The Bay prime suspects investigated
The Bay spoilers follow.
Season two of The Bay didn't waste any time in chucking Lisa (Morven Christie), Med (Taheen Modak), Manning (Daniel Ryan) and co in at the deep end.
Stephen Tompkinson, who you would have expected to stick around for a while, only appeared in the drama's opening episode for just over four minutes before his character, also called Stephen, was killed in cold blood.
It's been almost two years since our last trip to Morecambe, but all is forgiven following that staggering premiere.
With five episodes to go, the brain (or brains) behind Stephen's execution is currently unknown, but we've been doing some detective work of our own to try and deduce who the guilty party is.
We'll be the first to admit that some of our guesswork is a little out-there, but if we've learned one lesson from watching a stupid amount of telly, it's that nothing is ever off the table.
Bill
There's clearly tension between James Cosmo's character and his son-in-law. When Bill arrives at the barbecue, the pair barely say two words to one another. We know that he has no real desire to retire and relinquish control of the family law firm, but pressure from his relatives due to his age and increased forgetfulness have forced him to step back.
Could Bill have decided to take matters into his own hands to reassert his position within the business and the family?
We do see him crying about the death of Stephen later on in the episode.
"He was like a son to me," he says. "My right-hand man." But could that be an act? An old man in floods of tears doesn't scream killer, which, as any viewer knows, screams killer.
With his daughter's husband about to take up his position as head of the company, could his frustrations have reached breaking point?
Mark
Ordering a hit on your own brother is both an extreme and unforgivable course of action, but the payoff for Mark, played by Steven Robertson, could potentially be huge.
With Bill on his way out, it was Stephen, as senior partner, who was set to step into his shoes. That would undoubtedly have been a source of irritation for Mark, who isn't even a partner, we should add.
He tries to ask his dad a question about the business at the barbecue and Bill isn't interested, instead telling him to liaise with Stephen, which visibly exasperates Mark.
Could he have reached breaking point? With his brother out of the equation, he would be in the best position to gain both professionally and financially from the tragedy.
There's always a chance that his father could have decided to stay on, or to hire someone else entirely, but you can't win if you don't throw your hat in the ring.
It should also be noted that whenever the police arrive at the company's offices to ask questions or do a bit of digging, Stephen's brother can barely hide his irritation and is reluctant to help.
Care to explain yourself, Mark?
Rose
On the surface, it feels highly unlikely that Stephen's wife Rose (Sharon Small) was behind the murder. Her devastation is palpable, and to inflict that pain on her family, including her young son, feels totally at odds with the character that we're presented with.
But this is an ITV drama, which means all of the characters are under suspicion.
When Lisa is talking to Lyn (Wendy Kweh), the firm's newest employee, she describes Rose as "organised" and someone who "keeps everyone on their toes", which certainly sounds innocent enough. But organisation is key when planning an execution-style killing, and that latter comment from Lyn does have a certain edge to it.
Could that be a window into another strand of her character that hasn't fully revealed itself? Was Rose eyeing up her husband's life insurance?
Plus, we've only watched the first episode. Could more information about Stephen emerge further down the line that would push Rose to do the unthinkable?
Stella
Mark's wife Stella (Sunetra Sarker) is also not an obvious candidate, but she, too, would gain financially if her husband was promoted within the law firm.
Perhaps she worked with Mark to orchestrate Stephen's death, like a Bonnie-and-Clyde type arrangement. Or maybe Stella put the deadly plan in place on behalf of her husband but without his knowledge.
She could have been motivated by Mark's exasperation, acting out of love for him, the thought of all that extra cash, or a little bit of both.
Grace
There's bad blood between Grace (Amy James-Kelly) and her family. Her dad is dead after being killed in truly horrifying fashion and yet, that isn't enough to send her running back home.
We don't know the circumstances of their feud, but to stay away in this particular scenario is a red flag.
Grace has an alibi for the time of the murder, but that doesn't mean she wasn't pulling the strings behind the scenes. Perhaps she's hard up for cash, and with zero desire to enjoy a relationship with her father, losing him to pocket some of the spoils from his will would work in her favour.
Frank
Owen McDonnell plays Grace's boss Frank. We know next to nothing about him and we wouldn't have spent a second thinking about his character after the credits rolled if not for one brief moment.
After Lisa and Med have questioned both Frank and Grace, the pair are having a conversation and lo and behold, from a window up high, they're being watched by Frank.
He could just be curious. A man has been shot dead, after all. Or he could know a lot more than he's letting on.
And there's also the possibility that Stephen was wrapped up in some dodgy business that hasn't yet come to light, with an external party having him killed as an act of revenge.
We know that some company papers had been used as kindling on the barbecue. Did Stephen put them there to destroy evidence? Is he less innocent than we initially thought?
The Bay seasons one and two are available to stream now on the ITV Hub. Or you can watch season two, episode two live on Wednesday, January 27 at 9pm on ITV.
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