Before The Capture returned for season 2, its creator and writer Ben Chanan revealed that Shaun Emery would not appear in the current batch of episodes.
“He was framed for a crime he didn’t commit but had a nagging feeling about a crime he did,” he told Metro. “And deep down he felt he needed to face justice for [that] and that story is pretty complete. I always intended that.”
But he did go on to say that Callum Turner’s character “still has a presence in season 2 and is mentioned a few times”, adding: “He’s certainly still part of the world of The Capture.”
His presence was certainly felt in episode 4 when Rachel Carey’s half-sister brought him up in conversation.
“It’s a bit like Serial,” Abigail said of her podcast. “Only it’s called Free Shaun. Or I might go more esoteric like The Bus Stop.”
When Rachel questioned what she was talking about, Abi responded: “Free Shaun, as in Shaun Emery. Half the people think he killed that woman, the other half don’t. But I know.”
She then revealed that she had previously met with the former soldier, although she didn’t go into detail about when and where, or what was said.
Rachel, who’s hyper-aware that they’re being monitored, reiterated to her sibling that he’s guilty. When Abi attempted to counter that, the detective shut her down immediately, understandably unwilling to discuss the matter any further.
If Rachel is to expose Correction, she mustn’t rock the boat, which means sticking to the official script when it comes to Shaun and all other matters relating to the covert evidence tampering operation – and she did just that, encouraging Abi to “pick a different” topic, adding: “That story’s over.”
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News of the podcast arrived after the episode in which it was revealed that the SD card containing proof of Shaun’s innocence had been stolen. Did Abi swipe it for the purposes of her podcast?
It also suggests that it’s not out of the realms of possibility that we’ll meet Shaun again.
When Chanan was asked by Metro if he’ll reintroduce him in future episodes – there’s been no word on whether the drama is returning for season 3 – he said: “If the series continues, who knows. Maybe he’ll come back.’”
The Capture continues on Sunday 11th September on BBC One at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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