Prime Suspect: The Lost Child
Tags: murder

Plot synopsis:
When his girlfriend wants to keep the light on while they have sex, Chris Hughes (Robert Glenister) is upset. We soon see him walk out the door while she asks him to talk to her. He runs through the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, Susan Covington (Beatie Edney) consoles her child. She goes downstairs and falls asleep in a chair. She is awoken by a sudden sound.In the morning, Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) lies awake in her bed when the alarm sounds. Soon she leaves home in a taxi.The same morning, a nanny who works for Susan Covington goes into Susan's house and finds her on the floor with blood streaming from her head. She goes upstairs and finds Susan's child missing from her crib. She calls emergency. The mother is soon taken to hospital in an ambulance and the baby, Vicki, is filed missing.Jane Tennison is also in hospital. We learn that she has had a termination. She is eager to get back to work. She soon arrives at a police station to take in her office as superintendent. One of the files on her desk is that of the missing baby girl.We briefly see Chris Hughes cutting out an article about the presumed kidnapping from a newspaper.Tennison meets with investigators Richard Haskons (Richard Hawley) and Tony Muddyman (Jack Ellis). Her predecessor authorized the release of information to the newspaper the night before, and she is upset that it could hurt the investigation more than it helps. Muddyman says Susan Covington is conscious but suffers from amnesia. Tennison asks Haskons to arrange a media appearance. Tennison then addresses the staff and lets Haskons brief them on the case. The father of the child, John Warwick, left Susan months before; he doesn't have an alibi, but no trace of the child has been found at his farm. Forensic evidence is sparse. The team speculate on motive; since there was not much money to get at they rule out kidnapping and conclude that the child was abducted for nurture or abuse. Tennison has them look for known paedophiles in the area as well as people who have recently lost a child of their own.Tennison talks to Vicky's nanny Carolyn (Tracy Keating) about her routines and also takes a camera that Susan had bought for Carolyn. Meanwhile, Susan's car, which was apparently stolen on the morning in question, is found empty close to Susan's house. Tennison goes to see Susan in hospital, and she gives her account of the night: When she woke up in her chair she went into the hall where someone grabbed her and knocked her into the wall. She also tells Tennison about a man accompanied by two girls who she met in the park and who was very keen on Vicky.We see another brief clip of Chris Hughes, now in a swimming pool with two girls, his girlfriend's daughters.Tennison has Susan appear on television to ask the abductor for her daughter back. Chris Hughes and his girlfriend watch. At the police station, it turns out Susan's car was caught speeding in the middle of the night going out of London, and the squad try to pin down a search radius. Tennison phones Chief Superintendent Kernan (John Benfield) to get more officers assigned to the case, but he refuses. At night she goes to the crime scene to look around. When she answers the phone we see the man on the other end, but he is silent.The next day Tennison and Haskons go north to see Susan's ex, Warwick (Adrian Lukis); we see that it was him on the phone the night before. He says he hasn't been to London since he left Susan, but Tennison shows him a petrol receipt that shows he was there the past weekend. He explains that he was with a woman he is having an affair with. Back at the station, the squad has a photo from Carolyn's camera which may include the man Susan talked about. They also find Chris Hughes in a database of paedophile convicts and discover that he lives near Susan. They go search his bedsit and bring him in for questioning. Tennison conducts the interrogation and asks him about some of their findings: a photo album with pictures of young children, though all of them dressed and proper, and a scrapbook with newspaper clippings from child murder and kidnapping cases. He denies any involvement in Vicki's disappearance. Susan, however, confirms that he is the man from the park.Muddyman and another officer questions Hughes' girlfriend, Anne Sutherland (Lesley Sharp), who gives Hughes an alibi for the night excepting a short time when he left her house after they had a fight. The police must still find evidence to link him to the abduction. Tennison and Muddyman drive to Bedford to visit a clinic where Hughes stayed after he was convicted in a child assault case. They speak to the main psychiatrist, Dr. Schofield (Stuart Wilson), who tells them he doubts Hughes is the abductor, specifically because Hughes didn't go