'Landscapers' Episode 3 Review: A dive into the Edwards' motives for the murders
HBO's 'Landscapers' follows the true story of the murders of Nottinghamshire William and Patricia Wycherley, an English couple whose death was covered up by their daughter and her husband who kept drawing money under their names.
Christopher (David Thewlis) and Susan Edwards (Olivia Colman) were living in France for more than a decade when their lives are thrown into disarray after their crime comes to light. So far into the story, the couple agreed to amicable cooperation in the investigation believing themselves to have done nothing wrong. But as the investigation proceeds more facts come spilling out and the couple finds themselves embroiled in a tense situation. Read on to know what happened in the third episode of 'Landscapers' and what we thought of it.
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The third episode begins on a dramatic note as we see Chris in a field full of priests shooting down empty cans as they all look on. We then cut to him in reality calmy doing some stretches and exercising in his holding cell completely at ease. The episode sheds light on Chris and his behavior as his stepmother tells the police that he was impacted by the death of his mother and brother which has him develop somewhat of a savior complex. She adds that he's always trying to save someone but never manages to do it, in response to the detective asking about him labeling Susan as fragile.
Episode 3 deep dives into the Edwards' relationship with the Wycherley's as the police try to break down and find the motive behind the murders. As we know from the previous episode her parents were abusive to Susan and mistreated her from the start with Chris knowing this as well. It is revealed that immediately after the date of death the couple had cleared the bank account of the parents. The Edwards' had a rocky relationship with Susan's parents that they masked under politeness but when her mother forces her to give her property to them, we learn that this is what may have been the trigger aka money as Chris and Susan weren't well-to-do. The episode also highlights the cracks appearing in Chris's statements resulting in incriminating himself as the perpetrator. David Thewlis is brilliant as per usual and manages to get under your skin with his performance as he loses his cool while defending his wife. The episode is another creative one by the makers who incorporate black-and-white scenes to indicate the past but also make the tense breakdown of a crime a fun watch as the characters move from one set to another in a studio enacting what the police suspect.
As Susan breaks down angry and hysterical at what has happened you can appreciate the top-notch acting by Olivia Colman even more as she sheds her optimistic demeanor and loses her composure in this episode. This was also a major win for the police and the penultimate episode sets the scene for the final trial of the murderous couple. The final moments reveal real news recordings of 1998 that give the actuality of the case saying Susan and Chris showed a heartless attitude in real life making us appreciate the creative choice of storytelling even more.
'Landscapers' airs on HBO on Monday at 9 pm ET and is available on HBO Max as well.