At the start of the episode, a young Elliot joins his father in the locker room before a boxing match. His father, Charlie (Adam Bernard), reminds him that pawns cannot be kings but they can be free to roam. Charlie tells his son that he has to take a fall in the third and it’ll look a lot worse than it is. Elliot watches the match and his father goes down just like he said he would. After that, Elliot (Sope Dirisu) allows evidence to be taken from his hair and clothes. He asks one of the officials about Vicky and he tries to figure out where they’re at. Seconds later, Elliot is taken to another room and strapped to a chair so he can be interrogated. Joseph (Cornell John) enters and asks Elliot a few simple questions. Elliot is asked about being at the hotel and being in contact with Sean Wallace.
Joseph wants to know what Elliot was running from before revealing Sean (Joe Cole) blew up a building two days ago. Joseph asks why Elliot went to meet him before it looks like officials begin carrying in body bags. We jump back to the previous day and see a news report about the Belvedere Tower collapsing. Lale (Narges Rashidi) listens as the reporter says the explosion has overshadowed Naris (Parth Thakerar) and his party winning the election. Nasir gives a speech about the attack and says the tower hadn’t opened yet so no one was killed. Alexander (Paapa Essiedu) is questioned by authorities while Nasir refuses to say what causes the tower to collapse. Marian Wallace (Michelle Fairley) goes to her husband’s grave before Vicky (Jing Lusi) talks to DCI John Harks (Garry Cooper) on the phone.
John says he wants to go after Elliot and he can stand trial alongside Sean Wallace. Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati) arrives and approaches Marian at the cemetery as several men watch from a distance. Ed sits with Marian and she tells him that she doesn’t know where Sean is. She believes she can get him away from London as long as she has a little time. Ed tells her that they want her and Sean dead. If he doesn’t fulfill their wishes, Alexander will die. Ed offers to spare Billy and Jacqueline if Marian tells him where he can find Sean. Sean hides out in a room with paintings of Billy while talking to Alexander on the phone. He believes bringing down more buildings will bring more questions. Alex tells him the investors want to meet face to face and make a deal.
Sean tells Alex that he’ll send him his address so they can go together. When the call ends, Alexander grabs a gun from his desk. Then, Sean learns that they’ve unlocked the cop’s phone for him. Sean sits on a bicycle and looks through the phone. He finds a message about Carter meeting Shannon Dumani and pictures of Shannon with Elliot. He finds another about Carter meeting DCI Cheung and reporting to his handler to deliver evidence against the Wallaces. This time, it includes pictures of Elliot handing evidence to Vicky. That confirms that Elliot has been working with police all along. Elliot tries to call Sean but he doesn’t answer and ends up leaving a message. Vicky freaks out before we rejoin Elliot’s interrogation. A brute of a man is brought in before Elliot is asked why he ran when officers arrived on the scene.
Joseph asks who ordered him to run when police entered the building before the big man punches him in the face. Elliot denies that anyone ordered him and recommends talking to Vicky because she is his handler. Joseph opens one of the body bags and reveals the body of John Harks. While Elliot is choked, the man asks if Elliot met with the people who invested in the Wallaces. Elliot is asked who is working for now. Next, we join Jevan Kapadia (Ray Panthaki) who is followed by a limo. The limo pulls next to and the window rolls down. Jevan looks inside and sees Mr. Jacob (Tim McInnerny) and Ms. Kane (Amanda Drew). Jevan tells them he has been on the phone with Asia all night and the client has been reassured that their assets are safe. He insists there is nothing to worry about but Jacob says his time has run out.
He is told that they can help him or he can help himself. Asif (Asif Raza Mir) chats on the phone while stuck in traffic trying to visit his son. He gets out and agrees to walk the last block. A woman stops him to ask who won. She learns that Nasir is Asif’s son and they chat briefly. The woman tells Asif that Nasir got her vote and they’re all looking forward to hearing him speak. When she leaves, Asif finds that his hand is bloody from shaking the woman’s hand. He rushes to his son’s victory party only to find his son murdered. Lale washes blood from a knife in Sean’s room. She confirms it is done and Sean says she should honor his death with satisfaction. She lets him know that she is going back to Kurdistan. She says she isn’t like Sean because she only wanted to hurt one man.