for children that young. Susan has been escorted to her home for the first time since the abduction, and Tennison goes to see her; Susan begs her to bring back Vicki.The baby girl's body is found in a lake, naked and lifeless. Tennison has the mother identify Vicki. Chris Hughes is released after 24 hours have passed since his arrest. Dr. Schofield comes to see Tennison, warning her that the pressure put on Hughes might drive him to new crimes. He shows her a videotape of Hughes talking about and justifying molesting a girl in the case he was previously convicted for. We see Hughes returning home to Anne; he lies to her about why he was arrested.Tennison listens to the results of the autopsy; Vicki was suffocated. Muddyman takes Hughes's file from the station and brings it round for Anne to see while Hughes isn't there. Anne watches the videotape of her boyfriend talking about abusing children. Soon, she is at the police station changing her statement; Hughes no longer has an alibi for the night in question. The police go to the garage Hughes works at to pick him up again, and when he runs, Muddyman chases him down and knocks him about. Hughes falls and is run over by a car and has to be taken to hospital. When the ambulance is involved in an accident Hughes escapes. He soon turns up at Anne's house, which is unguarded. When Tennison learns that Hughes has escaped she sends Haskons, but too late: Hughes is barricading the house and holding Anne and the girls hostage. The police set up a siege; they get Hughes on the phone, but with no result. At the station, Muddyman is anxious about the situation. Tennison reprimands him for his behaviour at the arrest and also learns that he revealed confidential information to Anne to persuade her to testify against Hughes; she thinks it will make it impossible to get a conviction. When Muddyman breaks down and cries, Tennison guesses that he too has once been the victim of sexual abuse. He repeats the words, "I'm disgusting."At the house, Hughes tries to convince Anne that he is not like he was before, that he loves her and wouldn't hurt the children. He speaks to the police on the phone and demands to talk to Tennison. She arrives and speaks to him on the phone. He claims he had nothing to do with Vicki's death and has Anne say that he was in fact with her on the night of the abduction. Tennison convinces him to let the hostages go and promises him that the police snipers will be withdrawn and that he will not be hurt.Meanwhile, Susan Covington has left her house and arrives at the siege; she says she wants to speak to Hughes. Hughes slowly comes out the door with Anne and the girls around him. Tennison faces him and tells him that he can trust her, but when he sees snipers still in place he runs back into the house with one of the girls. A shot is fired, but no one is hurt. Tennison complains to the officers in charge of the siege that her wishes were not followed. Then she speaks to Susan. Tennison tells her she thinks Hughes is innocent of taking Vicki. Susan mentions how she caused the situation by identifying Hughes and how she doesn't want the girls to get hurt. Then she starts talking about how she only ever had a baby because it was what society expected of her and other women. She says that her own life suffered after she had Vicki, that she is the real victim. She talks about the night Vicki disappeared, and we realize that she is confessing that it was she who killed her daughter and dumped the body. She is distressed and starts banging herself on the head while saying she's sorry; Tennison holds her. The hostage situation is resolved, and Chris Hughes is taken away in an ambulance.Jane Tennison and Tony Muddyman are seen appearing before a disciplinary committee. Jane returns home and sits on the couch staring into the air.

Review: Robert Glenister's portrait of child abuser Chris Hughes.
After having seen The Lost Child for quite a number of times since its release in 1995, and having read the reader's comments (mostly about Jane Tennison's background and Helen Mirren's superb role in it), it strikes me more than ever that no comments are made upon the brilliant role Robert Glenister is playing as Chris Hughes.
Even after 10 years it is still one of the most credible ways of portraying the complex personality of a child abuser, carrying the weight of his own past.Watching the episode for the full one and a half hour makes you constantly switch between feelings of love and hate for this guy, in which the hate prevails because of the gravity of his actions.
I have seen more brilliant roles of my favorite actor, but this one never fails to make the largest impression possible to me.
Helen Mirren would never shine without these wonderful actors next to her.
Praise for Robert Glenister!.
Spooky.
This one unravels deftly.
You might not know what's coming.
