‘Landscapers,’ directed by Will Sharpe and created by Ed Sinclair, is a disturbing true-crime series about the 1998 killings of Patricia and William Wycherley.
The show steadily unravels the mystery of the Wycherleys’ deaths and the heartbreaking storey of the Edwards, focusing particularly on Susan and Christopher Edwards’ jaded existence.
Olivia Colman, David Thewlis, Daniel Rigby, Kate O’Flynn, and Dipo Ola appear in crucial roles.
The HBO miniseries’ art house approach hooks us from the start as it dives into the psyche of the desperately in love but unfortunate Edwards.
We unearth terrible facts about the middle-aged couple as we travel between France and England.
If you’re seeking a recap and explanation of the first episode of ‘Landscapers,’ we’ve got you covered!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.
How far would you go for your love story?
A first look at #LandscapersHBO, starring Olivia Colman and David Thewlis. pic.twitter.com/wAxJ12IRUp
— HBO (@HBO) August 18, 2021
Recap of the first episode of Landscapers
Susan and Christopher Edwards were convicted of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in jail in 2014, but they continue to maintain their innocence.
Susan is next shown at a police station, speaking on the phone with a lawyer who requests her not to expose her narrative until he begins to defend her.
Then we flash forward to Susan purchasing a Gary Cooper poster for €170. However, when she gets home, she tells her husband that it only cost her €20.
Christopher then goes for a job interview but fails miserably due to his poor command of the French language.
He decides to read Gérard Depardieu’s letter to him, which celebrates the beauties of life and movies because he is depressed.
Christopher phones his stepmother, Dr. Tabitha Edwards, to ask for help because they are in financial trouble.
He informs her of his whereabouts and asks her not to tell the cops anything about their chat.
Following that, Christopher meets Susan at the cafe and conceals how poorly the interview went, leading her to believe that he will most likely receive the job.
Tabitha, meantime, phones the cops and exposes her stepson’s wrongdoing. She then emails Christopher to inform him that she has spoken with the authorities.
Meanwhile, Emma and Paul, two cops, visit the Wycherleys’ old Mansfield home. After speaking with a neighbour, Nigel, the cops decide to call for backup and dig up the garden.
Christopher receives an email from Detective Chief Inspector Collier, requesting that he reveal his phone number or meet with the cops in person.
Susan is angry with Christopher for revealing their secret, but they agree to face the situation together.
Christopher responds to the police’s letter and promises to keep in touch but claims that he and Susan will not be able to return to the UK right away because his wife has “a fragile disposition” and has to adjust to the notion of moving.
Meanwhile, two bodies are discovered beneath the garden by the cops. DCI Collier, on the other hand, is enraged since no hard evidence can be utilised to apprehend the Edwards.
Christopher, back at the Edwards’ dreary home, watches the news, aware that the cops are looking into the bodies. Susan sobs and blames herself for the disaster, but her husband consoles her.
The couple then sets fire to a box containing Susan’s parents’ belongings, including their photograph. They eventually decide to work with the cops and provide their side of the tale.
As a result, Christopher writes to DCI Collier, explaining that they want to clear their name and prevent being arrested unexpectedly.
He demands that the police pay for their plane tickets back to England. As Christopher and Susan board the train, they reaffirm their commitment to the plan.
They resolve to contact a lawyer as soon as they arrive and tell the cops what truly happened.
Police reinforcements arrive as the train reaches Saint Pancras station to safeguard the area. Susan and Christopher exit the train, bewildered, and confront the cops.
Following that, we see news reporters discussing the Edwards and the Wycherley’s during the end credits, highlighting the contents of the latter’s postmortem report.
They also show Christopher’s gun, as well as the emails he sent to the cops.
Do Susan and Christopher get arrested in the first episode of Landscapers?
Susan and Christopher are detained, despite the fact that we don’t see it onscreen. We witness Susan calling a lawyer from the police station at the start of the episode, indicating that the pair have been arrested.
The Edwards were detained on suspicion of murder upon their arrival in England and imprisoned in Nottinghamshire for 24 hours for police questioning, according to the clippings shown over the end credits.
What Are Susan and Christopher’s Current Residences?
Susan and Christopher are currently residing in France. Susan is able to communicate in French, but Christopher is wholly lost because he can not understand the language.
The Edwards are in France because they are hiding, having fled England after Susan’s parents were murdered.
They decided to return to England in order to deal with the police since they were tired of living in poverty.
The Edwards, who are effectively fugitives in a country that offers them no chances, decides to return to their birthplace, clear their names, and reclaim their former lives.
They clearly, and erroneously believe in their innocence.
Patricia and William Wycherley: Who Are They? Why Were They Assassinated?
Susan’s parents and Christopher’s in-laws, Patricia and William Wycherley, are from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
The Edwards are accused of murdering the elderly Wycherleys right from the start, but the finer details emerge as the show progresses.
“I’ve done something quite dumb,” Christopher tells Tabitha when they talk. This gives the impression that Christopher was the one who committed the crime, notwithstanding Susan’s involvement.
We believe, however, that Christopher just assisted in the cover-up of Susan’s activities.
Nigel later informs Emma and Paul that he observed Christopher excavating a large hole in the garden around the time the Wycherley’s “moved.”
Nigel mistook the pit for a rhododendron garden and joked with Christopher about burying his in-laws there.
Of course, we know the hole was for the dead, especially since they were discovered by the cops. Susan and Christopher did, in fact, murder Patricia and William Wycherley.
Because Christopher did not use Susan’s name while discussing the incident, it appears that the husband is attempting to deflect attention from his wife, who we believe is the one who committed the killings.
However, it is certain that Christopher buried the remains. Given their financial ineptness, the Edwards are likely to have murdered the Wycherley’s for financial gain.
Susan also does not appear to have had a good upbringing, as evidenced by a few flashbacks. As a result, it’s probable that the murder was motivated by a deep-seated resentment.
British crime drama ✅
A new case to obsess over ✅✅
THE Olivia Colman and David Thewlis ✅✅✅ pic.twitter.com/6BEjgqkaI5— HBO (@HBO) December 6, 2021
Tabitha Edwards, who is she? How Do Susan and Christopher’s Crimes Become Known to the Police?
Susan and Christopher’s crime is discovered by the police, thanks to Christopher’s stepmother, Dr. Tabitha Edwards. Christopher contacts Tabitha from a phone booth to beg for money, unable to cope with a dreadful financial problem.
Susan’s passion for Hollywood artefacts is clearly costly. He feels obligated to give Tabitha an explanation, so he tells her about the events of the previous 15 years and the cause for their relocation to France.
He tells her everything about the murder of the Wycherley’s, trusting her not to expose him to the cops, despite his assurances that what he did was “not what it seems.”
Tabitha, on the other hand, instantly phones the English police to report that her stepson disclosed 15 years ago that he buried his wife’s parents in a back yard in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.
Later, when Christopher asks Susan whether he might contact his stepmother for financial help, she promptly dismisses the idea, claiming that no one is aware of their whereabouts or crimes. Tabitha, she believes, will call the cops.
Susan believes that they cannot trust anyone, despite Christopher’s claims that Tabitha is family. Susan is clearly correct.
The bodies of two people who died from two gunshot wounds in the chest, each, are discovered when Nigel’s observations and recollections encourage the police to dig up the garden in the Wycherleys’ old house.
We also learn that once the Wycherley’s allegedly moved out, Christopher was in charge of the residence, further implicating the Edwards.