The episode opens with a uniformed schoolgirl (Amelia Poggenpoel) boarding a bus to Mason Grove. At the next stop, Patrick Ellis (Adam Long) boards the bus and takes a seat next to the girl. She looks at him and turns to look out the window. At a briefing, Hannah Wheatley (Katherine Kelly) holds a briefing on a missing Amy McLennan (Tilly Kaye) whose trail goes cold after she leaves the caravan park. DI Tommy Jardine (Tom Christian) says Amy’s grandmother denies having contact with her. DCI Liz Nyles (Siobhan Finneran) picks several of Amy’s former classmates to contact. DCI Amanda Kelman (Nadine Marshall) suggests Liz try Amy’s aunt and uncle again. After the briefing, Liz tells DI Richard Bewley (Andrew Knott) that Gemma Brandice (Nichola Burley) doesn’t know John Gibson/Nigel Frankton (Jonathan Cake). He says Gibson most likely works for Eddie Crowther (Alec Newman). She says his vehicle is registered to a Crowther company. He questions how she found Gibson and why she is interested in him. She believes he could lead her to Amy and a lot more.

Oscar Sumner (Jason Langley) criticizes Liz for not keeping an eye on Amy. Liz says they couldn’t keep Amy locked up. Keeley Sumner (Gabriella Margules) tries to calm him down. Ignoring her, he blames Liz for 12-year-old Amy being out there alone. After receiving a call about Patrick’s arrest, she asks Keeley and Oscar to notify her if Amy calls. He accuses her of taking Amy’s phone and money. Keeley pleads with her to find Amy. Later at the police station, Liz interrogates Patrick about what he was doing last night. She says they received several reports of him harassing young women. He claims to have been talking to them. She shows him a CCTV photo of him sitting with the schoolgirl. He denies knowing she was a minor, even though, she was wearing a school uniform. She says he exposed himself to a minor and will be remanded in police custody. She receives a home security alert. Patrick threatens not to testify if she locks him up. She orders DS Raj Kohli (Chaneil Kular) to make the arrangements. A short time later, she arrives home to find Sid Nyles (David Hayman) banging on the smoke alarm with his cane and the kitchen filled with smoke. Jasmine Howard (Jodie Price) arrives. Liz scolds her for leaving Sid alone with a hot frying pan. Jasmine gets upset and walks away. Sid tells Liz that she stuffed that up royally. She sarcastically thanks him for making her feel better. She apologizes to Jasmine for not appreciating her effort. Jasmine admits to hating Cello and is quitting. She accuses her of moving Amy into her room without asking and she took her iPad. Liz asks if she can track it. Jasmine tracks it to a caravan park.

During a phone conversation, Sue denies seeing Amy using an iPad. Liz asks if she searched Amy’s room. They track the iPad to Amy’s room. Later, Liz informs Bewley of Amy texting Arlo Crowther (Reuven Walker). Bewley questions if Eddie was leading Arlo and urges her to alert Wheatley. Liz says Wheatley cannot to be trusted and Kelman may be leaking information. He warns of what might happen if he authorizes a raid on Crowther’s house and it goes wrong. She stresses the need to do it without delay to protect their only surviving witness, Amy. Later, an armed tactical team raids Crowther’s house to find Rezan Crowther (Zora Bishop) and Arlo on the sofa. An officer orders Crowther to get down on the floor while the others clear the house. Bewley says they have a warrant to search the house related to a child abduction. Crowther asks what child. Liz finds a handgun hidden in a shed. A short time later, Crowther accuses them of setting him up as two officers put him into a cruiser. Bewley tells Liz if ballistics can link the gun to Jock’s murder, they can lock Crowther up. She questions why the gun was there because Crowther obviously never killed Jock. Rezan claims Arlo has no knowledge of Amy’s whereabouts and for future questions, they will need to go through their attorney. Arlo approaches Liz as she is leaving. He assures her that Eddie won’t hurt Amy. She says if they find Amy safe, it will help Eddie. He admits to meeting her last night but she didn’t come home with him because they made her afraid of Eddie.

