Hidden, the Welsh mystery, finishes up its series run with season 3. Each season of Hidden has been excellent. In season 3 the tone shifts a bit to be more personal, emotional, and about the hidden aspects of lead character Cadi John (Sian Reese-Williams).
The Crime

As in past seasons, we know from the start who the killer is. A big difference this season, however, is that Siôn Thomas (Sion Ifan) is not an evil person. He’s the carer for his older brother, the neurodivergent Glyn (Justin Melluish). The two of them survived several traumas as youngsters. Their mother died in a house fire that was deliberately set. No one has ever learned who did it. They spent time in care until they were of age and now live together.
Glyn has pigeons, which he loves taking care of. Siôn is working a construction job at a derelict hospital, a location which is triggering for him. We don’t learn until the final episode what made him snap and turn violent.
The man who was killed, Ifan Williams, was not a nice man. He abused his wife Siwan (Rhian Blythe). He bullied and demeaned and acted entitled for years. He let his inherited farm go to ruin.
There are several subplots that don’t weave into the solution of the crime until late in the season.
A young woman struggling to keep her family home, Lea (Lara Catrin), was a character we first met in season 1. She was not in season 2. In this season, the local priest, Father McEwan (Rhodri Evan) helps her deal with the council who wants to move her into a smaller home.
Father McEwan also helped Siôn and Glyn when their mother died. He’s everywhere helping everyone, and he can deliver a powerful rendition of The Lord’s Prayer when needed.

Cadi and her partner Owen Vaughan (Sion Alun Davies) in this North Wales police force struggle to find any kind of lead in the murder. Four episodes of frustration pass before there’s another murder and finally a hint as to motive and opportunity.
Cadi

Cadi was a buttoned down, all work, cop for two seasons. But this season she’s in a relationship with the pathologist Rachel West (Mali Tudno Jones). Rachel can even make Cadi smile at times, something we haven’t seen before.
Cadi is not good at the emotional stuff. She messes up her relationship with Rachel and they spend several episodes in a kind of holding pattern as Cadi figures out how to make things right.
The push and pull of Cadi’s desire to be with Rachel and her ambitions on the job force Cadi to dig into her own psyche and emotions. I felt like the title Hidden applied to Cadi finding and facing her own deeply buried emotions this season.
Cadi and her sisters Elin (Nia Roberts) and Bethan (Megan Llyn) are selling their father’s house. Cadi’s not much help with this project. Her performance as a sister isn’t much better than her performance as a girlfriend.
Wales
This series has been a love letter to Wales. The camera takes in wide vistas that emphasize the beauty of the country – mountains, oceans, streams. There’s atmosphere aplenty as rain, gloom, and stunning sunny days alternate.
The characters often speak Welsh among themselves, although English is mostly used in public and professional settings.
Overall, every season of this drama has been well-written and beautifully told. It’s on Acorn TV, where you can watch all three seasons.
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