Television Review | The thriller Ghost from the Past plays with the supernatural at the beginning, but leaves the opportunities unexploited

Culture|Television review

British thriller A ghost from the pastä (The Sister, 2020) takes the atonement of its protagonist’s guilt quite far. Everyman Nathan, in the role, among others Years and Years familiar from the series, sympathetic Russell Tovey, has had fatal New Year’s parties in the past. The celebration has been led by a woman, Elise (Simone Ashley) to death. Later, guilt-ridden Nathan has ended up marrying Elise’s grieving sister Holly (Amrita Acharya) with. The wife is completely unaware of the connection between her dead sister and her husband.

Neil Cross has adapted a psychological thriller that flirts with horror from his book Burial (2009). Cross has previously created, among other things, a crime drama Luther’s (2010-2019).

Series plays with the supernatural especially in the beginning, unfortunately the blank is then carelessly left to its own devices. Likewise, the ground of the themes of guilt and grief remains more deeply unexplored. The series illustrated in a dark forest landscape is beautiful, but the frequent jumping in different time planes strains the structure.

One character saves a lot. The spine-chilling power to the horror is given by Nathan’s acquaintance from the past, Bob, who unexpectedly appears at his door on a rainy evening (Bertie Carvel), who wants to literally dig a ghost from the past out of his grave. Long-haired Bob, who specializes in paranormal phenomena, is unmistakably reminiscent Twin Peaks demonic character of the same name.

It is the themes brought by Bob’s character and the revelations from the past shown as flashbacks that make the series worth watching. Carvel’s throaty voice plays the role enjoyably camp.

In his guilt the solutions of the scowling, spaniel-eyed Nathan’s character are not very believable, and the single-minded character does not surrender to the possibility of the supernatural, let alone develop.

A ghost from the past serves just enough excitement for four one-hour episodes, when the true background of the events of the past slowly begins to be revealed.

A ghost from the past, TV1 at 22:00 and Yle Areena