Marchlands

MARCHLANDS follows three separate families who live in the same house called Marchlands at three different time periods - 1968, 1987 and 2010.

The three strands interconnect - the families are linked by the ghost of a little girl, Alice, who drowned in a tragic accident in 1967, in local lake Blackwater Tarn.

The episodes are multi-stranded and a number of characters appear in more than one time frame.

EPISODE ONE

Spoiler:

The episode opens with a girl with long blonde hair and a distinctive yellow dress running through woods. She anxiously looks behind her.

We move to 1968. It’s early morning and Ruth is lying in bed, staring at a photograph of her daughter, Alice (the little girl we’ve just seen.)

We’re in the same bedroom, but now its 2010 – the walls are stripped and there are boxes and mess everywhere. An alarm goes – a dishevelled Nisha, who is five months pregnant, is anxious to get to her scan. But her partner Mark has other ideas…

We move to the same bedroom in 1987 and Eddie has similar romantic intentions. But he and his wife Helen are disturbed by their children – fifteen year old Scott and eight year old Amy. Helen gets up to open the blinds and we pull away to reveal the house – Marchlands – a remote house near a small village in the North of England….

1968
Ruth and her husband Paul live at Marchlands with Paul’s oppressive parents Robert and Evelyn.

Ruth is grieving for her eight year old daughter who died six months previously. She is haunted by Alice and cannot let her go. Ruth tries to talk to and connect with her husband - she is suspicious and anxious to discover the truth of what happened to her daughter. Though devastated himself, Paul wants to move on.

Whilst Ruth visits Alice’s grave she passes Liz Runcie and her eight year old deaf daughter Olive.

Later Ruth tries to seduce Paul - but he can’t respond. He can no longer look at her – for every time he does - he sees Alice…

1987
Initially Helen and Eddie ignore Amy’s ‘imaginary friend’ Alice, but Scott and Eddie are silenced one day when Amy tells them that Alice is dead. Amy loves reading ‘The Secret property of Alice Bowen’ – the scrapbook she found hidden under the floorboards in her room.

Things come to a head when Helen fears Amy has drowned in an over-flowing bath – relief turns to fury when she realises it’s just a doll – but she’s further angered when Amy blames Alice.

Helen and Eddie are increasingly worried about their daughter. Helen forbids Amy from talking to Alice ever again, whilst Eddie buys Amy a kitten to distract her. For a while things look like they might be getting better until they hear blood curdling screams from the garden. It’s Amy – her kitten has drowned in the pond. She cries and tells them that it was an accident - but it was Alice, yet again, who was responsible…

2010
Mark previously lived in the village and has brought his partner, Nisha, back to live in this rural idyll.

Whilst Nisha is stripping a wall in a bedroom she finds a photo of a young girl behind a skirting board. We recognise it as Alice. Nisha spots that the photo was taken in the same room and notices something in the picture. Later disaster strikes as Nisha breaks her ankle falling off a ladder.

At the local shop, on their way back from the hospital, Nisha chats to an old friend of Mark’s – a now grown up Scott Maynard. He’s surprised to hear that Mark has returned to Marchlands. Nisha then spots Mark signing with an older Olive Runcie. Back at the house Nisha suspects that Mark is not being entirely truthful with her, but decides not to push it. For now.

Later, back in the bedroom Nisha finally uncovers a beautiful mural, which details a little girl in a forest. She’s mesmerised by it and its title – ‘Alice in the Woods’. That night Nisha suggests the name Alice for their unborn child…

Episode 2

Spoiler:

The episode opens with images of a little girl, Alice, struggling underwater.

We jump to the bathroom in 1968 . Paul is clearly upset.

1968
Evelyn continues to meddle by advising Paul to see their local priest, Father Boyle. Ruth is unable to refuse. When they visit he advises them of their matrimonial responsibilities and suggests that they should have another child.

Later Ruth goes to Alice’s grave and finds a silver cross hanging on the headstone – it belongs to Alice. However to her dismay the police do not wish to investigate
further. Later, Robert reminds her of the details of that fateful day and she confides in him that she’s determined to find out the truth, refusing to believe it was just an accident.

That night Ruth and Paul make love. But there’s no connection - Paul still can’t look at her.

1987
Following the death of the kitten, Helen persuades a wary Eddie to take Amy to see a psychiatrist. They are shocked to hear that the problem could be psychiatric or physical.

