The hit ITV series Unforgotten has returned and the show sees Sinéad Keenan in her second season playing detective Jess James. She stepped into the lead role after the dramatic departure of Nicola Walker's beloved DCI Cassie Stuart. Cassie met a heart-wrenching end in a climactic car crash during the fourth season's penultimate episode. Initially uncertain, it tragically became clear that Cassie would never regain consciousness due to severe brain injuries.
Following the character's death, Sunny Khan, portrayed by Sanjeev Bhaskar, was seen laying flowers on Cassie's grave. Nicola Walker, having given six years to the role, shared that leaving the show was a mutual choice made with series creator Chris Lang. Nicola told the Radio Times about their decision: "From the very beginning, we talked about Cassie’s story being finite; Chris was always putting her through a story arc that would damage her emotionally. The buzzword was that she was an empath, and the problem with being an empath is that eventually, you break.
"I felt that to have her keep coming back would make her seem like a superhero. So it was very much a joint and long-planned decision.". She did confess to feeling a bit guilty about Cassie's exit, saying: "But on reflection – we all feel the same – if we’d known COVID was coming, we would have given people a less depressing storyline. "I feel guilty because, when it came out, I thought, ‘Crikey, we could have given them something more cheerful. The last thing they need is to be made to feel really sad about this brilliant cop'.".
She also wanted to clear up any rumours that she had been asked to leave the show: "I’m not on social media, but when the final episode went out, I almost wanted to join Twitter to tell everyone that I didn’t walk away from the show, nor did they ask me to leave. "It was simply that Chris and I thought it was a fantastic, impactful story.". Fans took to Reddit to voice their opinions, with some labelling the ending as rushed. Chirstopoher0us expressed their frustration, stating: "I had to find somewhere to say that her death is so incredibly stupid and pointless and disconnected from the story.
"It's cheap sadness and drama with none of it earned. What a dumb thing to do. Have her pension denied and she walks away anyway and has to relate to her career and choice with that. "There's a lot of ways outside the main crime to end her story for us in some earned way. 'Oh no totally random car accident, main character now dead!' is maddeningly stupid from otherwise good writers.". However, mikeskiuk found it deeply moving, commenting: "That last episode genuinely upset me and stayed with me for days. Amazing TV. ".