If you really watch for details, you might.
Again, the realism of this series beats the 'twinkie' world of Law & Order any day.
This is not a Dick Wolf Happy Meal - this is the real thing, and at the top of the heap of great actors and other craftsmen involved is Helen Mirren, a wonder if there ever was one.Sometimes you have to step away from the quality stuff and wander over into comic book land so to speak to fully appreciate what you're getting.
This part is not a cozy one to snuggle up with; this one will make you think - but it's that good.
A child is missing; there's a hunt for the child; that's all you need to know.
As it wears on, the narrative 'sort of' tells you what you will finally understand.
This is neither a 'whodunnit' nor a straightforward drama nor a police series - it's a bit of all three.
And watching Helen Mirren do her stuff is going to be a treat for all your senses..
Prime Viewing.
As the superb `Prime Suspect' series reaches part four there is no loss of momentum at all, this in itself a considerable achievement.' Prime Suspect IV: The Lost Child'  has the solid supporting cast that we take for granted in these British dramas but of course the beautiful Helen Mirren easily dominates; our eyes never leave her while she's on-screen.The search for the lost child of the title leads Superintendent Jane Tennison's CID team to a prime suspect who turns out to be a convicted pedophile now living with a single mother and her two young daughters.
The insight we are given into the workings of his mind is one of the emotional highlights of this mini-series but it may be too strong for many stomachs.The action sequences are brilliantly handled with the hand-held camera thrusting us right into the middle of the excitement and there's gripping tension during the climactic siege.Altogether this is another magnificent police procedural drama..
Tennison anyone?.
"Prime Suspect 4" continues the exploits of the inscrutable and dogged seeker of truth and justice,  Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison; the first of three miniseries (PS4, PS5, & PS6) with the notable absence of founding writer Lynda La Plante from the credits.
Imbued with the same gritty reality of the first three series, the second three series pit Tennison against the forces of  evil while coping with middle age, loneliness, indiscretions, a host of personal and professional problems, and resolutions which are sometimes less than ideal.
PS4 conjures two stories while PS5 & PS6 are single episodes each which find Tennison seeking justice on behalf of the brutally wronged while waging war against institutions which are willing to sacrifice the interests of her victims for those of a greater good.
In other words, to prevail, Tennison must overcome both evil and good forces, something which makes the always gray scenarios of the PS series yet grayer and the Tennison wars as much a matter of principle as of finding murderers.
Very good stuff which only gets better from series to series.
As Watchable as any in the "Prime Suspect" series.
I'm surprised that mine, so far, is the only comment on this t.v. movie...as far as I'm aware, the series itself, has had a huge following, reviewer pundits and real people alike, have praised it to a person.
Anyway, let me tell you right away that, if like me, you're a sucker for gritty police dramas, you'll like "The Lost Child" Tennison, the heroine, throughout the "Prime Suspect"series, has been battling the male police establishment, throughout the series, getting to her present, comparatively powerful rank in the police hierarchy through hard work,obstinacy, and sheer talent for police work.
She is,essentially, an ambitious career woman, but she has a romantic side and is certainly no man-hater.
Unfortunately her relationships are affected by the wicked hours, which her career demands, and she has never married, so when she finds herself pregnant from her latest affair, she is faced with the choice of becoming a mother, and jeopardising her entire police job, let alone future advancement, or having an abortion - which she opts for.
This abortion never looms large in the ensuing drama - it's very skilfully dealt with, in less than a couple of minutes screentime, a marvel of economy in scripting, and editing - but it's always there, as a counterpoint to Tennison's desperate efforts to find another "lost child" - a kidnap victim - before it's too late.
The story takes many twists and turns,before the surprise ending, and one is fascinated, alike, by the plot, and characters (although I found the many villains a little overdrawn), the police, and especially Tennison, herself, are not always competent, nor that likeable, which figures, given the unpleasant job that they have to do, in the sleazy underworld which this series, habitually inhabits.Mirren, herself, has said that she'll make no more movies in the series, but, excellent as she's always been in the role of Tennison, the series, itself, is as "actor proof" as is another addiction of mine -Dick Wolf's American"Law & Order" - whoever appears therein, each could go on forever.