They chat about what they stand for before Sean asks why she is there. She curses him before they kiss and eventually have sex. Alex leaves Jevan a message claiming he has a solution to their problem and he is on his way over. However, it is too late for Jevan since he has been killed. Alex arrives in time to see Jevan’s body and the police presence nearby. Elliot is asked if the investors killed Jevan but he denies knowing anything. Elliot is asked how he found him before it looks like he is gassed. Meanwhile, Billy (Brian Vernel) sits at the airport. Elliot calls him and tries to get Billy to tell him where Sean is hiding. Billy relents and tells Elliot that Sean is hiding at an old hotel by Dagenham Docks. Lale leaves and tells the driver to take her to Zar.
Billy tells Elliot that Sean is staying in Room 307 at the Hotel Reno. Billy threatens to kill Elliot if anyone hurts Sean. Jacqueline (Valene Kane) meets with Billy as they prepare to get onto the plane. Elliot is trailed by John Harks and his people. Ed tells Marian that Finn charmed them all to death and Marian says Ed picked him. Marian pleads with Ed to let her help Sean escape. When Ed says he can’t do that, Marian pulls a gun and points it at him. Ed does the same. Ed shoots her before his men kill Marian’s men. He apologizes and holds her. Vicky visits Shannon Dumani (Pippa Bennett-Warner) and asks about her ex-husband Steven Young. Although Shannon claims he is in prison, Vicky can’t find any records on him but she has found a missing person’s report filed by his mother.
Vicky wants to know who she is protecting and she thinks it might be her dad or brother. Vicky wants an informant and she thinks Shannon might be a good candidate. She explains that she only wants Sean Wallace before Shannon admits she only told Elliot her ex was in prison. She learns that Elliot was working for them but is no longer on the case. Vicky promises to keep everything between them before Shannon asks for a minute. Vicky sits down while Shannon goes upstairs. Elliot tries to call Vicky and he leaves a message. He tells her where Sean is hiding and says he wants to make sure it has been worth it. Meanwhile, Shannon gathers her belongings. Shannon enters the room with a gun, tells Vicky there is a lot she doesn’t know about her, and shoots her.
Next, Jacob and Kane meet up with Elliot and invite him into their vehicle. Joseph interrogates him and asks what they wanted him to do. Elliot gets out of their vehicle and he is followed by a helicopter. Elliot approaches the hotel before getting a call from Sean telling him to come up. Police surround the place while Elliot makes his way to Sean’s room. Elliot is searched and his gun is taken before he is allowed to speak to Sean. Sean knows that Billy told Elliot where he could find him. Sean begins telling him about the evidence he has found about Elliot being a cop. Elliot says he told the truth about his wife and child. He also says it isn’t personal and Sean is a criminal. Sean understands Elliot requested to go undercover and that he has been sleeping with Shannon.
Elliot says he has seen people like Sean get away with it all of his life but it was only a mission and not a righteous mission. Sean suggests he is a nobody without bringing down the Wallaces. He also says he has something special lined up for Elliot before he hits Elliot and leaves the room. Elliot is interrogated by Joseph until a nurse enters and says it is enough. Joseph needs to speak to forensics and she wants to check Elliot’s vitals. Joseph tells her to be quick because Elliot is running out of time. When the woman checks Elliot’s vitals, she tells him he is doing well. She whispers something in his ear and Elliot says he understands.
When Joseph returns, Elliot him that he needs to make a call. After a little back and forth, Joseph agrees to let Elliot calls his father. Elliot tells his father that he has gotten into a bit of a scrape. It might seem like he took a fall in the third but he took it all the way. Then, Elliot asks his father about the place they used to talk about traveling to. Charlie looks at the card of Jamaica he has nearby and Elliot encourages him to make a head start. Elliot says he’ll catch up with him before saying pawns can be kings. He tells his father he loves him before the call ends and Joseph wants answers. In a flashback, Sean returns to Elliot and tells him he realizes he might be the only way to get what he wants. His father was hiding calls for investors and that money was meant for hospitals in poor countries.
