The tenth series of Vera continued on Sunday night as DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) investigated the death of 19-year-old apprentice electrician Dennis Bayliss.
If you want to avoid spoilers for Vera, stop reading now.
Her investigation led her to the Walken family who ran a salmon farm and the discovery that the patriarch Thomas Walken was Dennis’ biological father. His adopted parents, Steph and Rob, were estranged from their son but devastated by his death.
Dennis discovered that Thomas was his biological father when he was given a DNA home-test kit by his ex-girlfriend Phoebe. The discovery sent Dennis into a downward emotional spiral and he started dealing prescription drugs for money.
The answer to Dennis’ death lay between the two families.
Vera continues on Sunday night and the synopsis for episode 3 is:
Luke Sumner’s body is discovered close to his flat in Newcastle, but pathology concludes that the killing blow could have occurred several hours before he succumbed to his injuries, prompting Vera (Brenda Blethyn) to piece together Luke’s final hours in order to investigate his murder.
But Luke’s life is perplexingly spartan; working a punishing number of shifts for commercial cleaning company, ECS, and severing all ties to the quaint rural village where he grew up – including his mother Carmel. Carmel and Luke have barely spoken in the last eight years, both of them still haunted by the murder of Luke’s have-a-go-hero father Seth by a petty burglar.
When Vera finds out Luke left work in a rage, mid-shift she turns her attention to Luke’s amiable employers, Sonia and Clive Brock. But behind their helpful veneer, Vera uncovers disturbing claims of workplace intimidation and harassment.
As the team build a portrait of Luke’s world, they reveal a pattern of violence and self-loathing recurring throughout his life. Vera finds herself having to unpack Luke’s tragic past to discover the truth about his recent emotional turmoil and in so doing, catch his killer.
Vera continues at 8pm Sunday on ITV. Preview it with our gallery below:
