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KILLER HUNT
Who is Goliath in Bloodlands? All the clues, theories & unanswered questions ahead of gripping finale
IT’S the gripping cold case mystery that’s had the country hooked, with lies and cover-ups, kidnappings and brutal murders throughout.
But who exactly is mystery assassin Goliath at the centre of gritty BBC series, Bloodlands?
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Viewers have watched as James Nesbitt’s character, Detective Tom Brannick, was thrown back into the past to investigate a series of disappearances that took place during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Shockingly, one of the missing people was his own wife - and while three bodies are dug up in episode one, it’s revealed she’s not among them.
The finale of the four-parter looks set to unmask the killer on Sunday night, and there have been some huge clues along the way.
Here we look over the top theories and unanswered questions...
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Is Jackie Twomey Goliath?
From the very start of the series, police boss DCS Jackie Twomey (Lorcan Cranitch) has seemed like a front runner in the Goliath hunt - appearing shifty from the moment Brannick started digging into the past.
Having initially attempted to stop him investigating fresh reports of someone seen digging on the island years before, he then takes over the operation completely when three bodies are found buried there - raising the question, why is he so interested?
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It soon emerges that Twomey failed to tell Brannick about a major lead relating to the burial site years before, casting further doubt over his innocence.
But it’s in the most recent episode that the evidence truly starts to stack up against him.
Good cops Birdy and Niamh have worked out that Goliath is likely someone that’s currently serving on the force - and also was when the original disappearances happened.
In their district, that leaves Brannick, Twomey and crime scene investigator Dinger.
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Twomey has been seen holding top secret meetings with the widow of one of Goliath’s victims, Joe Harkin - at one point even warning her they needed to “be careful”.
It then emerges he was unofficially running Harkin as an IRA source at the time.
Topping all that off with the fact he has a burner phone, and his file from years before has mysteriously been redacted, it’s not looking good for the top cop.
But is it too obvious an ending?
Is Tom Brannick Goliath?
He appeared to be the hero of the series at the start, as it emerged his wife had disappeared and was presumed dead during Goliath’s original reign of terror.
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But while Brannick is clearly a loving father to his daughter throughout, and seems intent on catching the killer, he casts major doubt on his own innocence in the second episode - when he shockingly kills Adam Cory.
Cory, the brother of one of Goliath’s victims, had been digging into the case himself.
It’s soon revealed his brother was actually having an affair with Brannick’s wife before she disappeared - which would give Brannick motive to kill him.
Seeing how much work Cory has done on the case from his home, Brannick takes him to the island before demanding to know who he’s working with.
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Refusing to give up his partner, Cory then questions if Brannick could have been Goliath all along - prompting the cop to shoot him dead. Whether it was a moment of anger or calculated all along remains to be seen.
It was the aftermath of the murder that cast even further doubt on Brannick, however, as viewers commented on the cold and emotionless way he buried the gun and covered his tracks.
The latest episode saw him finally discover that the woman he’d been on a date with, Tori, was the daughter of the third Goliath victim, and had been helping Cory dig into the case.
Despite some tense moments, he didn’t harm Tori - but instead convinced her that Twomey must be the one to blame, and recruited her to help him bring his boss down.
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After declaring she’d do anything to seek justice, Brannick convinced her to sneak into Twomey’s caravan and plant one of Goliath’s calling cards in a book there - subsequently leading to his arrest at the end of episode 3.
Coupling all of that with his lies and cover-ups, it’s making Brannick another front runner for Goliath at this stage.
Is Dinger Goliath?
The third ‘suspect’ that has remained on the force right the way through the Goliath days to the present is Dinger - who has so far escaped too much suspicion.
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Despite not playing a huge role in the series so far, it became clear very quickly that Dinger knew an incredible amount about the original Goliath case - from which intelligence unit Brannick’s wife Emma was in, to all about Goliath’s calling cards.
In what could be seen as an effort to avert attention, he also told Niamh if anyone could make themselves disappear, Emma could - pointing at her being a suspect.
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Could the surprise twist mean the little-seen Dinger has been the evil mastermind all along?
Is Tom's ‘dead’ wife Emma Goliath?
Dinger’s throwaway comment about Emma being able to disappear immediately cemented the possibility in viewers’ minds.
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When the bodies were dug up in the first episode - it came as a shock to discover Emma wasn’t among them, especially as her necklace was there.
With no evidence as to where she is, it seems vaguely possible she may have faked her own death years before and continued working elsewhere.
Could that mean she’s been Goliath all along?
Is Siobhan Harkin Goliath?
Joe Harkin’s widow Siobhan has only made fleeting appearances in the series so far, including some shady meetings with Twomey.
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The top questions we need answering
What do the calling cards showing the yellow crane really mean?
Is Tom's wife really dead - and if so, what happened to her?
Why did Tom really kill Adam Cory?
What is in Adam Cory’s notebook?
Why were DCS Jackie Twomey’s records redacted?
Did Tori kidnap Pat Keenan?
Who is Goliath?
Viewers have been left guessing as to what they’re discussing together, but with her husband’s previous connections, it’s clear Siobhan knows far more than she’s letting on.
Could she have turned deadly, however, and even killed her own husband? It seems unlikely at this stage, but anything’s possible.
Is Tori Matthews a copycat Goliath?
From the moment she befriended both Brannick and his daughter separately, Tori has made sure she’s at the very centre of the operation.
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She’s known to have returned to the area to care for her sick mother around the time the latest crimes began too.
After Brannick then discovered she’s the daughter of one of Goliath’s victims, it became clear she has a strong motive to find out who the killer is herself.
Tori appears to have no issues bending the law, having planted evidence on Twomey’s property.
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And while the identity of Pat Keenan’s kidnapper is yet to be confirmed, it’s highly possible Tori simply used a brunette wig and pulled it off herself.
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Could she have planned the whole thing to focus the police’s attention back on the case, to finally seek justice for her father?
The Bloodlands finale airs on Sunday night at 9pm on BBC One.
Bloodlands DCI Tom Brannick frames boss DCS Jackie Twomey for murder
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