This week, we’re highlighting one of 2025's most talked-about British imports. If you’ve been ignoring Code of Silence on BritBox, stop. It's not just another police procedural; it’s a tense thriller showing that silence can matter most. Here's my recap and review of the first season.
Set in Canterbury, the series follows Alison Woods (the phenomenal Rose Ayling-Ellis), a deaf woman stuck in a thankless job at a police station canteen. She’s used to being overlooked, until DS Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte Ritchie, Ghosts) realizes Alison has a rare advantage: she’s an expert lip-reader.
Police are tracking a dangerous crew planning a major jewelry heist. The problem? The gang meets in loud, crowded public spaces to avoid surveillance bugs. Alison is recruited to watch silent security footage and translate their conversations.
She doesn’t stay safely behind the monitor for long. Desperate to prove herself and under real financial pressure at home, Alison goes rogue, taking a job at the gang’s local pub. Complications multiply when she falls for Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore), the group’s brooding, brilliant hacker.
The season ends with a gut punch. The heist turns out to be Liam’s revenge mission, tied to the death of his foster father. After a chaotic hotel robbery leaves a detective wounded, Liam begs Alison to run away to Brazil with him. Instead, she chooses herself. Liam sacrifices his freedom to save her from gang leader Braden, and the season closes on a haunting courtroom image: Liam practicing sign language while Alison watches from the gallery.
Code of Silence is truly a must-watch. It beautifully reimagines the classic “civilian consultant” role by thoughtfully highlighting the deaf experience with rich detail and care. It’s a clever, intense, and emotionally honest series that keeps you hooked, and excitingly, it's already been renewed for Season 2!
Rose Ayling-Ellis truly brings warmth and depth to this show. Alison’s feelings of frustration, ambition, fear, and stubborn courage resonate deeply, each landing with gentle yet powerful impact. The sound design, often muted or distorted, beautifully immerses us in her perspective, transforming lip-reading into an engaging visual puzzle rather than just a gimmick. It’s genuinely one of the most thoughtful and heartfelt uses of disability POV I’ve seen in a crime drama.
The chemistry between Alison and Liam’s slow-burning romance is dangerous, messy, and completely addictive. You know it’s doomed. She knows it’s doomed. And yet… You root for them anyway. Moore plays Liam like a live wire, gentle one moment, terrifying the next.
Since Alison tends to be quite reckless, I often found myself encouraging her to just call the police and head home. It seems that much of her survival depends more on luck and Liam’s kindness than on careful planning. The tidy $50,000 “thank you” check at the end almost feels like an effortless way to settle her family’s financial worries. Overall, I’d give the series a 9/10.
Have you seen Code of Silence? Like it or hate it? Was Liam a tragic hero for turning himself in… or just a criminal who finally ran out of road? Let’s talk in the comments.
You can catch Code of Silence Season 1 on BritBox.
No comments:
Post a Comment