The Missing

Thanks to the modern miracle of Catch Up TV, I have finally gotten around to watching the eight part BBC drama that gripped the nation a couple of months ago.

To put it simply, I found The Missing to be the most shockingly powerful piece of television I have seen in a long time; certainly the most powerfully shocking (and possibly the darkest) I have seen from the BBC. Hugely suspenseful, gripping in the extreme, and darkly captivating. This series really brought each and every aspect of what happens when a child is abducted into shockingly clear, detailed and considered light.

Ingeniously written, and wonderfully planned and envisioned from the first second to the last, The Missing never once failed to keep my attention to the extreme (an experience I haven't had with a TV show since the days of LOST). Hugely addictive from each episode to the next; to say I was a captive audience is an understatement. Truly in its own dark, gritty, noir-esque, gut-wrenchingly powerful way The Missing really is a sublime piece of television.

Though the stories of James Nesbitt and wife Frances O'Connor are a main focal point of the twisting and turning plot, at its heart The Missing is an ensemble piece, and each member of the ensemble is effortlessly terrific.

Yet lets start with the main two. James Nesbitt has of course been an acting staple for us here and indeed globally for some years now, and The Missing only goes further in confirming his status as the supremely talented acting treasure he is. He does not put a foot wrong at all in the eight episode long arc of his character Tony Hughes. Perfectly measured, wonderfully detailed and excellently encapsulated - James Nesbitt is wonderful to watch here.

Complementing him is Frances O'Connor whose character Emily goes on her own arc. This journey is just as harrowing and detailed as that of Nesbitt's character, but it is just as well envisioned and just as beautifully captured. What's more the two complement each other so well as these two struggling parents trying to cope in the face of massive tragedy. Together they really do succeed in getting across the realism of what such a case could be like.

Alongside them of course we have a superb smorgasbord of talent at every turn - the performances really are staggering. We have Jason Flemyng, who you may be forgiven for overlooking slightly, but is nevertheless a sage and charismatic character to have. Ken Stott pretty much re-defines the term "complex villain" here with a distinctly disturbing but nevertheless awesome performance as Ian Garrett. Then we have relative newcomers Titus De Voogdt, again with a very chilling but wonderfully layered performance as Vincent Borg, and Anamaria Marinca whose character transformation and transition as Rini Dalca really is mind blowing. 

Finally we have the sage, sublime and superb Tchéky Karyo as wise and experienced detective Julien Baptiste; his was a performance that captured you from day one, and if I had to pick a favourite character his would be it.

There are many dramas that profess to stand out from the crowd, but The Missing truly does. Superbly written, beautifully directed and with characters and performances that truly are breath-taking. The only reason I am not giving it a completely clean bill of health is its slightly ambiguous ending (though I am not giving away any specifics) and its tendency to go a tad too dark. Really though, I implore you to watch this one. The nature of the subject matter and the fact that it is eight episodes long may sound a little daunting, but I promise in terms of sheer quality - The Missing is certainly worth it.