As the second episode of Four Lives begins, John Pape (Rufus Jones) searches the Internet until he finds a news article about Anthony’s death. Then, he reads another about Gabriel’s death. Seconds later, Sarah Sak (Sheridan Smith) gets a call from DC Slaymaker (Michael Jibson) who reveals they’re going to need to remove some body parts to run the toxicology tests. She is asked whether she wants the body parts disposed of or put back in the body. Sarah gets upset and throws her phone to the ground so Kate (Leanne Best) picks it up and continues the call. Slaymaker explains things to Kate. She says there is a better way to say this as Sarah yells that she doesn’t care what they do with the body parts because she only wants her son home. Once Slaymaker confirms to Kate that he heard Sarah, the call ends. Ryan Edwards (Samuel Barnett) walks home and spots Stephen Port (Stephen Merchant) walking around in his apartment through the window.

Ryan says it was a late finish and he saw Stephen was in so he decided to stop by. As Ryan walks inside, he admits he can’t wrap his head around Gabriel returning to Slovakia, getting ill, and dying. He thought Gabriel needed a good meal, but not that he was sick. Stephen suggests Gabriel was hiding something and complains that he should’ve told them before bringing his germs into his flat. Ryan asks whether they got on since Gabriel told him he thought Stephen was intimidating. He questions whether they did anything. Stephen says he looked fit on the website, but there was no chemistry there and denies they ever had sex. Then, Port begins showing Ryan some of the men he has been looking at online. When Ryan looks over and spots a syringe and pill bottles, he asks about it and says he didn’t know Stephen was into that kind of stuff. Port replies it is only for times when he wants to inject a bit of extra fun into the action.

Next, Daniel Whitworth (Leo Flanagan) walks with his partner Ricky Waumsley (Robert Emms) and discusses moving from Gravesend to Seville. Although Ricky doesn’t seem sure about moving, he agrees to start saving for a little hideaway in Seville when they get married and get a place of their own. Daniel mentions a few other destinations. After they kiss, Daniel takes his apple and runs away. Later that night, Ricky says he thinks they should look in Sevenoaks. He doesn’t believe Daniel is paying attention and accuses him of messaging other people although Daniel denies that. Daniel claims he was just texting work to see if he has to work evenings next week.  When Daniel asks why he is being touchy, Ricky insists he just wants to make sure Daniel is still committed. He promises he is. While at work, Ricky gets a message from Daniel letting him know he’ll be home late from work because something came up.

Paul (Shaun Thomas) watches television at home while Sarah yells for Sami (Memet Ali Alabora) because his train is coming soon. Sarah admits she has changed her mind about moving and doesn’t want to go anywhere until she gets Anthony home. She also wants to be there for Paul even though Sami says he pretends like she doesn’t exist. Ricky becomes worried when Daniel doesn’t come home so he calls and leaves a message. He gets up later that night and tries calling again. In the morning, we see a woman walking a dog by St. Margaret’s Church in Barking. Ricky calls the police to report Daniel missing. When the woman lets her dog Max run free, she finds Daniel’s body with a piece of paper next to him. The paper is protected by plastic. Police officers show up at Ricky’s house to tell him about the discovery. When he asks where and how, one officer says he was found hanged in a church yard in Barking.

He is told it is being handled by the MET Barking and Dagenham. Ricky begins breaking down before we join Sarah as Tom (Kris Hitchen) catches up with her. When they sit down for coffee, Tom says he talked to Slaymaker about the malicious texts. He was told it was passed on to Hull police so Tom went down there and they seem to believe it is some weirdo. Sarah says they might be right. Regardless, Tom can’t stop wondering if Anthony really thought they screwed him up before he died. Sarah doesn’t believe they should think about things like that. Tom talks about the time they got back together when Anthony was 14 and he was happier. He wonders if Anthony would’ve stayed home, avoided university, and not got involved with other lads if they’d stayed together. Sarah calls that bull crap. Since it takes two people to ruin a marriage, she doesn’t want that laid at her door.

DC Slaymaker contacts Ricky from Barking and Dagenham CID. Ricky tells Slaymaker what he knows including that Daniel might’ve hung himself, but Slaymaker says he wasn’t found hanged. While the investigation is ongoing, it looks like an overdose right now. Slaymaker isn’t sure why he was told that Daniel was hanged. John Pape contacts Rafael (Chris Brazier) again to ask if he has heard about Gabriel and whether he knows how he died. Rafael says the police got his brother to identify the body and said the investigation is still ongoing. He goes on to say he found a friend on Gabe’s Facebook by the name of Jon Luck who might be the guy Gabriel went to stay with. When Rafael contacted him, John claimed he didn’t know Gabriel died, they only spent two nights together, and Gabe left with someone named Dan. The police called yesterday to say another body had been found in the cemetery. Surprisingly, the dead guy’s name is Daniel.

