As the episode opens, Joe Middleton (Cohen Holloway) narrates about his success in narrowing the killer down to DSS Robert Calhoun (David De Lautour) or DS Brian Travers (Jordan Mooney). He recalls Karma, his adopted cat, killing his goldfish. With the help of Melissa Flowers (Chelsie Preston Crayford), Joe is another step closer to identifying the killer. Calhoun catches Joe spying on him. Joe concocts a story about wanting him as a co-worker friend to endorse his passport application. After kicking him in the ballocks, Calhoun says they are not friends and demands he stay away from him. Joe promises vengeance in his mind.

Joe has been treating his aching privates with a bag of frozen peas. He catches himself talking to his goldfish that Karma killed. He ponders on what to do with Calhoun.

At the police station, Calhoun nearly runs over Sally Galletly (Dea Doglione) who he is refers to as Susan. She tries to correct him but he is already out of earshot. She knocks on Joe’s door before entering to find the room empty. She tries to call his flat but he is at a hotel. A short time later, Sally shows up at his flat where she sees the fish tank empty. Karma hurriedly walks through the door and under Joe’s unmade bed. She fails to coax Karma out with Calhoun’s parking pass and then turns to the vacuum cleaner. She removes a cross necklace from the waste basket. Worried about Joe, she visits Evelyn Middleton (Elizabeth Hawthorne).

Joe holds a cleaning lady, Lani Duncan (Bianca Sienafo) at knifepoint inside a hotel room. He demands her keycard and threatens to kill her and her children. He shoves her face-down onto the bed, hogties her, and puts earbuds in her ears. While she lies terrified on the bed, he empties the knife block. Elsewhere, Evelyn tells Sally that Joe isn’t interested in women. Sally claims her brother, Martin was the same way before he died. Evelyn says Joe’s father committed suicide without warning. While rambling about Walt (Peter Hayden), Evelyn mentions Joe being a car salesman. Sally is confused by the remark but keeps it to herself.

In Calhoun’s room, Joe compares the butcher knife with the one from the previous room. He puts Calhoun’s knife in a cylinder and the previous knife into a plastic bag. He returns to the room where Lani is still hogtied on the bed and offers her $1,000 to stay quiet. When she agrees, he puts a knife in her hand before leaving.

Graham Gallety (Cameron Rhodes) assures Sally what happened to Martin isn’t her fault. She blames herself for not seeing it. He says Martin hated school because of what the boys were doing to him and he left him there. He promises to let her take over the grocery shopping if she returns to nursing school. She accepts the deal. At home, Joe tosses his phone in the waste bin.

At the police station, Joe obtains Calhoun’s phone number from his file. Seeing a female co-worker, he questions if she lives alone. Returning to his room, Joe eavesdrops on SI Dominique Stevens (Nikki Si’ulepa) and DI Carl Schroder (Robbie Magasiva) discussing a $250k award for information leading to the killer. Travers asks if the detectives catch the killer will they get some of the reward. Schroder assures him that there is no “if” because they will get the killer and the reward is their job. In his mind, Joe tells Schroder that Travers is the copycat killer and will soon be the carver. He sends Calhoun a threatening text message, “You killed Daniela Walker. TXT me back in 5 mins or I go to the cops.” While secretly watching Calhoun, Joe suggests he would show the text to his co-worker if it wasn’t true. Calhoun makes an excuse to leave the room. Seeing Calhoun approach, Joe ditches the burner phone in the mop bucket. Calhoun frisks him and demands his phone. Frantic, Joe denies owning a phone. Calhoun dials the number but nothing. Joe says he no longer wants to be Calhoun’s friend. The phone not being waterproof saved him from Calhoun’s wrath.

On a commuter bus, Melissa takes a seat behind Joe and asks why he isn’t answering his phone. After handing her the damaged phone, he suggests they pay Wendy (Aroha Rawson) a visit because she saw his face. She assures him that she is perfectly fine with him killing a disabled Wendy. A short time later, Joe places his burner phone in rice. He listens to a voicemail from Evelyn claiming Walt had an accident. He reluctantly dials her number. She says Walt was in the shower when he slipped and fractured his hip. He asks if they took a shower together. She explains how they showered together to save water. Telling himself to not pry, Joe has a flashback of asking Douglas Middleton (James Foster) why he and Mr. Harper were in the shower together. While stuffing luggage into the boot of his car, Douglas says it best that he leave. Joe makes it clear that he doesn’t want to stay with Evelyn. Back in the present, Evelyn says his girlfriend stopped by before ending the call.

Everblue Motel – Joe accuses Melissa of visiting Evelyn. She denies the allegation. After breaking into Wendy’s house, Joe is immediately entranced by a tank of goldfish. Melissa dumps Wendy out of her wheelchair into the floor. Pulling himself away from the goldfish, Joe places tape over Wendy’s mouth and they restrain her. Melissa watches as Joe repeatedly stabs Wendy. He places the knife in a plastic bag. In Wendy’s wheelchair, Melissa searches the house for money. Joe smears Wendy’s blood on Calhoun’s knife before placing it back in the cylinder. A short time later, Joe, Melissa, and Wendy’s goldfish emerge from the motel. Melissa is in no rush to frame Calhoun for Wendy’s murder. Joe mentally admits to enjoying her presence while he killed Wendy. He places Calhoun’s knife covered in Wendy’s blood in a trashcan near the parking lot for the Straven building. He recalls Karma knocking his wallet onto the floor and the content spilling out underneath his bed. He returns home to collect the parking pass and places Wendy’s goldfish – Pickle and Jehovah – into his tank. The burner phone powers on. Calhoun left several texts. Joe sends a text demanding $50k to be paid by tomorrow.

At the police station, Joe eavesdrops on Stevens and the detectives discussing the serial killer. A photo of Wendy is pinned to the evidence board. Joe sends Calhoun a text before powering the phone off. Upset, Calhoun demands to know why Joe is there. Stevens orders him to leave. Sally finds him in the supply closet with a phone. Joe claims to have gotten it today for emergencies. She says Evelyn believes he is a car salesman. He claims she thought he was a pilot two weeks ago when she forgot her medicine. She informs him of her decision to go back to nursing school and urges him to stay in touch. Joe assures himself that he will forget her fairly quickly.

Joe sends Calhoun a text asking him to drop the $25k off at the Walker house. A short time later, Calhoun pulls into the driveway. Sally watches from a nearby car. Joe knocks Calhoun out with a saucepan and finds his bag filled with duct tape and a hammer. Calhoun wakes up and a struggle ensues. Sally emerges from her car and approaches the house. Calhoun strangles Joe as the episode ends.

 

Dark City: The Cleaner Series 1 Episode 5 Recap

Joe believes Travers is the copycat and Calhoun is the killer. After he is caught in the act of spying on Calhoun, Joe plans to eliminate him once and for all.

Joe and Melissa join forces to eliminate their threat, Wendy. Joe sets Calhoun up for the murder. Melissa is in no hurry for the police to find the carver. She enjoys watching Joe kill. He takes Wendy’s goldfish as his own and names them Pickle and Jehovah.

Joe anonymously orders Calhoun to pay $25k to keep him quiet about Becky and Daniela’s murders. He lures him to the Walker house, not with the intention of killing him. Sally is about to foil his plan.

The episode deserves a 6.2 out of 10. Get more Dead City: The Cleaner recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Learn how our advertising packages build brand awareness. Join our newly established forum to discuss celebrity gossip, classic movies, and much more.