Losing Gemma

Losing Gemma
Created by	Robert Murphy
Directed by	Maurice Phillips
Starring	Jonas Armstrong Alice Eve Jason Flemyng
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	2
Production
Executive producer	Andy Harries
Running time	180 minutes (inc adverts)
Original release
Network	ITV (ITV1/STV/UTV)
Release	18 December – 19 December 2006

Losing Gemma is a two part British television drama based on the debut novel by Katy Gardner. The series was written by Robert Murphy, was directed by Maurice Phillips and starred Jonas Armstrong, Alice Eve, Jason Flemyng and Rachel Leskovac. It was originally aired on ITV on Monday 18 December and Tuesday 19 December 2006 at 9pm.

The plot centres around the disappearance of the eponymous Gemma after she goes backpacking with a friend in India. When the friend returns from the trip alone, she is haunted by the belief that Gemma's disappearance is her fault, but mystery surrounds what really happened.

Plot summary

Unlikely travel partners Esther (played by Alice Eve) and Gemma (played by Rachel Leskovac) are thrown together when their mutual friend has an accident on the eve of their trip. Adventurous loner Esther hopes to part company once in India, but needy Gemma is terrified of travelling alone. Gemma's money bag gets stolen and the interesting Coral (played by Koel Purie) returns it to her while on the train. She causes great friction between Gemma and Esther, and creates many fights. Her husband Zac (Played by Jason Flemyng) takes a liking to Gemma and invites her on a cruise in his boat, with him and his wife. Gemma asks for Esther to be invited and reluctantly the couple have to accept. They spend the day on the boat sunbathing and relaxing. Gemma is rather surprised when Coral and Zac strip off and start having sex in the water. Esther begs to be taken back to the dock with Gemma, but is mocked and told it was her choice to come, that she is outnumbered as the other three want to stay and she will have to wait till they're all ready to leave. They end up going to a deserted island where Coral and Zac have rented a house and are taken deep into the forest to find it.

Esther is increasingly becoming more uncomfortable, pulls Gemma aside and begs her to leave with her as she doesn't trust them, to which Gemma tells her off for trusting no one. They find themselves at an exotic Indian house decorated with strange masks. They are shown to the rooms they will be sleeping in and while Esther is in hers, she discovers the photo which Gemma gave her earlier, finding out that Zac is in the photo, staring at Gemma and realises they have been following Gemma around. She rushes to Gemma's bedroom only to have Coral open it and tell her to go downstairs and wait for her and Gemma, to which Gemma muffles yes to in the background. Esther walks downstairs to find Zac in the kitchen, he stabs a chopping board repeatedly while talking to her, which makes her nervous.

Finally Gemma comes downstairs, all dressed up in Indian finery. They sit outside for dinner and drink wine which makes Esther very dizzy as the viewer can tell from the blurry camera screen, which Zac mentions has been drugged. Zac goes to Gemma, saying he has something very important to tell her and she willingly goes with him down some stairs to a beautifully, Indian decorated room. Esther eventually joins them, stumbling along, she listens while Zac tells Gemma about how Coral and him love her and want her to join their family. She happily accepts and hugs Coral as Zac tells her to do. Esther has become very agitated and pulls out the photo, showing Gemma while telling her how Zac and Coral hand picked her, stole her money bag then returned it and how they stalked and became her friend. Zac makes up many lies and Gemma turns on Esther, saying she is jealous and insulting her. Esther slaps her and Gemma falls to the floor, hitting her head on a table. She is seemingly unconscious. Coral rushes to her side while Esther runs for the door, Zac chases her but loses her in the thick bush.

Esther collapses on the beach and later wakes up to police surrounding her. She is taken to prison after the police determine she killed Coral, who's body was found with multiple stab wounds.

The first part ends with Esther whimpering in jail.

The second part begins with the ending of part one. The interrogator comes in and starts trying to make Esther confess. He throws down the photos of Coral while telling her how she was stabbed 6 times with a large serrated object. He is adamant it is her which killed her.

The scene switches to Gemma talking to Esther, telling her how she can't help her and that Esther is on her own.

It flicks back to Esther waking up in her jail bed and makes us unsure if the scene we saw before is real. Her new lawyer walks in and they start speaking, the scene changes to Esther being allowed to make a phone call and she calls her and Gemma's mutual friend who tells her that she can't come to India because her leg is in plaster and Esther tells her that she's in prison and the phone goes dead. Esther tries to dial the number again but the officer grabs it out of her hand and she is dragged from the room.

The next scene is of Gemma in a room with Zac, who is telling her to do something but he won't tell us what. He hands her a pair of scissors and goes to work.

The scene changes to Esther being yelled at by the prison interrogator who is interrupted by her lawyer. She has been allowed bail and leaves the prison after being handed a card which has her bailers name on it. She is met by Steve who was sent by Carole (Gemma and Esther's mutual friend.)

He takes her to a hotel and they discuss finding Gemma.

The next day they go to Esther's bailers house, who turns out to be Coral's Mother who tells her that Coral was taken by a man who every week sent pictures, obscene pictures, and demanded money. Coral's Mother paid the money every week until he asked for too much, so she refused then a week later Coral turned up dead. Steve and Esther run into the city to look for signs of Gemma and eventually find the photo Gemma originally gave Esther, online.

Esther rings her lawyer and tries to send the photo to him but his server is down and won't receive it. So she goes back to the hotel and faxes the photo to him.

The camera flashes back to Gemma, who has been told by Zac, that she knows what needs to be done, and that he loves her, and hands her the pair of scissors again. He kisses her goodbye and tells her he will allow her to go shopping if she does what he wants her to do.She promises to do it, and he leaves for work.

Esther falls apart in Steve's arms and they end up kissing and sleeping together.

Steve gets a text the next morning from the lawyer and leaves while Esther is in the bathroom. When she catches up with Steve, he tells her how it was a mistake and that he loves Gemma. She goes off at Steve about what Gemma is really like and he leaves without her.

They meet back up and go to the address together. We are shown flashes of Gemma crying and cutting off her hair.

Esther jumps out of the taxi and chases who she thinks is Gemma but once she sees the dark, short hair, she thinks she has failed. The person turns around and it is Gemma. She is terrified and refuses to go to the police, and runs away into the crowd while Steve and Esther are fighting.

They find her back at Zac's house and while Gemma slowly packs Zac comes home. There is a struggle and Steve kills Zac by punching him off a ledge. Gemma and Steve make up lies about how it was self defence and they go to the police.

Gemma signs her statement which she made against Zac. Esther is released and they all meet Gemma's parents at a hotel. Esther's Jailer meets her at the hotel and harasses her into telling him what really happened with Zac.

We find out Gemma rang Zac from a phone booth after running away from Esther and Steve, and that she's been lying the whole time about it. She refuses to tell Steve till they get back home. Gemma admits to Esther she killed Coral, after Esther guesses the truth. Gemma says it's all Esther's fault and Esther tells her she's evil after Gemma manipulates her. Esther knows the Police won't believe her if she tells them it was Gemma since Gemma says she will act dumb and dizzy if they arrest her, so she takes her bags and leaves.

External links

• Losing Gemma at IMDb