The Big Reveal
With Nick Mooney in hospital and the various faces starting to show their true colours, The Bay returns this week to see the investigation into Holly’s disappearance ramp up. We begin the episode with DS Armstrong heading back to the house and interviewing Ryan, intent on finding out just where he was that night. Meanwhile, D.I. Manning, Armstrong’s boss, heads over to the youth centre to see if he can piece together any clues about Holly’s disappearance. After some probing, he learns the twins weren’t as close as they used to be, leading to more questions over quite what happened the night of their disappearance. After her interview with Ryan, Armstrong confronts Shaun who admits to beating up Nick Mooney. He tells her Nick knows something about Holly but won’t spill what it is, intent on not breaking his promise. With Nick in surgery with a ruptured spleen and other serious injuries, Armstrong tries to hide her disdain over what Shaun tells her. At this point, the police recap what they know. As they deliberate over the exact events of the night, Shaun appears at the police station and turns himself in. As they quiz him over Ryan as well as Nick Mooney, he spills some revealing truths. Trying to get to the bottom of what’s really going on, Christoff’s wife shows up and tells the police that Shaun didn’t hurt Nick – Ryan did. With Shaun released on the bail, the police turn their attention on Ryan. This leads to him being arrested while the police search his room for any clues over what happened to the twins. After what seems like a fruitless search, one of the officers finds a pair of blood-stained jeans and a lot of money wrapped up in freezer bags, just like those found in Holly’s bag. At this point, the police are informed Nick has woken up in hospital. With Nick’s Mum and Armstrong both pleading with him to reveal what he knows, he begins singing You Are My Sunshine. This leads the police to the sunshine resort in Silverdale where they find Holly alive and well, hiding out in a room. With the mystery solved, all that remains in the final two episodes is piecing together exactly what happened that night. Given my cyncism toward ITV story writing I’d take a wild stab that Holly and Dylan got into a fight and Holly accidently killed Dylan. This, in turn, led to her hiding out until things quietened down and Nick helping her get there, a witness to the murder. Despite this, there’s just enough here to keep you gripped through to the end but there’s no denying that The Bay has been a bit of a mixed bag. There are certainly exciting and tense moments dotted throughout but for the most part, the series has reveled in its methodical pacing, building up to a big reveal but never quite delivering on its promises. There’s still time for a big finale to turn things around though which may just determine whether this is one to remember or just another ITV drama to forget.
