Fake TV Show: Enigma House Guide cntd
I have now plotted out an episode guide and cast several recurring characters and guest stars. This probably is the definition of insanity, but it helped me sleep better knowing some of the answers behind the questions of the set up...
The original post with premise and main cast is HERE.
SUPPORTING CAST
(I chose pretty much who I wanted, because for a one-off turn on a show like this, it's not unrealistic at all. And I refuse to apologise for the ex-Spooks. Paul McGann was total laziness, though, because I had to look through cast lists of too many shows to get someone suitable for the others).
Other Police semi-regulars:
D I David Thomson (Kwame Kwei-Armah)
Harrison's colleague who finds his recent activities a bit odd, to say the least, but is supportive and helps him where he can - especially in not getting his head bitten off by their superior.
DCI Hilary Payne (Anna Chancellor)
Cue the inevitable name-related jokes. DCI Payne has had to be tough to get where she is and she certainly has no patience with ghosts or amnesiacs. (She only made two appearances, but was referred to frequently by other characters).
PC Will Barrett (Craig Vaizey)
Young PC who frequently assists Harrison and Jordan. He goes out with Mia for a short time, and his demise was a shock moment for the show.
Hotel staff & Guests (Dead & Alive):
There's a running joke about the high turnover of staff at the Royal Clarence (unsurprisingly), so most are not recurring, but a lot of the maids seem to be rather eerie. When it comes to the Chef, he's mentioned but never seen, the response of Mia and Bob being "Just don't ask.."
Mr Arthur Canning (Clive Mantle)
A curmudgeonly writer who frequently makes the mistake of booking himself in for some space to write. He complains to Mia about everything and there's some question over why he keeps returning, but once he finally understands that the noise isn't just the late-night rowdiness of other guests and is a lot more sinister, he becomes an ally.
'Uncle Claudius' (Sam Kelly)
A seemingly benign ghostly guest who reappears at intervals. He likes to paint his afterlife as being more colourful than his former life (as Inland Revenue employee Claud Dickinson), but he does seem to know something important about McAllister that he's not willing to reveal and sometimes he can provide a useful link between threats Mary can see and the rest can't.
Tina Mayers (Emma Pierson)
Made a couple of appearances in S2 as McAllister's bitchy PA who obstructs Harrison's investigations on both occasions with poisonous charm.
***
GUEST STARS
There have been many notable guest stars, but two key characters who only occurred on one occasion were:
Argent (Paul McGann)
Usually a non-corporeal entity, the main enemy of the series did appear once in human form, in Mary's nightmare in the S1 episode 'Daydreams'.
Alice Lloyd (Nicola Walker)
Guest starring in the S2 episode 'Malevolence', Alice is an expert when it comes to supernatural occurrences - and a former victim of Argent and McAllister who finds her way back to the hotel as one of the 'Other' guests, determined to finish her attempt to destroy Argent. Unfortunately, she hasn't got much time left and no one will listen to her.
***
EPISODE GUIDE
Series One
1. The Morning After
Mary wakes up in the hotel with no memory and a body in the bathroom that's started talking to her while DI Harrison turns up to investigate a report of a non-existent murder at the hotel, and it's not the first time. Everyone's suspicious of Mary to begin with, but there's no evidence against her, so Harrison tries to help her. Ends with Harrison returning to tell her that he thinks he may know who she is...
2. Chloe
Harrison tells Mary he believes she may be Chloe Larcombe, who went missing two years ago and goes back over his old case to prove it. After meeting Adela Larcombe, Mary is adamant it can't be true, but without anything to back up her instinct, can she prove it to Harrison?
3. Nightmares
Mary's having increasingly horrific nightmares and Deadman's turning up more frequently than usual. Meanwhile, Mr Canning is complaining to Mia that the guest in the room above is making an unacceptable row. Trouble is, there isn't anyone staying in Rm 308. As a result, Mary and Mia meet one of the Royal Clarence's 'Other' guests for the first time, a ghost who has something to tell about the hotel's history that may have a link to Mary's dreams. Harrison tries to follow up this in the archives, but finds something that questions the reliability of their source.
