Ep 2. Episode 2

Detective inspector Jimmy Perez returns for a third season of the hit BBC crime drama Shetland, set in the rugged and remote archipelago off the northeast coast of Scotland. In this episode, titled simply Episode 2, the disappearance of a young man leads the investigation deep into the island's past, where secrets and lies threaten to unravel the entire community.

The episode opens with a mysterious hooded figure digging in the sand dunes near a windswept beach. Meanwhile, Perez (played by Douglas Henshall) and his team are called to investigate the disappearance of a local man named Michael Maguire, who was last seen at a community dance the previous evening. The case is complicated by the fact that Michael is the estranged son of a wealthy and influential family on the island, and has a troubled history of drug addiction and petty crime.

As Perez and his sergeant, Tosh (Alison O'Donnell), interview Michael's family and friends, they discover a web of secrets and resentments that seems to go back generations. Michael's father, a successful businessman named Simon (Gerard Miller), is cold and aloof, while his stepmother, Megan (Claire Rafferty), is more sympathetic but deeply troubled by her own past. Michael's girlfriend, Mina (Carla Henry), is distraught but uncooperative, leading the detectives to question her true motives.

As the investigation progresses, Perez and Tosh uncover a possible connection between Michael's disappearance and a long-ago crime that has haunted the island for years. A young woman named Lizzie Kilmuir vanished without a trace in the 1990s, and her case was never solved. Could Michael have stumbled upon new information that put his life in danger? As Perez delves deeper into the past, he risks angering powerful forces on the island who are determined to keep their secrets hidden.

Meanwhile, another subplot unfolds involving Perez's teenage stepdaughter, Cassie (Erin Armstrong), who is struggling to fit in with the other kids at school. When Cassie strikes up a friendship with a troubled boy named Duncan (Lewis Howden), she finds herself drawn into a dangerous world of drugs and violence that hits close to home for the detective.

Overall, Episode 2 is an engaging and suspenseful installment of Shetland that blends intricate plotting with atmospheric scenery and strong performances from the cast. Fans of the series will be delighted to see Perez back in action, solving crimes and navigating the complex social dynamics of his community with his trademark blend of intelligence, compassion, and dogged determination.