DCI Lauren Quigley (Siobhan Finneran) is as bristly as they come and she doesn't make any friends in Lochnafoy, at least not initially. She's also brought on forensic psychologist Blake Albrighton (Don Gilet), who riles the local police chief even more. The only one excited by it all is DS Annie Redford (Laura Fraser, A Knight's Tale), since her normal patch is investigating sheep killed by wolves or childish pranks. One such prank, unfortunately involving her own daughter Evie (Shona McHugh), surrounds a dead "Nessie" left on the shores, including bones, offal and, surprisingly, a human heart that is actually discovered much later. The murder of the local music teacher, a gay man named Niall Swift (Jordan McCurrach), kicks the investigation off as many locals have had Swift teach their children piano. But when portions of the man's brain are determined to have been removed, they realize that they are not dealing with an average killer. Then the human heart is linked to Swift's murder, although belonging to another victim, and the town's secrets begin to show themselves.
Annie and her husband, Alan (Gray O'Brien), who captains a Loch Ness tour boat, begin to drift apart as she spends more time working the case, while her angry teen daughter Evie runs to her friends, Jonjo Patterson (Keiran Gallagher) and Keiran Whitehead (Jack Bannon). However, as more bodies begin to appear and more secrets are unveiled, the townspeople realize that they truly have no idea who their neighbors really are and just what they are capable of.
Loch Ness is beautifully and richly shot with huge panning scenes of the villages, the lochs, and the rolling green hills. It's both gorgeous and inviting, while still remaining bleak and cold. The twists and turns in this show are many and include quite a few red herrings; it's quite enjoyable to watch as it unfolds. They tackle such issues as homophobia, bullying, inappropriate doctor/patient behavior, criminal rehabilitation, and even teen pregnancy, and all of the issues felt organic to the story, not shoved in to make a statement, which was nice. While there were a few unresolved issues by the time things wrapped up (at least for me, based on occurrences that happened early on in the show), Loch Ness does come to a very satisfying and unexpected end. I really enjoyed the characters (and the actors, naturally) of Annie Redford, DCI Quigley and Blake Albrighton and would love to see them together again in another show, but if Loch Ness ends just as it did, that is perfectly fine too. There's a nice selection of special features including short interviews with the pivotal cast members and featurettes discussing shooting in Scotland, crafting the dead "Nessie" skeleton, and working on a horror/thriller film. They are nice extras, but they aren't necessarily must-watch.
I am a fan of all things Scottish and love the scenery and accents. If you feel the same way too, and love a good British mystery, check out Loch Ness.