4. Soul Mates
Mrs Howell is very concerned about Mia's latest boyfriend and Mary begins to see why. Unfortunately for Mia, he seems to be after only one thing - her soul. Harrison is irritated to find that his latest case takes him back to the hotel again while Mary discovers a new problem of her own when she tries to help save Mia - too long away from the hotel and she suffers increasing headaches, flashbacks to her nightmare and further memory loss. It's also the first time she sees Deadman alive.
5. Room 113
There's another of the hotel's 'Other' guests around, in Rm 113, but he doesn't appear to be dangerous. On the other hand, Mary's finding that she's increasingly forced to question just who she can trust at the hotel. Addy Larcombe reappears, stirring up trouble with new evidence that she claims proves that Mary is really Chloe - and Harrison has to admit what she's saying would explain a lot. Deadman has a new warning about Rm 151, and the new ghost might just be able explain that - and solve Mary's current problem, if he'd only talk about something other than his fictional adventures in the afterlife. (With Sam Kelly as 'Uncle Claudius').
6. Daydreams
Mary's latest nightmare won't let her go: she's stuck in an empty manor house with a silver-tongued spirit called Argent who claims he's the real power at the Royal Clarence and the only one who can help her. In any case, she's already his, along with everything else in the hotel. Mia drives everyone else distracted in trying to find someone who can help. Bob's the one who finally suggests that they may need to enlist the help of someone who's a little less alive and they persuade Claudius to communicate with Deadman who might be the only one who can reach Mary - if he's not really the cause of all her problems. Harrison takes more practical,a nd unwise action, trying to confront McAllister. Ends with Claudius letting slip something unexpected about Margaret Howell...
7. Dark History
They all thought Mrs Howell was a dotty but sweet old lady, but her history with the Royal Clarence goes back to 1961 and she's been daring to challenge Argent ever since. Now it's time for her to tell the truth, before it's too late - and convince the rest that they can still trust her.
8. McAllister's Demon
Addy Larcombe is aided by McAllister to remove Mary from the hotel. Meanwhile, Argent has everyone else trapped inside the Royal Clarence and Mrs Howell knows it's time for him to claim a new victim. They could use the Inspector's help, but he's got a decision to make about who and what he believes in - the logical explanations of Addy Larcombe and McAllister or the crazy, supernatural rubbish the rest keep insisting on.
***
Series Two
9. Open House
It's business as usual at the Royal Clarence: there are weird noises and slime in Rm 219. Then Bob confesses to making a mistake with the doors that casts a dark light on what his role at the hotel is - but first, they need to stop what he's unloosed from destroying the entire town. Mrs Howell seems to think they might be able to make use of Argent this once, but surely that's a bad, bad idea?
10. Cold Trail
In 1964 there was a murder in the hotel and the details seem strangely familiar to Mary - and not just because they're being replayed in one of the second-floor rooms. She thinks it might have a link to what happened to Deadman and asks Harrison to find out information for her. She goes in search of Deadman, but he's staying dead right now. Harrison's boss is not impressed with his record of late.
11. Got To Get Out Of This Place
Jordan and Mia have a run in with Argent while Harrison decides it's time Mary left the hotel. Meanwhile, Mary is becoming more and more convinced that she might be one of the hotel's 'Other' guests herself, and Claudius isn't helping. PC Barrett attempts to trail the living 'Deadman'.
12. Murder in the Dark
After a power cut, when the lights come back on, Mr Canning is found in his room with a knife and a murdered fellow guest. He claims he has no idea where either came from. When the power goes again, someone seems to be trying to protect them by locking them somewhere 'safe', but can any of them be safe from one of Argent's creatures? Mia and Harrison are locked in the closet, Mrs Howell and Jordan are stuck in her room and Mary is trapped in the bathroom with Deadman. Only Bob might have the ability to get them out of this, and they still don't know if they can trust him, and it's all a bit late for PC Barrett.
