Welsh Detective Show Delivers Genuine Feels... (Hidden TV show REVIEW)

Out of the myriad things that COVID has brought to our lives (masking, rabid hand washing [and/or hand sanitizing], drive-thru testing and inoculation sites, daily infection and death counts, etc.) since early 2020, “delays and truncations of shows” surely ranks way, way down the list of “Things That Actually Matter”, and yet… given the concomitant rise of streaming, it’s nonetheless another happening worth noting.

Some shows were affected by mere months—no doubt pushed hard by that aforementioned boost in streaming, as many of us sheltered or isolated at home, with suddenly endless time on our hands—while others suffered much longer delays. 

The Welsh show Hidden (or Craith, as known in its native Welsh) was one of the latter; a three-season show, it experienced a gap of three full years between its sophomore and final seasons. But, while that kind of lull could well be too much for many shows to bear, it’s possible that Hidden may have gotten even stronger for it. 

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On the surface, Hidden might not seem like a particularly novel idea: a police detective drama with a female lead. (You could even add “a U.K. police detective…”, with much the same result.) To dismiss it so casually, however, would be a mistake; Hidden does what it does, really, really well… and never more so, than in its final season.

DCI Cadi John (and her partner, DS Owen Vaughn) head the group in charge of policing a sizable chunk of rural Wales—and oh, what a fantastical place their patch is [but more about that, later]. Thus, the crimes (and criminals) don’t look or feel like the big-city themes we’re so accustomed to seeing. Instead, there are endless rolling hills, moors, and mountains, often swathed in mist. Clouded beaches, abutting the murkily-roiling ocean. Livestock. Mud. Quaint local bars, and decrepit old homesteads. And, a lot of hardy, stoic folks, who seem ill-equipped to crack smiles (let alone, jokes). 

[Okay, so none of the above necessarily sounds awesome, but trust me, it gets better.]

The beauty and magic of Hidden isn’t glamorous settings or gorgeous people; the real wonder of it is the exact opposite. Characters who look, sound, and feel completely real… people who, for one reason or a dozen, have endured hardscrabble lives… and continue doing so. The fact that they have deeply-buried secrets, and harbor long-held grudges and very old hurts, brings them to stunning life, allowing us to see far beyond any “well, he’s just a struggling farmer”, or “who cares, she only has a menial job” initial impressions. 

This is a journey you’ll want to take, from beginning to end. For Cadi (beautifully portrayed by Sian Reese-Williams)—and her not-entirely-rosy home life—and for Owen (the equally-believable Sion Davies), on his own complicated path… but also for the lives of everyone they encounter and interact with, along the way. 

You’ll care about everyone you meet in Hidden. You'll understand the narrow windows of opportunity available to them. You'll root for them, whether or not they're rooting for themselves. And really, at the end of the day, that’s probably the best thing we can ask of a TV show… to draw us out of ourselves, for the time we spend immersing ourselves in others’ stories… which, often, has the side benefit of allowing us to put our own “stuff” into a better, more-workable perspective.

~GlamKitty