John immediately calls the station to ask about the other body, but they won’t tell him anything since he isn’t the next of kin. He explains there were three bodies around the same area and that seems suspicious. The woman on the phone insists none of them are being investigated as suspicious deaths. Next, Ricky sits down with Slaymaker and another officer. As they begin asking him questions, Ricky confirms they were in a long-term relationship that was not open. Slaymaker asks if he was aware of Daniel seeing other men before explaining they’re trying to figure out why he’d take his own life. As for the suicide note, the detectives are still examining it. Ricky is asked about Daniel using gay dating apps and being involved in extreme sexual practices. Slaymaker says he isn’t being judgmental, but he knows some gay men like to explore their sexuality beyond normal limits. Ricky asks him not to pry since it is private. Ricky confirms they shared a spliff once in Amsterdam although it made them sick. Slaymaker asks if he knew about Daniel using GHB.

When Ricky says he doesn’t know what that is, Slaymaker says it is a drug regularly used by homosexual men. Ricky reminds him sternly that not all gay men are the same. Again, he says he has never heard of it. Slaymaker explains it is used to enhance the sexual experience, but it is incredibly dangerous. It is starting to look like Daniel might’ve used the drug to kill himself. After Ricky gives them a handwriting sample from Daniel, he is asked whether Daniel had a friend named Gabriel. Later that night, Ricky accesses Daniel’s email. He finds emails from real estate agents and one from a gay dating website. When he checks it, he finds Daniel’s profile which was accessed over 24 hours ago. It says the aspiring chef is single and seeking fun adventurous guys. He visits Daniel’s parents. Once they ask why he was in Barking, Ricky admits he might not have been as happy as he thought. They join Slaymaker who takes them to the spot where Daniel’s body was found.

Adam Whitworth (Daniel Ryan) places flowers against the wall where he was found. Slaymaker says it is their working assumption that Daniel overdosed here. When he is asked about checking CCTV to see how Daniel got there, he doesn’t think that will help them figure out what happened here. He also points out that they have a suicide note. They refuse to let Ricky see the suicide note because he isn’t next of kin. Slaymaker only allows Adam to see the suicide note since he is next of kin and the stepmother is not. Adam tries to convince him to let Mandy (Ella Kenion) read it too. She is allowed to see it eventually. Seconds later, the suicide note is read and it starts with an apology to everyone but mainly his family.

They learn that the letter says he took the life of his friend Gabriel. They were supposedly having fun at a friend’s house when he gave Gabe too much G. He didn’t notice he wasn’t breathing as they were having sex. At the end of the letter, he asks them not to blame the guy he was with last night because they only had sex and he left. The letter claims Daniel deserved this and dropped his phone somewhere in the grass. It is signed Daniel P W. As Mandy begins asking questions, they learn that Gabriel’s body was found in the same spot roughly three weeks ago. They’re told he killed himself using the same drug GHB since there was a bottle near the body. They’re told to ask Ricky because he’ll know. Regardless, Adam doesn’t think the note sounds like Daniel. Mandy finds it odd that he didn’t mention any of them including Ricky. When they sit down together later, Ricky says he knows nothing about GHB and they still can’t tell if the handwriting was Daniel’s.

Mandy wonders about the comment about the guy last night although Adam says it doesn’t matter since he is dead. While he says they’ll have to try to accept it, Ricky isn’t sure how he’ll do that. Stephen Port looks at his dating profile as Jon Luck as he waits in the police station. He says he is on bail and has to report monthly. He admits it could be months before he gets a trial. Next, Kate finds Sarah looking at the escort website before she admits she hasn’t told Tom about him doing escort work yet. Soon, Kate learns that they’ve found another body in the same place. Ryan and Stephen go for a drink as Stephen asks why he hadn’t dropped by lately. Ryan says there is no special reason. It isn’t the gear since that isn’t any of Ryan’s business although he doesn’t do anything like that. Stephen explains he’d share it with a guy if he wanted, but he doesn’t deal it. He wants to make sure that they’re still friends and he hasn’t driven him away so Ryan says they’re good.