80% of the capital for the building he blew up came through tax havens before showing Elliot a small computer component. He says it holds information about years of information and implications. Sean goes on to say that he has been punishing the wrong people. Sean claims there are bodies in the foundations of the buildings they own. He wants Elliot to work with him because these people will never see the inside of a prison. Sean says he is on a crusade and Alexander has already picked his side. Alex arrives and is promptly searched for weapons before being allowed in. Before he steps inside, Sean asks Elliot to look beyond the circus and help bring down the real showmen. Alex arrives and interrupts their conversation. Alex wants to talk to Sean alone but Sean wants to keep Elliot around.
Alex tells him that he screwed up by directing attacking their investors. Alex warns him that he won’t be able to win but Sean claims none of this matters anyway. Sean says Finn must’ve recognized himself and his filthy greed in Alex before suggesting he’ll need more than numbers to take his father’s place. Elliot watches as Alex pulls out his gun and Sean puts his gun down. Sean says he’ll never come back from it if he does it. Sean tells him he isn’t evil like his father and neither of them is like their dad. Sean is convinced they can work this out because Alex is the smartest person in the room. He says they started it together so they can take them down together. Elliot approaches and takes Alex’s gun. Elliot points the gun at Sean and shoots him in the face. In a flashback, Ms. Kane tells Elliot that Sean Wallace must never stand trial and Alex Dumani must remain in play.
Elliot looks out of the window and finds out that they’re being raided. He tells Alex to cover his mouth before they try to escape. Along the way, heavy-armed officers shoot at them as they move through the party. They get down on the ground with the others before making a run for it again. Alex shoots and kills Harks before the couple makes it to the rooftop. Alex asks Elliot who is else but they don’t have time to sit around and talk. Alex escapes. Elliot chews on the storage device before giving himself up to people. Jacob and Kane tell Elliot that he has lost loved ones before but he has a chance to save their lives this time. He shows them a picture of Shannon and Danny. Sean’s body is discovered and we return to Elliot’s interrogation. Joseph wants to know how to find the people who wanted Sean dead.
Jacob tells Elliot he can be whoever he wants and go wherever he wants to go. He explains that they’re offering him a new life. Elliot tells Joseph that the people he works for sent him a message. He explains he is protected under diplomatic immunity by the Republic of Panama. Joseph calls to confirm that Elliot is working for Panama before he begins cursing. Joseph warns him he has bought himself into a very dangerous world. Elliot gets up and walks along the body before the nurse returns and walks in the opposite direction. Elliot finds a passport and other belongings before leaving through the subway tunnel. Once he escapes the tunnel, he removes the storage device from his mouth.
Elliot makes it to the street. He receives a call from Kane who says they’ll be in touch. Then, we jump back to the previous day and see Marian’s body on the bench. Floriana approaches and calls her name. Marian opens her eyes and Floriana tells her she is going to help her.
Gangs Of London Season 1 Episode 9 Review
I have to admit that I am befuddled by the finale of Gangs of London. It was rather surprising and I don’t mean that in a good way. I think the show lost steam halfway through and the finale hit the bottom of the barrel. At times, it felt like they were making it up from week to week. The interrogation of Elliot was cheesy and most everything was too easy.
Lale had an easy time sneaking in and killing London’s new mayor at his victory party. Sean magically received the undercover officer’s phone which was conveniently hacked so he could find out about Elliot’s undercover work. Elliot and Alex managed to escape from the police officers who strangely gave them enough time for a chat and for Elliot to kill Sean.
The addition of Jacob and Kane was very odd as well. I wasn’t a big fan of the series but I’d think even die-hard fans would agree that the finale crapped the bed. They killed off the main character and still expect to have another season. The opening episode was pretty bad but the finale was by far the worst.
I hate to say it but I don’t see where they go from here. The show was already farfetched but I can’t fathom how nutty it’ll get next season. It doesn’t help that they killed some of the most important characters. There is no doubt about it. The finale was a real letdown. It scores a 5 out of 10. Previous recaps of Gangs of London can be found on Reel Mockery.
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.
