Channel 5's new thriller Missed Call presents a gripping narrative set against the backdrop of rural France, where a British schoolgirl mysteriously vanishes during an exchange trip. The series hinges on the powerful performance of Joanna Scanlan, whose portrayal of a desperate mother searching for her child adds depth and intensity to the unfolding drama.
Joanna Scanlan: A Dynamic Force in Television Drama
Casting Joanna Scanlan in any drama is inherently a high-risk strategy. She possesses a dynamic, forceful presence that can either propel a show to greatness or overwhelm it entirely. Much like dynamite, when the underlying structure is robust and the writing is sharp, Scanlan's energetic performance becomes the driving force behind the production.
We witnessed this phenomenon last year with Riot Women, the sensational story of menopausal punk rockers, where Scanlan served as the pounding drumbeat of the series. However, in weaker productions such as ITV's ill-fated remake of The Larkins, her overwhelming intensity can clash with flimsy concepts and poor dialogue. Dynamite and plywood simply do not mix effectively.
Initial Pacing Challenges in Missed Call
For the first fifteen minutes of Missed Call, Scanlan's character, Sarah, appears almost too intense and deafening for the initial setup. She waves off her daughter Katie, played by Emily Coates, on a school trip to France, accompanied by classmates and teachers. Her partner, portrayed by Rupert Graves, is the coach driver for the journey. Initially, Sarah's nail-biting anxiety seems disproportionate and difficult to comprehend.
However, the role rapidly expands around her when Katie phones in the early hours of a Sunday morning and abruptly ends the call without leaving a message. From that pivotal moment, Sarah's repressed panic and escalating hysteria become entirely believable. Her attempts at self-reassurance only serve to fuel her fears, as Katie fails to respond to texts and calls, the school's emergency number goes straight to voicemail, and the French hosts and local gendarmes display alarming indifference.
A Mother's Desperate Journey Across France
Sarah's response is immediate and drastic: she grabs a flight bag, boards a coach, and embarks on a grueling twelve-hour journey across France to the picturesque mountain village. It becomes clear why the narrative requires such an emotionally explosive central character—we must believe that this woman would fear the worst and stop at nothing to rescue her child.
As the investigation unfolds, Sarah confronts unsettling revelations about her daughter. While she insists to police that "this isn't like her, she's normally a good girl," Katie's schoolfriends find this description laughably inaccurate. Their accounts and phone photos depict a rebellious teenager who plays truant, associates with older men, consumes alcohol and drugs, starts fights, and passes out—all part of what Katie considers a quiet night out.
"I don't know my daughter like I thought I did," Sarah gasps, realizing that this personal discovery, rather than the disappearance itself, forms the core of her nightmare.
Mounting Suspense and Intriguing Subplots
The plot thickens with several compelling subplots. The coach driver harbors a secret, the French couple and their daughter know more than they admit, and the teacher is found wandering graveyards instead of supervising the pupils. Most ominously, Robert Lindsay appears in the old town square, sipping pastis in a white fedora—another dynamic actor poised to make a significant impact.
With the second episode airing tonight, expectations are high for explosive developments. Missed Call successfully leverages Scanlan's formidable talent to create a tense, emotionally charged thriller that explores parental fear and the dark secrets lurking beneath seemingly ordinary lives.
