The episode opens in a vacant house, with a man flipping over a frame to reveal an array of family photos. A real estate agent (Sherelle Armstrong) shows a house to her client (Luke Hammond). She assures him it is a great property. He asks about the owners. She suggests they went broke. He sees red stains on the wall. Emma Barnett (Jill Halfpenny) watches them from across the street. The agent tells her client that the seller is anxious for a quick sale. He says rumor has it that the owners were murdered. Refusing to respond, she claims the property has many interested buyers and walks away. As Emma approaches, he rushes into his car and speeds away.
One Month Earlier – Emma tells John Barnett (Rupert Penry-Jones) that she has been thinking about their house. He promises to have their house appraised after the neighborhood party. A photo frame filled with an array of family photos is hanging on the wall. John is looking at a bounce house when Beth Barnett (Megan Trower) snaps his photo for her “My Prison” project. Alan Spence (Ray Fearon) comments on her strange mood. John says it is for her A-Levels. Sonia Spence (Amy Nutall) approaches with a tray of sausage rolls, grabs a sausage roll off John’s tray, takes a bite, and says not bad. Alan claims to have been drawn to her cooking. Beth continues to snap random photos. Alan asks John if he is getting closer to finding a job. John claims to have had a few interviews. Alan says he will miss him at future neighborhood parties and warns that Nick Hewitt (Alex Macqueen) “Big Brother” is watching. John looks at Nick, rolls his eyes, pops open his beer, and takes a swig. Emma expresses her desire to keep their house because they know the area and she loves her job. She kisses him and walks away.
Nick resists when Beth takes his photo. Emma tells Sonia that she would like to stay and extend their kitchen. Surprised, Sonia asks what John has to say about it. Emma says she is employed, not him. Sonia admits to being freaked out by “Crazy Nick,” who she believes has a secret. Disagreeing, Emma suggests she may end up defending him in court. Barbara Abshire (Tessa Peake-Jones) arrives with a tray of sausage rolls. Derek Abshire (James Fleets) brags about her sausage rolls and changes the topic. Barbara informs him of another stolen reported in the area and hopes Emma is investigating. Sonia blurts out that Emma’s job is to get criminals off. Emma tells her about their extension plan and swears it will not block their sunlight. A magpie perches on a satellite dish. She greets the magpie and asks about his family. Emma explains to Barbara why she believes an extension is necessary. Barbara races off to tell Derek. Emma regrets mentioning Marcus. Sonia says he would be in his 20s. Emma criticizes her for talking like he is dead. Sonia argues that people don’t just disappear. Everyone toasts to Shelbury Drive.
John watches the neighbors clean up after the party. An incoming text pops up on his phone. Emma informs him of her plan to hire a builder from the Pine Bridge Forum and asks if he is okay with staying there. He says she could have asked him. She reminds him that they have talked about it for years. She stresses the need to have Barbara and Derek sign a party wall agreement. She admits to being excited, something she hasn’t felt in a long time. John looks out the window and sees Barbara crying while watering a tree. Upon leaving, Emma apologizes to Sonia for not helping clean up because she has to work. Sonia invites them over drinks. Emma accepts. Alan questions if Emma and John will follow through. Sonia asks if he is glad his mate isn’t moving away. After a short delay, he says of course. John studies the extension plans. Inside, Beth learns there is no milk and bread. She tells John he could go shopping, since he is unemployed. He voices concern about the extension being disruptive. She warns that it could lead to more arguments. He says Emma has a stressful job. She criticizes him for finding it easy to quit his job. As he explains why he resigned, she grabs a snack and walks away.
At court, Emma asks PC Gallagher (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) if her client, Abul Masood (Joel Kai Ali) admitted to committing the crime upon arrest. Gallagher says yes. Emma suggests she understands his native language, Bengali. Masood denies confessing to the crime. Gallagher insists Masood is guilty. Emma argues that he was terrified because a huge bouncer was manhandling him. The Magistrate (Judith Alexander) grants Masood bail until his case is investigated further. Satisfied, Emma smirks and shakes Masood’s hand. She receives a text from Lee Hatby (Chris Gascoyne) requesting a meeting for a quote. Gallagher doesn’t look happy. In the backyard, Beth climbs on a tree platform and snaps photos of her neighbors. Seeing her, Derek closes the blind. John informs Emma that the Abshires refuse to approve their party wall for fear it would ruin their garden. She says it would have been nice to have their approval but they have no say in the matter. He reminds her that Barbara cries when watering their tree. She assures him the law is on their side. He voices concern about the project causing stress and suggests moving would be good for Beth. She says he is pleased and trying to convince Beth to side with him. She warns that nothing will change her mind when the doorbell rings. She opens the door and Lee walks straight through without speaking.
