The series begins by introducing DI Fia Lucey (Lisa Dwan) in a bar scene. She watches a young male become overly aggressive with a female before following her into the bathroom. Fia joins them in the bathroom to discover the male forcing himself on her. Fia not only intervenes but breaks the guy’s nose for the trouble.
As Fia arrives in the town of Blackwater the following morning, it appears that a passing female, Marjorie Whelan (Ingrid Craigie) recognizes her. The very brief encounter appears to affect them both.
At the local police station, Superintendent Shanahan (Lloyd Hutchinson) doesn’t waste any time letting her know that he isn’t happy about her joining his team. He then introduces her to the team and new partner, Cian Furlong (Rory Keenan). Being that Fia is a past acquaintance of Roisin Hurley (Clara Fitzgerald), he informs them that’ll she be an asset to the case. Shanahan isn’t amused by DG Angela Webster’s (Hannah James Scott) crude comments about Roisin being drunk in a ditch or in someone’s bed
Elsewhere, Marjorie shares the news of Fia’s arrival in town with her husband, Dr. James Whelan (Barry McGovern).
Fia immediately gets off on the wrong foot with Cian as they make their way to question the man, Charlie Reid (Aidan McArdle) who reported Roisin Hurley missing. Charlie alludes to knowing Fia before he describes Roisin as a good friend who struggled with alcohol and depression. Although their search of Roisin’s apartment is uneventful, Donna Walsh (Jade Jordan) informs them about a run-in with Roisin and a young lady. Donna can’t provide security footage because the cameras have been down but provides a description. When Fia later questions Cian about his past with the receptionist, Donna, he admits to having several run-ins with her father and brother.
A very short scene introduces a young girl in a caravan, Carrie (Rebecca Hanssen). As she looks out the window, a young man chopping wood gives the impression that he doesn’t want anyone to know she’s around.
Fia visits with Sandra (Ally Ni Chiarain) and Donal Riley (Andrew Bennett) where it’s revealed that she hasn’t been home in 15 years. During their very short encounter, Fia’s attention is attracted to what appears to be a family photo. Sandra and Fia both agree that they miss them every day.
Elsewhere Charlie and Serena Reid (Natalie Radmall Quirke) work to prepare the Reid Restaurant for opening. At one point, Serena unjustifiably jumps onto a young waitress, Lynette (Megan McDonnell), who she doesn’t think is doing an adequate job. When Bill shows up with a new bottle of whiskey and to discuss Roisin with Charlie, he asks about Lynette’s granddad, who is apparently battling cancer. Still, at her aunt and uncle’s house, Fia uses the opportunity to learn more about Roisin. Fia doesn’t learn much more than she already knows thanks to an unexpected call and her uncle’s offer to stay in her old room.
Cian and Fia arrive at a lake just as the investigators pull Roisin’s body out. Cian appears distraught by the whole ordeal while Fia comes off as quite adept at reading the evidence. This is later confirmed at their later meeting at the morgue with Dr. Myreen Burgess (Gwynne McElveen). As Fia learns the particulars of the death, Bill warns his nephew, Sean McGuire (Frank Blake), that Fia may eventually approach him with questions about the Roisin case. Sean assures him that it has been business as usual between him and Roisin for years.
News of the discovery of Roisin’s body trickles throughout the town. Marjorie and James Whelan appear to be the first to learn. The discovery appears to hit Charlie hard as well. Fia gathers her team and hands out assignments at the station but makes it known that their biggest focus will be tracking down the young girl that Donna saw arguing with Roisin. When the meeting breaks, Fia insults Cian again when he asks to leave early with the claim that he needs to take his son (Gerard Meehan/Finlay Boylan) to football practice.
A short scene at the caravan shows the axe-chopping man delivering groceries to Carrie. She speaks to him this time, asking how much longer she’ll need to stay there. His response is to tell her to not ask questions.
Bill immediately puts up resistance when he arrives to discover that Fia has not only taken over his hotel but ceased operations. As he vows that it won’t last, Fia turns her attention to Donna and a list of the guests and employees the night Roisin disappeared. When the list is later delivered, Fia attempts to comfort Donna before inviting her out for a drink. Their interaction at the bar reveals that Roisin was kind to both Donna and Fia, despite how they were treated by the rest of the town. Donna also mentions that Roisin would leave early every Wednesday and return with a smile on her face. Donna says she suspects Roisin was meeting someone and there were rumors about Sean McGuire, but can’t confirm the claims.
Bill approaches Cian at his son’s football practice with hopes of learning more about the Roisin case. Although Cian tells him he can’t talk about a murder investigation, Bill is astute enough to notice the word murder. Fia returns to her aunt and uncle’s home for dinner where they are also joined by Emma Riley (Lisa Dwyer Hogg). After the meal, Emma assures Fia that she will do everything possible to limit the amount of press in the papers about the 20-year anniversary. Visions of her father, Jack Lucey (San T O Meallaigh) hanging wet clothes on a clothesline keep Fia awake. The next morning when she visits what is revealed to be her childhood home, she has more visions of the days she discovered two bodies in the shed outback. She is soon interrupted by a pushy man from the press taking pictures. She nearly loses her cool but manages to reign herself in as she unsuccessfully tries to order him off the property.
An argument between Cian and his wife, Niamh Furlong (Amy De Bhrun) not only reveals more about Fia’s mysterious past, but it alludes to Cian not being a local. Niamh tries to learn more about the Roisin case before Cian breaks his dish in the sink and storms off.
Fia meets with Fergus Slattery (Brendan Conroy) who immediately recognizes her. He says he hasn’t seen Roisin or Hurley’s boat on the water in at least a month. Much to Fia’s surprise, he claims that the last time he saw Roisin at the docks, she was with a young girl, fitting the description of the girl from the hotel incident. He also says they were friendly, but remembers the girl especially because she started coughing and had to use an inhaler. Fia takes a rain check on his offer to get on the water.
Fia returns to the hotel and shares her discovery with Cian. Cian appears more concerned with Donna sharing information with her family. Fia says she suspects that Donna knows much more than she is sharing. A dinner scene at the caravan not only reveals that Carrie is the girl with the inhaler, but he tells the man that the inhaler is running low.
The search of Roisin’s boat doesn’t turn up any useful evidence, but Cian later learns that the cameras at the docks appear to have been tampered with. As he dismisses it as teenage vandalism, it becomes clear that he feels as if his talents aren’t being utilized to the fullest.
James becomes upset when attempts to celebrate Chloe Whelan’s (Grace Collender) birthday. His claims that Fia’s father, Jack, was involved send Marjorie to the church. Emma uses her job at the paper to learn more about Fia’s past while Fia makes a huge break in the Roisin case when she learns that her suspicions about Donna were correct. Donna not only admits to lying about the hotel’s surveillance footage, but she also has it backed up on a USB drive that she gives to Fia. Donna attributes lying to being afraid and is now afraid for Fia. When asked about this, Donna tells her to watch the footage. The episode ends with the surveillance footage showing Roisin arguing with a man in a hat before leaving the hotel. After further inspection, Fia discovers the man to be Cian.
Blackshore Review
I am surprised to say that there is something incredibly intriguing about this series. It’s not that the story is original and the subplots certainly aren’t mind-blowing. If anything, Blackshore should be just another oversaturated, slow-proceeding detective story, but it works! Like many series premieres, the episode was drawn out and a bit messy. At times I felt like I was staring at the wreckage of a 10-car pileup on the interstate, but what little is coming together has my attention. For that, I’d have to give the series opener at 5.6 out of 10.
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