Owen McDonnell in The Holiday
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Channel 5’s ‘The Holiday’ review: Is Kate’s husband unfaithful?

Episode one of the Channel 5 thriller has us intrigued

The Holiday started on Channel 5 last night and here’s our review with questions. So many questions!

Based on the TM Logan novel of the same name, The Holiday tells the story of four women, their husbands and kids all on holiday together in Malta.

The Holiday on Channel 5
Is the dream holiday really a nightmare? (Credit: Channel 5)

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The women – Kate, Jenny, Izzy and Rowan – have known each other since university, along with Kate’s husband, Sean (Owen McDonnell).

But when Kate (Jill Halfpenny) spots some concerning texts on Sean’s phone, she becomes suspicious of her friends.

Here’s what we need to know after episode one.

Sean in The Holiday on Channel 5
Is Sean cheating on Kate? (Credit: Channel 5)

1. Is Sean having an affair in The Holiday?

Well, his wife Kate certainly thinks so after finding some rather incriminating texts on his phone. But is she jumping to the wrong conclusion?

She’s certainly got form for getting the wrong end of the stick. Both Alistair and Russ alluded to Kate being the reason Rowan’s first marriage to Michael came apart.

Apparently, Kate seemed to think Michael was having an affair, but she was wrong. Rowan (Siobhan Hewlett) told Kate that this wasn’t why they separated.

Could the texts on Sean’s phone be about something other than sex?

2. Who’s Coral Girl?

This was the name of the person that Sean had been texting constantly. The only clue to her identity was in a message saying they – she and Sean – would sort everything out on holiday.

This means that Coral Girl is either Rowan, Jenny or Izzy – Kate’s closest friends that she’s known since university.

The Holiday on Channel 5
Can Kate trust her friends? (credit: Channel 5)

3. What’s going on with Sean?

He doesn’t seem very happy for a man supposedly having an affair. Both Kate and their daughter Lucy (Lara McDonnell), have commented on how Sean has been in a horrible mood for days.

Sean even apologised to Kate for being grumpy, before telling her he loves her. He’s acting more like a man being blackmailed than a man about to leave his wife and family.

4. What is Kate taking pills for?

In a blink-and-you’d-miss-it shot, Kate was seen necking some pills before heading to dinner and drinks.

What’s she taking medication for? And could it be something to do with her paranoia over Sean and her friends?

Lucy and Jake The Holiday
What’s happened between this pair? (Credit: Channel 5)

5. What’s gone on between Lucy and Jake?

There’s something definitely very off about Jake, and most of the adults seem to be in quiet agreement over this. He told little Odette to hide, causing her mum Rowan to panic. Then there was that weird scene on the cliff with Lucy, where he looked like he was going to attack her.

Not to mention his strange behaviour on the edge of the cliff.

But there’s definitely some history there between Jake and Lucy. She appeared to be trying to comfort him, saying everything is going to be ok.

And there was tension between them when Jake tried to sit next to Lucy when they first arrived. Jenny also seems very keen to keep Jake and Lucy apart.

Jenny in The Holiday on Channel 5
Is Jenny hiding something from Kate? Our The Holiday review suggests so! (Credit: Channel 5)

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6. Is Sean Jake’s real dad?

Jenny left Kate reeling when she revealed she’d slept with Sean while they were at uni, 20 years ago. But she also seems very certain that Jake and Lucy need to stay apart. Could Sean and Jenny have had a longer relationship than they’re saying meaning that 16-year-old Jake and Lucy are half-siblings?

Both Sean and Jenny say their night together was a one-off, but Jenny confessed that she’d hoped it could have been more.

But was it?

7. Whose body was that at the bottom of the cliff?

Scenes that seemed to show a flash forward showed a fire breaking out on the holiday peppered the first episode.

The last one of these came right at the end of the show and showed Kate looking down at a bloodied body at the bottom of the cliff. It wasn’t clear whose body it was though, but it appeared to be an adult. Or a teenager…

The Holiday continues tonight at 9pm on Channel 5

New drama on Channel 5 | The Holiday starts Tuesday 1st March at 9pm | Official Trailer

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