‘The Real Manhunter’ Recap: ‘The Disappearance of Maureen Hale’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season finale of ‘The Real Manhunter.’

One of the biggest stereotypes that surround police investigators around the globe, especially the ones of fame and note, is that they are in fact, so brilliant, that there is no case that they cannot solve. For we believe that they are able to connect the clues that no one else can and that they have an innate ability to see as only a killer can, giving them a special insight into the madness that drives a murderer. Which in turn helps them to bring the case together and solve it in a breathtaking manner. And that stereotype exists because that is the narrative in crime stories both real and fictional, since such notions make for a compelling and powerful story. But the fact of the matter; is that detectives and investigators aren’t like that in the slightest in the real world.

Because they are in fact, human and sometimes, mistakes are made, or the trail goes cold, and the crime is never solved… or the bad guy gets away, and it just so happens that the season finale of The Real Manhunter takes the time to remind us of those unfortunate facts. A feat that ‘The Disappearance of Maureen Hale’ accomplished by taking us through a particular case that Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton didn’t bring to completion. But it sure didn’t seem like he was going to fail in this case early on. Because he and his team opted to dive into a concerning cold case shortly after they finished up with the Bellfield case and what garnered the attention of the police in regard to this case related to a few key things.

For starters, the double jeopardy laws had changed in the United Kingdom, allowing for the police and the courts to go after murderers that were acquitted in the event new evidence came to light and well… the fact that a great deal of the evidence in Maureen’s case was gravely concerning, meant that this case was quickly reopened. Because somehow, it was missed that days after Maureen’s disappearance was filed with the police, her husband Martin opted to take part in some strange behaviors. Such as offering to rent a pet crematorium for a weekend for reasons unknown. Plus, he made a point to borrow the beater company car one night and a spade that was normally at his place of business went missing for days on end… only to be returned by Martin.

Which is evidence that all pointed to a husband that lost his temper and did something awful on the fateful day that Maureen went missing and well, this was believed to be enough circumstantial evidence to prosecute Martin and undoubtedly get a guilty verdict. But once the case went to trial, things quickly went sideways for the prosecution and for Colin’s case. Because the jury started to have doubts that Martin was indeed a killer. Especially when one considers that a key witness, one that Maureen took on as a lover at the lowest point of her marriage, was viewed by the jury as suspicious. For his temper and threats made the jury believe that perhaps he could have committed this crime instead, and that was enough… to bring back a not guilty verdict for Martin. 

A decision that was humbling for Sutton and his team to say the least, since they so rarely lost cases and often brought incredible evidence to the table. But it happened and there was little that could be done since due process deemed Martin to be innocent and well, that loss led to the case being closed once again and forgotten since there was little left to pursue and, in the end, that made for a humbling story for the audience as well. Since it really did show us that sometimes, even crack investigators don’t get the convictions they want and that… the bad guy wins from time to time, unfortunately. Because whomever harmed Maureen, got away with it and is still out there and that’s tough. Either way, this really was quite the powerful finale when all is said and done, since it provided the audience with a genuine look at the life of a police officer and hopefully, Acorn TV commissions more episodes of this series, so we can really come to understand the career and the life of a phenomenal detective, one that genuinely worked hard to bring justice to the streets of London. Until next time.  

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