As is my fervent hope..
The harrowing case of the lost child.
Having loved the first three 'Prime Suspect' series, when seeing all the episodes and series over-time since reviewing the first instalment a year ago, expectations were understandably very high.
They were met with 'The Lost Child' but not quite surpassed.'The Lost Child' is very good, terrific in its best moments and almost all elements are spot-on, just not quite as good as the first three series before it.
It introduced quite a few changes in format, including Lynda La Plante not being involved and the lengths of the episodes being shorter, for the fourth series (of which 'The Lost Child' is part of) it was three cases clocking in around just over five hours overall for 'Prime Suspect IV' rather than one case split into two halves like in the first three 'Prime Suspect' series.On the most part, the changes worked well.
Parts of the story do feel slightly on the rushed side with the shorter length and while the climax was very powerful the final twist was not particularly a surprise.
With that being said, it was somewhat of a good thing for the pacing to be tighter and not have quite as much filler (in no way intended to knock the first three series, just a comparative observation).It is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout.
It is very gritty, if not quite as dark as 'Prime Suspect III', and effectively claustrophobic and even though the pacing is tighter it is also still deliberate.
It is very hard to forget the music score too.
The scripting, like its predecessor, is some of the best there is of any mystery/detective drama, being superbly constructed and intelligent.Story-telling is very compelling and twisty, with an atmosphere that is gritty and harrowing but also intricate and honest.
It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow.
Tennison's personal life is balanced very well.Jane Tennison continues to be an interesting character, the character and the depiction of the police force was very ahead of the time back in the 90s and holds much fascination now even if not so novel.Helen Mirren gives a typically magnificent performance in the lead.
Close behind her is a brilliant performance from Robert Glenister (it is agreed that his performance has inexplicably not been mentioned enough here), one that is chilling but very conflicted.Altogether, harrowing and often terrific if a slight step down from what came before.
9/10 Bethany Cox. Prime Suspect painted itself into a corner.
Just an opinion..
I, and my wife, have become 100% addicted to "Prime Suspect".
We rent them, 3 at a time, from NetFlix.This is the best police series I have seen.But --- The "Lost Child" episode my have been the end of my addiction.
Maybe it's because the creator and writer of the series, Lynda La Plante, was not part of the "Lost Child" episode.
I don't know.Now I seem to have lost interest - because in this episode, Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison is doing the exactly same thing as she did in all of the previous episodes, i.e. Running the show.
For example, I don't recall any of the other Superintendents (Tennison's immediate boss)in any previous episodes, being so involved in the hour-to-hour, day-to-day, ordering the other D.C.'s about and such about, in nearly every scene.I loved the series because it was so real.
It is not so real (to me) anymore.
In real life law enforcement, when a person is promoted to a higher position they do not go to work every day and do the job they have before they got promoted.
I was in law enforcement and the Criminal Justice system for over 20 years and never saw this happen.My wife still is fanatically loyal to the series, but I am going to try and sneak in different Netflix movies every now and then.
lol..
shorter movies work well.
Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) has been newly promoted to Superintendent.
She has a short unknown hospitalization.
The first case is an abducted baby.
Somebody knocked Susan Covington unconscious and stole her baby Vicki.
Chris Hughes becomes the prime suspect but Anne Sutherland provides him with an alibi.
The case hits home for Tennison.
Mistakes by subordinates puts Anne and her family in danger.The Prime Suspect episodes get shortened from its four hour TV running time in half.
It's much more of a TV police procedural and it works better as such.
It doesn't feel stretched out.
Helen Mirren is great as usual.
There is less filler which results in a higher intensity although the final twist is easily foreseen..
Great Episode: A Study in Quick Judgment.
Sometimes the authorities have feet of clay.
What looks open and shut proves to be anything but.
This episode begins with Jane having an abortion.
At the same time, a young single mother faces the terror of having her child kidnapped.
Jane's guilt plays a factor in this episode, although it is delicately downplayed.
