‘Conviction: The Case of Stephen Lawrence’ Recap – ‘Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Conviction: The Case of Stephen Lawrence’.
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One particular aspect of our world that has outright surprised so many in the past couple of years, is the number of injustices that are being committed by police officers and how those injustices are racially motivated. And what makes this so surprising, is that we really have been taught that justice is blind and those that enforce the laws would never discriminate based upon the color of someone’s skin. But it is happening and will continue to happen until great changes are made and what’s truly appalling about all of this… is that we are genuinely coming to understand now that this has been happening for ages on end. But that unfortunate epiphany is now leading to the creation of stories that are chronicling these stories so that awareness around such matters can be raised in an order to bring about change, and it just so happens that Acorn TV is now host to a series that explores such matters.

For Conviction: The Case of Stephen Lawrence, is a show that chronicles a real-life case from England regarding a grave injustice that the Lawrence family suffered through. For on April 22, 1993, eighteen-year-old Stephen Lawrence was brutally murdered by a group of racist men and unfortunately… justice for Stephen didn't materialize. For the Metropolitan Police were slow to make any arrests and the investigative process was so sloppy, it allowed for the men in question to walk and never face charges and when we catch up with the Lawrence family in 2006 in this story, they’re still rightfully angry about what happened, and in some tough places mentally. Stephen's father Neville, for instance, is so filled with rage and pain that he's in essence lost and unsure of what comes next in life and his ex-wife/Stephen's mother, Doreen, is equally as mad. But she is trying to do something about her pain and express it through advocacy and charity, but even that... isn't giving her the peace that justice, would. 

But one fateful day when Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll is working on moving a mountain of old files out of a previously used storage area, he stumbles upon the case file for Stephen’s death and quickly pours over it and realizes… that so much was missed in the initial investigation and asks to be put on this investigation as the SIO to bring justice forth for this family. A move that is of course, met with skepticism and resistance. Since there have been multiple inquiries into Stephen’s death and several reviews of the case and one of the investigators assigned to this case, is quick to leave it for the same unfortunate reasons that allowed for it to languish in the first place. But the challenges that lie ahead don’t deter DCI Driscoll in the slightest, in fact, he sees this as a grand opportunity to change perception around the case and genuinely find evidence to convict and well… his out of the box thinking pays off in dividends for certain.

Because he is able to remove the incorrect perceptions about this attack, specifically that it was ‘brief’. For that word helped everyone to believe that evidence simply wasn’t present in this crime and that in turn led to shoddy forensic work. The kind that is rectified when Clive has a third-party company handle a deeper sweep of the evidence and well… in doing so… the first physical evidence tying the suspects to this crime is finally revealed and that motivates Clive to meet with Doreen and Neville. In part to inform them that someone is finally in their corner when it comes to this case and of course, that progress is finally being made and that leads to some interesting reactions. Such as shock and surprise and distrust, primarily from Doreen. Since she’s been through the promise phase regarding this case more times than she can count, and her disdain and distrust is only amplified when an unfortunate surprise drops into everyone’s laps at the end of this premiere.

For someone, decided that the time was right to leak to the press, all the details on the new investigation. A move that creates all kind of problems for Clive and the team. Because a public eye puts undue pressure on the Met and could force demands for quick results when this case needs care and detail to solve and well, while we wait to see what comes next from this stunning twist… we can bask in one quality and thoughtful premiere. One that genuinely makes it clear that this kind of problem is nothing new in our world unfortunately, and that’s important to point out. Because it speaks a truth that needs to be spoken and shines a light on an issue that needs our attention, and it will be quite interesting to see what other modern-day parallels and surprises await us, as Clive and his determined team of investigators work to solve a crime that some would prefer disappear into the ether. Until next time.   

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