This episode kicks off with Robin, in her Jessica Robins persona, visiting Highgate Cemetery and meeting up with Pez. This is a visual treat for those of us who haven’t yet been able to visit and remains my visual cue for the book.
The characters we love to hate! A reintroduction of Charlotte and her messy divorce from Jago, and the deliciously awful Inigo Upcott. It is clear at this point (when Charlotte tipped Robin to Madeline’s existence, and similarity to Robin) that Madeline will not be making an appearance outside of voice calls and text messages.
To create a thrilling episode 2 cliffhanger, we have Barclay tailing Phillip Ormond and discovering his disposal of Edie Ledwell’s phone. Somehow Ormond discovers his tail, and the episode ends with Barclay being run off the road! I couldn’t help but grumble to Sarah “well that didn’t happen in the books…”, but it definitely added sufficient tension to make sure she wanted to see the next episode.
I always have to swallow my words during these adaptations. How do you turn 1000 pages – or whatever this one runs to – into 4 episodes? They can never truly capture Rowling/Galbraith’s brilliance and precision. But I’ve gotten better at just accepting the shows for what they are and trying to get some enjoyment from watching a story come to life. Having said that…that last scene irritated me. Haha.