Then, Port shows him the toy he picked up in Argos. Slaymaker calls Sarah once they get the toxicology results back and it confirms he had GHB in his system. Sarah believes that means he was killed since he only used poppers. While Slaymaker continues saying it was likely a drug overdose, Sarah refuses to believe it and suggests it was murder. It means she can finally get Anthony home so he’ll get someone to call with the arrangements. The funeral takes place after that. Sarah gives a speech about her son. She tells them more about Anthony and how much she loved him. His ashes are buried a short time later. Tom confessed he wanted grandchildren. He believes it is okay for Sarah since she still has a son. Since Tom knows Paul thinks of him as a father, he isn’t proud of feeling that way. Later, O’Donnell (Ben Cartwright) and Slaymaker visit Sarah at home. As they sit down, Slaymaker says there has been a development since a 29-year-old man is due to appear in court in relation to matters pertaining to Anthony’s death.

She learns more about Stephen Port who lives in a flat near where Anthony’s body was discovered. Tom asks whether it is Joe Dean. It is confirmed Port is the man Anthony was meeting for sex and Port claims Anthony brought drugs with him. Port has alleged that Anthony overdosed in his flat so he panicked and moved the body outside. Sarah can’t believe they let Stephen pull the wool over their eyes although Slaymaker reminds her he didn’t take Stephen’s first statement. When Tom asks about the malicious texts, it is revealed there is nothing linking Stephen to those. Sarah doesn’t believe Anthony brought the drugs so she argues they shouldn’t believe Port now. Although Slaymaker doesn’t believe they’ll ever find out exactly what happened, Sarah is adamant she needs to know. She argues they’d feel the same if it was their kid. She wonders why it took so long. Slaymaker says it took this long to go to court, but Sarah believes they’re worried everything will come out in court.

They want to attend the court hearing although they can’t because of work. Slaymaker tells them they shouldn’t worry because the outcome is not in doubt since Port is going to plead guilty. The only question is what sentence he’ll get and Slaymaker will keep them informed of that. Then, we see Stephen Port putting on a suit. He removes his toupee and looks in the mirror. Seconds later, Sami, China (Isabella Laughland), and Kiera (Alexa Davies) spot Stephen walking toward the courthouse and agree he looks nothing like the man from the profile. Sami calls Sarah to say Stephen looks like he is 40 and not 29. She instructs him to remain calm and listen carefully to what they say in the courtroom. In the courtroom, Stephen’s barrister admits he was wrong for lying about the circumstances that night. He claims Stephen has obeyed the law for most of his life and has a limited risk of offending again. Stephen was panicked because he thought he would be blamed for what happened to Anthony Walgate.

Furthermore, Stephen was worried that others would learn about his sexuality. He tried to avoid being bullied because of his sexuality. His attorney explains that Stephen did nothing else to impede the investigation. He encourages the judge to impose a custodial sentence today. After the hearing, Sami calls Sarah to tell her that Port got eight months. She doesn’t like that and calls him a liar. Sami believes Stephen killed their Anthony and says this is more of a joke than justice. In Turkey, someone like this wouldn’t make it to court because he’d be killed first. When Sami threatens to deal with Stephen when he gets out of jail, Sarah tells him not to do that because she has too much to deal with right now. Meanwhile, Ricky looks at pictures of Daniel while Sarah looks at her text messages. Paul is shown sitting in the rain drinking alcohol. Next, Ryan walks past Stephen’s car and looks at it. When he tries to visit Stephen, he notices that the mail has been piling up in front of the door.

John Pape goes to the Walthamstow Coroner’s Court to listen to the inquest into Gabriel’s death. They learn that Gabriel’s family resides overseas so they’re not going to be able to attend the hearing. Instead, they’re going to let Pape speak. The woman in charge (Shelley Conn) explains that Pape was Gabriel’s landlord for a few weeks before his death. Rolf Shamberger (Jack Pierce) identifies himself as the Acting Detective Inspector at the time of the investigation. He tells everyone that they did not find any signs of a struggle and the CCTV cameras in the area did not provide any footage that could help in this case. By the time he took over, Gabriel’s body had been repatriated to Slovakia and his clothing had been lost so he wasn’t able to check his clothes for Daniel’s DNA. Pape is allowed to ask questions after being declared an interested person. He asks about the 23-year-old boy found dead near the same spot and whether a possible link between the three was even considered.

