25 Days of Crime-mas Day 22: The Missing will have you gripping your loved ones tightly
There are very few dramas that have me reaching for loved ones. The Missing leaves you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
What would you do if your child went missing? That’s a question you find yourself answering, as you watch the characters go through the motions in The Missing. The BBC One production has to be our pick for Day 22 of the 25 Days of Crime-mas.
The anthology series currently has two seasons. There may be more, but that will be up to BBC One and STARZ. This is one of those shows that could be left for a few years and a new season brought back with a new harrowing tale. Honestly, the breaks between seasons work to this show’s benefit.
So, why is it on our list for Crime-mas today?
A harrowing tale that leaves you breathless
There are very few TV crime dramas that have me reaching for my kids. In fact, it’s usually the real news on TV that makes me need to kiss them while they sleep. The Missing was haunting, every episode had me clinging onto hope that the story would end with some positivity. Even the trailer for the first season will leave you breathless.
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During the first season, a young boy goes missing. This isn’t your usual abduction story where it’s someone in the family. While the parents aren’t perfect (no parents are), you still follow their story as they do everything they can to find their son. When the police don’t seem to be doing enough, you’re screaming at the screen with the parents, hoping that some sort of clue can be found.
The second season does things a little differently. It starts with a young woman returning from an unknown place. She went missing years ago and is now back, but she’s not the same as she was. Something happened to her in the time she was gone, and her parents want to figure out what it was.
Both tales focus on the darkness of abductions, how far parents are willing to go, and the helplessness when a child is abducted. If you need something different to the norm and don’t mind harrowing, The Missing is where it’s at.
The Missing cast
Being an anthology series, there are two sets of casts. However, there is one crossover main actor in Tchéky Karyo as Julien Baptiste. Anastasia Hille plays Celia Baptiste in 15 of the16 episodes so far.
James Nesbitt and Frances O’Connor play Tony and Emily Hughes in the first season, with Oliver Hunt as their son. This has been Oliver’s only credited role, and what an amazing job he did! Émilie Dequenne plays the English-speaking detective Laurence Relaud, who is requested when Tony calls in that his son has gone missing since they are in the middle of Paris.
David Morrissey and Keeley Hawes play Sam and Gemma play the parents of Alice Webster in the second season. Alice is played by Abigail Hardingham, and she portrays the haunted look of the past perfectly. Roger Allam, Laura Fraser, and Lia Williams are among the cast.
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Why it is a must-watch
If you find difficult material triggering, The Missing is going to be a series to skip. However, those who like gritty, real, spine-chilling shows will want to check out both seasons.
The acting is superb. You can feel every emotion from each of the characters throughout the seasons, delivering a tale that leaves you breathless. The writing is on point, offering a realistic look into child abductions, as well as the story of parents who try to stay together but can’t manage it with the grief, loss, and fear they experience.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes rated this 91% and have marked it Certified Fresh. That’s certainly well deserved. What’s even greater is that audiences agree.
Which episodes to watch first
There isn’t any way that you can jump into this series with any episode. You need to start The Missing from the very beginning. And you need to watch each season in order.
I’d would suggest taking a break between the two seasons. There was a three-year break on British TV, and I do think that was necessary to break down everything that happened in the first season to prepare for the second.
You can buy The Missing on Digital. You can also watch both seasons on STARZ.
Next. 25 Days of Crime-mas: The full schedule. dark
What do you think of The Missing? What are you watching to get through the holidays? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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