Blindspot is the latest thriller to land on Channel 5, and episode 1 ended on a terrifying cliffhanger. Here are all the burning questions we have after watching the Ross Kemp nail-biter.
The four-part series stars EastEnders legend Ross in his first TV role for some time. The actor and presenter, 58, hasn’t been seen in a TV drama since 2016, when he made a brief return to the BBC One soap.
And his character Tony Warden couldn’t be any different to the role that made him. Ross plays washed up Police Detective Warden in the Channel 5 drama Blindspot.
But how did Tony end up being so ‘meh’ about a serious crime? Here’s all our burning questions after watching Blindspot episode 1.
***Warning: spoilers from Blindspot episode 1 ahead***
What’s the plot of Blindspot on Channel 5
Blindspot on Channel 5 introduces Hannah Quinn, a young wheelchair user who witnesses a traumatising attack in her neighbourhood on her way home from a night out.
Horrified to hear a young woman calling for help, she’s shocked when she realises the woman ‘in distress’ is one of her friends called Zoe Mason.
Clearly some sort of ruse to rob people, Zoe quickly tells her to “run” as a man in a sinister skull mask steps out from his hiding place and gives chase.
As Zoe tries to protect her friend, the masked man turns on her, bludgeoning her to death with a baseball bat. One year later, Hannah is still traumatised by witnessing her friend’s death. Now working in a CCTV security office, she panics when she believes she sees the masked attacker again.
She watches as he enters the area with an unknown woman, but emerges alone… Of course, hence the title of the series, the alleged crime took place in the only part of the estate not covered by cameras.
Hannah believes the mystery woman was murdered despite there being no evidence of a crime… But we suspect there’s something way more fishy going on!
Blindspot episode 1: Who is the masked man?
Blindspot on Channel 5 started with several terrifying minutes in which Hannah’s life was in a real danger. But who was the masked man, and what was his relationship to Hannah’s friend Zoe?
Little is revealed about Zoe in the first episode. However, like Amber, we suspect drugs/addiction could have been involved. Zoe was clearly at the mercy of the masked man, and perhaps coerced into doing wrong. It ultimately led to her murder.
At the end of Blindspot episode 1, a masked man followed Hannah home and clearly meant to do her harm. Was it the same masked man who killed Zoe? Could the man be the same weirdo who sits on a park swing and smiles at the CCTV cameras all day? And how did he know where to find Hannah?
That, we fear, is the killer question in this series where nobody seems to be telling the truth!
Where did the woman disappear to?
A year after witnessing a traumatising attack in her neighbourhood, Hannah witnesses a copycat-style attack on her area’s CCTV system, in the only part of the estate not covered by cameras.
What appears to be the same masked attacker who killed Zoe enters the area with an unknown woman, but emerges alone. So what happened to the woman? Hannah believes she was murdered, but there is no evidence of a crime.
She feels thwarted by Tony, the washed up and possibly corrupt police detective on the case… But she perseveres and soon finds her own life in danger trying to investigate what really happened.
Firstly, it’s incomprehensible that Police Detective Tony Warden didn’t take Hannah’s claims more seriously. He and his team didn’t even search the bins. Even when Hannah saw the girl’s jumper in one of them.
Was Tony’s nonchalance a sign that he’s a really rubbish cop, as Hannah suspects? Or is there more to it? Any one else suspect the lady in the leopard-print jumper was Hannah’s s0-called friend Amber?
Watch this space!
Blindspot episode 1: Why was Tony Warden demoted?
Ross Kemp plays against type in Blindspot on Channel 5. He’s described as a “useless, washed-up has-been” who’s been “put out to pasture”. When he arrives at Zoe’s memorial, friend Amber states: “He’s got some nerve showing up here.”
Meanwhile, Hannah says: “His whole investigation has been a joke from start to finish.” She later asks: “Is he bent, or just shit at his job?”
He failed to take Hannah’s claims seriously, even refusing to look in the bins when he was STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO THEM! Something is definitely wrong with Tony Warren.
The police force demoted him, but we don’t know why. And his wife has left him. He’s a broken man, but is he a villain or a hero? It’s hard to tell at this point.
Who gave Tony the envelope of cash in Blindside episode 1?
Arriving at the police office in Blindspot episode 1, Tony is given an envelope when he walks past reception. Opening it, it’s stashed full of cash – fifty pound notes to be precise.
Is he being paid off? And, if so, is he keeping silent willingly, or is someone blackmailing him?
Blindspot episode 1: Is everyone dodgy?
Nobody is taking Hannah’s fears seriously in Blindspot. When Hannah called her friend Amber about spotting the masked man again, her reaction was suss. In fact, she barely reacted at all.
Meanwhile, her mum Councillor Louisa Bradfield (Unforgotten‘s Michelle Bonnard) is clearly involved in some way. When Dolly Fletcher called her to inform her that Hannah had been asking questions, Bradfield said she’d deal with it…
Minutes later, the masked man arrived at Hannah’s door. Pretty suspicious! So Dolly, Amber, Louisa, and Tony are all hiding something. When everyone is suspect, who do you trust?
Fans deliver verdict on the Ross Kemp thriller…
Viewers were divided by the Channel 5 thriller starring Ross Kemp, with some loving having the actor back on our screens, but others blasting it as “rubbish”.
One fan said: “I don’t get all of the negative comments. I thought it was a great opener with a lot of suspense. It’s great to see @RossKemp acting again. #Blindspot I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes.”
Another said: “I found this really interesting and gripping and a strong puzzle element. Sue Vincent is great ! Take a bow @KinsmanRob #Blindspot.”
A third totally agreed, adding: “Reading lots of comments hating this but I enjoyed it #Blindspot.”
But there were plenty of haters, too.
On such critic tweeted: “The jury is out. Don’t know what to make of it. All I see is threads threads and more threads underwhelming #Blindspot.”
Another blasted: “#Blindspot This is absolute fodder! Woeful acting, basic script, how are they stretching this shite out over 4 parts?! The idea of a British crime drama with @RossKemp was exciting, but this is poop! 3/10 for me!”
Others called it “rubbish”, “awful” and “terrible.
Having watched all four episodes, we think it’s worth sticking with – it’s definitely a grower.
Read more: Ross Kemp pulled out of doomed Titanic submersible dive over safety fears
Blindspot episode 2 airs on Channel 5 on Wednesday, July 05, 2023, episode 3 on Thursday, and the finale airs on Friday.
What do you think of Ross Kemp in Blindspot? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.