‘Showtrial’ Recap: ‘Praying for Her’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Showtrial’.
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The best crime dramas out there… are the ones that take us on a powerful journey. The kind that finds a way to attach us to the characters and their fates and of course, presents unto us… a case that resonates and draws us in and well… this is not an easy task. Because it requires great balance from a writer or a writer’s room and depending on what they have in mind, balance can quickly go the wayside. But now and again, you run into a crime drama that has indeed figured out the balance and knows how to pull all those important feats off and it just so happens that Sundance Now is now home to a crime drama that fits that particular bill.

For Showtrial is a story that knows exactly how to draw us in and make us care about a missing person’s case, in part by having that kind of case unfold organically. For shortly after we are plunged into Bristol in ‘Praying for Her’, we come to learn that a woman named Hannah Ellis has gone missing and that’s of serious concern. Because she isn’t anyone that causes trouble, nor does she do much outside of study and work. So, for her to just fade away, out of the blue, is an act that is genuinely out of character, and well, it doesn’t take long for us to experience the sheer panic and fear that her mother goes through with her daughter gone missing… and it takes even less time for the police to be able to do something about this particular problem. 

Because they are able to uncover some suspicious and threatening text messages between Hannah and a fellow classmate named Talitha Campbell. The kind that implies that Hannah was about to undergo harm at Talitha’s hands and that of course, drives Detective Inspector Paula Cassidy to bring Talitha in for questioning and well… that’s where this series engages us further. Because Talitha is the ultimate spoiled brat, one that cares little about consequences of actions and has no desire to be behind bars and will make sure that everyone knows about her discomfort. Which draws us into this tale, through suspicion. For Talitha harbors incredible disdain for Hannah and is often eager to speak to that disdain in an unsettling and twisted manner, leaving one to wonder… if she by chance did something horrible to her.

A possibility that becomes a quasi-reality by the end of this tale, when it is discovered that Hannah was strangled by an article of clothing that Talitha is seen wearing on various camera footage from a recent event. A revelation that not only puts Talitha back in jail for longer and seemingly exposes a potential issue with her sanity, but also introduces us to a bevy of other important characters. Such as Cleo Roberts, a former rising star in world of the law that has transitioned to public defender work for reasons that aren’t clear just yet. But she’s critical to this case because she obviously knows how to help Talitha navigate the tough road ahead… if she can get her to listen to reason for a change and drop the brat attitude. Not because she wants to win cases and improve her standing, but because… she wants to get to the truth.

That is what truly compels us to continue this fascinating journey. For we too want the truth, and we must know if Talitha is indeed a sociopathic murderer that decided that Hannah needed to face her wrath with the help of others and well, all of these elements are a wonderful way to set the stage for this series ahead. Because this story really does a fine job of sucking us in and it really does offer up compelling and dynamic characters that we care about or despise and most important of all, there’s balance to be found here, and a compelling mystery through and through. One that we have to know every detail about, and it will indeed be fascinating to see what truths unfold as this investigation continues along. Until next time.

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