Some inevitable spoilers for previous episodes

Kane is arrested on suspicion of Memet’s murder and doubts surface over who really attacked Jim.

I am not happy.

I have been enjoying ITV’s flirtation with primetime comedy crime horror. Andrew Buchan’s debut TV series has demonstrated a flair for sharp characterisation, witty dialogue and intriguing plot set-ups. It was all going so well, although by the end of episode 5 – enjoyable enough in itself – even I was starting to worry. My writer’s instinct told me that he was leaving himself too much to resolve in a single episode.

I think it’s important to be clear about this. The series finale of Passenger is a complete mess – an object lesson in how not to conclude a six-part narrative… largely because it doesn’t conclude at all.

Okay, so every writer wants a second series, but that doesn’t mean you can leave every strand unresolved. A satisfying first season needs to be in a complete story in its own right with just enough questions left open in the final beats to make the audience want to come back for more. If, as a writer, you don’t conclude anything, the audience, who have invested five hours of their life in your work, will just be extremely pissed off. It’s a betrayal of faith in narrative terms. It’s cheating. It implies that the writer has no idea what’s going on either.

In the final episode of Passenger, David Threlfall’s Jimmy disappears from the narrative altogether; we’re still no clearer as to who did attack him or why Jakub got involved in the way he did; we still don’t know what ate through the bottom of the lorry or what’s lurking in the woods; a major character who we’ve never met before, nor do we care about, appears from nowhere; there’s something about a mysterious video/role play game which is never explained; we have no idea why key characters have been signing some sort of contract and paying thousands of pounds to a mysterious company; a new strand kicks off about Chadder Vale entering the Best Kept Village competition which doesn’t seem to belong in the show at all; and Riya interviews a suspect who she’s been sleeping with, which just renders the central character incompetent – and not in a funny way.

At the time of writing, a second season is yet to be confirmed, and if it isn’t, then the show has wasted our time – along with the talents of some very able actors and directors. Passenger started well, but should never have been signed off without proper decisions made as how to conclude the story. Allowing it to go into production in such an incomplete form doesn’t do a new and talented writer any favours either.

Verdict: Audiences need to know they won’t be cheated. Terrestrial TV, reliant on advertising, simply can’t afford to play fast and loose with its audience’s loyalty. Why would I tune in again if shows like Passenger are going to take us for granted and treat us like fools?

Episode 5 – 7/10 Episode 6 – 2/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com