Loyalty

The second series opens with a body in a remote corner of Manchester: a disabled man, badly burned. Days later there is another corpse. The team quickly realise the victims were not just murdered but tortured, and that changes the shape of the inquiry. The torture detail is the one nobody can unsee. The first victim is identified as Darren Rigby, a loner with a disturbing interest in child pornography. The second is Keith Fleming, a married man. An arrest is made. But it is clear the investigation has only scratched the surface.

At home, both detectives are hosting their own disasters. Janet's elderly mother Dorothy moves in after an operation and takes against Adrian, who ends up moving out. Janet, who has spent years keeping the domestic side presentable, is suddenly running a house of warring relatives. Rachel's estranged brother Dominic, out of jail and homeless, turns up on her doorstep. Whatever peace either woman had is gone, and the case is not going to give it back.

The last person seen with Darren Rigby resists arrest before being pulled in for questioning, and the interrogation opens up more questions than it closes. The resistance suggests a man with something to protect, or something to hide. By the time the credits roll, the team has more bodies than answers. This is clearly a story that needs the second half.

Sally Wainwright, Diane Taylor and Suranne Jones wrote it, China Moo-Young directed. Suranne Jones's Rachel and Lesley Sharp's Janet carry the hour, with Liam Boyle as Dominic, Judith Barker as Dorothy, Tony Pitts as Adrian, Harriet Waters as Taisie, Olivia Fenton as Elise, Amelia Bullmore's Gill and the rest of the team in support.

A two-parter that starts this grim owes its audience a decent payoff. On this evidence, the bill will be paid in full. It just will not be paid quickly.