13. Malevolence
Three years ago, occult expert Alice Lloyd checked in at the hotel: now she's dying in a mental home. She uses her condition and link to the hotel to return as one of the 'Other' guests, determined to finish what she started and destroy Argent and she knows now what went wrong with her attempt. Which makes it unfortunate that everyone else is too busy to take any notice: Mary's trailing Deadman, Harrison's trying to pin down Larcombe and McAllister, Mr Canning's got Mia and Jordan looking into the plumbing, and Mrs Howell's not here...
14. Deadman Walking
Mary finally gets a fragment of memory back, but it's not good. She thinks her memory loss was triggered by witnessing Deadman's murder, yet he seems to be both alive and dead. She becomes obsessed with finding him and getting the answers. Harrison thinks he's finally got the evidence he needs against McAllister. But Mrs Howell thinks it's much more important that they use Alice Lloyd's information to do away with Argent, even though Claudius is adamant that's nothing but suicide for all of them.
15. Return to Sender
Harrison meets Addy Larcombe, who confesses that Chloe was nothing but a fiction. That's one answer, and gives him another piece of evidence against McAllister, but raises the question of how he could have investigated her disappearance if she never existed. For everyone else, it casts his loyalty into question, but Harrison has to face the fact that he may not be as immune to the weird events at the hotel as he'd like to think - and that might be the last straw for the Inspector. Mary's finally uncovered Deadman's actual identity and Mrs Howell is rallying the troops against Argent. However, they might be one man down from now on...
16. The Day Before
Everyone at the hotel is prepared to challenge Argent. They might finally have a chance - and it's their only hope to stop him from murdering Deadman this evening. But Mary and Deadman are finding that their link is causing more violent problems than usual - and they needed the Inspector to distract McAllister by confronting him with his evidence. One thing's for sure - it's all going to end tonight, one way or the other.
***
The original post with premise and main cast is HERE.
SUPPORTING CAST
(I chose pretty much who I wanted, because for a one-off turn on a show like this, it's not unrealistic at all. And I refuse to apologise for the ex-Spooks. Paul McGann was total laziness, though, because I had to look through cast lists of too many shows to get someone suitable for the others).
Other Police semi-regulars:
D I David Thomson (Kwame Kwei-Armah)
Harrison's colleague who finds his recent activities a bit odd, to say the least, but is supportive and helps him where he can - especially in not getting his head bitten off by their superior.
DCI Hilary Payne (Anna Chancellor)
Cue the inevitable name-related jokes. DCI Payne has had to be tough to get where she is and she certainly has no patience with ghosts or amnesiacs. (She only made two appearances, but was referred to frequently by other characters).
PC Will Barrett (Craig Vaizey)
Young PC who frequently assists Harrison and Jordan. He goes out with Mia for a short time, and his demise was a shock moment for the show.
Hotel staff & Guests (Dead & Alive):
There's a running joke about the high turnover of staff at the Royal Clarence (unsurprisingly), so most are not recurring, but a lot of the maids seem to be rather eerie. When it comes to the Chef, he's mentioned but never seen, the response of Mia and Bob being "Just don't ask.."
Mr Arthur Canning (Clive Mantle)
A curmudgeonly writer who frequently makes the mistake of booking himself in for some space to write. He complains to Mia about everything and there's some question over why he keeps returning, but once he finally understands that the noise isn't just the late-night rowdiness of other guests and is a lot more sinister, he becomes an ally.
'Uncle Claudius' (Sam Kelly)
A seemingly benign ghostly guest who reappears at intervals. He likes to paint his afterlife as being more colourful than his former life (as Inland Revenue employee Claud Dickinson), but he does seem to know something important about McAllister that he's not willing to reveal and sometimes he can provide a useful link between threats Mary can see and the rest can't.
