Track 6: Who Killed Bambi? – As the finale of Pistol begins, Malcolm McLaren (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) tells Vivienne (Talulah Riley) that he is going to blow up the Pistols. He has to destroy them. Viv claims something new and more powerful can emerge from the chaos. It was her philosophy and he appropriated it. When asked about Steve, Malcolm says he may rise or fall. Chaos will decide. Then, there is a news report about the Pistols coming to America to “rip some dollars off the Yanks”. At the motel in Atlanta, they’re told that Americans have guns and there have been death threats against them. They’re told not to go anywhere without Allison or EK. They joke around with Allison. Sid wants to go find some drugs, but the guards don’t want that to happen.

Sid headbutts him before Allison beats him up and slams his head against the wall multiple times. Allison throws him onto the table. Sid says this is going to be great. A religious group protests outside of their concert. Sid tells the guard that he needs heroin. The guard gives him Valium and tells him not to take more than two at a time. As the band tours the country, we hear what some of the audience members think of them. Later, Sid calls Nancy to tell her they won’t let him get heroin and she needs to find him a connection. Johnny (Anson Boon) hangs up the phone before Sid runs away. The guards catch him. Johnny talks to a journalist about how he understands rock ‘n’ roll while others don’t. The band goes to a drive-in theater to watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

A nightmare wakes up Steve who finds Sid using a knife to carve into his chest. When they perform at the Longhorn Ballroom, Sid begins cutting himself on stage. Back on the bus, Sid tells Steve he wasn’t giving much out there tonight. He says this is punk so you have to give it. Steve argues he was too busy trying to play his parts and Sid’s too. Johnny asks the guard where Sid got heroin from when he goes into the bathroom. The guard says he has “give me a fix” on his chest meaning a fan likely slipped him something. Steve mocks John by saying it was a genius idea getting Sid in the band although Johnny says he’ll take care of it. They argue a bit more before Steve wonders how two weeks in Texas can feel like two years in hell. Steve calls Malcolm to say he isn’t going to San Francisco on that bus with John.

Malcolm doesn’t know how he can stand John who tells journalists that he and Cookie are the backing band. He suggests the backing band fly out to San Francisco. Johnny and Sid smoke on the tour bus while Sid sings Jesus Loves Me. They stop at a church and continue on to the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on January 14, 1978. Malcolm joins them and explains he has been in Los Angeles dealing with some Sex Pistol business. Johnny says he has been dealing with some near-death business involving thousands of redneck cowboys baying for his blood. Steve says they have all been dealing with that, but Johnny gets it worse because he is the scar. Steve tells Paul they might as well piss off and have some fun. John argues it won’t be hard finding a backing band.

Sid laughs and says everyone is looking at him and Johnny anyway. Malcolm likes seeing them argue because they were turning into a rock band. Ha wanted to bring them back down to the street level where they belong. Malcolm wanted to throw them into the furnace and see what stays. That is why he only wanted them to play the southern states. Although Warner wanted them to play the big cities, Malcolm said they weren’t a rock band. They’ve very soon to be sexy Latin assassins. Malcolm reveals he has been working to acquire funding for a movie called The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle. He has already recorded a track for it and they’ll be flying to Rio after this. The Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs is going to be a guest vocalist on a Pistols track.

Johnny doesn’t like that idea and goes after Malcolm, but the others try to calm him. He tells Sid to come with him. Malcolm tries to get Sid to stay. Sid won’t because he hates Malcolm for what he did to Nancy. Johnny insists he isn’t getting on a plane to Brazil. Steve shows up at his motel room to say they’re worn out and things have gotten out of hand. Steve just wants to have fun every now and again. Johnny tells him that Ronnie Biggs bashed a train driver. He was a decent, working man who was left brain-damaged for life.

Malcolm will make them fools. Johnny also asks about the money since the Warner’s are putting up 300 grand in hopes one of them won’t commit a crime so they must be worth something to someone. They don’t have bank accounts and Johnny can’t imagine what is in those contracts. He complains about his motel room while Steve and Cookie are in a five-star luxury motel. Steve believes they decided to stay on the bus, but Johnny says they didn’t have a choice. Johnny argues he is trying to divide them and turn them against one another. He says the Pistols have so much more to do, but it has to be without Malcolm. Johnny tells Steve that he needs to choose. Malcolm goes or Johnny goes. Johnny says tonight will be their last show if Malcolm isn’t gone tomorrow.

After their performance, Johnny calls it another tuneless racket. He claims they can put up with anything if they can put up with that. He tells them they’re going to get one number and one only because he is lazy. As they perform, Malcolm plays the piano and sings about being happy. Johnny asks the audience if they ever get the feeling they’ve been cheated. He says good night and leaves. Sid says he played like crap tonight. It doesn’t matter. Steve tells him that the sound guy turned his amp off because Warner’s was filming the show. He didn’t mess it up. Instead, he looked great and that is what really counts. Sid reveals he is going to be seeing Nancy again soon. She taught him everything he knows about sex. Sid believes she could teach Steve a few things too.

