Shetland has finally returned to BBC One with series 8, and episode 1 introduced Ashley Jensen as DI Ruth Calder.
It’s been just over a year since viewers said a very heavy goodbye to Jimmy Perez, and his fantastic navy peacoat. And, I’m not going to lie, I miss him more than a TV writer should reasonably miss a fictional character.
Yes, readers, I had a huge crush on him. But… Shetland continues without him, and it contains all the same elements that made the show so popular in the first place. A great story, based on the books by Ann Cleeves, beautiful scenery, and authentic characters.
None less so than newbie Ashley Jensen, who joins the cast as ice queen Ruth Calder. But don’t be fooled. She’ll thaw eventually, despite the chilly Scottish temperatures. Like Unforgotten, DCI Jessica James could never replace beloved Cassie. And, here, Ruth Calder isn’t trying to be the new Perez.
Here are all the burning questions we have after watching Shetland series 8 episode 1…
***Warning: spoilers from Shetland series 8 episode 1 ahead***
What happened in Shetland series 8 episode 1?
Shetland series 8 started with a bang, quite literally, when a police informant called Remy was shot in the head. He worked as an accountant for a criminal called Cassidy, and had been working with the police to get him sent down.
However, honey-trapper Ellen Quinn knew nothing of this when she flirted with him, drugged him, and stole all his cash – just minutes before Cassidy’s henchmen arrived to kill him.
Ellen, now the only witness to the gruesome murder in London, fled back to her home town of Shetland. And Met detective Ruth Calder was tasked with following her and trying to protect her from the thugs who had killed Remy.
But it’s not a simple job for Ruth. We discovered she was born in Shetland, and hasn’t been back since she was 18. She subsequently teamed up with Tosh on the case, but her prickly attitude won her no friends.
During episode 1, the thugs – led by EastEnders star Don Gilet – followed Ellen to Shetland, desperate to retrieve the money she stole off Remy. Meanwhile, Ellen had the money stolen from her on a bus, and the bodycount rose to three dead bodies, and two dead sheep. RIP.
Questions we have after watching – what is Ruth Calder hiding?
Met detective Ruth Calder returned to Shetland on the trail of a vulnerable witness, and teamed up with Tosh on a case that will test their fragile, new partnership.
On top of the case, Calder was faced with figures from her past and cringed through a chance encounter with ex-boyfriend Cal Innes (played by Jamie Sives). Although she DID manage to find her way into his bed later in the episode!
Even worse was her visit to estranged younger brother Alan, now the minister of their father’s old kirk. It’s clear that the two siblings have starkly different views of their childhood…
So what happened in Ruth’s past that made her leave Shetland and never return? We learn that she “didn’t like her father”, and that she refused to return for his funeral. Ruth also missed her brother’s wedding. Far from happy families, but why? First guess is that she was a bit wilder than her strict Reverend father would have liked…?
Shetland series 8 episode 1: Who killed Ellen Quinn?
At the end of Shetland series 8, episode 1, DI Ruth Calder and Tosh found Ellen Quinn’s dead body. First assumptions are obviously that Cassidy’s men got to her. But we didn’t actually see them murder her.
And there’s still the matter of the missing money. Will the heavies track down the boy and the missing bag of money? Of course, viewers know that Ellen was carrying the stolen money when she was robbed by a passenger on the bus.
Is he now in danger, too?
Is there a Satanist cult on Shetland?
Before DI Ruth Calder arrived on the scene in Shetland, Tosh was investigating a series of unfortunate and cruel deaths on the island. Someone had been killing sheep by cutting their throats, and marking them with mysterious symbols.
After the spate of sheep slaughters, Toff was forced to consider the fact that there might be Satanists in Shetland. Now that is a Ann Cleeves book I would read!
Shetland series 8 episode 1: Where’s Jimmy Perez?
Of course, the one question that many viewers might still be asking is ‘where’s Jimmy Perez’? Fans of the show, and loyal ED! readers, will know that Douglas Henshall left the show at the end of series 7.
In early 2022, the now 57-year-old actor revealed the sad news that he was leaving the popular BBC One detective drama. After nearly 10 years on the hit show, he made the decision to say goodbye to his character Jimmy Perez for good.
He made his final appearance on the show in the series 7 finale on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. However, BBC One confirmed the show would go on without the lead character.
What happened in the Shetland series 7 finale?
Series 7 revolved around the disappearance and subsequent death of vulnerable young man Connor Cairns. DI Jimmy Perez investigated who murdered the local man, as well as his girlfriend Bryd Fleming, and outsider Williams Rodgers.
Slowly, Perez and sidekick Tosh discovered the deaths all seemed to be connected to an eco-terrorism unit. In the Shetland series 7 finale, the team raced to identify the killer and prevent disaster striking the town as another bomb threatened to go off. The killer was eventually revealed as militant activist Jamie Narey.
DI Jimmy Perez decided to quit Lerwick Police after becoming weary. Season 7 started with Perez at a tribunal after being arrested at the end of season 6 following the death of Donna Killick.
She had written a letter claiming the detective was planning to cover up her murder which was in fact a suicide. While he walked away with his job intact, the experience left a bad taste in his mouth.
His love interest Meg saw that Perez was always putting his job first, at the expense of his personal life. In a monumental decision, Perez let suspect Lloyd go free – knowing this would spell the end of his job.
Perez became convinced that suspect Lloyd had NOT committed any crime in the States, and decided he would not be complicit in sending him back to the US, where he might face the death penalty.
Basically, Perez did the right thing by saving an innocent man, even though it meant losing his job. Boss Rhona told Perez: “If Lloyd has gone, it’s the end of your career.”
To which Perez replied: “I know, I think it’s worth it. Rhona, I’m done. If the last thing I do is help an innocent man, then I am good with that.”
Read more: Shetland star swaps police force for prison in new pictures for Time series 2
Shetland series 8 continues on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One.
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