Collateral Series 1 Episode 1 Recap

As the episode begins, we see Laurie Stone (Hayley Squires) managing a pizza restaurant. When a delivery comes up, she gives the job to Abdullah Asif (Sam Otto), even though it was previously promised to Mikey Gowans (Brian Vernel). Abdullah delivers the pizza to Karen Mars (Billie Piper). He receive a small tip, before exiting the building. When he does, he is shot dead. Linh (Kae Alexander) watches from nearby. It appears that the shooter was a female. Jane Oliver (Nicola Walker) heads to church. She sits down and tells God that she is a mess. Seconds later, Kip Glaspie (Carey Mulligan) is assigned the case. Kip and her partner arrive at the pizza shop. Kip speaks with Laurie, while her partner chats with Mikey.

Laurie doesn’t give a reason for reassigning the delivery to Abdullah. She explains that someone from Boca Raton now owns the restaurant. DS Nathan Bilk (Nathaniel Martello-White) speaks with Karen. She tells the detective about her conversation with the delivery man. She also insists that her second daughter, Lucy, doesn’t come into it. David Mars (John Simm) hangs out with another woman. She complains that David is too caught up in his politics. Moments later, Kip speaks with Mikey. The boy seems distraught, since he could have been murdered. He explains that Abdullah was Syrian and just started. He is told that he will be questioned at the station. Then, we see the shooter running across a bridge and throwing the gun into the water. David’s girlfriend leaves him for the night.

Jane heads home. Kip meets with Nathan at the crime scene. She learns about his conversation with Karen. After a brief run in with a journalist, the couple continue onward. They immediately believe that the killer must be a professional. Jane speaks with Linh, who gives the false name Hanh Giang. The girl was found to have drugs on her. She tells them what she saw, but doesn’t mention that the killer might have been a woman. She is allowed to go home, as long as she visits the station the following day. David gets a letter from his girlfriend. He reads it before walking through the crime scene. He visits his ex Karen. He learns about the shooting. He also discovers that Karen doesn’t care and has been drinking. David agrees to stay the night for their daughter Elfie (Molly Simm).

Nathan and Kip visit Abdullah’s house. They find it is nothing more than a storage shed of sorts. Inside, they find two Arabic women. Neither is able to speak English. The shooter continues to a locker. She grabs a backpack and heads towards a bathroom. Linh is dropped off. When the police leave, she exits the building and heads to her real address. She tells Jane about her night. She admits to being at the club and getting high. She also confesses to lying to the police. The killer manages to dispose of her clothing and change into casual wear. She tosses her old clothing into the back of a garbage truck. The translator tells Nathan and Kip about the women. They escaped Syria and came to London. Otherwise, they’re saying little else. The girls have been in the country for at least a few weeks. The killer texts someone “JOB DONE”.

Nathan and Kip learn that the girls were from Aleppo. In the morning, Mikey tells the police officer that he got to know Abdullah and liked him. Then, he leaves the station. David watches his girlfriend, Suki Vincent (Kim Medcalf), interview Deborah Clifford (Saskia Reeves) on television. Clifford admits that the Labour party often looks like they care more about refugees than locals. Then, David learns that Karen lost her job. Kip and Nathan discuss the case with DSU Jack Haley (Ben Miles). They agree that MI5 will likely show up and take over the investigation. Karen’s daughter comes home and is furious that Elfie hasn’t already been taken to school. David runs into Jane. They see David on television supporting legitimate asylum seekers. Then, they chat about Linh.

They visit Linh, who is helping hand out food to the needy. She is told that she needs to tell the police the truth. Jane tells David that he signed off on Linh’s student visa application, after it was already expired. He is worried that he will be in trouble. Kip speaks with Abdullah’s sisters once again. She encourages them to use the opportunity to gain sympathy. Mikey heads to the Turbine Club. He tells two men outside about the police. When he admits he doesn’t have what they want, he is taken around back and beaten. Laurie leaves her ailing mother at home. As she walks the streets, it seems that she is followed by someone. The killer enters a military base. She enters a door with the name Sandrine Shaw (Jeany Spark) on the door. Then, she goes target shooting.

Collateral Review

Collateral was really a double-edged sword. The beginning was pretty good. It felt a little like Unforgotten. Then, things fell apart. The propaganda took over and really ruined a good thing. On top of that, the entire episode felt a bit silly honestly. We have the big bad military girl Sandrine Shaw carrying out an assassination. She went all out to get rid of her clothing, yet threw it into the back of a garbage truck. Why not burn it and make sure it is gone for good? I am honestly surprised Shaw wasn’t wearing an American flag. That is about the only thing that could’ve made the ending cheesier.

The opener wasn’t terrible, but it was easily forgettable. I’d give it a low 6 out of 10.

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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.