Tina Mayers (Emma Pierson)
Made a couple of appearances in S2 as McAllister's bitchy PA who obstructs Harrison's investigations on both occasions with poisonous charm.
***
GUEST STARS
There have been many notable guest stars, but two key characters who only occurred on one occasion were:
Argent (Paul McGann)
Usually a non-corporeal entity, the main enemy of the series did appear once in human form, in Mary's nightmare in the S1 episode 'Daydreams'.
Alice Lloyd (Nicola Walker)
Guest starring in the S2 episode 'Malevolence', Alice is an expert when it comes to supernatural occurrences - and a former victim of Argent and McAllister who finds her way back to the hotel as one of the 'Other' guests, determined to finish her attempt to destroy Argent. Unfortunately, she hasn't got much time left and no one will listen to her.
***
EPISODE GUIDE
Series One
1. The Morning After
Mary wakes up in the hotel with no memory and a body in the bathroom that's started talking to her while DI Harrison turns up to investigate a report of a non-existent murder at the hotel, and it's not the first time. Everyone's suspicious of Mary to begin with, but there's no evidence against her, so Harrison tries to help her. Ends with Harrison returning to tell her that he thinks he may know who she is...
2. Chloe
Harrison tells Mary he believes she may be Chloe Larcombe, who went missing two years ago and goes back over his old case to prove it. After meeting Adela Larcombe, Mary is adamant it can't be true, but without anything to back up her instinct, can she prove it to Harrison?
3. Nightmares
Mary's having increasingly horrific nightmares and Deadman's turning up more frequently than usual. Meanwhile, Mr Canning is complaining to Mia that the guest in the room above is making an unacceptable row. Trouble is, there isn't anyone staying in Rm 308. As a result, Mary and Mia meet one of the Royal Clarence's 'Other' guests for the first time, a ghost who has something to tell about the hotel's history that may have a link to Mary's dreams. Harrison tries to follow up this in the archives, but finds something that questions the reliability of their source.
4. Soul Mates
Mrs Howell is very concerned about Mia's latest boyfriend and Mary begins to see why. Unfortunately for Mia, he seems to be after only one thing - her soul. Harrison is irritated to find that his latest case takes him back to the hotel again while Mary discovers a new problem of her own when she tries to help save Mia - too long away from the hotel and she suffers increasing headaches, flashbacks to her nightmare and further memory loss. It's also the first time she sees Deadman alive.
5. Room 113
There's another of the hotel's 'Other' guests around, in Rm 113, but he doesn't appear to be dangerous. On the other hand, Mary's finding that she's increasingly forced to question just who she can trust at the hotel. Addy Larcombe reappears, stirring up trouble with new evidence that she claims proves that Mary is really Chloe - and Harrison has to admit what she's saying would explain a lot. Deadman has a new warning about Rm 151, and the new ghost might just be able explain that - and solve Mary's current problem, if he'd only talk about something other than his fictional adventures in the afterlife. (With Sam Kelly as 'Uncle Claudius').
6. Daydreams
Mary's latest nightmare won't let her go: she's stuck in an empty manor house with a silver-tongued spirit called Argent who claims he's the real power at the Royal Clarence and the only one who can help her. In any case, she's already his, along with everything else in the hotel. Mia drives everyone else distracted in trying to find someone who can help. Bob's the one who finally suggests that they may need to enlist the help of someone who's a little less alive and they persuade Claudius to communicate with Deadman who might be the only one who can reach Mary - if he's not really the cause of all her problems. Harrison takes more practical,a nd unwise action, trying to confront McAllister. Ends with Claudius letting slip something unexpected about Margaret Howell...
7. Dark History
They all thought Mrs Howell was a dotty but sweet old lady, but her history with the Royal Clarence goes back to 1961 and she's been daring to challenge Argent ever since. Now it's time for her to tell the truth, before it's too late - and convince the rest that they can still trust her.
