After an uneven start to the season, with occasional flashes of a more enticing prospect to come, episode 7 of Debris, ‘You Can Call Her Caroline’, makes it seem like both feet are now on more solid ground. *Warning! Spoilers Ahead!*
This sense of improvement may be because we now know these characters a little bit better and because the various pieces have now been introduced. Obviously, every new series goes through some traumatic shifts early on as it finds itself, with those able to hit the ground running being few and far between.

That’s not to say that this has laid itself out as a simple procedural at all, and there is much that has yet to be revealed. There are many unanswered questions and a lot of hints towards other aspects of the show that have not yet been considered. Bryan’s (Jonathan Tucker) injections, and Maddox’s (Norbert Leo Butz) home life still need to be explained for instance.
After last week’s dip in quality, we have now moved back into a more interesting story, which shows more promise. Like ‘Earthshine’ a couple of weeks back, ‘You Can Call Her Caroline’ is a much more intriguing premise and actually feels like it moves things along nicely, rather than being a placeholder.

The basic premise is that someone or something is controlling people in small town Maine. This first comes to light after a man randomly hands a bag over to a stranger, seemingly against his will, and then shoots himself. The woman, who later appears to have no memory of taking the bag and who was waiting to board a ferry, is found wandering a nearby highway.
They track down the man’s brother, Luke (Benjamin Hollingsworth) who lives alone and is taking care of his niece Caroline (Evelyn Burke). Strangely, Caroline’s mother should have custody of her, but is convinced that being with Luke is ‘where she belongs’. With a swamp behind the house that contains small pieces of debris, something is obviously going on, but it becomes increasingly difficult to investigate, due to memory losses and confusion.

It’s an interesting idea and handled fairly well, with it being taken seriously. It would have been easy to fall into a comical trap and make their memory losses or gaps see them in odd scenarios, but instead there’s a hint of the absurdity, while maintaining composure. The mystery itself isn’t too obvious either, leading to a pleasing conclusion, which is a relief after last week’s telegraphed solution.
Away from the main plot, there is a lot of intrigue interwoven between the scenes, as Maddox and Ferris (Anjali Jay) get up to the various nefarious things they have planned. While Maddox is clearly trying to elicit information from Anson Ash (Scroobius Pip), Ferris’ end goals are less clear, although keeping Finola (Riann Steele) away from the truth seems to be one of them. This is one area where there will be a lot of development to come, as more of this shadowy world is uncovered.

At the centre of the show though, the central pair of Finola and Bryan are becoming more of a established proposition. While exploring the uncertainties between them is interesting, it hadn’t been that well-handled, so it’s better that they move forward with a much more grounded, trusting duo. From here they can move into darker territory and find those grey areas.
‘You Can Call Her Caroline’ is a return to a more assured show, and hopefully sees a positive move after last week’s blip. Generally, there does seem to be an upward trend in terms of quality, and all the pieces are in place for it to succeed. As we’re effectively at the halfway point of this first season, they still have time to fully cement the show as a long running endeavour.