Under Salt Marsh review: Flood-stricken crime drama continues the rise of Welsh noir

Following on from Mudtown, The One That Got Away and Keeping Faith, Under Salt Marsh is the latest Welsh crime drama to take its cues from the woolly jumpers and windswept landscapes of Scandi noir. And it might well be the most noirish of the lot.

The original miniseries certainly isn’t the kind of escapist Harlan Coben-esque potboiler you watch to banish the winter blues, that’s for sure. From its 'every parents' worst nightmare' mystery to its flood-drenched, eternally grey aesthetics, this is a whodunit which revels in the bleak. Had its fictional town of Morfa Halen (the Welsh for ‘salt marsh’) been real, then its tourist board would undoubtedly have had cause for complaint.

Having made her name with 2019’s Make Up, a blend of kitchen sink realism and psychological horror set entirely within an out-of-season Cornish caravan park, creator Claire Oakley is no stranger to such darkness. But here, she proves she can maintain a palpable sense of unease across six hour-long episodes of TV.

Although very much a slow burner, Under Salt Marsh doesn’t waste any time establishing its ominous tone. In fact, distraught primary school teacher Jackie Ellis (Kelly Reilly with a steeliness similar to her display in Yellowstone) discovers the lifeless body of eight-year-old pupil Cefin (Jack Thomas-Humphreys) amid pitch-black marshlands in the opening shot. Is this simply a tragic accident? Or, as one would suspect, is there something more nefarious at play? And why, as revealed in a chilling flashback to earlier that same day, did the young victim continually dream of being chased into water and drowning?

As a former detective, Jackie takes it upon herself to find the answers, immediately ingratiating herself further into the case by breaking the news to Cefin’s parents Shell (Kimberley Nixon) and Danny (Mark Stanley) before the police get the chance: it’s one of several harrowing scenes – see the family’s uncontrollable wails while visiting Cefin’s final resting place or Danny’s sudden breakdown at his butcher’s shop – which pack a truly emotional gut punch.

Jackie’s interference isn’t appreciated, however, by Eric Bull (Rafe Spall, for some reason adopting a wayward Black Country accent), her former partner-in-crime who’s returned to his old stomping ground to help piece the puzzle together. Things appear to have ended acrimoniously judging by how she deliberately hides from him on first sight.

And a heated tete-a-tete later confirms their still-unsolved last case together three years earlier – the disappearance of Jackie’s nine-year-old niece which may or may not be connected to Cefin’s death – left their working relationship damaged beyond repair. “Still no apology,” she queries in disbelief about a betrayal from the man she "trusted with my entire life".

As the story patiently unfolds, it becomes clear both parties have other skeletons in their closet too. When not potentially tampering with official police business, Jackie is arranging clandestine meetings with tattooed bad boy Dylan (Harry Lawtey, worlds apart from his disillusioned posh boy in Industry) behind sheds like a naughty schoolgirl. Then there’s the fact she’s encouraged by various locals, including her dad, for “doing so well,” hinting at another problem from her past.

Eric, on the other hand, is more of an enigma, although the hostile reception he receives from much of the tight-knit community (“You’ve already destroyed one family”) suggests he left on bad terms. The awkward conversations with slightly familiar face Gareth (Dino Fetscher), an environmental researcher whose knowledge of the area’s rising waters proves invaluable to the investigation, raises questions about his personal life too.

Indeed, there’s much more to Under Salt Marsh than its murder. Like recent ITV returnee After the Flood, it reflects upon the small-town impact of climate change, whether Gareth’s attempts to evacuate the area (“you cannot win a war against water”) ahead of a great storm to the stubborn response from the long-time residents determined to stay put.

There’s also a paternity dispute which very nearly leads to another tragedy. And while hardly a laugh-a-minute affair, it’s not entirely without a sense of humour either. On heading back to his pub lodgings in waterlogged clothes, Eric is only allowed access by his houseproud landlady when he strips to his vest and pants. Come for the whodunit, stay for the sight of Spall nearly auditioning for Magic Mike.

Of course, Under Salt Marsh most compels when it focuses on its two possibly interlinked cases, drawing up an intriguing suspect list which includes everyone from the local conspiracy theorist to the mysterious beekeeper figure sketched by both ill-fated kids.

Don’t expect obvious answers: the why, who and how is still as much of a mystery at the end of the second of the two episodes available for review as it is the lengthy cold open.

Yet thanks to a first-class cast (Welsh royalty Jonathan Pryce also shows up as Cefan’s grieving grandfather), some immersive, if resolutely desolate, cinematography and a script which allows the characters to feel entirely lived-in, you’ll remain hooked no matter your skills as an amateur armchair sleuth.

It might not always look it, but the future of Cymru noir is bright.

The first two episodes of Under Salt Marsh will premiere on Sky Atlantic and NOW on January 30th with a new episode following the next four Fridays.

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