6 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
"Inside No. 9" Season 1 presents standalone stories, each set in a confined space and featuring unexpected twists. The season explores dark themes through characters like Phillip, seeking revenge for past abuse; Ray and Eddie, burglars with a dangerous target; and Tom, a teacher whose kindness is exploited.
The central conflict often involves characters trapped together, leading to shocking revelations and violence. Key turning points include Phillip setting a wardrobe ablaze, burglars being murdered by a mastermind, and Tom drowning an imaginary figure only to find a real body. The season concludes with characters facing dire fates, such as a pop star dying from a balloon, a woman orchestrating deaths for ambition, and a young woman becoming possessed by a demon.
Season 1 of Inside No. 9 covers episodes 1-6. Here's everything that happened:
Season 1, Episode 1: Sardines - At an engagement party, guests play sardines, with Rebecca finding "Ian" in a wardrobe. As more people cram into the confined space, past traumas and secrets are gradually revealed, particularly concerning Rebecca's father, Andrew. The twist reveals "Ian" is actually Phillip, a former victim of Andrew's abuse. Phillip locks the wardrobe and douses it with lighter fluid, intending to burn everyone inside as revenge for the past.
Season 1, Episode 2: A Quiet Night In - Burglars Ray and Eddie silently infiltrate a modernist home to steal a valuable painting, navigating the warring couple, Gerald and Sabrina. After Gerald unexpectedly shoots Sabrina, a "deaf & dumb" salesman, Paul, arrives. Paul is revealed as the true mastermind, killing the burglars and taking a fake painting, while the real one sinks in the pool.
Season 1, Episode 3: Tom and Gerri - Primary school teacher Tom invites homeless Migg into his flat after he returns Tom's wallet. Migg gradually exploits Tom's generosity, leading to his spiraling depression and neglect of his girlfriend, Gerri. The twist reveals Gerri died months ago in a car accident, and Tom has been hallucinating her. Believing Migg is also imaginary, Tom drowns Migg in the bathtub, only for a visiting friend to discover the real body.
Season 1, Episode 4: Last Gasp - For terminally ill Tamsin's ninth birthday, pop star Frankie J Parsons visits, but dies blowing up a balloon. Her father, the charity rep, and Frankie's assistant then fight over the valuable "last breath" balloon. When Frankie is discovered alive, his assistant smothers him to ensure the balloon's value. Tamsin ultimately takes the balloon, and the adults, still consumed by greed, prepare for lunch.
Season 1, Episode 5: The Understudy - Ambitious understudy Jim yearns to play Macbeth, encouraged by his fiancée Laura, as lead actor Tony proves difficult. After Tony suffers an "accident," Jim takes the stage. Years later, it's revealed that Kirstie, Tony's dresser, orchestrated Tony's debilitating fall and was responsible for Laura's death, driven by a chilling obsession to see Jim succeed.
Season 1, Episode 6: The Harrowing - Schoolgirl Katy is hired to housesit for eccentric siblings Hector and Tabitha in their freezing, gothic mansion, where they care for their bedridden, disabled brother, Andras. After hearing a mysterious bell, Katy and her friend Shell discover Andras tied up, only to learn he is possessed by a demon, Castiel, needing a new host every fifty years. Katy is ultimately sedated and bound, becoming the demon's next vessel as the emaciated Andras advances on her, hissing "Mischief!".
