There’s much to mull over in the first two episodes of psychological thriller Chloe, which aired across the last two nights on BBC One. Erin Doherty, who was catapulted to stardom by Netflix’s The Crown, in which she played Princess Anne, leads the cast as Becky, a young woman whose childhood best friend Chloe dies suddenly.
It’s ruled that she took her own life, but Becky suspects foul play and sets out to investigate by infiltrating Chloe’s inner circle. She masquerades as Sasha who, by contrast, lives a glamorous life as an art gallery marketeer who enjoyed a stint in Japan and dons expensive-looking clobber.
Becky not only befriends Chloe’s closest female friend Livia (Pippa Bennett-Warner), she also manages to worm her way into her Elliot’s (Billy Howle) bed as she tries to piece together what really happened to the titular character.
But will Becky’s lies come back to haunt her? Doherty and Pippa Bennett-Warner have hinted at trouble ahead.
“I think by episode 4, it massively shifts,” said Doherty. “Every turn is a 180. It kind of feels like being in a maze. Things are just popping out. It feels very invasive in that way, in a really good way. It gets really, really heated because obviously she’s just digging and digging and digging and digging. She can’t stop.”
Bennett-Warner added: “The hole gets bigger and bigger. And twisted and messier.”
Doherty continued: “It was great to play. The more that you’re aware of the lies she’s told up to this point, and the situations that she’s in, those are the moments that I can’t wait for [people to see]. I just hope that people are like, ‘How the hell is this going to go down?’ That’s the payoff of the drip, drip feed of information. It’s that that I can’t wait for, for people to be like, ‘I need to see more.’”
Bennett-Warner went on to say that the resolution is “unexpected”, adding: “Just the journey of everybody and the journey of the show and everybody’s narratives criss-crossing. You’re in for a ride. Nothing’s tied with a bow. The ending isn’t neat.”
Doherty added: “I think you get what you want but obviously, the show is about perspective. So it’s kind of like, ‘Right but actually, what does that mean?’”
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Alice Seabright, who created and wrote the series, told RadioTimes.com exclusively that “the ending is emotional”, adding: “I think there are some unanswered questions.”
She expanded: “There are two aspects: the mystery aspect, which has a resolution to it, although some questions remain unanswered, but there’s also the character of Becky and her journey. We meet her in this place of isolation and loneliness and with a very fractured identity, and through the story of the show, she confronts a lot of herself.
“I hope that there’s a feeling of catharsis at the end. It’s not to condone her actions, but hopefully we can gain some catharsis through her own catharsis, and look at things about ourselves that are true of her, even in an extreme way.”
Read more: Chloe writer reveals meaning behind episode 3 Easter egg
All six episodes are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for something else to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide. and keep up to date with all of the latest news over at our Drama hub.