“Without Sin” is ITV’s latest psychological thriller mini-series. With great performances, the series offers a wonderful cast. The mini-series circles around Stella Tomlinson, who has lost her daughter and is grieving. Along with Stella, the story includes the presumed killer, Charles. Charles asks Stella to meet him through a scheme that helps the grieving family move on and get some answers from the criminals. In just four episodes, “Without Sin” gives us an amazing story and takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions. While you feel sad for Stella, who has some weird coping mechanisms, you also feel certain emotions for the killer, Charles. Apart from these two major characters, who are the heart of the series, we have other cast members who have shown exceptional acting skills in this mini-series. Let’s take a look.
Spoilers Ahead
Stella: The Grieving Mother
Stella Tomlinson is a cab driver who showcases strong opinions on things. When she sees something wrong, she speaks up about it, and throughout the entire series, she fights for what is right for her. Stella is a strong woman who is grieving her daughter’s death. After her daughter’s death, she quit drinking alcohol, but we see her smoking weed a lot in “Without Sin.” As a result, everyone around Stella is concerned for her because they see her suffering and not coping well with her daughter’s death. She is on a quest to find out the truth about her daughter’s murder. Stella, even three years after her daughter’s death, cannot move on. We see her ex-husband Paul already moving on, and this makes Stella feel even lonelier. We wouldn’t say she was jealous of her ex-husband’s life, but she surely wasn’t comfortable with him having someone else around. She gradually comes close to the truth after going on dangerous endeavors.
Paul: The Thickhead Ex-Husband
Paul is the ex-husband of Stella and a really incoherent character. Sometimes, he seems like a nice man who cares about the people in his life; the next, he is just a jerk who has a lot of dark secrets. We find out that he is also a cokehead (someone who does cocaine a lot). He always finds excuses to justify his poor behavior. In one instance, he even blames Stella for leaving their daughter alone at night, thus hinting that she could have saved their daughter if she were home. Whereas in reality, he was out cheating on Stella with Meera (his boss), which only proves that he is a terrible human being. He is manipulative and emotionally abuses Stella. All in all, it is safe to say that the audience would not like his character, but that just proves that the actor has done his job well!
Remy: The Hopeless Romantic Best Friend
Remy is a character you witness in almost every series. There is always a “best friend” who is hopelessly in love with the main character. Here, we have Remy. He is a police officer and a childhood friend of Stella. He is a single dad who goes on a lot of Tinder and Bumble dates to find someone who is right for him. Meanwhile, he is in love with Stella. He always gives her a shoulder to cry on and is also available for Stella any time she needs him. He also gives her advice and is a great, fun-loving character. He maintains his cool in every situation Stella puts him in. Being a police officer, it is difficult for him to help Stella out at times; however, he still helps her adequately.
Jessie: The Loving Mother Figure
Jessie is Stella’s mother and works at a stable. She tries her best to be there for her daughter, but at times Stella crosses her limits. Even though you feel bad for Stella and her erratic behavior is justified, you cannot help but feel for her mother, Jessie. She feels stuck at times when Stella has an outburst in public. When Stella’s daughter was alive, she used to go to Jessie’s stable and ride horses. We see that Jessie is a good human and is good to Maisy, Stella’s daughter. Jessie looks equally hurt by the death of Maisy, but she is seen coping and moving on in her life healthily. She is a good mother figure who is loving and expects her daughter to share things with her. She does not want Stella to suffer alone; she even asks Stella to get back with Paul, though that is not something we would want.
Charles: The Suspected Murderer
Charles is the suspected murderer who is in jail for the murder of Stella’s daughter, Maisy. However, he claims not to have killed Maisy. He is someone who has temper issues. Along with that, he is also a drug dealer. Before going to jail, he used to sell drugs and work for a family of goons. We see how tough his life becomes in prison. At the beginning of “Without Sin,” you are forced to hate him because of how his character is portrayed; however, with time, you start feeling otherwise. You start wondering if he has actually killed Maisy or not. Charles is not good at showing his emotions and behaves erratically at times. He has a scarred relationship with his father, who let his wife abuse him when he was a child. This damaged relationship reflects in his relationship with his son, too; even though his son insists on mending things with his grandfather, Charles is adamant about never wanting to forgive his father. During his adolescent years, his mother used to do a lot of drugs, which is hard for any child to witness, and maybe because he went through so much in his childhood and teenage years, he got into the business of selling drugs since it was the easy way out and an escape from reality.
Maisy: The Victim
Maisy was Stella’s daughter, and she got murdered. Maisy was 14 years old at the time and was a bright and beautiful girl. Her parents never went through her things and trusted her; however, she had a few secrets. She was dating a drug dealer and started doing drugs at the age of 14. Stella and Paul were always working, and maybe that was the reason she started looking for an escape from reality. She must have felt very alone in a big house, so she made friends with whom she could party and forget about her life for a while. She also knew about her father’s cheating on Stella with Meera but kept mum about the situation. The only reason Stella and Paul were together was because of Maisy. This must have been a hard situation for her since children always sense when things are wrong with their parents.
Final Words
“Without Sin” is an amazing psychological thriller for people who enjoy short, interesting stories. The story takes a lot of turns and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. We surely were engaged and immersed in the four-part thriller. The characters and the depth of their stories leave the audience with a heavy heart. Each character in “Without Sin” has a different upbringing and backstory; characters like Paul are unlikeable, whereas strong female characters like Stella and Jessie are a delight to watch.
See More: ‘Without Sin’ Ending, Explained: Why Was Maisy Murdered? Who Had Killed Her?