A man who has been convicted as a pedophile is immediately made a suspect, and because the woman who has lost her child saw him once in a park, it is assumed he is guilty.
No other suspects are investigated.
Also, there is damning stuff brought out and, hence, the police become relentless.
At one point the cops are sent to pick him up.
He runs and he is beaten and ultimately thrown in front of a van.
This is a really intense episode where we get to see how cockeyed things can get when objectivity flies out the window.
The acting is superb, particularly that of the guy who is being pursued.
Mirren is solid, as usual.
This series which I had never heard of, is a hallmark of British television..
Tennison returns, Lynda La Plante doesn't..
Prime Suspect 4 marks a departure for the series.
Gone is series writer and creator Lynda La Plante.
The other major change is the format; this series consists of three unrelated episodes, with some unifying characteristics.Spoilers: When we last saw DCI Tennison, she had failed to gather enough evidence to convict Edward Parker-Jones of the death of Colin "Conny" Jenkins and for running a pedophile ring; but, she gained a measure of justice by subtly providing a journalist the opportunity to reveal the story.
She was able to extort a promise of promotion from her superiors, if she solved the case and gained a conviction.
She earns her promotion to Detective Superintendent, even though she doesn't obtain a conviction.
She also finds that she is pregnant with the child of a former lover, a married man.
After the horrors she has witnessed and learned, she decides to terminate the pregnancy.
This episode opens with Tennison having her abortion.
She wants to quickly return to work so she doesn't have to confront her emotions.
Unfortunately, her first case involves the apparent abduction of an infant.
Tennison becomes increasingly desperate to recover the child; and when it is found dead, to bring the killer to justice.
Although the previous series involved the dangers of pedophiles preying on kids on the street and in state institutions, this series confronts the harsher reality of a pedophile in a domestic situation.
Tennison's prime suspect is a pedophile who was released after serving his sentence and undergoing treatment.
Like most offenders, he was the product of abuse himself.
At points he seems like he is truly trying to live a normal and healthy life; and at others, his actions are suspicious.
To add to the mix, one of Tennison's detectives seems obsessed with this case.
He nearly causes the suspect's death and sets into motion events which lead to his escape and taking of hostages.
Tennison discovers that her officer was also the survivor of abuse, although his life took a more positive path.
While Tennison attempts to resolve the hostage situation, without loss of life, she uncovers the truth of what happened to the infant victim.
The siege ends safely, but Tennison has faced her own loss and had a glimpse of what life could have been like had she chosen to carry out her pregnancy.
In the end, she doesn't know if she is better or worse off.
The performances are good, as always, and the writing, although not La Plante's, holds up well.
As always, issues are presented without providing easy solutions, much like life.A special note for Star Wars fans; check out Anthony Daniels, sans C3PO costume, as a pathologist.
He demonstrates far greater skill than he was allowed to show in the other films..
I figured this one out in less than 30 minuets....
The biggest mistake with the writing in this episode is that they actually believed that the supposed kidnapper showed up to kidnap the baby and didn't have a car, seriously?
I am pretty sure any kidnapper would have planned better, so he or she steals the baby's mom's car, a car they could readily identify?
That gave away the whole story line, honestly, some lazy writing, it was frustrating to watch, none of them should have been that stupid and they latched on to who they wanted to be guilty and didn't investigate any further!.
Worst of the series...
A baby gets abducted and the prime suspect is a convicted pedophile.
As emotions build up, the members of CID London have to pull themselves together to stay professional and focused.
The worst episode of this otherwise excellent series is surely The Lost Child.
Not only was the plot completely obvious after 15 minutes, the depiction of paedophilia hysteria was itself hysterical.
The throwing of a suspect in front of speeding van by a senior police officer was completely over the top and thoroughly unbelievable.
On top of that we have to suffer through the completely rubbish acting of Beatie Edney playing the role of the mother of the abducted child.Given the short running time of this episode, the proceedings felt rushed.
But this could have been forgiven if the writing had been up to the standard of the previous seasons.
It didn't even come close.