Strangers, episode 3 review: Jonah has had a hard time but he's just so hard to sympathise with

Rivalling BBC Two's Black Earth Rising in the 9pm slot, ITV's Strangers – about a British academic, Jonah (John Simm), whose life is thrown into culture-clash turmoil when his wife dies in a car crash in Hong Kong – is now three episodes in.

Jonah is not having a whale of a time. He’s had to overcome his fear of flying in order to visit, for the first time ever, the city where his wife Megan (Dervla Kirwan) lived six months of every year. On arrival he discovered that she had another husband and a daughter tucked away. And that she was murdered. And that for some mysterious reason, the police are attempting to cover it up. 

All of this should make us want to sympathise with Jonah. But I just can’t. He’s such a jelly. And, for a university professor, he’s really not the brightest. Much of the plot so far has hinged on him not charging his mobile phone for almost a week. I mean, really, in 2018?

But Jonah’s not the only problem. His contact at the British consulate, Sally (Emilia Fox) has also had a partner murdered but doesn’t realise it yet. Her sleazy boss (Tim McInnerny) is up to no good. Jonah’s wife’s other husband, David (Anthony Wong) is a former cop who’s been involved in some as yet unexplained nastiness.

Megan’s daughter Lau (Katie Leung) is an anti-globalisation activist given to sauntering into security-free skyscrapers carrying tiny bags from which appear, magically, football pitch-sized protest banners. In other words, Strangers is trying too hard to be clever and mysterious, and looking neither as a result.

With its top-notch cast and far-flung location, it really should be better than this. That’s the downside of having so many terrific drama series on television at the moment – the odd one that doesn’t hit the mark can seem even less good in comparison.