Scott is increasingly shut out as a distracted Helen goes to the local library and takes out heaps of medical reference books and Eddie discovers a picture of Alice that Amy has drawn. Amy is left alone to wonder what she has done wrong - upset she tries to tell Alice to leave her alone.

Later, Scott is amused as a younger Mark walks past him on his way to do the gardening for Liz Runcie. Whist there, the deaf Olive surprises Mark by speaking. She teaches him to sign – there’s clearly a chemistry between them.

Back at Marchlands the atmosphere is tense. Unbeknownst to anyone Scott has a mini-seizure, whilst Eddie and Helen are shocked to learn that Amy might have a dissociative amnesia which is usually triggered by trauma. It looks like Social Services might get involved.

Amy lies on her bed sobbing, as a wet hand of a little girl takes her hand to comfort her.

2010
Nisha is housebound due to her broken ankle. She’s lonely and finding the house a little spooky – she finds markings for a height chart for a little girl called Alice and thinks she’s left the bath running but the taps were turned off.

Meanwhile, Mark goes for a run past Olive Runcie’s house. She spots him, but it’s been a long time…

Later, Mark organises for a local woman to come and help out. It’s a surprise for Nisha - however it doesn’t go down very well. Later we see the woman holding a necklace – it’s the silver cross from 1968. It’s Ruth Bowen.

Bracing herself, Ruth arrives at Marchlands and immediately proves herself invaluable to Nisha. She is hired. With trepidation, Ruth goes upstairs. She enters her daughter’s old bedroom and sees Alice’s mural. She’s finally returned for Alice…

Episode 3

Spoiler:

The episode opens with Robert identifying Alice’s body by the side of Blackwater Tarn.

We jump to 1968 and a visibly disturbed Robert stares at his image in the bathroom mirror.

1968
Ruth is at the hospital for ongoing fertility testing. To his surprise Paul is also tested. And it turns out they are unlikely to ever conceive again due to his low sperm count. It’s a bitter blow. Alice was a miracle.

Paul becomes increasingly distracted – he feels Ruth deserves better. Later he tells her that he’d understand if she wanted a divorce. The ensuing fight (during which he blames her for Alice’s death) culminates in a distraught Ruth slapping Paul and she storms out.

In desperation Ruth gets on a bus to Leeds where she meets student, Brian Keith. They go to a party. Ruth gets high and ends up kissing Brian. It’s only when Alice’s silver cross falls on the floor that she comes to her senses and runs out…

1987
Following a visit from the Social Worker, Eddie and Helen’s opinions begin to divide as to how best to deal with their daughter. Is she ill or could Alice be real?

The next day whilst watching the news Amy confides in Eddie that she thinks Alice drowned because she’s always wet. She tells him that Alice is here, in Marchlands. Eddie is completely thrown by these remarks.

Whilst Eddie is in Amy’s room trying to communicate with spirits, he accidentally discovers Alice’s scrap-book under the floorboards. He shows it to Helen but she dismisses him, and it. Ignoring her he goes to the library and unearths a newspaper article detailing Alice’s death – with the link of Marchlands. Amy’s drawing of Alice also matches the one in the article. Eddie then finds Alice’s grave…

Meanwhile at the Runcie house, young Mark is with Olive. They kiss and end up in bed together.

Later, an increasingly isolated Scott lies on his bed, and has a seizure.

2010
Ruth rushes to Marchlands to find a distressed Nisha in labour. It doesn’t look like the baby’s going to wait for an ambulance. Mark arrives just in time and they are both overjoyed to welcome a little girl into their family.

Ruth brings a present for the baby - it’s Alice’s old music box. Ruth’s then a little spooked to hear that they are going to name the baby Alice, and more so when Nisha finds Alice’s old teddy bear in the cellar.

Later Mark reprimands Nisha for getting so carried away with recreating Alice’s old bedroom.

Ruth is bathing Baby Alice when she narrowly escapes scalding hot water, which suddenly appears from nowhere. As the mirror steams up a word is written – ‘a s k o r’. Ruth is perplexed.

As an escape, Mark goes out running but this time chooses to visit Olive. They reminisce about old times.

Meanwhile, at the village shop, Nisha discovers via Scott that Mark had an affair with Olive. As she leaves she tells Scott they’ve named their baby Alice…