ITVX's new crime thriller, Gone, is a quintessentially British production, grounded in realism and exploring a range of social and personal themes. Inspired by the book "To Hunt a Killer" by detective Julie Mackay and journalist Robert Murphy, the six-part series follows the police investigation into the discovery of the body of the headmaster's wife at a prestigious Bristol private school. Gone is a gripping and suspenseful series, featuring fantastic performances, and is a must-see for any fan of slow-burn mystery thrillers.
Gone opens on the sprawling grounds of St. Bartholomew's, a prestigious private boys' school in Bristol, attended by the sons of the region's wealthy and influential families. A rugby match is underway at the school, a matter of great importance, as St. Bartholomew's is renowned for its rugby program and aims to repeat its unbeaten season.
Creator: George Kay
Stars: Eve Myles, Amy Marston, Ryan Zhou
The headmaster and rugby coach, Michael Polly, watches from the sidelines as his boys win the match in the final minute, but remains impassive. Michael even immediately criticizes the boys' frenzied victory celebration, stoically insisting on the importance of maintaining decorum at all times. A stickler for rules and punctuality, Michael drives home at precisely 4:30 p.m., as usual, with his daughter, Alana, and a student his wife, Sarah, tutors. With Alana and Sarah both teaching at St. Bartholomew's and living in the headmaster's house on the same property, everything seems perfect for the family.
But something is amiss that day, as Sarah isn't home, and her spare key is carefully put away in its usual place. Alana tries calling her, but discovers her phone is switched off, and worried, she asks her father if he knows anything, especially since many hours later there's still no sign of Sarah. Finally, the family informs the police about the mysterious disappearance, asking them not to publicize the matter, as the school's reputation is at stake. Detective Superintendent Annie Cassidy is the first to investigate the case, simply by speaking with the family, and she instantly finds Michael's behavior quite unusual and therefore suspicious. Even with his wife missing for almost a full day, Michael Polly is far more concerned with his rugby team and upcoming school exams, and seemingly unconcerned about Sarah. Shortly after the investigation begins, Sarah's phone turns up under her bed, as if she had intentionally hidden it there to ensure her husband or daughter wouldn't find it. On the third day of her disappearance, Sarah's body is suddenly found in the wooded area behind their house, and strangulation marks on her neck reveal that she has been murdered. Curiously, Michael remains unfazed even now, more concerned with the detectives soiling his carpet, which confuses them about his nature and his possible involvement in his wife's murder.
The first and most obvious suspect in Sarah Polly's murder is her husband, Michael, whose indifference to the incident makes him seem sinister. He is still worried about the reputation of his school and himself in the wake of this tragedy, and it is clear that the couple has grown distant over the years. Text messages and a confession reveal that Sarah was having an affair with Stephen Sedgwick, the father of Dylan, one of the students at the school. Michael knew about the affair but told no one, even concealing it from the police during the investigation. What is even more suspicious is that he went to Stephen's house late at night on the day Sarah disappeared, but never rang the doorbell or tried to enter.
When questioned about it, Michael claims he simply went to check if his wife was there, as he knew about her secret affair with Stephen, but preferred to avoid the embarrassment of confronting him. As the investigation progresses, Detective Annie is appointed Family Liaison Officer, which gives her the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the Pollys, especially with Michael. She insists that Michael be honest with her, and that's when he begins to appear as a manipulative liar. On the one hand, he admits that he and Sarah argued and fought often in recent months, and that he had also done certain things in the weeks leading up to her disappearance that he definitely wasn't proud of.
Once her affair with Stephen Sedgwick becomes public, Michael begins telling Annie that he was responsible for his wife's actions. When she asks him to elaborate, he claims that his inability to be an ideal husband and partner was what led Sarah to seek love and affection elsewhere, which seems like an honest confession. But on the other hand, Michael seems strangely unfazed by death, and according to Sarah's diary, she too was terrified of him, suggesting that he may have abused her both physically and emotionally. So much so that Sarah always referred to her parents' house as a "safe space" for her, seemingly far from the clutches of her callous husband. For these reasons, Michael always seems to be manipulating others, such as Annie and even his student Dylan, possibly trying to feed them stories that will help him cover his tracks later in the investigation.
The situation takes an unexpected turn when Michael suddenly attempts suicide by hanging, after leaving a note addressed to Annie, in which he claims responsibility for his wife's death. Annie isn't convinced, as she believes it's not a confession to the murder itself, but rather an account of the circumstances that led to or facilitated the tragedy. She eventually discovers that, at the likely time of the murder, Michael was interviewing a language teacher candidate at the school, which means he also has a solid alibi. However, Michael continues to plead guilty after locals find him before he can commit suicide and rush him to the hospital. In the end, explanations are found for Michael's nonchalant nature and his confession.
Coming from a British family that clung to aristocratic, reserved manners regardless of their financial standing, Michael Polly was always taught a strict lesson in stoicism. He grew up and continued throughout his adult life suppressing his true emotions, never expressing himself beyond the socially acceptable threshold, and always maintaining an air of grace and restraint. This is why he punishes his students for celebrating a victory, adheres strictly to insignificant customs and schedules even after his wife is found dead, and doesn't allow the outside world to witness his true emotions. He suffers an emotional breakdown only in private, in a secluded spot behind the school, and controls himself almost mechanically when Annie sees him there.
