SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for A Taste for Murder Season 1, Episode 2.

A Taste for Murder Episode 2 is where BritBox viewers get introduced to what the show is really about. With all the exposition out of the way, the series has more time to spend on developing both Joe Mottram’s family drama and its cases of the week. And the former escalates more quickly than expected.

But first, the title of the show demands a murder, and this one is more convoluted than the case in the series premiere. The death of a British app developer is thought to be a suicide before Joe and Lara Sarrancino go through a laundry list of mystery staples, from infidelity to corporate money grabs to secret relatives. There are several more hoops to jump through in this story and that will make it more engaging to genre buffs.

There’s only one major misstep in the whodunit, and it’s a glaring one. The episode cuts abruptly from the victim’s father seeing his daughter’s body to upbeat, jazzy music and Joe’s daughter Angelica riding around with her new boyfriend Daniele—not only is that incredibly jarring, but it unintentionally feels like the show is being flippant about the father’s loss. Especially since the episode cuts right back to the morgue just a few moments later. It would have been more cohesive, and more appropriate, to just play the morgue parts as one continuous scene and then segue to the more light-hearted subplot.

Speaking of that subplot, A Taste for Murder continues to play with some of the same tropes TV viewers are used to when it comes to teenagers. This episode cements Daniele’s place as the series’ sole unlikeable character; it’s clear he’s the ne’er do well boyfriend, existing just to drive a wedge between Joe and Angelica. It would be more interesting if the relationship between them had some further depth and actually challenged Joe’s ideas of what he wants for his daughter (like the underrated Mandy Moore film Chasing Liberty, with less Secret Service agents).

But the episode picks up when it shines a further light on Joe’s mother-in-law Elena, played by Phyllis Logan, and her relationship to Angelica. This episode gives Elena more to do than worry over everyone else. It’s revealed that Elena gave Angelica sleeping pills to help her with the sleeplessness caused by Sofia’s passing. There is naturally an argument between Elena and Joe, who’s outraged that Elena went behind his back—and it’s a more than fair question. That’s one of several great scenes between Downton Abbey alum Logan and Brown, as more details are also introduced about Joe’s own difficult childhood. Both actors shine in this episode and this adds whole other layer to A Taste for Murder as a whole.

Logan also plays a part in the big cliffhanger at the end of Episode 2, in which Elena discovers something is very wrong at the restaurant. Viewers (and Joe) are left in the dark as to what exactly it is, but they can infer enough from a mystery man whom Joe bumps into on the man’s way out, and Elena’s furious reaction says enough. This is a subplot that immediately hooks the audience; it has much higher stakes than Angelica’s escapades, and it makes the restaurant relevant to the rest of the series. By the credit roll of Episode 2, A Taste for Murder has found its stride.

A Taste for Murder streams Tuesdays on BritBox. Photo Credit: Collin Hutton/Courtesy of BritBox.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.