As the episode begins, we jump back in time. We see Jim Wroth (Tim Roth) hanging out with Helen (Leanne Best) and her son, Simon (Jack Veal). Jim makes breakfast for the boy. Helen eventually gets out of bed and finds the couple eating a terrible breakfast. Helen gives Jim some whiskey. Helen puts Simon to work, despite it being Saturday. Jim takes the boy with him, as they go and check on the puppies. Simon admits he would like to have one of the puppies. Jim takes one out and gives it to him. Then, Jim receives a call and is told he needs to make contact with Frank. Jim puts one of the dogs in a cage and puts it in the car’s trunk. He promises Helen that he’ll return later.

That night, Helen has a heart to heart with Jim. She tells him that he should just leave if he is not serious. Helen freebases some cocaine and Jim decides to stick around. Helen wants to know what Jack is doing there. She admits that he comes and goes as he pleases. Helen tells Jack that he is her husband and will be angry if he finds out the truth about their relationship. Jim admits that he isn’t going anywhere. Next, Helen speaks with Simon. He tells him that he is the best thing to ever happen to her. That night, Jim returns to Angela (Genevieve O’Reilly). He tells her that he is working a big job and it’ll be finished soon enough. Then, Jim hangs out with a young Anna (Keaira Pliva) briefly. In the morning, Helen makes breakfast for Simon. Simon notices that his mother has a snake tattoo on her leg just like Jack’s.

Helen meets Jim outside. Simon takes a picture of the trio. Later that night, Jim learns that uncle Frank wants to meet him. Jim hangs out with the family, until Simon goes on the hunt for his dog, Whitey. He eventually gets kidnapped by Malcolm (Geoff Bell) and Foxy (James Harkness). Malcolm interrogates the boy. Jim goes on the hunt for the boy. Simon manages to stab Malcolm and escape. He makes it back home seconds later. Helen panics and prepares to flee. Malcolm enters and knocks out Jim. Foxy forces Helen outside, while Malcolm prepares to deal with Jim. Malcolm steps outside and tells Helen that Jim is a cop. Malcolm becomes concerned that Helen has given up too much information.

Malcolm rubs it in and tells Helen to deal with Jim. She enters with the shotgun, but doesn’t shoot Jim. He is drug out to the barn. Frank (Ian Pukeston-Davies) arrives seconds later. Frank wants to know who vouched for Jim. Malcolm insists that nobody did. Foxy agrees to find out who knows. Frank enters the house and speaks with Simon and his sister. Frank wants to know what Helen told him. Frank promises to kill Jack for Helen. He insists it will be the last mess of Helen’s that he will ever clean up. Simon heads to the barn and sets Jack free. Helen begins to drink. With Simon’s help, Jack manages to disarm Malcolm and beat him pretty good. Jack takes the gun and leaves Simon behind.

In the present, Whitey (Oliver Coopersmith) tells Anna (Abigail Lawrie) that Jack never came back. He admits that the dogs starved when his mother tried to drink herself to death. He tells her that he was put into care and then spent 10 years trying to track his mother down. He tries to turn Anna against her father. However, she ridicules him for killing her brother. Then, he threatens to shoot Anna, when she tries to leave.

 

Tin Star Review

With the additions of Leanne Best and Jack Veal, this was likely the best Tin Star episode in a long, long time. Both did a spectacular job in their respective roles. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make up for the storyline, which is tedious and difficult to follow. The Whitey revelation was somewhat of a letdown really. I was hoping Jim was into something corrupt or had killed Whitey’s family in the past. He didn’t and that made the revelation anticlimactic.

It was also stupid for Whitey to give himself up so quickly. Did he really think Anna would take his side over her father’s? How didn’t Jim recognize Frank from the past? It all seems a little poorly written really. I am interested to see what happens next. I’ve watched it this long after all. Might as well finish it. This episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Tin Star now.