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Irish thriller The Deceived continues to confuse and intrigue viewers on Channel 5

Irish thriller The Deceived continues to confuse and intrigue viewers on Channel 5

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* Channel 5's psychological adultery thriller is like Marmite for its audience.

Patrick McLennan

Published: Tuesday, 4 August 2020 at 10:16 pm

Channel 5's Irish psychological thriller The Deceived continued to intrigue, torment and in some cases confuse and irritate viewers as it continued on Tuesday.

Some people watching the four-part haunted house thriller were enraptured by the twists and turns.

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Others were not such fans. In fact, some were completely critical about what Channel 5 billed as “a sinister narrative of lust, manipulation and betrayal”.

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The central character in The Deceived is English student Ophelia (Emily Reid), who falls in love with her married lecturer Michael Callaghan, played by Emmett J Scanlan (of Hollyoaks, Peaky Blinders, The Fall). When their affair results in the shocking death of Michael's wife Roisin, Ophelia finds herself trapped in a world where she can no longer trust her own mind.

Roisin is played by Catherine Walker, while Normal People star Paul Mescal plays a fireman called Sean.

Some viewers of The Deceived felt let down by the story after it promised so much.

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Others were confused, but still hooked and committed to watching to its conclusion.

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As one viewer posted, "I can't quite figure it out yet but I'm so intrigued".

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Ophelia's gullibility was a trigger for some viewers.

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But others were genuinely creeped out by the bath scene, although they managed to find the lighter side of Ophelia's fight with a lightbulb.

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Some viewers of The Deceived are convinced they have the plot worked out. Dead wife Roisin is alive and this whole thing is a cunning ploy to get a baby to make up for the one they lost.

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Alternatively, another angle is that bad guy Michael is actually being played by all the female characters.

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Whatever the truth of the theories, the fan club for Normal People star Paul Mescal were out in force and happier that he featured more in Tuesday's episode than Monday's premiere.

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The Deceived continues on Channel 5 on Wednesday night at 9pm, then concludes at the same time on Thursday.

If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.

Authors

Patrick McLennan

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