8. McAllister's Demon
Addy Larcombe is aided by McAllister to remove Mary from the hotel. Meanwhile, Argent has everyone else trapped inside the Royal Clarence and Mrs Howell knows it's time for him to claim a new victim. They could use the Inspector's help, but he's got a decision to make about who and what he believes in - the logical explanations of Addy Larcombe and McAllister or the crazy, supernatural rubbish the rest keep insisting on.
***
Series Two
9. Open House
It's business as usual at the Royal Clarence: there are weird noises and slime in Rm 219. Then Bob confesses to making a mistake with the doors that casts a dark light on what his role at the hotel is - but first, they need to stop what he's unloosed from destroying the entire town. Mrs Howell seems to think they might be able to make use of Argent this once, but surely that's a bad, bad idea?
10. Cold Trail
In 1964 there was a murder in the hotel and the details seem strangely familiar to Mary - and not just because they're being replayed in one of the second-floor rooms. She thinks it might have a link to what happened to Deadman and asks Harrison to find out information for her. She goes in search of Deadman, but he's staying dead right now. Harrison's boss is not impressed with his record of late.
11. Got To Get Out Of This Place
Jordan and Mia have a run in with Argent while Harrison decides it's time Mary left the hotel. Meanwhile, Mary is becoming more and more convinced that she might be one of the hotel's 'Other' guests herself, and Claudius isn't helping. PC Barrett attempts to trail the living 'Deadman'.
12. Murder in the Dark
After a power cut, when the lights come back on, Mr Canning is found in his room with a knife and a murdered fellow guest. He claims he has no idea where either came from. When the power goes again, someone seems to be trying to protect them by locking them somewhere 'safe', but can any of them be safe from one of Argent's creatures? Mia and Harrison are locked in the closet, Mrs Howell and Jordan are stuck in her room and Mary is trapped in the bathroom with Deadman. Only Bob might have the ability to get them out of this, and they still don't know if they can trust him, and it's all a bit late for PC Barrett.
13. Malevolence
Three years ago, occult expert Alice Lloyd checked in at the hotel: now she's dying in a mental home. She uses her condition and link to the hotel to return as one of the 'Other' guests, determined to finish what she started and destroy Argent and she knows now what went wrong with her attempt. Which makes it unfortunate that everyone else is too busy to take any notice: Mary's trailing Deadman, Harrison's trying to pin down Larcombe and McAllister, Mr Canning's got Mia and Jordan looking into the plumbing, and Mrs Howell's not here...
14. Deadman Walking
Mary finally gets a fragment of memory back, but it's not good. She thinks her memory loss was triggered by witnessing Deadman's murder, yet he seems to be both alive and dead. She becomes obsessed with finding him and getting the answers. Harrison thinks he's finally got the evidence he needs against McAllister. But Mrs Howell thinks it's much more important that they use Alice Lloyd's information to do away with Argent, even though Claudius is adamant that's nothing but suicide for all of them.
15. Return to Sender
Harrison meets Addy Larcombe, who confesses that Chloe was nothing but a fiction. That's one answer, and gives him another piece of evidence against McAllister, but raises the question of how he could have investigated her disappearance if she never existed. For everyone else, it casts his loyalty into question, but Harrison has to face the fact that he may not be as immune to the weird events at the hotel as he'd like to think - and that might be the last straw for the Inspector. Mary's finally uncovered Deadman's actual identity and Mrs Howell is rallying the troops against Argent. However, they might be one man down from now on...
16. The Day Before
Everyone at the hotel is prepared to challenge Argent. They might finally have a chance - and it's their only hope to stop him from murdering Deadman this evening. But Mary and Deadman are finding that their link is causing more violent problems than usual - and they needed the Inspector to distract McAllister by confronting him with his evidence. One thing's for sure - it's all going to end tonight, one way or the other.
***