‘Des’ Recap: ‘Episode 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Des’.

​It is definitely safe to say that the investigation phase of a crime story, is supremely satisfying in nature. Because minute by minute, we get to experience the wonder of discovery as the intrepid lead investigator puts together the clues and begins to zero in upon a suspect. Which means that justice is near and soon an evil doer will be behind bars and paying dearly for their crimes and that really does give the viewer or the reader... a rush. Plus, this is also a segment of the story that helps us to come to understand just how vested our protagonist is in fighting crime and doing right by the victims, to the point where they almost resemble a superhero of sorts. But while that definitely makes for compelling and moving moments for certain, that particular structure of how an investigation goes isn’t realistic in the slightest.

Which is understandable, since we are here to be entertained and aren’t all that interested in the finite details. But in reality, we should be. Because the chaos of reality and the roadblocks that some investigators run into when bringing down a true villain, are certainly of note and make the investigators involved, heroic in a different manner, since they overcome incredible odds to bring the bad guy or gal to justice and that’s why the next episode of the Sundance Now series, Des, is so refreshing and compelling. For DCI Peter Jay has to deal with some unexpected and incredible roadblocks in bringing Dennis ‘Des’ Nielsen to justice. Which is surprising to say the least, since Des confessed to the murders of fifteen innocent lives. But in order to put him behind bars for the rest of his natural life… DCI Jay needed to identify more victims, which led to the first roadblock in question… resources.

After all, a murder investigation requires money and time and officers and it didn’t take long for the higher ups at Scotland Yard, to express their concerns about what this case was costing. Because every new lead and identification, led to more hard work and more officers searching for truth and well, that eventually put Peter in quite the tough place. In that, he could either keep trying to get funding and be stonewalled by the brass at some point when costs ballooned, or he could scramble to identify as many bodies as possible and well… it turns out that both paths came to fruition. Because the ID of a Canadian national, along with a few others, brought the count to six first degree murder charges and the yard felt that was more than sufficient and that prompted them to close the case and send Des to court. Which brings us to the second roadblock in this tale, Des himself.

Because as the investigation chugged along and Des’ name showed up less and less in the papers, he began to grow antsy. To the point where he demanded recognition and accommodations from the police department. Which of course, they refused to provide and well, that led to some serious surprises on Dennis’ part. For he eventually cut off the information tap and told Jay to basically pound sand until he got what he wanted. In fact, the only person he would talk to was Brian Waters since he believed that his biographer was the only person who showed him any courtesy or recognition for his crimes. And he was so upset with the lack of kudos for being honest about killing people that Des finally decided after he was charged, to take his little temper tantrum/protest to a whole new level… by pleading not guilty to any of the charges, at his arraignment.

Which was a stunning move for certain, one that speaks volumes to the wild nature of Dennis and his deeply engrained mental illness. Something that the episode also explored in chilling detail, allowing for the creepy factor to come into play whilst the investigation played out and kudos once again to the writers and David Tennant for showing us just how cold and calculated a serial killer can be and how they truly are a different breed of human, one that is woefully disconnected from reality and their humanity. But all of that aside, this episode also deserves credit for showing us the difficulties the accompany a murder investigation. For Peter really did face some incredible challenges in bringing Des to the courts and he deserves a round of applause for figuring out how to navigate politics and publicity and a lack of resources for that matter as well. Since it took some creativity on his part to land the big ID. And now that we’ve completed this leg of the journey, all that awaits now is a powerful trial, one that undoubtedly be mired in chaos now that Des has decided to toy around with the system. Until next time.  

‘Des’ is available to stream on Sundance Now.

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