Protection viewers make same complaint after episode two

ITV’s new thriller Protection premiered on Sunday night and while viewers have been glued to their screens, others took issue with one aspect of the plot. 

The six-part series stars Siobhan Finneran as Detective Inspector Liz Nyles, who finds herself at the centre of a security breach within her witness protection unit when a family in her care is attacked. Professionally compromised by a secret affair with a colleague seemingly involved in the breach, Liz is determined to uncover the source of corruption within the police and will stop at nothing to save her reputation and keep her witnesses safe. 

Warning! Spoilers for episodes one and two ahead. 

After her parents were shot and killed by masked men, 12-year-old Amy was left with no one but Liz and her colleague DS Raj Kohli (Chaneil Kular) to turn to. 

© MATT SQUIRE, ITV

With Amy still in danger and Raj failing to find a suitable new safe house for her, Liz decided to take her back home and let her stay in her daughter’s room. 

Taking to social media, viewers questioned how realistic the plot was and whether Liz would have been allowed to house Amy. One person wrote: “I can’t see how little Amy is safer with Liz than a hotel or another safe house. Liz not only works in the unit but was in charge of the original safe house so would be easy to track down,” while another added: “You’d think the inspector’s house would be a very bad location because it’s much easier to find than a random hotel.”

© ITV

A third viewer penned: “#Protection surely they wouldn’t leave the little girl to live with her,” while another remarked: “I really want to like this series but come on! Like they would let one single officer just take the kid to her house and ferry her about totally on her own.”

However, not all viewers were bothered by this aspect of the story, with many praising the compelling series and some hailing it the “best drama” they’d seen in a long time. 

© ITV

One person wrote: “@SFinneranTV giving us the best thriller this year! Hooked! #Protection,” while another added: “#Protection has got to be one of the best TV dramas I’ve watched in a long time it’s got everything twist turns suspense drama and cliffhangers!!”

A third viewer remarked: “Oh it’s soooo good!  That hour flies by.”

Protection is available on ITVX.