Passenger on ITV1 isn’t your average TV drama, and there was a LOT to unravel in episode 1 – here’s our review.
A missing girl, a scary presence in the woods, and a ‘monster’ on the loose. They were just some of the mysteries packed into the new series. And after episode 1, we were left desperate for answers.
As the series kicked off, DI Riya Ajunwa (Wunmi Mosaku) was fed up with the usual petty crimes she had to investigate in Chadder Vale. Namely, missing ladders and bins, and a “cat with a cough”.
But when a deer was found torn to shreds beside an abandoned car, her job suddenly looked more complex. As well as a very sinister presence in the woods, there was a “monster’ released from jail, a mysterious lorry delivery, and a God-like character being tormented by eco protestors at the fracking site he protects.
So here are the questions we’ve got after watching the eerie episode 1 of Passenger on ITV.
***Warning: spoilers from Passenger episode 1 ahead***
Passenger episode 1 review: What is lurking in the woods?
Better and Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan wrote Passenger, and he said: “I’ve always loved shows where the known collides with the unknown – where you see communities faced with something horrifying and inexplicable, where, as a viewer, you’ve nothing in your kit-bag to explain it.”
And he’s created something that does exactly that. At the beginning of the episode, we saw Nico Mirallegro‘s character Kane Jackson making a mysterious delivery. He looked afraid to be near the contents, and even tried to talk through the walls to whatever was inside. First thoughts of illegal migrants soon evaporated when he opened the truck to reveal… Well, we haven’t a Scooby Doo.
The only glimpse we got of its contents was at the end of the episode when we saw a mysterious black liquid at the bottom of a cage – the same black liquid found at the scene of the massacred deer in the woods.
We know that something dropped the deer from the sky… But, as Riya herself asked: “What’s bigger than a massive deer?”
Whatever it is it makes some seriously weird noises. And Daniel Ryan‘s character Derek Jackson seems to know what it is. Is it some kind of alien or creature? Time will tell!
What happened to Katie in the forest?
Twenty-one-year-old Katie Wells was the unfortunate person who was driving said car when the deer landed on the windscreen. But why did she just leave the car in the woods, along with her phone?
At first, we thought she’d been abducted or eaten by whatever destroyed the deer. But she later turned up unharmed – but where had she been all that time?
Unluckily for her, she returned just in time for a reunion with her criminal dad.
Passenger episode 1 review: What is Eddie Wells guilty of?
Riya arrested Eddie Wells (Barry Sloane) for committing a violent crime five years ago. However, instead of serving 10 years, he was released from prison five years early.
All we know is that he has a “sick mind” and has been described as a “monster”. We also know that David Threlfall’s character Jim Bracknell “lost his family” because of him.
So what is Eddie guilty of? And is he a changed man, or out to cause more trouble? We’d guess the latter!
What’s Riya Ajunwa’s secret past?
Former Met Officer Rija isn’t exactly thrilled with the way her life has turned out… She used to live in Wandsworth, London, and dreamt of kids.
Then, her partner Nick persuaded her to leave London for Chadder Vale, to be closer to his mum. Nick is now nowhere to be seen, and Riya seems to be the mum’s carer.
So we can forgive her for feeling pretty peeved. But there’s something else… When she heard the weird noise in the woods, she appeared to have flashbacks of being a scared girl hiding under a bed. What’s her secret?
Passenger episode 1 review: What happened to the missing Swedish girl?
Alongside all this is the historic case of a missing Swedish girl. We’ve seen the posters around the town, and witnessed Rija’s frustration that she wasn’t able to investigate it.
We have to assume the missing girl is linked to the sinister presence in the woods. Did the ‘creature’ use the poor girl for a toothpick, the same way it treated the deer?
Passenger is eerie, compelling, and different to anything else we’ve seen for a while. Think Twin Peaks, but in the North of England! We’re hooked!
Read more: Andrew Buchan ‘splits with Amy Nuttall for Better co-star Leila Farzad’
Passenger continues on Monday, March 25, 2024 at 9pm on ITV1. The full series is on ITVX now.
Do you agree with our review of Passenger episode 1? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.