As this episode of Crime begins, Ray Lennox (Dougray Scott) goes for a run and contemplates the recent discovery. Lennox goes to his therapist, Sally Hart (Laura Fraser), even though he doesn’t have an appointment. He tells her about discovering the Confectioner’s victim. Sally tells him to come back tonight because she has a client waiting. Richie Gulliver (Derek Riddell) has sex with prostitutes and tells them to overdose. He leaves Colm (Ross Ian-Martin). Jackie (Emma Currie) breaks up a fight after Fraser (Gabriel Scott) bites Murdo’s ear. Jackie and Murdo (Jack Hesketh) scolds Fraser who is called a weirdo. Fraser runs into Lennox. They go back to Lennox’s place where Fraser complains about Murdo repeatedly. Lennox agrees to let him stay for a few days.

Amanda Drummond (Joanna Vanderham) rushes through the parking garage. Lennox tells Bob Toal (Ken Stott) that the second girl was Ellie McIntyre. Bob tells him to think about the positives. The media is going crazy so Bob is going to handle it. They talk about the current case and the victims. Amanda meets Keith (Ewan Miller) who complains she spitefully send the video to his girlfriend. She says she wasn’t in a good place back then. Keith says there is one copy since he erased his but Cressida didn’t. They want to leave this behind them. They’ve decided to do VSO work in Senegal. Cressida wants compensation too. Keith reminds Amanda that she’s a criminal. Amanda tells him he should watch it because he comes off very well. She soon finds out that he watched it. Amanda admits she has another video. Keith begins talking about religion and church before Amanda curses him.

He warns her that this could ruin her career but it doesn’t have to. When Amanda returns to the station, Tommy Stark (David Elliot) is talking about ways to improve the force. He says it’s a shame that Dougie can’t be with them. Amanda gets upset at him. She tells him he’s worse than Gillman. Amanda holds a briefing in which she says one victim was attacked in a hotel room and MI5 are covering it up. The other victim was killed and displayed in the community he served for years. Both were allegedly slashed in the groin area. The killer is supposedly motivated by correcting injustices. Lennox complains that someone is leaking information about the Confectioner case. He confesses that they have nothing. They learn the killer is online again and he’s hacked many Edinburgh businesses on socials.

Bob says several websites have been hacked by anti-Establishment messages. He complains about the “bloody Filth” someone has put up on the Women’s Institute website and the Cat Protection League. Amanda speaks to Gillian Glover (Sarah McCardie) in private about her personal matter. Amanda needs to get rid of something on someone’s Cloud. Gillian hopes she knows what she’s asking. Amanda explains she’s finished otherwise. They go to the bathroom so Gillian can watch the video in private. Amanda knows she shouldn’t have given Keith so much power. Gillian admits deleting the video from the Cloud may not do any good since the video could be saved elsewhere. Norrie Erskine (Brian McCardie) tells Tommy he doesn’t see the point in the religious nonsense.

Struthers (Sani Mamood) tells Lennox that someone has left a review for the type of blade allegedly used to kill Durie. There’s also a message on the leaked skull thread. The message asks who will be victim number three. Tommy and Norrie listen to Scott Durie (Rob Black) talk about his father. They see Durie’s receptionist nearby so Tommy confronts her. Ruth (Lorraine Hilton) tells him that Durie was a good man. Tommy asks whether they were romantically involved, but Ruth insists Durie wasn’t that kind of man. Bob says Piggot-Wilkins and his father are very connected. His father died 10 years ago with substances in his system. Ruth tells Tommy that someone vandalized the surgery due to allegations of malpractice. Someone had written “fake” on the wall. Ruth believes the guilt ate away at him until he died.

She doesn’t want to tell them who thought Durie was fake. Lennox and Amanda go to the officer of the Scottish government. Fraser sets up his DJ equipment. Leonora (Amba Gayfer) tells Fraser she thought he lived alone. They look at the dress Trudi must’ve left. Keir Campbell (Duncan Duff) doesn’t want to tell Lennox anything. Lennox asks who put the word “substances” in Piggot-Wilkins’s pathology report. He accuses Campbell of protecting the present Piggot-Wilkins. Lennox threatens to release their recorded conversation unless he’s given the location of Piggot-Wilkins. Sophie Lawrence-Brown (Shereen Cutkelvin) and Struthers look at each other. Gilliam asks Struthers what their story is. He insists there isn’t one. Amanda and Lennox meet Christopher Piggot-Wilkins (Alan Francis). Tommy continues speaking to Ruth.

