Loch Ness

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          With a show called Loch Ness (also known as The Loch), you would think this show was about the Loch Ness Monster in some way, but it’s not.  At least not in the traditional sense.  That’s because this time the monster is not a creature living in a lake.  The monster is a serial killer.

                In a small town located on Loch Ness, the body of a local piano teacher has been found.  At first glance it seems the death of Niall Swift (Jordan McCurrach) could have been an accident.  He was found not far from a cliff edge.  It would have been easy for him to slip and fall, or even take his own life.

                An accident or suicide is probably the way Niall’s cause of death would have been determined if the investigators had not discovered something strange.  Niall’s brain is missing.  To have your brain missing is not the result of an accident.  Add the missing brain to the human heart that was found at a Loch Ness Monster hoax, and it is quite possible the town of Lochnafoy has a serial killer on their hands.

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     Unfortunately, the sergeant in charge, Detective Sergeant Annie Redford (Laura Fraser), has never conducted a murder investigation before.  Because of this, Detective Chief Inspector Lauren Quigley (Siobhan Finneran) is brought in from out of town to lead the investigation.  To help, DCI Quigley brings along a profiler, Blake Arlington (Don Gilet).  A psychologist who is famous for the books he has written, Blake is eager to figure out who the serial killer is.  With three people eager to solve the case, you would think they would make a good team.  It does not take long to figure out they do not.

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            Not long after the investigation starts, DS Redford gets kicked off of the case when it is discovered her daughter, Evie (Shona McHugh), has been withholding important information.  DS Redford doesn’t stay off long, though, because very quickly she is able to prove how well her local connections help in getting information.  Once DCI Quigley discovers this, she puts DS Redford back on the investigative team.

The same forgiveness does not come so easily for Blake.  Instead of looking at all the facts and evidence, Blake gets hooked on the idea of one particular person being the culprit.  In his mind, there can’t be any other possibilities.  Then, he reveals pertinent information the police are trying to keep secret to the public.  He gives quotes to the media when he isn’t supposed to.  To top it all off, he then shows up in places when he was specifically and directly told not to go.  All these actions get Blake completely kicked off of the case.  The police do not want his help any more.  While this would seem to be a clear message to stay away, maybe even go home, Blake does not hear it.  No matter what anyone says or does, he is not going to stop investigating.

                To make matters worse, while the investigative team tries to get figured out, the killings do not stop.  A teenage boy is found dead, and there is a shooting at a college field trip.  With no one knowing what is going on or why, the town becomes full of suspicions.  Anyone with a secret, no matter how small, becomes a suspect.  In a town as small as Lochnafoy, with everyone knowing everyone, there is a surprising amount of secrets amongst the townspeople.  Including the fact that there is a dead body in the lake.  

            If you like Broadchurch, I would definitely suggest you give Loch Ness a try.  Unlike Broadchurch, though, there is only one season of Loch Ness.  While there are some characters I would not miss (Evie drove me crazy), I am sad to see the series end.  With so many people having secrets, it could easily go on for one or more seasons.  Or something brand new could be created to investigate.  There are a lot of possibilities for continuing this show.  Whether or not the creators will be given the chance to do that, I don’t know.

Image provided by Acorn TV.