At the beginning of the episode Cynthia Coffin (Julie Walters) kicks Eugene Mathers (Edward Hogg) out of his room, due to his inability to pay. She intends to house prosecutor, Hugh Slater (Peter Sullivan), in his place. Hugh has already arrived and is immediately greeted by Ralph Whelan (Henry Llyod-Hughes). Ralph speaks about his Gandhi troubles and insists Dr. Ambedkar is handling the situation, as they speak. The conversation quickly shifts to Ramu Sood (Alyy Khan) and his nonexistent defense team.

As it turns out, Ramu’s family hires him a good lawyer, Vinod Mukesh (Ikhlaq Khan), but Ramu still seems downtrodden and pessimistic. At the courthouse, Ian McLeod (Alexander Cobb) is ridiculed by Stella Key (Lisa Kay) and Sarah Raworth (Fiona Glascott), due to his decision to testify for Ramu. In the courtroom, the Superintendent Rowntree (Guy Williams) is the first one to take the stand. He speaks about the evidence and Ian’s assistance in bringing down Ramu. At the missionary school, Leena Prasad (Amber Rose Revah) discovers Dougie Raworth (Craig Parkinson) deep in thought. He contemplates sending back Ralph’s check.

Leena insists the pair should speak to Sood’s lawyer about Adam and Jaya. Dougie insists it wouldn’t help Adam, so they should stay out of it. At the Whelan house, Aafrin Dalal (Nikesh Patel) brings good news to Ralph. Gandhi has agreed to end his fast, but the Untouchables negotiate to receive an increased number of seats. Ronnie Keane (Rick Warden) makes a snide comment and Aafrin responds in anger.

Sooni Dalal (Aysha Kala) is introduced to Ian at Mukesh’s office. She has become Mukesh’s assistant and helps Ian prepare his testimony. Ralph questions Cynthia about the trial and learns that everything is going well. He is glad to hear that Adam hasn’t been mentioned. Ian pays a visit to Ramu, who attempts to convince him against testifying. Ian returns home and drinks excessively, despite being scheduled to testify the next day. The following day, Cynthia testifies and alludes to the fact that Ramu also killed Armitage.

Alice Whelan (Jemima West) and Ralph speak about the trial. She insists the Whelans shouldn’t sully themselves with the law, which startles Ralph. Ramu takes the stand and admits to fleeing. Slater attempts to persuade Ramu to plead guilty, but his lawyer disallows it. At the Dalal household, Sita (Ellora Torchia) is becoming a frequent guest. Aafrin returns home, before he departs with Sooni to find Ian, who has gone missing. Meanwhile, Leena meets with Mukesh and tells him about Adam.

Leena takes the stand in Ian’s place. Leena brings up Adam and reveals that he was Jaya’s son. After a head gesture from Dougie, she admits she doesn’t know who his father is. She does reveal that Adam refers to his father as “demon”. Ralph heads to the school. When Adam sees him, he flees. Alice notices the strange encounter, but Ralph insists he only came about the repairs. Back at the courtroom, Mukesh attempts to pin the murder on Leena, before Dougie interrupts. This finally pushes Sarah over the edge and sends her running from the room.

Aafrin and Sooni discover Ian’s house trashed. They wait outside and Sooni once again insists Sita never gave her any note. Ian arrives in a drunken stuppor. Sarah returns to the club, but overhears the other women sarcastically joking at her expense. She hurries home and blames Dougie for their troubles. Cynthia attempts to convince everyone that Adam is Armitage’s boy. Back at Ian’s, Aafrin has departed. Sooni and Ian share a childhood tale, which encourages Ian to stick around and testify.

At the courthouse, Slater questions another suspect, who insists he saw an Indian man fleeing from the crime scene. Slater also receives a new piece of evidence, a man’s sandal. He insists this rules out a British man, as well as Leena. Ian and Sooni interrupt, before Ian takes the stand. Aafrin pays a visit to Alice and apologizes. He convinces Alice to sit down and listen to him. Meanwhile, Ian testifies and tells the truth.

Aafrin continues apologizing to Alice. Bhupinder (Ash Nair) interrupts with tea, before Alice admits she was impressed Aafrin drew her so well from memory. They share a moment, before Aafrin insists he cannot leave Sita, because she would have no one. Next, Aafrin meets up with Sita and confronts her about her lies. They argue, before he leaves her sobbing. Back at the courthouse, Ian’s alcohol problem is brought up, but he insists it is part of life here.

 

Ian insists he won’t sit back and let an innocent man go down, before lashing out at the audience and referring to them as bloodsuckers. That night, Cynthia and Ralph run into one another and eagerly await the verdict. Cynthia continues attempting to persuade Ralph that Ramu is guilty. Before he departs, Ralph tells Cynthia he is afraid she is never going to leave. In the morning, the judge brings down his verdict. Ramu Sood is found guilty and sentenced to death.

 

This sets off the crowd. At home, Ralph receives a letter from the mission school. It contains the check, as well as a letter from Dougie. The letter tells Ralph that they cannot be bought and that Ralph should not return to the school.

 

Indian Summers Review

The eighth episode of Indian Summers was undoubtedly the best thus far. The courtroom drama was excellent and heartfelt. Alexander Cobb really stood out in the episode and brought the emotions. Despite his failure in proving Ramu’s innocence, his actions were up lifting. It was also nice to Sarah and Cynthia slammed to reality somewhat.

We’re inching closer and closer to the finale and I cannot wait to see what unravels. A 9 out of 10 is deserved! Be sure to check out our other Indian Summers recaps now!