The show begins with Rani Rekowski (Rhianne Barreto) visiting Malaki (Charles Babalola) in prison. Shocked, she asks what happened to him. After telling her The Dean (Claes Bang) sent him a message, he reminds her of the deadline for the money. She assures him everything is on target before telling him about their low stock. He asks if their crack stock is low. She explains how everyone loves their crack. He promises to get them some more crack. She questions how the crack is replenished. He promises to get her a cook and fresh ingredients before complimenting them on a job well done.

Sergeant Haines gives the detectives a breakdown of Brook Hill. She tells them that the leader, Christian Taylor (Gamba Cole) is currently serving time for a violation probation. DCI Monroe (Rufus Wright) questions who is in charge now. DS Selforth (Kojo Kamara) says Spider (James Nelson-Joyce) was injured in a shooting and Souljah (Marcas Fraser) went into hiding. They discuss how the drug operation works.

Margaret (Dolly Well) informs Frank Sheldon (Christopher Walken) that she plans to visit her mum later today. Frank claims to already have something planned. She asks him to join her, but he refuses. He assures her that it is on his to-do list.

Haines tells the detectives Londoner The Dean is associated the Brook Hill crew. Monroe suggests money is transferred from Bristol to London. Selforth says there are no leads as of yet.

Lady Gabriella “Gabby” Penrose-Howe (Eleanor Tomlinson) tries to convince Gregory “Greg” Dillard (Stephen Merchant) to eat broccoli or an olive. He tells her to “fu** off.”

Selforth tells Monroe that 17-year-old named Carter is a runner for Brook Hill. Haines asks for four plainclothes offers to assist in the investigation. Monroe says there isn’t enough manpower. She assures him that Carter can lead them to Brook Hill’s leader. He offers her two plainclothes in 48 hours. She suggests three plain clothes in 72 hours. After approving her request, he demands to have photos in three days.

Malaki warns Rani that the Feds were at the prison looking for info on his replacement and The Dean. After he convinces her to stay longer, they struggle to find something to talk about. She finally asks why he decided to become a drug dealer. He says, “The pension plan.” She asks if he is afraid of getting injured. He tells her that his law-abiding father got lung cancer from years of welding. They discuss why he chose to drug deal instead of staying in school.

Myrna Okeke (Clare Perkins) tells Claire (Lois Chimimba) that she will be the one to speak at the Town Hall. Claire reminds her that she doesn’t know how to use PowerPoint. Myrna assures her that PowerPoint slides aren’t necessary, only passion. They go back and forth about who should do the Town Hall speech.

After informing Greg that Lara (Rosa Robson) is once again single, Gabby asks if she should send her a private message. When she admits to messing it up the last time, he assures her that she is now more emotionally stable. Gabby pinpoints all the things that he needs to work on before claiming him as her new project, Greg 2.0.

Rani tastes Christian’s homemade recipe. He asks if she talked to her parents about the loan. After denying it, she says the money they saved for her Oxford education. He assumes she is getting cold feet. She suggests treating her parents to his homemade recipe before broaching the subject of a loan. Esme (Alyana Goodfellow) walks upon them making out. He questions how she feels about the three of them relocating to Weston where they would establish a food shake. Esme sarcastically asks why anyone would buy his food. He tells her that his food is “different.” Esme reluctantly agrees.

Barbara (Elizabeth Counsell) reports strange activity at the Community Center after 6pm to Diane Pemberley (Jessica Gunning). Diane suggests taking pictures before handing her a business card. After studying it, Barbara asks if it would be better to notify the police. Diane gets a bit hostile while explaining her position as Trainee Police Community Support Officer.

Rani orders Myrna, John Halloran (Darren Boyd), and Christian to pick up and deliver supplies to the Community Center. John and Myrna give her a hard time over it. She asks if they would rather spend the evening intimidating their runners. John complains about not having any experience at buying drugs. Raising her voice, Rani demands he figure it out. Assuring them that he would love to help, Frank claims he is being forced by his daughter to visit her mom. Myrna says if they must cook crack, he must cook crack. John suggests letting John focus on his family.

Greg complains when Gabby informs him that she is making him a Tinder account. Agreeing with him, she explains how Tinder is only about people trying to find “meaningless sex.” He instantly agrees to try it.  She suggests subscribing to eHarmony instead. He poses for a profile pic. After several failed attempts, she suggests filtering out the imperfections. He asks if it is possible to filter out “desperation.”