Rolf says he wasn’t involved in that investigation although he doesn’t think any connection was made. Pape believes there is cause for serious concern since this could possibly happen again. Since the only witness is dead, they cannot determine the events that lead to Gabriel’s death. As a result, it is ruled as an open verdict and the inquest is concluded. The inquest into Daniel’s death begins next. Rolf says the family saw the suicide note and they confirmed it was Daniel’s writing. While Daniel’s phone was never found, they still used cellular evidence to try to find the person he had been with and they didn’t find out who he was with. Without a witness or CCTV footage, they can’t tell how Daniel got to the cemetery or how the bruises around his underarms were created. Although the pathologist says the bedsheet that he was wrapped in should’ve been examined, Rolf admits an examination was never conducted. Since the circumstances indicated no other person was involved, an examination wasn’t carried out.

The woman in charge confirms she has questions that have not been answered by the police investigation. She cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt that he voluntarily took his own life. She also isn’t satisfied that he was unlawfully killed. Again, she declares the case to be an open verdict and apologizes to the family. Outside, Ricky and Daniel’s family belittle Slaymaker and his comrade for failing to give them any answers. Mandy reminds them they never said they recognized Daniel’s handwriting despite them saying otherwise. They wonder why it was never professionally analyzed or why they never asked why it was in a plastic sleeve. Slaymaker knows it isn’t great, but he thinks it is the end of the story. When he admits his governors likely won’t approve more investigations, Ricky gets upset and calls them jokes. Sami returns home and argues with Sarah who hasn’t been responding to his text messages. Their argument turns to moving away from Hull. Sarah admits she doesn’t care what happened to her as Sami tells her not to disrespect her husband.

She asks if it looks like she has a tea-towel on her head. She says she isn’t Muslim and they don’t have to obey their husbands in this country. Sami complains that she has never mentioned this before. She wants to find her own way through this and separate if he can’t let her do that. After he asks if that is what she thinks, he leaves and nothing more is said about it. Ryan feeds the chickens at his flat before he receives a text message from Stephen Port who invites him out for coffee. When he arrives, he finds that Stephen is wearing an ankle bracelet and has already ordered him a drink. Ryan tells him that he came around a few times and never got an answer. Then, he tells Stephen about the rumor that he had gone to prison. Stephen admits it was a little mistake that cost him dearly and it was sort of linked to drugs. When Ryan says he wouldn’t have got prison for possession so it must’ve been dealing, Stephen says yes and that he got done. He knows he lied about dealing drugs and insists he has learned his lesson.

He got eight months. Since he was locked up with a Scotsman, it was tricky. Since he behaved himself, he got out after four months. Although he lost his job, Stephen believes he can get another. Kate finds Sarah mixing alcohol and pills. She knows she isn’t supposed to do that, but she no longer gives a crap. She complains about losing her son and husband. Sarah says it is no wonder Anthony hated her because she hates herself too. Kate doesn’t believe that because she thinks the mean texts were lies. Sarah feels like she is going mad. Either the police is right and she is crackers. or she is right and Anthony was murdered. Kate tries to comfort her sister even though she screams at her to screw off and go home. After that, Jack Taylor (Paddy Rowan) meets with his friend at the pub and claims he is still hurt because she brought a mate to their romantic dinner. He believes they can start again although she says they’ve been doing that since they were kids.

Since both are free now, they agree to try it again. He tells Dem he loves her before rushing off with his friend. At home, Jack tries to get help from his family as he fills out his application to become a security guard. They thought he didn’t want to be a security guard. He admits he doesn’t and only wants to be a copper. He blames his sisters, Donna (Jaime Winstone) and Jenny (Stephen Hyam), for not being in the army by now. They joke about his chicken legs. He gets a text message that he tries to keep secret from the others. He asks his dad to check the application. He is going to get curry with Dan and Gemma before likely going down to the Trades Club. After saying goodbye to everyone, Jack gets out of a taxi later that night and meets with Stephen Port.

 

Four Lives Review

Four Lives is getting better with each episode as the devastating events are slowly playing out on the small screen. The second episode was vastly improved over the first although it would’ve been nice if extra time was given to everyone involved. While the other families are regularly shown, it feels like more emphasis is being placed on Sarah Sak. Ultimately, this makes sense because Anthony was Stephen’s first victim, but I’d like to see more of Ricky, John, Tom, Adam, and Many because their plights are responsible for setting this apart from other true-crime dramas.

For some strange reason, I feel more sympathy for these characters despite the fact that everyone went through equally devastating events. Regardless, this is a story that needed to be told and it feels like the story has been handled pretty well so far. The second episode was better than the first so I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10. Four Lives recaps are available on Reel Mockery here.