Last week’s thoroughly decent episode of Marchlands ended with an utterly unconvincing jump moment, but still moved the show cautiously forward. It lost the desire to over explain, and instead, focused on an intriguing, interlinked ghost story. Let’s do them in order, then. Having the toughest time this week were Ruth and Paul, facing the fact that Paul’s the reason they’re having trouble conceiving. Set against an era where much remained repressed, this was handled nicely, and both Jodie Whittaker and Jamie Thomas King put in fine performances here. It’s a catalyst for tensions bubbling up between the two over who blames who for the death of their daughter, Alice, and the ensuing row sends Ruth into the arms of another man. Only the appearance of Alice’s chain prevents things going further, and potentially throwing an extra twist into the fertility story. At least for now. Meanwhile, Nisha goes into labour, and present-day Ruth is there at hand at the key moment. Mark arrives in time, the baby is born, and the couple name the baby – could you see this coming? – Alice! What can possibly go wrong there? In fact, this episode of Marchlands happily raids the spooky story store cupboard for some of its moments. There’s a bathroom with running taps! A music box! Creepy mirrors with letters written on them! Strange noises from the pipes! And a slightly more prominent role for the incidental music which, sadly, continues to do Marchlands few favours. Certainly Amy is talking even more accurately about Alice, and the shot we see of them together is a million times more effective than the cheap hand trick of last episode. Even better, the scene with Scott and Amy in the same shot at the end of the episode was very effective, and really quite creepy. We’re over the half-way point now, and Marchlands really does have a handle on the Alice appearances now. It’s still not doing much with Alice herself, mind. And we’re no closer to the exact circumstances of her demise. Who was to blame? And why is Alice haunting everyone? That’s for future episodes. For now, there’s another element thrown into the mix, and that’s with the comparably undercooked modern day story. For Nisha is discovering more of Mark’s past, specifically with Olive, and Mark is simply struggling to keep himself afloat. The show’s given itself a few more threads right there. A solid episode, in all, of a perfectly functional spooky drama that’s gradually working out how to spook a little bit better. It’s not over ambitious, granted, but it’s perfectly effective. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.