Gabby tells Diane about her plan to get Greg back into the dating world before inviting her on a date with him. Rejecting the offer, Diane describes Greg as “sexually repugnant.” Greg assures her that he isn’t offended. Gabby explains how she is in need of a “dating detective.” Diane asks if she would like a DNA sample or foreskin swab. Gabby says she leaves it up to her. Diane contributes her decision to go on the date to research.

Haines and Selforth stake out a group of neighborhood children. Selforth complains of boredom.

While waiting for a cocaine supplier, a frustrated John tells Myrna that he shouldn’t be there but somewhere repairing radiators. ‘G’ questions John if he is a police officer. John denies being a cop before going on a rant about businesses not hiring white, middle-aged men. ‘G’ tells them it will be 4 grand. When John holds out the money, ‘G’ demands he be more discrete. He explains how to make the swap to not draw attention. After haphazardly following his instructions, they return to the car to find the bundle of cocaine underneath the car.

Frank and Margaret visit Louise “Lou” (Judith Haley) in a senior care center. After a short wheelchair stroll, Frank reminisces about the past. He apologizes for not coming to see her sooner.

Greg shows off his baby blue dress shirt and black leather pants. Gabby describes him as having a “Hells Angels’ accountant” appeal.

A police cruiser with a blaring siren follows John and Myrna. John questions if the officer wants him to pull over. Myrna orders him to not do it but he doesn’t listen. She suggests pretending to not care about anything.  John Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” plays loudly. John is singing along while Myrna is looking at a lingerie magazine as the police officer (Chris Yapp) approaches the vehicle. The officer orders John to turn down the volume before saying he was speeding. With the music still blaring, John claims he thought the speed limit with 30mph, not 40mph. The officer threatens him with a hefty fine and 3 points.  When John hyperventilates, Myrna gives him the bag that held the cocaine, which she unmindfully places on the dashboard. After a chaotic few minutes, he realizes what she had done.

Margaret checks on Lou to find Frank gambling with three men. She scolds him for not having it in him to spend 30 minutes with Lou. Whispering, he claims to feel bad for Lou because she doesn’t understand what is going on. She reminds him that it’s about Lou, not him. Lou begins to tremor violently. Margaret frantically yells for the nurse.

Rani and Christian visit her parents.

Diane starts documenting their date as soon as Greg knocks on the door. She documents him not bringing her flower before assessing his breath and cologne. He questions if she is going to keep it up all night. Ignoring him, she insults his car.

John and Myrna arrive at the Community Center to find The Cook (Yvonne Edgell) and her daughter waiting for them. Myrna informs him that she is leaving to attend a meeting. He complains about being left with people who cook crack. She promises to return in an hour before rushing away.

Anastasia (Gabrielle Sheppard) asks John if he needs the money to pay off his gambling debt or divorce settlement. He informs her that a gangster from London is out to kill him. They have a drink while exchanging names. She suggests he utilize an alias, not his real name.

Diane and Greg stare at each other quietly until she suggests he ask her some questions.

Lara points out that Gabby is drinking water. Gabby claims to be alcohol- and drug-free. When she asks if she would like to get their relationship a go, Lara says she is engaged to be married. Gabby reluctantly congratulates her.

Gabby frantically searches through Greg’s home until she finds a stash of alcohol and drugs. After using, she calms down.

Shanthi Rekowski (Nina Wadia) and Jerzy Rekowski (Gyuri Sarossy) comment on tired appearance. Shanthi suggests she needs to increase her water intake. Jerzy says Christian never owning a pair of slippers says everything. Shanthi describes him as a “lowlife.” Their attitude immediately changes when Christian serves their meals.

Greg tells Diane about a white-water rafting trip, which led to his wife’s adrenaline obsession. He says she asked for divorce during a base jump. Diane disagrees with him when he describes himself as “boring.”

Frank tries to apologize to Margaret, but she cuts him off.

Jerzy describes Christian’s food as “fresh” while Shanthi asks for the recipe. Rani and Christian share their plans to open a food shack in Weston with her parents. When they ask for a loan, Shanthi reminds her of Oxford. Rani assures her that it was never her dream to attend Oxford. Jerzy explains how he and Shanthi built their business from scratch. Christian tells them about his unstable upbringing and dreams. Jerzy promises to give their loan some consideration.

