again
and that's why she didn't call you back?

I said I felt guilty, didn't I?

Do you, erm...

do you mind if I... if I take this?

Erm, no.

Thank you.

Did, erm...
did Carol ever mention a Peter Cullen?

No.

You've never seen this man?

Erm... no.

- Sure?
- Yeah.

Thanks.

Marcella... why are you asking
questions about Peter Cullen?

Well, he's not locked up, is he?
He's in an open prison,

doing a work scheme
three days a week in a bakery.

You said he was behind bars,
so he couldn't have done it.

Prison officers drive him
to the bakery and back.

And then his supervisor's
responsible for him during the day.

2005, his car was spotted
one block away from the first murder.

Many cars were, and he had
a very good explanation for being there.

He had exactly the same
insulating tape in his car.

Well, it's a common brand,
and he was an electrician.

- And he didn't have any alibis.
- It's all circumstantial.

And we've looked into it,
we've ruled him out,

and just so you know,
we don't fly solo on this team.

Clive Bonn.

You said he didn't know
Carol Fincher, right?

Yeah, why?

Alex, get Laura on the phone.

Okay, Mr Bonn, you said...

that you'd never met Carol Fincher.

The woman on the right is Carol Fincher
and the man in the middle is you.

Apparently, I was wrong.

When and where
was that photo taken?

Why don't you ask
the photographer about that?

I'm asking you.

The company was having
its 20th anniversary in July,

so I came back from Rome for that.

And met Carol Fincher?

If "met" means accidentally ending up
on the same photo as her, then, yes.

You fired her a month later.

We let 50 people go at that time.

HR handled everything.

Liz Harper.

You said you never met her, either.

- You got a photo of us, too?
- Is there one?

No.

So, er, are there any other women
who I don't know

you want to talk to me about,
or are we done?

No, we're done.
Thank you.

Clive Bonn, connected to one of the
2005 victims and to Carol Fincher.

Now, if there's any connection
to the other victims,

I want us to find it now.

Mark, contact the police in Rome.

See if they've had any murders
similar to ours between 2006 and now.

Er, Clive Bonn had an alibi in 2005.

Yeah, and he moved to Italy in 2006
and the murders stopped.

He returned to London three months ago
and we got new bodies.

Could be a coincidence.

Could be, but it's enough of a reason
for us to investigate.

But we don't care
that the murders started again

when Peter Cullen got in touch
with the outside world?

All right.

What did I say about Cullen?

That you've ruled him out,
and I think that's a mistake.

I don't care what you think.

He's in prison,
being monitored around the clock.

Forget about him.

Peter.

Long time, no see.

What do you want?

What do you think I want?

I don't know.

A loaf, please.

Anything in particular?

It doesn't matter, you choose.

Thanks.

Oh, they're beautiful.

Mmm-hmm.

Hi, late, sorry.

No worries.
Champagne?

Hi.
Hi.

Oh, what's the occasion?

It's our fourth anniversary.

Really?
Well, congratulations.

We got the roses from Grace.

- Actually, they're from both of us.
- No, they're not.

No, they're not.

So, did you take a look
at the Lambeth project?

Yes, and we're not going
to change a thing.

Erm, what's with the Lambeth project?

We're breaking our agreement
with the chief planning officer.

How are we breaking our agreement?

Well, we got to buy the land
based on the promise

of building a public green space
on the roof.

It is going to be green,
and it's going to be open to the public.

If they pay.

And if they don't mind crowds,
since over half the surface area

is being given over to bars,
restaurants and spas.

- It's more profitable.
- Profitability is not the issue.

We promised them a building
that was environmentally responsible.

Okay, that's enough
of the business talk.

Let's celebrate, shall we?

Why do we even have a department
for environmental issues

if we're going to completely ignore them?

Because you needed a job,
and unlike my daughter,

you can't actually do anything.

Stephen. Grace.

Henry.

Henry, come on.

So you were home.

You still consider this your home?

Where are you living at the moment?

At Greg's.
We'll have to see after that.

Hey, about the car...

What?

Forget it.

I probably deserved it.

We're gonna have to tell the kids.

I'll tell them when they come home
from school at the weekend.

It'll turn into such a big thing
if we both drive up there.

But it is a big thing!

Ja...

No.

I'm grateful to you for everything.

But these last few years...
I've felt alone.

Like, we've nothing in common...
except the kids.

No, that is not a reason.
That's something you work at.

I don't love you any more.

