The Missing

I agree jings I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode and had high hopes (although not sure I can stand 8 episodes of anything) but tonight's just seemed too close to the McCann case. The parents were made to look/dress the same and the mother even went into the church exactly as Madeleines mum did. I was very uneasy about it and to be honest it has put me off a it.

I agree. I thought that from the first episode, and am glad I decided not to watch any more of them.

I`m not reading any of tonight`s posts yet, as due to football, I had to record The Missing, it`ll probably be tomorrow night before I can watch it.

Not that I want to delve into the realms of "conspiraces" , but I kept the Sunday Times supplement for about 5 years that was published about 18 mnths. after the incident that said Kate McCann on discovering Madelaine had gone, shouted from the appartment terrace across the complex informing her husband loudly that "they've got her" Who?, and what did it mean? I felt it was too close to the McCann case for comfortable viewing.

Just re-read my post and it doesn't make sense. This supplement was bought 18mnths after the child's original disappearance, and I've not long thrown it out.
Alex

When I found out what it was about I decided not to watch it. I watched the Fall last year about a serial killer preying on single young women and wished I hadn't. Some dramas are set in contexts that are too close to home, and only make me anxious.

Surely such cases will inevitably have similarities with other cases - parents praying in church, various suspects, media involvement, etc. etc.

In The Missing, the child is a boy and he is an only child. Although the disappearance occurs abroad - the circumstances in which he disappears are quite different from Maddie McCann's disappearance.

I suppose there is a valid argument that to be "entertained" by the sort of tragedies that are found in "real life" is a bit distasteful. Perhaps it is, but there seems to be a human need to experience fear, grief, anxiety and horror "by proxy" and that is part of what drama does.

Well, you could hardly expect them to have followed the McCann story detail by detail! They had to leave it to viewers' imagination. And you don't need much of that to see it!

That's what I thought. The obvious changes only draw attention to the similarity of the story.

'stories'

But any story about a missing child will inevitably have some similarities with Madeleine McCann and I don't think it's a subject that must be avoided forever for fear of upsetting/ offending someone (not the McCanns - I think probably this programme is the least of their worries tbh). I heard a discussion about the programme on the radio yesterday morning and the speaker made what I thought was an interesting point, ie. that we are bombarded with films/ tv programmes about misogyny and violence against women on a daily basis but there is barely a whisper of protest, whereas this programme, which has not shown any violence against the child, or the child's distress, many people seem to find unbearable. I think we can all understand why it is unbearable but I still think it is a valid subject for a fictional drama.

I think any drama based on a child abduction will remind you of the sadness behind little Maddie because we can empathise with the terrible situation and thank goodness we have never been in their shoes. That's where the similarity ends for me as the only connection between the two events is a child has been abducted. The sex of the child, the country, the circumstances etc. are totally different.

If this drama was running at the time little Ben Needham or April Jones were abducted then the same thing would probably be said because child abduction sticks in your mind because of it's horrible nature. The only thing it makes me think with regard to Maddie is how desperately sad I feel for the Mac Cann family and the parents of other children who have suffered the same heartache.

As for the drama I think Nesbit is very good and Stott is certainly a twist that makes me keep viewing. I think there will be many twists as others have mentioned.

No. Too many obvious deliberate similarities for me. The mother being made to look like Kate McC, the soft toy clutching, the church visiting. A drama about a child going missing could be made without all the obvious similarities. Almost as bad as the abhorrent "The Room" book.

I think James Nesbitt could be past his best. I didn't think his acting was that great in it, tbh. He is very much a one part actor.

To me, James Nesbitt is very good as the distraught father. And while having overwhelming feelings of sympathy towards the McCann's, I can separate fact from fiction and am indeed enjoying The Missing as a piece of fiction.

I watched it on catch up, again, and will continue to watch. I agree, James Nesbit and Stott are such good actors, plus they have good material to work with.

I don't feel it's too close to the Madeline McCann horror. I believe many mothers would have clutched a fluffy toy their child still took to bed, and gone to church to pray for someone to bring their child home, safely.

I wish my French was better, or that we had the odd subtitle, still there's always someone summarising in English isn't there.

It's good but uncomfortable viewing. At times I think I should not be watching it [as if it was real.]I find anything about a child hard to watch.

I am just catching up on Iplayer and think I will carry on watching. Yes there are similarities to the McCann case but any drama will affect someone somewhere that has had similar experiences. Yes , sometimes hard to watch but life isn't perfect for anyone.

Still very gripping but all the flashing backwards and forwards is baffling

The scene where Jean Baptiste meets his wife/partner and she is very distressed.....what was all that about??

I think the father is beginning to get the heeby jeebies about the Ken Stott character - it might be exciting but I can't remember anybody's name

Oh I remember the bit you mean. Someone "came to the house again". That still has to enfold.

Is the Ken Stotte character the big bloke who has put money up? Do we know anything about him yet? Wasn't he in an underground car park sort of scene? Meeting someone? (might not have actually been a car park)

I watched it twice last night. I am going to have to have a run through of the previous episode. Again.

I take it back about James Nesbitt being past his best.

It's very good.

I think it's really good. James Nesbitt is terrific.

Is anyone going to watch the new series of The Fall? I may have to give it a miss; storylines like that don't usually bother me but that series totally freaked me out .

I'm looking forward to it although I will have a cushion available to hide behind and a dog to cuddle if things get too hairy.

DH will nonchalantly do the crossword and pretend he's not shitting himself scared stiff.

I'll be watching it too, although I agree there were some particularly shocking scenes in the first series which I wasn't expecting.

Not too keen on Gillian Anderson, but the rest of the cast is terrific.

I will not be watching 'The Fall' I hated the last series, and didn't bother to watch all of them. I thought it was way over the top. It did not scare me so much as make me wonder who thinks up these story lines, and what sort of minds they have.
I am enjoy 'The Missing'not bothered about it have any similarity with the McCann's sadness, as it is not supposed to be a factual programme, and the acting is very good.

In my post down/up there, I meant "unfold"! Not "enfold"!

This occurred to me as I was cycling into town earlier today.