Liz and Raj watch CCTV footage of Arlo and Amy leaving a shop on Smith Street. He boards a bus and she walks in the opposite direction. Wheatley stops them outside the police station and insists on speaking with Liz about her and DS Paul Brandice’s (Barry Ward) relationship. In the interrogation room, Wheatley places Paul’s burner phone, stored in an evidence bag, on the table. Liz admits to finding the phone in Paul’s phone. Wheatley asks if she took the phone from Paul’s car and withheld it from the investigators. Liz says yes before explaining she did it to stay involved in Amy’s case to keep her safe and investigate Paul’s murder. Wheatley accuses her of deleting texts proving she and Paul were sexually involved. Liz tells her that she doesn’t trust the officers heading the investigation. Wheatley claims the phone was discovered during the search of Crowther’s house. Liz says Jardine knows Kelman tampered with the hospital CCTV footage. Kelman watches via the two-way mirror as Liz claims Gibson is the link between Paul and Crowther and possibly Kelman and Crowther. Jardine tells her Gibson’s call was made from an untraceable burner phone. CCTV footage shows Paul and Liz outside Sid’s house. Wheatley says they were working with Crowther to kill Jimmy McLennan (Kris Hitchen) and Helen McLennan (Catherine Tyldesley). Liz suggests Paul slept with her to locate the McLennan safe house and denies working for Crowther. After Jardine leaves, Wheatley says Liz has done nothing but lie to her and now, she expects her to believe her. She doubts Liz would believe her if their roles were reversed.

Kelman warns Liz that she will be charged for perverting the course of justice. Liz admits to identifying her as the leak. Kelman tells Liz that she will be placed on suspension. She urges her to hire a lawyer and stop her obsessive digging. Raj confronts Liz outside the police station. She assures him that it isn’t as it seems. He says they are saying she is corrupt. She denies the allegation. Refusing to talk to her any longer, he walks away. Liz arrives home to find the police searching her house. Jasmine asks if she is in trouble. Freddie Howard (Nick Moss) tells Liz that a member of Wheatley’s team notified him of what happened. She asks him to take Jasmine to his house. Later, Sid questions if Liz didn’t trust him enough to tell him. She says that isn’t true. Later, Liz finds Amy at her grandma’s (Sue Wallace) house. She assures Amy that her grandmother isn’t capable of taking care of her and it isn’t safe there. Liz urges Keeley and Oscar to take care of Amy but it would require them to relocate. Oscar asks why they can’t stay there. She warns that Crowther is still dangerous in jail. He blames it all on Jimmy. Keeley voices concern about how it will impact Miles Sumner. DCI Amos Wilson (Anthony Flanagan) tells Liz that Sue authorized Oscar and Keeley to enter the Protected Persons Unit.

Liz confesses to having an affair with Paul. Gemma says she should have known when Liz was hanging around. Liz tells her that Paul had no intention of hurting her. Gemma doubts her feelings were Paul’s priority. Liz suggests he was using her to access her protected witnesses when she sees a photo of Paul and John Gibson. Gemma identifies the man as Nigel Frankton who she hasn’t seen since the three of them took an aptitude test. She says Nigel got picked up by the intelligence services. Later, Liz meets with Crowther and shows him a photo of Nigel. She suggests they had an arrangement and Jimmy knew about it. When he turned on them, Nigel shut him up and set Crowther up to take the fall. She says Nigel planted the gun utilized to kill Jock at his house and Paul’s phone at one of his other properties. He says she is way over her head. She asks what he offered Nigel, so she can take it public. He says she has no idea who she is dealing with. She questions if Jimmy had evidence of what and Nigel were up to. He refuses to speak further.

Liz meets Amy before she leaves town. Amy embraces her for putting her with Oscar and Keeley. Liz reminds her that she said Jimmy and Paul were talking about insurance and asks if she can remember anything else. Amy claims Helen was upset because Jimmy gave the insurance to Paul. In her car, Liz receives a call from Rezan saying Crowther will call her tonight and tell her everything. She pleads with Liz to fix it for her family. After the call ends, Liz searches the Proper Owner Database to find a property in Ledley registered to Nyles. She goes to the address. In jail, a prisoner (John Caras) asks Crowther if he needs a phone. In Ledley, Nyles is making himself a drink when he hears the doorbell. He opens the door to see Liz standing on the other side of the street. At the jail, an inmate strangles Crowther and Patrick helps to stage it to look like a suicide. The episode ends.

 

Protection Review

Liz convinces Bewley to execute a search warrant at Crowther’s house. The gun utilized to kill Jock is discovered in the shed. Crowther is arrested. A search warrant at another of Crowther’s properties produces Paul’s burner phone. Wheatley confronts Liz about her deception. Liz admits to having done it to keep Amy safe and investigate Paul’s murder. Kelman places Liz on suspension but she continues to work the case. She finds Amy living with her grandmother and convinces Oscar and Keeley to take care of her. Nelson is assigned to their case.

Liz visits Crowther in jail. He refuses to talk but does mention Jimmy having insurance. Liz recalls Amy saying Paul and Jimmy were discussing insurance. Amy tells her that Helen was upset with Jimmy because he gave the insurance to Paul. Crowther is ready to talk to Liz but he is killed in jail. The episode deserves a 5.3 out of 10.

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