Examining the Mind of Marcella; A Profile

The season 2 finale of Marcella aired on ITV last night, in which Marcella and the child-killer that she has been hunting, go head-to-head as the Detective tries to rescue her son, Edward - who finds himself at the clutches of the deranged killer. Surprisingly, the killer is Jane, the mother of Edward's ex-girlfriend, Samantha.

The episode left viewers with hearts hammering and palms sweating as the final episode took a dark and twisted turn.
Below, we examine the closing scenes of Marcella's behaviour as the Detective embarks on a dark and deadly journey as her mental health deteriorates.

• The Children;

Upon realising that her son, Edward is the next victim of the child-killer, Marcella - who is distraught and in great distress - has another of her fugue states. She later awakens to find herself at the house of Jane's Mother, with Samantha in the back of her car. She later learns of Jane's whereabouts, and tracks her down.  

As a Mother, Marcella is willing to go to great lengths to protect and save her son - even threatening the life of Samantha by holding a blade to her throat as she tells Jane; 'You're fucking with the wrong Mother.' The two go head-to-head in one final showdown. With her son in mind, Marcella proceeds to chase Jane, and after a struggle pursues, eventually brings her to justice. 

Throughout the series, we can tell that Marcella loves her children, she constantly fights for them after her Ex-husband, Jason, threatens to take them abroad. However, at the end of the episode, Marcella signs over full custody of her children to Jason in a bid to protect them. After learning from an hypnosis session that she unintentionally killed her baby daughter, Juliette, Marcella is distraught with guilt and grief - in which she feels that her children are no longer safe with her. If she has another fugue state, could she unintentionally hurt her other children?

• Attempted Suicide;   

After learning about the part that she played in Juliette's death, an overwhelmed Marcella heads to the roof of the Police station in an attempt at suicide. Standing dangerously close to the edge, a concerned Police colleague, Rav, tries to convince Marcella that suicide isn't an option. 

At this point, Marcella is overwhelmed with emotion, and is a truly broken and vulnerable woman. 

Rav grabs her hand and eventually takes her back inside, where they continue to discuss the best option forward. At this point, Marcella fails to accept help - perhaps feeling undeserving of it and knocks Rav unconscious in the bathroom with a toilet tank cover. 

Here, Marcella fully embraces the darkness and demons that she's been fighting so hard against these past couple of seasons.

• Cutting her hair and mutilating her face;  

After realising that she killed Juliette, Marcella begins to think of herself as a monster - maybe as someone who is unworthy of love and someone who can't be trusted with her own children. After accepting herself for who she believes herself to be; a monster and in a bid to punish herself, Marcella proceeds by violently slicing her hair off and brutally mutilating her mouth with a pair of scissors. Maybe the aim is to make herself look like the monster that she feels herself to be; ugly, horrifying and twisted.

Upon doing this, the troubled Detective becomes a pariah; an outcast from society and her own family. The mutilation has made her look less perfect and has helped to dehumanize her appearance - making herself look shocking and grotesque; something that is hard to love. 

• Leaving her 'M' necklace;  

The golden necklace with her initial, is the necklace that Marcella has worn all season, as well as the first season. When she removes it and leaves it in the bathroom sink, it is a significant step for Marcella. 

It's removal tells us that the Detective has chosen to leave her 'old self' behind, and that she no longer considers herself to be the same woman anymore, therefore she is unworthy to wear her necklace. This version of Marcella is perhaps a weaker version of herself that she no longer wishes to be, and as she leaves the necklace behind, we can tell that Marcella has fully embraced her demons and vowed to be a stronger version of herself.

• Where is she now?

When we next see Marcella, the Detective is hiding in the dark, under a dank tunnel. Perhaps this setting is used to encourage mystery, or act as an analogy for 'the troll under the bridge'. 

We further learn that Marcella's death has been faked and that her DNA has been swapped with that of a homeless woman who died in a fire. 

Here, we can see that Marcella has fully embraced the darkness and her 'new self'. The removal of her necklace and her 'fake death,' shows us that this is no longer the same Marcella that we all know. 

As the episode draws to an end, the extreme close up of Marcella's eyes tell us that this is a different woman.

 A darker, stronger and more dangerous woman. 

A woman we are yet to meet..until season 3. 

*Episodes of Marcella are available on the ITV Hub*