A lot left unsaid

Helen McCrory stars as Emma Banville in Fearless, starting on the ABC on Sunday night, at 9.30pm.

FEARLESS
Sundays, 9.30pm, ABC

A little girl walks on a wall that is screening moments and history and then she is poised at the precipice – and so begins Fearless the six-part series created by Homeland and 24 writer Patrick Harbison starring Helen McCrory.
McCrory plays Emma Banville, a human rights lawyer known for defending lost causes. There is a lot going on in Emma’s life when we meet her. Her father is dying, she has the wife of a Syrian Doctor living in her house and she and her lazy photographer boyfriend are trying to adopt and dealing with an incident from her past that “unraveled” her. It is little wonder that Emma spends a vast amount of the time with a cigarette in her hand. Poor woman’s head would be spinning – mine kind of was.
Into this chaos Emma takes on a new client – Kevin Russell – a man who was convicted for the murder of a schoolgirl – Linda Simms – 14 years earlier. He maintains he is innocent and his former girlfriend convinces Emma to meet with him. Though the meeting is short her curiosity is piqued and then listening to his “confession” she becomes convinced of his innocence and she becomes consumed with the case.
Of course all is not what it seems and what looks like a straight forward case could have much wider reaching consequences – with new characters being introduced towards the end of the episode to add to the mystery.
A lot happens in part one as the writers and McCrory (Harry Potter, Peaky Blinders), who is suitably dower and serious as Emma Banville try to set up the series. All the seeds are sown to unfold as the series goes on, and it is done slowly so that all there is a lot to take in – it isn’t too overpowering.
This is an interesting series with McCrory more than capable of doing all the heavy lifting she is asked to do but somehow something just seems to be missing – maybe it tries to be a little too gripping, little too secretive and somehow just manages to miss the mark.
– Tania Phillips