![]() ![]() The lack of filigree extends to the cop story, which stands out for what it doesn’t have: no sexual tension, no secret maneuvering, no pitched battles with superiors, no officers in jeopardy. The captivity scenes are shot and played straight, with no attempts to trick us or jolt us, and they’re harder to watch because of it. “Hidden” practices a restraint so strong (and unusual) that you can almost feel it in your stomach. What makes “Hidden” work - what keeps you involved and even, by the end, moved - is the show’s determination to present these stock, potentially lurid elements with an absolute minimum of titillation or sensationalism. The performances are mostly capable, though they won’t make you forget the exceptional casts of “Broadchurch” or “Happy Valley.” It won’t surprise you to learn that Cadi’s dad used to be the town’s police chief, or that Dylan’s mom is simultaneously overprotective, abusive and totally frightening. The execution of “Hidden,” scene to scene, is artful but not particularly original - the standard devices of both the buttoned-down cop drama and the creepy backwoods horror tale are right up front. Cadi and Owen’s traditional gumshoeing alternates with a psychological thriller taking place in the remote farmstead where the abductor - a muddled, sadly pathetic psychopath named Dylan (Rhodri Meilir) - lives with his mother, daughter and whichever woman he currently has shackled in the cellar. But the bad guy is identified for the audience right away - in the first episode - and the show’s dual nature takes hold. ![]()
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