The Dark, a new six-part thriller on ITV, opens with a chilling scene: an unseen man punching holes in leather straps, then carrying a naked body across the Highlands. The arms swing like metronomes, marking time that has already run out. The body, later revealed via drone shot, lies supine with arms prayerfully above the head. DI Monica Kennedy (Laura Donnelly) is called to investigate, and a cold, webby mass of intrigue begins to spin. The setting, with its constant gloom and dreich weather, combined with the icy finger of dread, makes it the perfect antidote to a heatwave.
A Mother's Grief and a Community's Secrets
The corpse is 17-year-old Jason Morgan, younger brother of Nichol, who went missing five years ago. DI Kennedy investigated that case too. She tells her new partner Crawford (Mark Rowley) that there was gossip about Nichol's stepfather Barclay (Emun Elliott) killing the boy, but evidence suggested he ran away. They break the news to Jason's parents: his mother Bethany (Helen Baxendale) cuts an over-large piece of cake for Crawford, while Barclay leaves to identify the body and accidentally drops it on the floor. The small domestic disaster screams louder than any dramatic outburst.
Intriguing Characters and a Growing Mystery
The investigation brings in other players: Rob (Aaron McVeigh), a waiter who finds a burner phone taped to his bike, with texts from his estranged mother. DI Kennedy soon realises she is on the trail of a serial killer. Clues include swallowed stones, drugged teas, and stuffed animals. Suspects include Nichol's former social worker Michael (Tunji Kasim), now rattling with medications; Rob's austere father (Cal Macaninch); Barclay; shadowy rabbit poacher Don (Phil McKee); and a local older lad. More will shift in and out of focus, keeping viewers hungry for answers.
A Refreshingly Different Female Detective
Kennedy herself is a standout. She has her childcare arrangements sorted (a grandmother played by Stella Gonet) and a backstory beyond single-mother guilt. Tantalising hints of her past emerge from locals who remember her pregnancy with strange interest. This gothic element thickens the main plot rather than distracting from it.
Minor Flaws in an Otherwise Gripping Drama
There are infelicities: intuitive leaps that jar with the bleak realism, an unlikely action where Kennedy picks up a bouquet of flowers at the hospital when told to, and a wildly overwritten pathologist with lines like “Dark as the darkest soul” in a thick Eastern European accent. Despite these, the show is stylish, fun, and chilling. The Dark aired on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
