is Luther ’ s developing romance with physicist Alice Morgan , who murders her mother , father , and family dog before episode one even begins . It is a romance that finds a parallel in the relationships between Jane Eyre and Rochester in Charlotte Bronte ’ s novel , between Heathcliff and Catherine in Emily Bronte ’ s Wuthering Heights , and between vampires and their human lovers in several contemporary , somewhat domesticated versions of the vampire narrative .
Thus , during his initial interrogation of Alice at the police station , Luther deduces what Alice has done and yet refuses to make an arrest , thus providing a window for the growth of a dark and dangerous bond between the two lead characters . In fact , by the time he encounters Alice , Luther has already attempted to murder Henry Madsen and so has acted upon the rage that finds a parallel in whatever pushed Alice to take her parents ’ lives . In turn , the parallel provides a foundation that allows Luther and Alice to connect . Indeed , in the second episode of the first series , Alice remarks to Luther that their difference is one of degree , not category . Her observation receives validation in the first episode of the first season when , interrogating Alice about the murder of her parents , Luther intuits within her the presence a “ dark matter ”, a phrase synonymous with the “ dark energy ” that theoretically is destabilizing the universe ( NASA ) and that , by extension , surely contributes to Alice ’ s occasional bursts of madness . Sensing the same element in Luther , Alice later reminds the London copper that in attempting to kill Henry Madsen , he simply gave in to his true nature . Luther does not deny this observation , even after Alice , posing as a doctor , stands by Madsen ’ s hospital bed after setting a part of the hospital on fire and suffocates the killer whose confession would result in Luther ’ s removal from the police force and a sentence in prison .
In fact , in several scenes , Alice ’ s actions clearly express the repressed but certainly monstrous desires with which Luther struggles through the series . The murder of Henry Madsen is only one of several scenes . Episode three of series one provides another example . Sensing Luther ’ s pain and outrage over his wife Zoe ’ s decision to replace him with the far more sensitive and less neurotic Mark North , Alice hires a gang of girls to beat up Zoe ’ s new boyfriend in an act of vengeance of which Luther seems to disapprove . Again , in episode six from series one , Alice acts out Luther ’ s own desire for vengeance against the man and former friend who killed his wife Zoe as she uses a short-barreled shotgun to execute detective Ian Reed on an abandoned train platform . And while Luther discourages her from pulling the trigger , it is quite clear that Alice is fulfilling Luther ’ s own wish in committing a murder for which she is arrested and sent to a
108