He begins flirting with her in hopes of getting information from her. Christopher doesn’t want to tell the detectives anything. He shows him #1 carved on his chest. Christopher says there was a girl who was bought and paid for. Amanda asks him about William Durie. When they ask about his father, Christopher says they’re grasping at straws. Moira Gulliver (Fiona Bell) stops Lennox and says she knows his sister. She knew both of the victims because they all grew up together. Willie never fit in and was too kind for his own good. As for Porky, he was cruel. Richie was always trying to prove himself. Moira asks Ray not to let anything happen to her brother. Ray and the others visit Richie to warn him his life could be at risk. He claims he has nothing to hide. Ray asks him not to give today’s speech even though it’s very important.

Richie refuses to cooperate. Ruth tells Tommy she’s been lonely since Chris walked out. She invites him to her place. Tommy says he’s on duty, but he’ll come to her when he’s finished. Lennox tells Richie that he’s not dying on his watch. As they continue talking, Lennox calls him a fascist. Richie gives his speech later and says he’ll chart the course to make the country great again. The speech continues despite some hecklers. Ian Norville (Bobby Bradley) gets up and charges Richie with a knife, but Lennox manages to tackle him first. Tommy kicks Ian who is immediately arrested. Richie thanks Ray and Tommy who won’t disclose his name. Amanda retrieves the knife. Ray tells Norrie not to let Richie out of his sight. Back at the station, Tommy and Amanda get into another argument. Then, Ian tells Amanda and Ray that he doesn’t agree with Richie’s views.

Struthers drinks with Gillian who says Sophie has asked him to go camping with her. He admits he has no experience with women and doesn’t know what to do. Struthers asks Gillian how she’d make love to another woman. Ian is shown pictures of the victims, but he says he’s never seen them before. He reveals he has six months to live and killing Richie would be the most meaningful act of his life. Amanda calls him another entitled man. Outside the interview room, Amanda admits she was unprofessional. Ray doesn’t think Ian is their guy. Ray tells Tommy to book him for the knife and give him a medal. He learns his sister is there with his mom. Jackie and Avril (Ellie Haddington) are there to ask about Fraser. Ray tells his mom he doesn’t want to talk to her before yelling for them to leave. Richie asks Norrie for any updates but there aren’t any.

Victor Maslow (Dylan Blore) and other journalists ask Richie about his politics. Gillian tells Struthers that Sophie likes him for his big brain. He doesn’t think he can handle it if she laughs at him. Amanda barges in to speak to Keith and Cressida (Natalie Mae Kelly). Cressida and Amanda don’t get along. Keith asks to speak to Cressida in private. Amanda thinks about taking their phone while they’re out of the room. Norrie keeps an eye on Richie. Lennox visits Sally who says she has a migraine. They talk about how Ray feels when he brings down a criminal. Sally asks why he visits the Confectioner. Ray argues he wouldn’t speak to anyone else. He admits he wants to kill him. Gillian takes Struthers back to the station. Helena Chapman (Kim Chapman) says she has a genuine Edinburgh serious crime cop joining them on All Fur Coat. Tommy speaks to her about debunking the stereotype associated with women who make their money from sex.

She reminds him he’s hassled many working girls. Tommy argues that things aren’t that simple. He says they have to see the bigger picture. Gillian tries to teach Struthers how to please a woman. Amanda watches All Fur Coat in which Tommy describes himself as she did. Struthers pleases Gillian until Celeste (Hannah Donaldson) enters the station looking for Gillian. Celeste hears her moaning and catches her. Celeste gets upset and rushes out. Fraser has a party in Ray’s residence. Ray returns and finds them doing drugs and dancing. Richie confronts Norrie who tells him the boy is not the killer. Richie tells him to find him. He’s returning to his flat with a friend. Norrie realizes Richie doesn’t remember him. Richie tells him to leave. Norrie removes a knife from his glove box.

Lennox returns to the station to look at the evidence. Richie hangs out with a man, Victor Maslow. He soon passes out.

 

Crime Review

There has been a long delay since I watched an episode of Crime because the quality was seriously poor and even intolerable at times. Not much has changed since then. Based on the story through three episodes, this easily could’ve been slimmed down to three or four episodes.

The writers just need to remove all the unnecessary bits and stick to the story. After all, we shouldn’t have to see a side character pleasing another side character at the police station. That’s not even mentioning all the stupid scenes. None of the characters are in the least bit likable and that includes Ray Lennox.

Bob is whiny, Ray is a psycho, Amanda is an idiot, Tommy is rash, and Richie is just a replica. Their personal dramas and forced politics take up far more time than the actual killings and investigation. There’s also a sense of predictability. Once Moira asked Ray to protect her brother, we knew Richie would be the next target.

None of the police officers are professional and many of them are criminals themselves. It’s baffling that this ever got renewed for a second season so it’d be a real crime to renew it for a third. There’s nothing here except a lecture on politics and that’s beyond played out at this point. Yet, those doing the lecturing are easily the biggest scum.

The episode scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of Crime can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. See what others are saying at the Reel Mockery Forum.