After studying the plan, Lee stresses the importance of having their neighbors on board. He promises to have an estimate for them soon and leaves. Emma criticizes builders for always presuming it’s the men who know everything. She asks for John’s opinion. He says it was her decision, not his. She tells him that she wants this to be a joint project and if it were left up to him, they would have never gotten married. He denies having a problem with her paying for the extension and walks away. In the backyard, Beth snaps a photo of Emma when she sees Barbara admiring her tree. Emma hears a frantic knocking and goes to answer the door. Refusing tea, Derek says they have never had a problem in 15 years of being neighbors. He reminds her that they were on board with their previous roofing project and tolerate Beth’s dreadful music and their marital squabbles. She tells him there is no need for the extension to come between them. He stresses how much their garden means to them. She says he used to argue with Marcus. He warns her never to mention him and she will not win this fight.
Alan denies having an issue with the extension. Emma says the Abshires are completely against it. He believes they murdered Marcus and buried him under the tree. She claims Derek got upset when she mentioned Marcus. Sonia asks if anyone has seen their cat, Biscuit. Alan assures he will be okay. Emma tells her that John has been acting strange. He suggests John would prefer to put the money toward a car or holiday. John and Biscuit arrive. Over drinks, John admits to having nothing in common with Beth. Emma sarcastically says they both shy away from work and swears it was a joke. Sonia regrets her decision to remain childless at times. Emma finds the idea appealing and suggests the world would be better if no more children were born. Alan recalls it was her decision. Sonia goes to get more coffee. John offers to help but Alan insists on going. Emma tells John that Sonia likes his cooking. He goes to the toilet. Nick stops by to ask Emma to move her car because it is blocking his driveway. She insists there is plenty of room for him to get his car out. He informs of his plan to start a parking petition. She agrees to move her car. He voices concern about the extension being disruptive and reminds her of the four-meter rule. Sonia approaches and asks if everything is okay. He says it is surprising they are getting along so well and leaves.
Lee presents Emma with a written quote and explains the pricing. Pointing at Barbara’s tree, he warns of problematic boundary roots. She says it is a bit more than she anticipated. He insists it is the best price she will get and believes it best to start soon. After he leaves, John expresses his dislike of Tim. She says he doesn’t need to be his friend. He assures he it isn’t too late take to scratch the idea. She urges him to participate in the project. He asks if it is because he isn’t working. Upon leaving, she calls Lee to give him the go-ahead to start. Sonia waves at her. Alan approaches and shows her the Shelbury Drive group chat. Nick expanded his security system and caught someone passing his house at 1am. She questions why Derek would object to the extension. He suggests they do the same. She argues that John and Emma are friends and reminds him of Nick replacing the sweet old couple in apartment 16. She says at least Emma and John won’t kill them. Barbara watches Alan drive away. Derek scans the comments on the group chat. She admits to missing Marcus and leaves the room.
Emma and Lee Hatby discuss her client’s case. He says her client is a serial thief who needs to be taken off the streets. He recommends a deal that is satisfactory to both the defense and prosecution. She refuses to do deals. Gallagher informs her that she has been suspended and blames her. Emma accuses her of lying about Masood’s confession. Gallagher warns it isn’t over. Emma walks away. Later, Emma fills her father, Terry Dobson (Larry Lamb), in on the extension and asks if he knows anyone on the planning committee. He asks how John is treating her. She says he resigned and her schedule is more hectic. He regrets they don’t get together as often as they used to. She tells him that John would disapprove of them talking because they trusted him with their money. He asks if she will tell John what she is asking him to do. She shakes her head no. He agrees to look into it and offers to help with the project. She asks if he is going to repay them. Someone watches them from a nearby car.
Nick complains to John about the builder’s extended visit and warns that it will be added to the group chat. He stresses the need for neighborhood permits and asks John to sign his petition. John declines and slams the door in his face. Nick overhears John calling him a lunatic. Beth posts a photo of Derek and Barbara to social media. At what appears to be an Internet café, someone scans Emma’s social media. Elsewhere, Ian Casey (Joel Beckett) congratulates Emma for Masood being free to maim at will. He warns that she has a problem with Gallagher. She calls Gallagher a racist when an alert pops up on her phone. Nick posts a video on the group chat. Emma focuses in and sees John and Sonia in an upper-floor room before she closes the drapes.
The Feud Review
As the plot unfolds, Emma decides to extend their kitchen and nothing or no one will stand in her way, even if it means stepping on a few toes. Her unemployed husband, John, doesn’t have a say in the matter, and her eccentric daughter, Beth is over her parents’ arguments. Barbara and Derek fear the extension will harm their tree. Alan thinks they killed and buried their teenage son, Marcus, under the tree. He and his wife, Sonia, are Emma and John’s supposed-to-be friends. Nick, a nightshift security guard starts a petition to enforce parking permits. Emma is a defense attorney which puts her in a position of making a lot of enemies.
The series starts out strong but falters when the sociopolitical agendas are introduced. An excellent cast of actors who are fully committed to their roles. The cinematography, directing, and editing are top-notch.
My biggest qualm was the overuse of dialogue which resulted in a lot of boring, repetitive ramble. The episode deserves a 6 out of 10.
Get more of The Feud recaps here. Learn what others are saying by visiting our forum. Check our advertising packages here. Support our site by clicking the link.