Playing Nice is an intense ITV thriller set in Cornwall where two couples discover their toddlers were somehow switched at birth, all down to a terrible hospital mix-up.
What comes next is a horrifying dilemma — do they keep the sons they have raised and come to love dearly, or reclaim their biological child? As the drama unfolds between the couples, it turns out this nightmare is only just beginning.
Here is everything that happened in Playing Nice episode 2...
The second episode opens with Maddie and Pete coming to the shocking realisation that Miles and Lucy have been lying to them the whole time they have known each other, because the custody report for Theo was filed eight weeks ago.
Their lawyer says they have been allowed to get away with this becasue they have changed Theo's birth certificate with a DNA sample, which was obtained while Theo was being looked after by Miles and Lucy's nanny. They discover they also have a child arrangement order which means Miles and Lucy will get to decide where Theo lives and how much he sees of Maddie and Pete.
The lawyer tells Pete and Maddie that the Lamberts have claimed mediation didn't work, but Maddie and Pete point out that they had a mediation where they decided to keep Theo and Lucy and Miles decided to keep David, but there was no third party involved. Their lawyer points out they are playing dirty and they need to start by getting another mediation set up, this time with an independent third party - this is the only way this will be kept out of court, which the lawyer points out will get very messy indeed.
Later, Miles arrives at Pete and Lucy's and says that Theo didn't turn up for his daycare with the nanny so he has come to collect him. He also gives Pete an invite to a charity fundraiser that he is hosting, acting like nothing has happened. Pete is incredulous that Miles is acting like he hasn't just filed papers to take both boys away from them, and tells him he is insane. When Theo comes to the door, Miles tries to take him, but Pete manages to get him away and slams the door.
At work, Maddie is having a bad day and Ollie tells her to take the day off, but she just wants a hug. Later she is swimming with Theo when they spot Lucy and David. Maddie uses the opportunity to talk to Lucy without Miles there, but Lucy doesn't want to listen and walks away.
At the mediation, everyone talks about how devastated they are by the situation, but when Miles tells the mediator that they want both boys to live with them because they see them as brothers and both are their sons, Maddie and Pete are lost for words over the horror of it all.
Pete and Maddie say their resolution would be what they originally decided where each couple would keep the boy they raised and then have the other child one night a week. While the mediator says that sounds reasonable, Miles says no because Pete takes drugs and Maddie is an alcoholic, twisting the fact Maddie likes a glass of wine on a Friday night and Pete bought cannabis gummies for his father.
Maddie and Pete are incredulous as Miles twists every single thing they say, he even brings up Maddie's postnatal depression that he has read about in Pete's book and uses it against her, saying he doesn't think she is fit to look after one child, let alone two. Miles uses every dirty tactic in the book and in the end, tells the mediator that if Pete and Maddie can't see that he and Lucy are better parents then the court is the only option.
Maddie and Pete go and see their lawyer again and she tells them that until the court proceedings begin, the Lamberts have requested that Theo continue to go to them on weekdays during the day, while they can see David twice a week but supervised access only. Pete suggests changing David's birth certificate like the Lamberts did with Theo's, but they need a court-approved doctor to take the DNA sample, and they aren't allowed unsupervised access to David. However, that's not all, because the lawyer then tells them she has received a document about Theo being subject to a child protection referral... twisting what happened with the gummies and supporting their claims by saying Lucy had to flee an ambush from Maddie at the swimming pool and that Pete physically attacked Miles after the mediation session - with everything being twisted Maddie and Pete are at a loss on what to do next.
Maddie arrives at the Lamberts' house for her supervised visit with David, but she is being watched by cameras at every angle and Lucy is hovering around. Later, Maddie tells Pete she wishes that he had been there, and tells him that she wants to fight for both boys. Pete is adamant they should fight for Theo first and then David and they argue becasue Maddie thinks Pete won't acknowledge that he has another son.
The next time they have a supervised visit with David, Pete goes too. They have a great time playing together as a three until a new nanny reminds them she is there watching their every move. When they leave, David waves goodbye through the window and they have no idea that Miles is watching them from the balcony above.
As they walk home Maddie tells Pete that she thinks they should go to the Lamberts' charity event as they are calling it 'The David Foundation' who is technically their child, and Pete agrees, also telling his wife that he's changed his mind and they should fight for custody of both boys. They decide they need to sue the hospital to get the money to fund their court battle, and both Maddie and Pete feel happier they have a plan.
Pete is at work when Stella, the nurse who looked after Theo in the NICU comes to see him. She says she's been suspended because of him and Maddie suing the hospital. They are blaming her for not tagging the babies early enough which would have prevented the mix-up from happening, but she is adamant that wasn't the case and that she is a good nurse and the babies definitely had tags. Stella is scared about losing her job, but Pete can't help, even though he wants to.
Maddie and Pete meet with their hospital dispute investigator and talk about what they remember from the day of the birth. Pete talks about how scared he was as the whole thing was so traumatic, and tells her that he remembers Stella putting the tag on the baby... we know he isn't sure, but with his conversation with Stella ringing in his ears, he tells them she did put the tag on to protect her. Maddie knows that he is lying and confronts him in the car home, but he is adamant he's right.
Later Maddie looks at photos of newborn Theo in the NICU and he isn't wearing a tag... confirming that Pete is lying. She confronts him for protecting Stella and risking everything and he knows she is right.
At the Lamberts' house, Lucy watches from afar as Miles plays with Theo and is shocked when she realises that he has taught Theo that he came from 'mummy Lucy's tummy' and that the person Miles loves most in the world is Theo - which is shocking in itself, but even more so becasue little David is sitting there watching and listening to everything. But instead of playing with David, Miles has given him an iPad and he is being ignored. It's only when Theo gets home and tells Pete about Daddy Miles that Pete realises what Miles has been up to.
Later, a journalist from a newspaper calls Pete and says they want to run his article about the baby swap that weekend. He says he hasn't sent anyone his work and realises it must have been Miles. But when he calls Miles to confront him, he hangs up.
That night is the charity event and Maddie is nervous and drinks a lot. But things get even more frustrating for them both when they chat to someone at the party who says they are opening a restaurant with Miles in the local area and they work out it is right next to Maddie's restaurant. Maddie is seething with anger as Lucy and Miles put on a display of being a perfect couple at the event and she drinks more and more. Soon enough she confronts Miles and when he belittles her once again, Pete tells him and Lucy that they are fighting for both children, too, leaving Lucy rattled but Miles is still smug.
The following morning, the police arrive and take Pete in for questioning about the alleged abduction of Theo from the hospital back in 2022... he is shocked to learn the hospital dispute team is no longer handling the internal investigation becasue it has been escalated to a legal action... and as we see flashes of Miles running along the coast, it seems he is the one who has turned this into a criminal investigation.
Could Miles' actions mean Pete might be going to prison as well as losing his son?
Playing Nice is a four-part series which airs on Sunday, January 5, Monday, January 6, both at 9pm on ITV1. The final two episodes air on Sunday, January 12 and Monday, January 13 also on ITV1 at 9pm.
All four episodes also drop as a boxset on ITVX from Sunday, January 5, 2025.
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