Jason?

Jason?

Jason, where are you?

Why?
What do you want?

Erm...

It's just like I can't quite...

I can't remember you leaving.

Really?

You more or less
kicked me down the stairs.

Yeah, erm...

I don't know
what happened, erm...

Well, I do.

I'll ring you later, okay?

- Alcina.
- I'm in the bathroom.

Listen, work have just called,
so I'm heading out, okay?

All right, darling.
See you later.

Maddy!

Hey.
Hi.

- Sorry, I'm late.

- These are for you.
- Why am I getting flowers?

Oh.
As a thank you...

for all your help.

Oh.

I didn't realise this was
going to be the last time.

Well, I've got everything I need, I think.

Unless... you've thought of something.

I can help you a lot more.
A lot, lot more.

I'd really like to go on seeing you.

You're gonna think it's worth it.
I promise.

Yeah. It'd be nice.

- Sorry, I'm late.
- Not interested.

We've got a third victim.

Benjamin Williams.

We checked Bonn.

According to his wife,
he was at home at the time of the murder.

There's a shop outside
Williams' flat with CCTV.

Go and get the footage.

Can't one of the DCs do that?

Yeah, they could.

Mark, do me a favour.

Will you do an identity check on...

this girl here?

- Her first name's Maddy.
- Who's the guy?

Peter Cullen.

Okay, send it to me,
but... if Rav asks, I'm gonna tell.

I'm a terrible liar.

Good.

I wish more men were.

In brief, profitability is up.

Thank you, Grace.

- Let's move on to the next issue.
- Forgive me. Just one more thing.

Our project in Lambeth.

This isn't on the agenda.

I have an item on the agenda,
and I haven't finished yet.

Please.

As you can see,
my brother's report clearly raises issues.

So, Jason, couldn't the council sue us,
given the current setup?

I don't have the entire agreement
in my head.

Well, we promised them a park.
Is that what we're supplying?

Well, that, like so much else, is...

open to interpretation.

And if the council's interpretation
is that we're not keeping our promises,

could that affect future construction work
on publicly owned sites?

Well, obviously, it could, in theory.

Can they shut down Lambeth?

Oh, for God's sake,
he's not a bloody fortune teller.

Jason?

Once again...

in theory, yes.

They could.

Thank you.

I'd like to call a vote
on whether we should have

my brother and his department
take another look at the Lambeth project.

Okay.

Hi, there.

What can I do for ya?

Okay, thanks. Bye.

- Karen?
- Yeah.

Good to meet you.

- You look fantastic.
- Thanks.

You made me go against Sylvie.

I asked you to answer a question
as head of legal affairs.

Everyone's angry with you.

- Not Henry.
- Everyone who matters.

So why go against her?

Henry doesn't care or doesn't understand,

but you, you're too smart
to put your neck on the line, Grace.

Especially for him.

Lambeth might hurt us.
I was doing my job.

As chairman, you should be happy.

I'm not the one you need
to make happy in this family.

And, believe me, it's definitely not
your job to make your mother lose face.

Jason Backland, DTG Construction.

I can't take your call right now,

but if you leave a message,
I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

What the hell was that?
What was what?

Little sister fighting for me.
You think she's gonna respect me more?

I was... just trying to help.

My stepmother already thinks
that that I'm useless,

so how was that helping?

Help those who ask for help.
Okay?

Okay.

Hey there, mate?
Peter.

I'm in the room next door.

If you need help with anything,
you can always ask--

Yeah, I'm not going to blow you...
so you can fuck off.

I'm not gay.

Great.

You can still fuck off.

You all right?

Marcella...

That photo you gave me
on your phone yesterday.

The girl with Peter Cullen.

I know which one, Mark.
I only gave you one.

Yeah, well, that.

I've got an ID on her.

Maddy Stevenson.

You know, she was a much better detective
than me when we were working together.

Oh, yeah?
Why is that?

Give her a long enough leash,
you'll find out.

How long, Laura?

As always, I trust your good judgement.

300 quid?

Two...

Three, all right?

Thanks.

Thank you.

Hey!

Hey, you.
Hey, Samantha.

It's all right.
I know who you are.

Well, if you can do it
in front of a camera,

couldn't you, like, do it live?

I've got money.
I'll pay you.

More, if you'll... do stuff.

Please.

- Shh, it's all right.

Show a bit of gratitude next time
people are trying to be friendly to you.

My name is Marcella Backland.

You know my husband.