Let Us Sit Bent, And Talk Straight – The episode opens with the team blowing open and blasting their way to the vault. Slaughtering agents along the way and arriving at the vault, Dianne (Gemma Arterton) orders Specialist (Niamh Algar) to the atrium and tells Muscle (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) to prep the tools. Soldier (Laura Morgan) is ordered to watch the exit while Officer (Kirby) slowly paces the front entrance. Using an oxygen/acetylene torch, Youssef Mizouni (Kamal El Basha) cuts an opening to the locking mechanism so that Azar Mizouni (Tara Abboud) can begin her work. She breezes through the first two levers but ends up triggering the failsafe while trying to unlock the inner safety trigger. She has to use her hand to manipulate the levers and ends up losing two fingers.

In Pamiers, France, Muscle, and Officer quickly locate the manufacturer of Azar’s preferred spray paint (Montana Paint). When Officer insists on questioning the clerk alone, Muscle uses the time to read more about Malek Mizouni’s (Uriel Emil) murder and check in with Jules (Kevin Vidal). Much to his surprise, Jules answers and informs him that all is well. Inside the shop, Officer weaves the story of trying to track down a missing friend. It takes some pleading and careful convincing but to secure an address from the clerk (Hamid Krim). Azar just happens to be doing some shopping across the street and notices Muscle. A short scooter ride later, she’s home and in the process of fleeing when Muscle and Officer arrive. Armed with a knife, Azar questions their presence while trying to shield Youssef. Azar continues to distrust them until Muscle informs them of Malek’s murder. Youssef takes the news the hardest and Muscle and Officer step into the front room to give him some privacy. When Azar joins seconds later, Muscle and Officer attempt to learn more about what transpired during the heist escape. As Azar claims that Dianne died during the escape, the footage flashes back to that day.

Youssef, Azar, and Right Hand Right Hand (Tom Mothersdale) wait for Fuse (Mark Field) to remotely blow the exit. While making their escape, Right Hand is shot in the head and Dianne gets blown up by an unexpected second explosion.

In the present, Muscle demands to know more, but Azar is now only interested in Youssef who has practically given up. He even tries to get her to leave him behind at one point, which sparks another flashback to the day of the heist. Racing to the pre-arranged after-mission location, Azar attempts to convince him to take the three bags full of money and run. He refuses her by claiming that even thieves need to have a code. He does suggest keeping an extra bag for themselves and later takes Right Hand’s “to-go” bag from the warehouse.

In the present, the team’s debate over how to proceed is interrupted by the house’s ringing landline. The caller turns out to be Devil (Ned Dennehy), who spooks Azar by only saying her full name, Azar Mizouni.” Before Azar can get Youssef outside, they come under fire. A frantic scurry sends Officer into a near catatonic state while Muscle scrambles to find a weapon. Youssef and Azar use the distraction to escape through a secret door upstairs. Although they make their way to a stashed vehicle, Youssef has problems starting it. Azar attempts to take a look under the hood, but a now mask-less Devil surprises Youssef from the backseat with a garrote and orders Azar to get in. Shortly after joining them, Youssef sacrifices himself by reclining the driver’s seat to trap Devil so Azar can run. Devil shoots him.

Azar joins Muscle and Officer inside the house and begs for their help while Devil drags Youssef to a spot on the lawn where he secures him to a chair. Azar becomes belligerent when she learns Muscle plans on hiding rather than fighting. He claims there’s nothing he can do with a gun. Outside, Devil interrogates Youssef for the whereabouts of Dianne Harewood/Brain. As Devil makes a show of drenching Youssef in gas, Azar retrieves Right Hand’s portion of the loot and rushes outside to lay it at Devil’s feet. He makes it clear that he’s only interested in Dianne and sets Youssef on fire. By this point, Muscle has managed to sneak out and get Azar safely back inside. Someone begins working on the barricaded front door as Muscle wields a knife and takes up position against a wall. He makes his move when he sees an outstretched pistol creeping by. He ends up on the ground staring at the barrel of Specilaist’s pistol. She admits to using them as bait. At first, she refuses to give Muscle a gun. She finally does and devises a quick plan to draw Devil from the property so the others can escape. She tells them to be ready when she gives the signal.

After a quick shootout Specialist forces Devil to retreat. Muscle helps Azar scale the house from a second-story window after hearing Specialist’s yells. Officer uses the opening to grab the pistol from his waistband. Muscle manages to get the pistol back as she tries to explain her betrayal. The shootout continues outside with a foot chase until Devil seemingly runs out of ammo. Nearby blood trails also indicate that he’s wounded. Specialist tracks the trail while Muscle and the others make their escape. At the vehicle, Muscle zip ties Officer’s hands and stashes her in the backseat.

Specialist tracks the blood trail to the front entrance but Devil is nowhere in sight. Muscle pulls up seconds later in the getaway vehicle and joins her outside. She isn’t surprised to learn that Officer was Devil’s mole. Against her urges, he manages to convince her that keeping Officer alive might later be useful. From his stashed getaway vehicle, Devil patches up his wound while running footage from his lapel camera through facial recognition software. When he discovers Muscles, Washington State alias, he makes a call to an unidentified female voice and orders a hit.

Aboard a crowded Kent, England train Muscles tries to learn more about Officer’s betrayal. She claims she didn’t give Doctor (Amara Karan) up and couldn’t share anything about Muscle’s family because she knows nothing of them. She adds that she likes Muscle but values her own life more. Muscle later discovers Specialist clinging to life in the bathroom. She’s managed to remove the bullet but the wound is bad. As he helps her up and tends to it, Jules pours out his heart over an emotional voice message. The episode ends with showing a team of hitmen watching Jules’ house.

 

Culprits Review

The episode started extremely strong but seemed to peak and fall the further it went. The pulse-pounding opening was incredibly gut-wrenching and revealed more pertinent details about the heist. Although slow at times, the series seems to do an incredible job of building suspense. For modern times, the series is easily one of the better. This episode had a shorter 48-minute runtime but somehow felt longer. The episode did more than an adequate job of expanding on the story while revealing little hidden secrets here and there. For that, I’d give the episode a 6 out of 10, despite the fact I felt the shootout at Youssef and Azar’s home was terribly scripted.

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