Law & Order UK “Bad Romance” was a close copy of the original Law & Order episode on which it was based: “Denial” (season 8, episode 2). The detectives and CPS have a case of apparent murder of a baby by two young kids, but there’s one big problem: there is no body. At least not at first. By the time the body of the baby is found, all involved have had plenty of time to create just enough confusion with their stories that it’s a field day for the defense. At first, Kate Barker seems smitten with a handsome nemesis of Jake Thorne’s - Maitland Cosby - who is representing the two defendants. Once she sees him in his full smarmy and sleazy persona, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with this “posh boy” from “poshville.” Clearly, Jake was more than annoyed at Cosby, apparently having unpleasant – and for Jake, unsuccessful – cases with him before. In the previous episode (“Customs”), Jake and Kate were at odds, and in this episode, they seemed very comfortable together again.
I was a little confused about the timeline for this episode, as it relates to this series to date. The season started showing they were working a case in January, and the cases in the following episodes in the series proceeded chronologically. The episode which preceded “Bad Romance” (“Pride”) took place in March and April. In “Bad Romance”, we jumped all the way to October and November. I don’t know if this episode was aired out of sequence or if there was an intentional huge jump in the timeline. It will be interesting to see the dates in the next episode.
As the episode followed the original Law & Order story line very closely, it lacked the drama and suspense that Law & Order UK usually delivers. But the episode had many amusing points and dry humor peppered throughout which made it quite enjoyable. Law & Order UK does drama well, but they also have a great cast that can really pull off the funny bits and make them seem very natural.
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe
Guest cast:
Lacey Bond – Linda
Philip Rosch – Alan
Anna Marie Cseh - Magda
Svetlana Bida – Ioana
Nicola Sanderson – SOCO Joy
Steve Furst – Edward Blanchard
Adelayo Adedayo – Kayla
James Wilby - Charles Hutton
Joanna Brooks – Marsalee
Emma Campbell-Jones - Camille Hutton
Lucy Boynton - Georgia Hutton
Nicholas Jones - Edmund Rintoul
Greg Austin - Rufus Barton
Paul Bentall - Harold Maysby
Adjoa Andoh - Lilly
Alice Sanders - Poppy
Nimmy March - Elizabeth Rawls
Janet Dibley – Karen Hannay
Joseph Milson - Maitland Cosby
Karen Archer - Justice O'Neill
At Lord Darnley Hotel in Shepherd’s Bush on Monday, September 29, two women from housekeeping who are having fun barging into people’s rooms discover a bed covered with blood. Later, DS Ronnie Brooks and SOCO Joy and her team are on the scene. The amount of blood may indicate a laceration or ballistic trauma. There is no body, the victim either walked or was moved. There is no blood trail. The hotel owner, Mr. Blanchard, who arrives with DS Joe Hawkins, complains about when he can have the room back. Joe says the occupant of the room checked in as CP Hutton, and he paid cash but left his credit card details as security. He did sign in, and Joe takes a photo of the log. Hutton seemed about 20. Joe explains there is only on CCTV camera covering the entrance and corridor but someone stuck a piece of chewing gum over the lens.
Back at MIU, Ronnie and Joe confer with DI Wes Leyton about there not being a body. Based on the look of the room, Ronnie is sure there is a victim. Wes informs them of a memo from above, which is printed on paper, saying they are striving for a paper free office and he cautions them that anything that doesn’t need to be printed doesn’t get printed. Kayla brings in a document which she announces that she printed for Ronnie. They find that CP Hutton is Charles Peregrine Hutton who is 50 years old and a company director, and that’s 30 years older than the guy who checked into the hotel.
At Hutton and Fellowes on the same day, Ronnie and Joe speak with Hutton who did not realize his credit card was missing. He thinks he last used it months ago and last night he was at a dinner at a club. Joe asks for the info on the club and Ronnie asks for something with his signature. Joe compares the signature and there is no match. His wife would not have used his card, and Hutton worries if his wife will know about this, she already thinks he is a fool when it comes to looking after money, Ronnie replies they will let him break that bad news.
Back at MIU, Joe says they can’t confirm Hutton’s alibi as the doorman at his club refused him entry. Joe hands Ronnie a police artist’s sketch of the man who checked into the hotel. Kayla is checking the credit card transactions and finds credit card charges from a music store. She also finds a large charge in a kinky attire shop.
Later, at the shop, Ronnie and Joe find out what the guy purchased and show the shop worker the police sketch. She doesn’t recognize him as the order for the item was from the Internet. After Ronnie asks, she angrily gets him the delivery address which is in Holland Park. She says if they see any of her merchandise there, get it back.
Afterwards, at the Hutton home, Ronnie and Joe discuss with Hutton the fact that the items were shipped to his home and the fact his alibi can’t be verified. They show him the police sketch and Hutton plays dumb. His wife and daughter walk in as he says he did not use that card for the hotel. He tells her it is about a missing credit card and she says he is hopeless. She also denies using the card, and the detectives ask to speak with their daughter.
Ronnie and Joe speak with Georgia Hutton who doesn’t understand why she would use the credit card. They show her a photo of the person who used the card and she says she does not know him. When Ronnie mentions this could be about a murder, she says she can’t help them. Hutton tells them they are done here. Ronnie asks for a list of anyone who works the house and a list of Georgia’s school friends, and her mother informs them Georgia doesn’t have guests, she is doing six A levels. She goes to St. Sebastian’s Upper School. When Joe comments that is nice, Hutton asks him if he knows people there. The look on Joe’s face changes, and he says no.
At St. Sebastian’s Upper School that same day, they speak with the headmaster who says Georgia’s father was an old boy there but implies he wasn’t much and rode on his old family money. He doesn’t know anything about Mrs. Hutton. He thinks Charlie married below stairs. Georgia will be off to Oxford. Ronnie sees a poster for auditions for “West Side Story” and the headmaster says Georgia tried out for it but it wasn’t her finest hour but she was expecting a leading role. He adds that young people today have such pathological self-belief. Ronnie shows him the police sketch and the headmaster says, “Goodness.”
