Viewpoint episode 2 recap: Questions and theories explained

The Viewpoint cast is led by Noel Clarke, who stars as lead character and police surveillance detective DC Martin Young.

The series follows Martin as he sets up an observation post in the home of a single mother (and secret voyeur) in order to spy on the prime suspect in a missing person case.

Martin is already in hot water in episode two, after lying about stepping away from his observation post on the first night of surveillance.

We've unpacked tonight's instalment, breaking down some of the key questions and theories that have emerged after the events of Viewpoint episode two.

What happened in Viewpoint episode two?

In Viewpoint episode two we learned more about Martin's back story, as it was revealed that his young son is being raised by Martin's ex – and that Martin is pretty much out of the picture. He lives alone in a stark white flat filled with plants (which figures, as we know he's definitely patient enough to keep them all alive).

We also know that whatever happened when he was working in Manchester CID has left him traumatised, to the point where he can't tail suspects on foot or by car.

That impacts his surveillance work in episode two, beginning with the moment he notices prime suspect Greg (boyfriend of missing teacher Gemma) reaching up into his chimney and pulling out a bag filled with cash and a fake passport.

Greg is now a flight risk, meaning that everyone in the police team tails him when he leaves the flat – leaving Martin alone and the only available cop when the mysterious woman (who we met in Viewpoint episode one) breaks into Greg's flat straight after.

It's left to Martin to tail the woman and ID her, but he appears to have a panic attack out on the street. This leaves him relying on his host Zoe's detective work, and he soon learns that the mystery woman works for the property developers that own Greg and Gemma's flat.

Martin listens in to the investigating officer's interview with Greg back at the police station. Surveillance cops often aren't given all the details about their targets, meaning that it comes as a complete surprise to both Martin and the viewer when it's revealed that Gemma was involved in money laundering.

In fact, the fake passport and bag of cash wasn't Greg's at all, but Gemma's.

Back at his surveillance post, Martin sees wealthy local resident Carl Tuckman get into a street fight with one of his employees. Listening in, Martin realises that one of them shouted 'Gemma' during the scuffle.

Carl goes back home to his wife, Kate Tuckman, and they have sex in their front room, unaware that, across the street, Martin has his camera trained on them.

And in the next room, voyeur Zoe is also watching them with her binoculars and making a detailed log of their night-time activities.

If you're interested in where Viewpoint was filmed, you can take a look at our location guide.

How did Gemma get involved in money laundering?

Early in the series, Zoe bemoaned the amount of money she's been spending on her daughter's after-school clubs – and it looks like that line in the script was foreshadowing primary school teacher Gemma's money laundering.

As the police reveal, Gemma had been stealing money from the after-school clubs prior to her disappearance. She and Greg were heavily in debt, but she kept the criminal activity a secret from him.

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Will Martin be fired for lying?

In episode one, Martin left his observation post and missed the arrival of the mysterious woman at Greg's flat. Luckily for him, Zoe was on hand.

However, Martin has since come clean about this slip-up to his boss, DI Liam Fox, who urged Martin not to tell anyone else. He also added that if the secret ever came out, Martin would be on his own.

Want more show content? Take a look at our spoiler-free Viewpoint review for an insight into the series as a whole, or see our theories on who kidnapped Gemma in Viewpoint.

The five-part series Viewpoint will air over five nights, from Monday 26th until Friday 30th April, on ITV, with episodes available for catch up on the ITV Hub. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide or our dedicated Drama hub.