Claire speaks to a group of people at the Town Hall. When PowerPoint malfunctions, an oil developer (Will brown) takes over just as Myrna arrives. Claire interrupts and is immediately cut off by a slide joke from the man. Myrna speaks up about young children running drugs to survive. She suggests the local children need a place they can go to in different situations, not phone towers. The crowd applauses when she says 5G causes COVID-19.

After John refuses to share his story regarding The Dean, Anastasia directs her attention to his crack use. He describes himself as a middle-aged married man and father who never used crack. She inhales crack before passing the pipe to him.

While playing a game, Diane becomes intrigued with Greg’s celebrity knowledge.

Haines sleeps while Selforth stakes out the area. When Rani and Christian stop to talk to Carter (Chicho Tche), he immediately alerts Haines. Rani asks Carter a series of questions before issuing a stern warning.

Diane goes overboard when celebrating her and Greg’s win. She calls her opponents “losers.”  After suggesting they have sex, she says “tea-bagging, golden showers, or reverse anal” are off-limits. Barbara notifies Diane to inform her of strange activity at the Community Center. Diane tells her that she is on the way. She Greg for a ride to the Community center. He reminds her of the sexual intercourse suggestion. She promises a potential hand job.

Christian warns Rani that someone may be following them. She suggests he swing left and immediate right. They look back to see the car still behind them. They receive a text from Greg about Diane heading to the Community Center.

John is too high to realize his phone is ringing. Anastasia gets a kick out of John’s wife’s hobby of making vegan dog treats.

Rani isn’t happy when she discovers Myrna isn’t at the Community Center. Myrna assures her that John is in charge while she is out. Rani informs her that John isn’t answering his phone and Diane is on her way to the Community Center. Myrna asks why she can’t do it. She says the police are following them.

Diane scolds Greg for driving so slowly. He is being followed by a line of cars. After jumping out of the vehicle, she commandeers a nearby car.

Haines runs a license plate check on Christian’s vehicle. When Christian starts tripping, Rani orders him to calm down. Dispatch informs Haines that the vehicle is registered to Christian. Haines says Christian is locked up before ordering Shelforth to speed up. Rani orders him to veer off to the left. Haines curses when Christian’s car is nowhere to be seen. She suggests the driver is running Brook Hill.

As Christian breaks, Rani starts removing her clothes. He questions if she is turned on by all the criminal activity. She assures him it isn’t like that. He suggests ditching the car.

Myrna arrives at the Community Center to find John and Anastasia dancing. John tells her that he is a “crack h*.” While she frantically screams Diane is coming, he continues to dance calmly. Myrna, The Cook, and Anastasia hurriedly pack up their supplies.

Diane and Greg arrive at the Community Center. Upon spotting Myrna leading John, Greg stalls her by expressing how much he likes being around her. As the Cook crosses the yard, he professes his love for her. When she tries to walk away, he kisses her on the lips to give The Cook time to get away. After breaking free, Diane sprays him with mace. Greg begs for a wet wipe while Diane initiates her search. She places an item utilized by The Cook to make crack in a plastic bag.

Christian burns his car.

Margaret listens while Frank talks to Lou. He reminds her how she taught him how to dance. He comes clean about why he really didn’t visit her when she got sick. He admits it was too difficult to face her and easier to get stoned. He commends her for how well she raised Margaret alone.

Haines and Selforth watch as the fire department extinguishes the burning car.

Rani asks Christian if he is wearing his father’s slippers. He assures her that they are his slippers now. They briefly discuss having kids before he takes a seat in front of the TV. She stares at her father’s slippers on Christian’s feet.

John hits golf balls in his yard while Ruth (Amanda Drew) watches from a second-floor window.

Rani throws her father’s slippers off the balcony as the episode comes to an end.

 

The Outlaws Review

Definitely, the best episode of the season. Frank’s heartfelt confession to Lou was the highlight of the episode. Christopher Walken makes the perfect Frank.

The Brook Hill crew proved anything is possible when you work as a team. Christian and Rani, together evaded the police while Greg and Myrna evaded Diane.

Now, that John has discovered the power of crack, it is questionable what his future holds. Will he gain enough confidence to prove his true self-worth to his father or become a “crack h*?”

When Rani saw Christian wearing her father’s slippers, did she fear he would become too much like him?  Did Myrna arrive at Town Hall in time to secure the Community Center for her charity?

The cinematography, acting, and directing are practically flawless.

The episode deserves a 7. Get more The Outlaws recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link to learn more.