A mansion of menace
THE DECEIVED
C5, 9pm
THERE’S a lot to take in as this four-part thriller hits the ground running with no gentle build-up.
“I was always frightened of their house from the first moment I saw it,” says lead character Ophelia, played by Emily Reid.
Then there’s a shot of a dark, creepy mansion surrounded by mist – that she says represents pain and fear to her. Ophelia is being interviewed by someone we can’t see and narrates the chilling story that’s about to play out.
It starts at a university as she falls desperately in love with her married English lecturer Michael Callaghan, played by Emmett J. Scanlan.
The plot goes from harmless flirtation, to sex in his office, to full-on “madly in love” within about five minutes. Not long afterwards Ophelia has an awkward conversation with Callaghan’s wife Roisin (Catherine Walker) in the ladies’ loos.
Then Roisin’s best friend Ruth (Shelley Conn) appears to be aware of what Ophelia has been up to.
“You’re not the first,” she warns.
But the plot thickens when the affair is interrupted by a shocking and tragic death. And it leaves Ophelia part of a confusing world of betrayal and deceit.
Watch out for Normal People’s Paul Mescal. He plays builder Sean who becomes a confidante to a fearful Ophelia.
The speed that everything plays out makes this feel slightly bonkers, but it will leave you with plenty of questions that need answering.
Fortunately you won’t have to wait long – it’s on every night until Thursday’s finale.