ITV cop drama Marcella continues to confuse the heck out of viewers and, going by Twitter, it almost seems that ‘WTF?’ may have been the desired audience reaction from programme makers.
Now, that could be a part of a dramatic device designed to illustrate the lead character’s fraying mental state and blackouts.
Or it could be a way in dramatising a harrowing story involving the torture and murder of children.
Whatever it is, it can all be a bit much for 9pm on a Monday evening.
And during last night’s episode, loads of viewers hit upon another major plot stumbling block: why hasn’t the mother of the boy with glasses swiped in the first episode reported him missing?
A valid point, you’ll surely agree.
Maybe she has reported him, and a potential scene involving his mother going through a mountain of admin relating to a missing person – accompanied with plenty of wailing and trauma, this is Marcella after all – sounded dull? Police procedural dramas are a lot more dramatic without the procedure.
Or maybe she just doesn’t care about him? Not to have any reference to the mum and her concern seems a bit of an oversight… but only time will tell whether this omission was meant to help stoke a bigger twist down the line or just lazy TV.
Read more: Anna Friel fires back as Marcella viewers complain about her accent… and THAT walk!
Elsewhere in the episode, Marcella’s own son was playing up and causing a bit of a stir, to put it mildly.
Indeed, his “gruesome” mouse-crushing activities before the credits rolled were too much for many viewers:
Gruesome ending in Marcella @ITV with her son squeezing a pet mouse to death, blood dripping, and no message at the end to say ‘No animals were harmed…’!!
— Orpington Community (@OrpingtonComm) February 26, 2018
Loved #Marcella again tonight.I can’t wait for next week, but got to say I’m traumatised by the son killing that poor defensless little mouse at the end like 😥lol.
— Claire wildsmith (@clairethehair36) February 26, 2018
@ITV is it really necessary to end Marcella with a child squeezing the innards out of a mouse! Irrelevant and unnecessary whatever the forward storyline is #Marcella
— Diego S (@davros_stephano) February 26, 2018
#Marcella is very good but the scene with the poor mouse was unnecessary. A lot more could have been achieved with the power of suggestion. We don’t need the sound FX or the bloody aftermath. @ITV
— G.McGowan Writer (@GracieMGWriter) February 27, 2018
The mouse was the last straw with this creepy #Marcella. is this the best @ITV have to offer..Not watching again.
— Gary Derrick (@garyderrick10) February 26, 2018
Others were a little more light-hearted about the sight and sound of a pet being crushed:
It bothers me that she walks like a bloke and her son killed a mouse #Marcella
— Polly Loxton (@PollyLoxton) February 26, 2018
Me when the mouse got killed in #Marcella pic.twitter.com/QwcPSHwhVM
— Liv (@LivOldfield) February 26, 2018
Also I love how people are more outraged about killing a mouse than they are about child abduction, abuse and murder! #Marcella
— Rachel Webster (@rachwebster) February 26, 2018
But the outburst also had some viewers wondering whether her son may be responsible for other violence already committed… what about the mysterious details surrounding Marcella’s own daughter?
Does his lack of mercy towards the mouse suggest her son could be involved there?
And does that help explain her blackouts and trauma?
I hope they’re watching her because she’s unhinged not because he’s obsessed. But then he brought her a cuppa 🤨 and I do not have good feelings about the Son and her baby 🤯 #Marcella
— Caitlyn with a Y (@caitlyyyn) February 26, 2018
Her son killed #Marcella s baby that’s why she’s erased it and gone doolally???
— Nikky Linnane (@NLinnane) February 26, 2018
Did her son somehow kill her baby girl, she witnessed it & the blackouts are a result? #Marcella
— Kelli (@KelliBee75) February 26, 2018
Read more: Anna Friel addresses viewers’ big question about that Marcella coat!
Marcella continues next Monday on ITV at 9pm.
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