Welcome to Criminal Record, the latest crime thriller available on Apple TV+. It revolves around two police detectives whose paths intersect due to an old murder conviction case. The story kicks off with an anonymous woman urgently calling the police, warning them about a life-threatening danger posed by a man. She suggests a connection to a decade-old case that led to someone else being imprisoned for assault. DS June Lenker (played by Cush Jumbo), having spent over a year and a half in the CID, takes it upon herself to delve into the case. However, DCI Daniel Hegarty (portrayed by Peter Capaldi) consistently tries to obstruct her investigation at every opportunity. A recap of the premiere episode:
We meet Hegarty as he assumes the role of a chauffeur, steering a couple to their destination. The passengers express surprise upon discovering that their driver is a police officer. Despite their curiosity, Hegarty keeps his reasons for this additional gig under wraps. Nevertheless, he captivates them with a recounting of a disturbing incident he witnessed on duty. He describes a chilling episode where a man was robbed, left chained to his chair, and discovered lifeless in his home days later. The tale leaves the couple visibly shaken, achieving its intended impact.
Concurrently, a woman steps into a phone booth and contacts the police helpline. Jasmine Peters (Chizzy Akudolu), a police phone operator, fields the call and absorbs the woman's distress. The caller expresses fear for her life due to her abusive partner. Despite Jasmine's efforts to extract information about the woman's identity and location, she remains tight-lipped. Instead, the woman alludes to her partner's previous murder threat, drawing parallels to a prior case where another individual was wrongly prosecuted for the crime before abruptly terminating the conversation.
Later, Jasmine briefs June about the call, detailing the location and the grave allegations tied to an old case. Concerned about the potential threat mentioned during the call, June takes the initiative to review the footage. She then approaches DCI Roy Chambers (Ian Bonar) to discuss the matter. Roy attempts to downplay the situation, proposing a low-effort solution. However, June's conscience refuses to allow her to brush it aside. She opts to delve deeper, investigating the men with similar charges who were incarcerated at Whitecross prison, ultimately uncovering details about Errol Mathis (Tom Moutchi).
June enters DCI Hegarty's office to discuss the matter at hand. Prior to sharing any details, he discreetly closes the door, likely to ensure the confidentiality of their conversation. Despite being informed about the caller, Hegarty attempts to downplay the woman's concerns, suggesting that she's merely upset with her partner. He goes on to insinuate that the caller is trying to entangle her partner in the case, casually sharing readily available murder details. Furthermore, Hegarty nonchalantly labels Errol as a 'poor person's OJ,' implying a racial dynamic of a black man assaulting his white partner.
Whether Hegarty is oblivious to the gravity of his racially tinged remarks or deliberately chooses to ignore them, it unsettles June. She discusses this with her white partner, Leo (Stephen Campbell Moore), who dismisses her concerns, insinuating that she's searching for wrongdoing where there is none. Though June doesn't express much at that moment, this incident prompts her to question their marriage, as Leo, being white, can opt to overlook racial prejudice. Meanwhile, Hegarty instructs Roy to take any necessary steps to prevent June from delving deeper into the murder case.
The next day at the station, June encounters difficulties logging into her account. Shortly thereafter, she discovers the involvement of the Professional Standards Division. June suspects that Hegarty orchestrated these obstacles to impede her progress in the case. Undeterred, she meets with Sonya Singh (Ausha Kala), who worked on Errol's case after his mother, Doris (Cathy Tyson), sought her assistance. Through Sonya, June uncovers pivotal details about the final verdict – the bite marks on the victim's body do not match Errol's sample, despite Errol's testimony confessing to Adelaide's murder.
This conversation strengthens June's conviction in the existence of a racially biased motive behind Errol's conviction. During her clandestine inquiry, she discovers that Errol's son, Patrick, testified to hearing sounds behind a door, a testimony that significantly contributed to Errol's guilty verdict. Following the trial, Patrick distanced himself from his father. In the current scenario, Jasmine receives another distress call from a woman identifying herself as Maria, whom she firmly believes is the same person who called her earlier. She promptly informs June and connects the call to her.
June becomes aware of a potential threat to Maria's life and rushes to intervene. Unfortunately, before she can reach Maria's apartment, the man throws Maria from the 9th floor. June observes paint marks and injuries on Maria. Regrettably, the fall results in Maria's tragic demise.
With the show off to an exciting start, Criminal Record is a promising mew crime drama. Episodes 1 and 2 are now streaming on AppleTV+.
