Original and compelling

pdtp911

"Thirteen" is a completely new spin on the British crime drama. Jodie Comer is entirely believable as Ivy Moxam, the 26 year old, newly escaped kidnapping victim, who vanished 13 years ago, at the age of 13. One can only imagine how difficult it would be to reenter the world after 13 years of absence, due to the fact that you had been held captive in a cellar for all those years. She is ghostly pale, completely disoriented, frightened by everyone except the deeply compassionate DI Elliott Carne, gently played by Richard Rankin, and her first love, Tim. The overall surprising tone is set by the behavior of the police. Ivy calls Emergency from a phone box, declaring that she is Ivy Moxam and that she has escaped her captor. Shockingly, she is picked up by a single police man, and then delivered to the steps of the local constabulary, where she is met by a lone social worker. The police response is underwhelming and confusing. None of the police think to immediately learn the location of the kidnapper's den and search it. Instead, they seem much more concerned about her identity, rather than arresting the monster who has abducted this young woman, no matter who she is. Her clothes, hair and general condition leave little doubt that something untoward has happened to this girl. Comer does an outstanding job portraying a traumatized women in distress. The police state that there has never been a case in which a kidnapping victim has ever escaped alive. Ivy begins to grasp the direction things are about to go when DS Lisa Merchant uses the word "alleges" when referring to her claiming to be Ivy, making it clear that she is in for one long, bumpy landing rather than returning to the safety of the loving arms of her family. All this attitude seems to come from the fact that two woman have come forward since the disappearance, claiming to be Ivy, resulting in doubt about her actual identity. It is only the lack of handcuffs around the wrists of Ivy that assures the viewer that she is the victim, not the offender. During questioning, Ivy actually asserts that DS Merchant believes that her inability to escape was her own fault and Merchant does not contradict Ivy. Ivy's mother scrambles to put the trappings of her former life, shattered by the loss of her daughter, back together again. She desperately clings to the belief that in doing this, she can exert some kind of control over the spreading chaos. There is tremendous tension and suspicion lurking in every nook and cranny of this show. It is clear that this onion will have many, many layers that will be peeled back as the story unfolds, revealing some shocking truth. At the end of the first episode, another girl has been abducted. Did Ivy escape, or was she released because she was no longer a 13 year old school girl, but a 26 year old women? Having been the victim of something very similar, I will be fascinated to see how well the creators of this show are able to draw a true picture of how much collateral damage results from something like this. Everyone becomes a victim.

score 8/10

pdtp911 9 March 2016

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3428589/