Code of Silence series review: Rose-Aiyling Ellis and Nathan Armarkwei Laryea starrer is a highly engaging thriller

DI James Marsh’s (Andrew Buchan) team, arranges surveillance on Helen Redman code-named “Cruella”(Beth Goodard) and her crew, but they find themselves without a department-certified lip-reader. So they hire a temporary lip reader, a deaf woman, Alison Woods (Rose-Aiyling Ellis) who works as help in the cafeteria at the Canterbury station. She is warned not to get involved or expose herself  to danger but Alison who has been ignored all her life suddenly finds purpose and her enthusiasm and curiosity gets the better of her, inadvertently leading her to get involved with one of the gang members Liam (Kieron Moore) - thus putting the entire operation and her life in jeopardy.

Woods in fact goes as far as to get a bar-tending job at the pub owned by the gang’s enforcer, Braden Moore a.k.a. “Hulk” ( Joe Absolom ). The lonely Liam Barlow, takes a shine to her and vice versa, after meeting at this pub. Woods is initially trying to facilitate his arrest and conviction but after getting involved her commitment to the cause gets a little wobbly.

The basic conceit of a lowly police canteen worker being asked to help out on an investigation into a potential robbery of a high-profile necklace, is a pretty interesting hook. The manner in which the surveillance is conducted, also feels authentic. The deaf experience is also handled with a great deal of sensitivity and understanding.  

Kieron Moore makes Liam Barlow a compelling character - lending him a mystery and intensity that vividly brings the character to life. The wishy-washy relationship between Liam and Alison though gets a little tiresome even though the moral ambiguity lends heft to the byplay. Deaf thesp Rose Ayling-Ellis’s portrayal of Woods, is earnest and sincere but the character’s enthusiasm for risk taking comes across as a little bizarre. Ayling-Ellis as Alison is not your typical citizen detective. She is a good person, striving to do what’s right even though she strays towards saving a lost irredeemable soul en route. Hers is not an easy role to play but Ayling-Ellis does full justice to it.

The supporting players are astute and compelling too -Charlotte Ritchie as DS Ashleigh Francis, Andrew Buchan as DI Marsh flesh out their roles beautifully while Joe Absolom manages to project the right measure of menace and cunning to lend the character of Moore, scary enough to take notice.

The screenplay’s efforts to give Alison a back story involving a break-up with ex-boyfriend Eithan, a local government council bureaucrat, and her equation with her dumb and deaf mother don’t serve much purpose in the scheme of things here. The protagonist driven storyline might be questionable but the drama within is unerring. There’s also enough deaf representation to convey their ability to be part of the mainstream.

Catherine Moulton’s smart concept produces enough suspenseful intrigue to get you hooked. Director Diarmuid Goggins assisted by crisp atmospheric visuals and a persuasive background score does a grand job in developing tension enough to make it nail-biting.

Code of Silence is a riveting British crime short-series that’s gripping throughout. Every episode is rich in content and packed with tension and intrigue. This show is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

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