Redemption has finally landed on ITV, and episode 1 gave us hope for a gripping series to come.
Research shows that people are generally happiest on a Friday night, and we have to agree – thanks to the start of this compelling new drama.
Like any decent cop show, episode 1 of Redemption left us with lots of unanswered questions that will (hopefully) all be tied up as the six-part series continues.
Like The Bay and Unforgotten – all on ITV at the moment – Redemption is addictive viewing.
So where’s BBC Drama at the moment?
Here’s all the burning questions we have after watching Redemption episode 1 on ITV…
***Warning: spoilers from Redemption episode 1 ahead***
Redemption episode 1 on ITV: Did Stacey kill herself?
In the opening minutes of Redemption episode 1, DI Colette Cunningham received a phone call with devastating news.
Her estranged daughter had been found dead of a suspected suicide.
Colette, a dedicated cop working serious crime in Liverpool, immediately dropped everything to fly to Dublin and identify the body.
While there, she was shocked to discover that her daughter had two children – grandkids Colette knew nothing about, but was now guardian of.
Deciding to stay on in Ireland for 6 months, Colette (Paula Malcomson) began to look into her daughter Kate/Stacey’s death.
But did she take her own life as the police believe?
We know she was found dead in Pheonix Park, with no visible marks on her body and no obvious signs of foul play.
The toxicology report then showed that she had a lethal amount of drugs in her system.
We also know that Stacey changed her will one week before she died, which could reinforce her desire to kill herself, or alternatively prove that she knew her life was in danger…
Viewers also know that Stacey could have been involved in organised crime in some way.
Was Stacey involved in organised crime?
While all the signs seem to indicate that Stacey took her own life, there are clues that she was somehow involved with organised crime.
First of all, her death was being investigated by the organised crime unit in Dublin.
This is because Stacey was accused of stealing opioids from the hospital where she worked as a nurse.
St Peter’s General Hospital suspended her several months before her death because of the allegations of theft.
So why would a mum-of-two – behind on her bills and mortgage repayments – be stealing large amounts of drugs if she wasn’t a user?
At the end of the episode, Colette discovered a black bag stashed in her dead daughter’s laundry basket.
The bag contained large sums of money and prescription meds, including Oxycodone – a very strong painkiller for severe pain.
So what was Stacey involved in before her death? And was she killed because of it?
Why did Colette and her daughter really fall out?
Redemption kicked off straight away with the mother of all conundrums (quite literally) when DI Colette Cunningham discovered her estranged daughter was dead.
And when we say estranged, we mean no contact for 20 years.
Colette didn’t even know her daughter, born Kate, was going by the name of Stacey Lockley – or that she had two grandchildren.
Talking to the police, Colette revealed that her daughter Kate – now Stacey – disappeared without a trace when she was 17.
She told them: “I haven’t seen my daughter in 20 years – not spoken, texted, or emailed.
“She left home when she was 17, and cut off all contact.
“I know nothing about her life.”
She went on to say: “I tried looking for her; I went out of my mind looking for her.
“And the whole time she was right here in Dublin?
“The fact she changed her name from Kate Cunningham to Stacey Lockley says it all…
“She didn’t want to be found, did she?”
Redemption episode 1 on ITV: Did Colette throw her daughter out?
However, grandchild Cara had another version of events.
On meeting her grandma, she spat out: “Mum said you threw her out when she was 17.
“She said you were really strict; that you wouldn’t let her do anything.
“She was glad when you threw her out because she couldn’t breathe living under the same roof.
“Mum said she loved her dad, but that you were a total bitch.
“You were as good as dead to her.”
Harsh words, but something very bad must have happened for a daughter and mother to lose contact like that.
Where are the dads?
Cara and Liam’s dad, Stacey’s ex, has not been mentioned at all.
But we think he could possibly pop up later in the series.
Why did Stacey give guardianship of her kids to the mother she apparently hated?
Where is the dad, and could he be linked to anything criminal?
Of course, Cara and Liam could have been the result of a one-night stand, or a donor, but we wonder if he’s a character we’ll meet later.
Meanwhile, there’s another absent, unaccounted for father…
Stacey’s dad, Colette’s ex, has only been mentioned in passing.
But where is he now?
The dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship are so interesting, we want to know where all the father figures are!
Read more: Redemption on ITV1: Why it’s THE new drama to watch this week!
Redemption continues on ITV1 on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 9pm. All episodes are now available on ITVX.
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