For a man like him, perfection in everything is paramount, and that's why the guilt of not even being a good husband to Sarah gnaws at him from within. His stoic and expressionless nature is compounded by the terrible pressure of maintaining the prestigious school's image. He recounts how he once scoffed at the previous headmaster's warning not to become so involved in school affairs that he distanced himself from his family, believing he could handle both equally. However, Michael had succumbed to the pressure of being the headmaster and, in fact, had distanced himself from his family because of it, and this, too, now seems like a terrible failure to him. For all these reasons, he claims to be Sarah's killer, possibly trying to protect her from public humiliation once the news of their extramarital affair is revealed. It's impossible to assess how good or bad Michael Polly is as a man, since Gone doesn't present him in such a simplistic way, but he is definitely not his wife's murderer.
Once Michael is forced to confront his daughter and confess his crime directly, he finally breaks down and admits to lying. This suggests he was possibly trying to protect the real killer, as it could be someone close to him. Annie immediately mentions Dylan Sedgwick, the young student who had indeed been very close to Michael, as he was the most skilled rugby player in the school. But Dylan stood out from the other students due to his academic struggles and disciplinary problems. He often got into fights with his classmates and failed exams, suggesting he wasn't interested in his studies and was therefore at risk of becoming a spendthrift.
Dylan also had a strong motive for committing the murder, as Sarah was having an extramarital affair with his father, Stephen, which was tearing his own family apart. Stephen had been considering divorcing his wife, Dylan's mother, and if the teenager had actually learned of the secret affair, he might have decided to harm Sarah, given his history of violent behavior. Clearly, he is filled with rage and frustration, as seen when he confronts Michael for not defending himself, making him a potential suspect despite being just a teenager. Annie immediately follows this lead and, to learn more about the boy's school history, visits the home of Rory Bowman, Dylan's teacher and the current acting headmaster.
The real killer is Rory Bowman, one of the teachers at St. Bartholomew's and the current acting headmaster. Among the items found near Sarah's body was a small key, which either she or the assailant dropped. When Annie tries the key in Rory's door, she is shocked to discover that it actually opens the lock, meaning he had been secretly involved in the affair. The truth is, Rory had always been attracted to Sarah, especially in recent years after discovering her failed marriage to Michael. It's revealed that he even has a history of sexual misconduct, as a female colleague had previously filed a complaint against him, which had also been privately supported by others. The school administration had warned him against any further inappropriate behavior, fearing that the teacher's reputation would be tarnished. Rory vehemently claims that these accusations against him were false, but the way he states that he sees nothing wrong with making a pass at a woman he likes, even if she's a colleague, gives the impression that he simply refuses to take no for an answer. In reality, it was Sarah who stood by him at the time and helped him protect his job, which made her even more appealing. He subsequently made multiple advances toward Sarah, all of which she rejected. While this already frustrated him, Sarah's affair with Stephen completely enraged him. Therefore, he picked up the woman and confronted her, forcing her to end her text message affair with Stephen, arguing how terrible it would be for the school if news broke that one of its teachers was having an affair with a student's father. In the ensuing argument, Rory strangled Sarah with his bare hands, seemingly just to prevent her from screaming and causing a scene. Gone intentionally withholds details of the murder, focusing more on the circumstances surrounding the crime, so we don't know exactly where Rory committed the act. In all likelihood, Sarah had left home to move into Stephen's villa and was confronted and murdered by Rory a couple of days later. He abandoned the body in the woods behind the headmaster's house, dropping the house keys at the time.
Annie discovers the truth in the midst of an intense and dangerous situation, as she is alone with the killer in her house. But her brilliance as a detective shines through here, as she chooses to show understanding toward Rory instead of confronting him. Furthermore, it's incredibly satisfying to see the protagonist, a police detective, lie and manipulate to convince the criminal to officially confess his crimes, rather than being a moralistic heroine who never does anything wrong or immoral. The boundaries of morality are often blurred in the series, and this particular episode raises the question of whether a murderer should truly be given a reprieve.
Knowing that Rory would react terribly, perhaps violently, if she confronted him or tried to secretly record his confession, Annie leaves her phone on the table and turns it off to assure him that she won't contact the authorities or try anything against him. Once he reveals the whole story, Annie comforts him with kind words and gestures, showing her understanding, and then takes the final step. Reminding Rory that he truly loved Sarah and that he didn't kill her for any evil reason, Annie convinces him to come forward and tell the detectives his story, for the sake of the woman he loved. At the end of Gone, we don't know what happens to Rory, but he is seen sitting during the police investigation, about to confess to the murder.
Gone also has a second subplot, in which Annie continues investigating the murder of a young woman named Tina Bradley, which occurred eight long years earlier. Tina and Annie were close friends, which is why the detective has maintained a close relationship with the Bradley family—Tina's mother and brother—and why she continues trying to find her killer. In fact, Annie clearly re-establishes contact with her abusive ex-husband, Craig, and goes along with his demands to give their relationship another chance, all in order to get more information about the murder. Since Craig is a detective inspector and was involved in the murder investigation, Annie is likely using him to extract information.
Finally, she manages to get hold of the forensic report on Tina's purse, the only item found at the crime scene. Despite having gone along with it so far, Annie refuses to let Craig control her any longer, so she firmly tells him that there will be no more contact between them. In the end, the mystery of Tina Bradley's murder remains unsolved, as Annie states that it will take her a long time to review the forensic report and find the killer, and the series could return for a second season after this storyline.
Comments
Post a Comment