Steve tells him that he already slept with her and it wasn’t anything special. When Sid asks what, Steve says Nancy is a lucky bird because he is something special. Sid thanks him although he didn’t think Steve liked him. Steve argues he is just too stressful to be around most of the time. Steve knows it is his job. He calls him unique before asking if he can cop some of his dope. Sid reveals he stole Jolene’s spike, but Steve doesn’t like needles. He snorts the heroin instead. Once he gets high, he says they need to talk about Malcolm. Johnny gets a call from Steve who says they’re doing it at the Miyako in an hour. They all get together with Malcolm as Steve tries to tell him the news. Steve can’t say it. Malcolm says Steve told him about his concerns and he understands.

He believes Johnny is leaving. Malcolm says Steve decided to keep the present management in place. Johnny calls Steve a coward. Sid refuses to go with him this time. He says Malcolm is going to put them in a movie and he is going to be the lead singer. Steve runs into the bathroom to throw up. At the Bellevue Hospital in New York on January 18, 1978, Johnny tells Sid that he couldn’t even make it back to London without overdosing. He knows only one person tells him what to do and calls him a whipped fool for it. Sid believes he is just jealous because no one can write even one thing they love about him. Johnny tells him goodbye and leaves flowers on the bed before exiting the room. Steve goes to the rehearsal rooms where Chrissie (Sydney Chandler) is performing. He listens to her, but she doesn’t see him. Julien Temple (Lorne MacFadyen) tries to film some scenes for Swindle. Malcolm doesn’t cooperate well.

Steve goes to the bathroom to snort drugs. At the Studio De La Grande in Armee, Paris, Sid learns they have to produce a French song. He calls it another Malcolm swindle. He complains about believing John was his mate and that Malcolm was an actual manager. They go through song choices as Steve believes they should do My Way. Steve argues that people will remember Sid forever if he can make the song his own. The backing will put that Pistols’ wall of sound behind him. Steve recommends changing the lyrics like Rotten used to when he did covers. Since Steve can’t help him with the words, Sid decides to get Nancy to help.

With her help, they write the song and record it. At Hotel Chelsea in New York on October 12, 1978, Sid hears Nancy trying to wake him. He gets up and tells her he is going to get his methadone. He apologizes for last night as we see a brief fight flashback. Sid looks in the bathroom where he finds Nancy in a pool of blood with a knife on the floor next to her. Steve sees Sid’s arrest on television. Malcolm tells them not to worry because he’ll hire a lawyer, get Sid out on bail, and they’ll continue the Pistols as planned. Viv admits that gives her a good idea for a t-shirt. At the Marquee Club on February 2, 1979, Chrissie performs with the Pretenders. Before the performance, she learns that Sid overdosed and died. Later, Malcolm complains about Sid dying and asks what they’re supposed to do with the shirts that say “She’s dead, I’m alive, I’m yours”.

Malcolm tries to find a way to change them to something else. Steve wonders if John was right after all and if this is just one big swindle. Malcolm tells him not to complain because he is a greater thief. Steve argues he should’ve protected them, but Malcolm came up with all the ideas and took all the risks. When Steve says that film makes them look like fools, Malcolm says they are fools. Steve claims they’re family. Malcolm doesn’t think anyone would care about them without him. Steve reminds him that they were supposed to matter to him. Malcolm says he is only 30 and isn’t Steve’s father. Viv tells Steve it isn’t personal because Malcolm is like him. He is a lost little boy who thinks he needs to burn down his forest to find his way home. He is burning Steve. Malcolm asks Viv what she’d know since she is just the woman doing the sewing.

Steve goes home and grabs a needle. He remembers Sid telling him that it isn’t as good when it is snorted. While Steve shoots up, Sid sings his version of My Way and commits suicide. He tells Jones that he is next. Johnny enters before telling him that things didn’t work out exactly as planned. Steve confesses Johnny was right and he should’ve never picked Malcolm. That isn’t why Johnny came although he agrees. He warns Steve that he is going to go the way Sid went. John says Sid was special, but the drugs turned him into a third-rate B-movie. He doesn’t think the band would’ve survived even without Malcolm and Steve knew Sid wasn’t ready to be a Sex Pistol. Johnny needed his mate and it killed him. He feels very guilty about that. Steve believes Sid was going to go that way whether he was a Sex Pistol or not.

It wasn’t Johnny’s fault and it isn’t always about him. Johnny gets ready to leave before telling Steve that they did some things. Then, we jump back to 10 days before the US tour when the Pistols played a benefit gig for striking firemen and their families in Huddersfield. In the back, John tells Sid that these are the children of working-class heroes and they’re here to bring cheer to an otherwise dismal Christmas. They agree no potty mouth. The Queen talks while fireworks in the background spell out “bollocks”.

 

Pistol Review

Pistol was a fun ride from start to finish although it somewhat fizzled out in the last three episodes. While the last few minutes of the finale were touching, the rest was pretty messy. The series leaves a lasting void that I need to feel by watching a thorough documentary. The American casting choices were questionable with some characters sounding like cartoons so it is good they weren’t in it for more than a few minutes.

Regardless, this is a good introduction to the Sex Pistols as long as viewers take everything with a grain of salt. There are interesting tidbits of information here and the performance for the striking firemen was nice. Times were different back then when musicians had to tour and really work harder to get their names out there. The show did a good job of detailing the band’s unlikely rise while allowing viewers to relive the nostalgia.

The finale could’ve been better, but the series was good as a whole. The finale scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Pistol are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.