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The secrets of Overton continue to spill forth in the second, gripping episode of E4’s new teen drama Glue. Whereas last week’s installment had to deal with introducing the show, setting and characters (which it did rather successfully), it did lack somewhat in terms of storyline. This week, that all changed; a new suspect was revealed, a Skins-style party was thrown, and a whole host of drug problems engulfed the picturesque town.
Whilst last week’s episode focused heavily upon Charlotte Spencer’s Tintin, this week saw Ruth and James take the centre stage, with a lot being revealed about both characters. Ruth is a mother, who had a child with Tintin’s father (I think – that bit was a bit vague, but that was probably on purpose) and struggled to juggle being a single mother and a police officer. Her connection with the gang is also explored more, and I still expect her to side with them. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Ruth was revealed as the killer – it is, after all, always the one you’d least expect.
Aside from some ropey acting by Yasmin Paige (specifically when she found out her daughter was in hospital – where was the emotion?), Ruth is a character I am routing for. I want her to succeed in the case. So far, she is extremely likeable.
As is James. He is broody and melancholy, but I guess finding a body would do that to you. It’s revealed this week that he has been offered a place at Durham University and is in two minds about whether to leave or not. His sister is introduced this episode, before swiftly departing saying she’ll return at Christmas. Can it not be Christmas yet? She is simply brilliant – her line where she paraphrased Miley Cyrus’ ‘We Can’t Stop’ was hilarious! She was more thrilling than most of the main characters.
Cal’s murder still encapsulates the narrative. The gang is questioned, and Cal’s dealing in drugs becomes apparent. It’s kind of a cliche to include drugs in a teen drama – not all teenagers take drugs. Negative connotations aside, it appears as though both Janine and James have some connection to Cal. Janine isn’t Janine, but rather someone entirely secret who dealt ketamine to Cal. She is the new suspect, so expect her to eventually be cleared. It would be too obvious if it was her. That said, she is the most likely suspect at the moment – Cal’s impromptu phone call situates him with her at around 3AM. And like last week noted, 3AM falls in the timeframe in which he could have died. Likewise, James acts shady again. He’s lost Cal’s pendant, but he burns down Cal’s caravan to hide more evidence. His fingerprints are all over it though, so expect this to come back and haunt him in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere, Jessica Cave’s Annie doesn’t do much (again), Callum Turner, who plays Eli, is shit (again – seriously he has zero charisma), and Jordan Steven’s Rob continues his hedonistic ways (again). He infuses every scene with humour though, especially when he tries to convince everyone to go for a morning curry, so he is a refreshing infusion of comedy to an otherwise moody show. He is number two on my suspect list, for reasons I have yet to discern. On the plus side we had more nudity from him.
This episode was soundtracked gorgeously, from the soaring sweeping shot of the murder scene at the opening of the episode to the beautiful vocals of Yasmin Paige during the closing montage. Similarly, the episode was directed rather brilliantly too; the opening shot was impressive to behold, as was the scene of Janine tearing through the countryside trying to run from the police.
All in all, Glue still has me hooked. I suspect my culprit will change on a weekly basis, but I am enjoying trying to piece it all together. Hopefully, more clues will be released next week as a new suspect manifests.
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