In the last episode, it was indicated that perhaps only Gabby would be questioned. Haynes only says this before we cut 72 hours before: “You and your friends are in a lot of trouble”. A hopeful beginning strikes us first. Ben and Rani get the keys to the food shop in Weston and they’re one step closer to living the dream. Christian warns the Dean of a player from New York. This big-ass drug lord is a threat to Dean’s operations. Even when Rani and Ben were kidnapped, they mentioned this strange foreigner. The Dean is obviously worried and that is exactly what the outlaws want. The American, of course, is Frank. All of this is a part of his “brass bunkum” graft. To protect his family he buys a gun and places it in Margie’s daughter’s play box. The reopening of the “Faircrest Hill” Community Center is next and Diane gets her underlings in order. She strictly asks them to refrain from any funny business. Gabby is put in charge of the posh Port-a-Loo, whose keys will also be with Diane. Other members are also given tasks to hold stalls during the opening ceremony. Haynes shows up during the meeting and speaks with Diane privately. She asks the trainee PCSO to keep an eye on the outlaws as she believes they’re running the Bristol line for Taylor. Lara’s marriage is nigh and Greg checks in on Gabby. She has been particularly volatile the entire season, seeing extreme ups and downs. How will she take it? And more importantly, will this affect the outlaws’ plan? For now, she is okay and pumps up Greg to not only ask for a promotion from his boss but also ask out Anne Marie. It is his effort to turn a new leaf. John is stressed over his situation. He tries to force his younger daughter to learn the trumpet and get a scholarship from a music school given how insecure he is about his family’s future. As expected, Greg chickens out. Taylor says he will strike a deal to rat on the Dean if he is secured immunity and early release by Haynes. She is reluctant but says she will do what she can. Margie has found the gun in her daughter’s things and confronts Frank. Without a hint of BS, Frank tells her the truth about everything. And I am talking about everything – including his plan to snip off to Brazil. All Margie does is walk away. She is too stunned to speak. Gabby packs the cocaine into smaller bags for the plan, while Ben and Rani make the trip to London to meet with the Dean. They have brokered a meeting of the drug lord with the American in a hotel. Dean walks in and Frank introduces himself as Ralfie from New York. Greg sits beside him too as the legal counsel in the entire deal. Initial speedbumps aside, the charade goes really well, including when Ralfie requests Dean to cut Ben and Rani from the deal. Myrna and John, who have grown closer in season 2, wait together for the last of the security guards to leave the Halloran warehouse. While they take the truck for the plan, Myrna shares about the policeman he sees every day in her house – the one who died in that fire. Although John isn’t allowed to ask more, it is clear he has started caring for Myrna. Greg explains to Dean (and us) that the plan is to smuggle cocaine into Halloran’s product – brake pads. Since they are a legitimate family business, they won’t be under suspicion at all. A deal is brokered but when Ralfie tells Dean that he will have to leave London to complete it, the plan falls into jeopardy. Frank manages to salvage the situation using his con-man skills and Dean falls for the trap. It is judgment day for the outlaws and their only chance at redemption. Each one of them has their own duties, which we will get to as the plan unfolds. Greg meets his former wife with her new husband at the fete. Gabby, seeing Greg uncomfortable, pretends to be his sexy, rich, and adventurous wife, slighting Greg’s ex and reassuring his confidence. Claire shows up too, forcing Myrna to be confronted with reality. John reminds her that Myrna was the one who got an innocent Claire fired from her job to protect herself. Her Machiavellian way of operating has blurred her senses to see how morally corrupt she has become. Frank feigns weakness and Diane allows him to lie down. Christian signs the deal and tells Haynes that a deal is going down at the Lake park Hotel at 2 pm. Seeing she just has half an hour, she rushes in with her partner. Frank piggybacks a ride from a kid with a BMX bike to reach the hotel. During a status update to Haynes, Diane politely throws the idea of Haynes attending her graduating ceremony. The detective is focused on work and doesn’t give a clear answer. Haynes and her partner see Dean’s car come in as Taylor said. But Frank asks him to turn around using the other exit and head toward a different location – the fete. So, he arrives and the positions are something like this. Myrna and Gabby are stationed at the charity car wash. Greg and John are to meet Dean and Frank in the parking behind the building. Rani and Ben are the lookouts to make sure the fake deal is not disturbed. Gabby throws vegetable soup in the posh VIP and locks in Diane, who comes to investigate. No longer under supervision, the plan picks up pace. But the central cog to the entire thing – John – is missing. Frank leaves Greg with Dean and his men to look for him. Myrna too joins in. Haynes and her partner realize Dean has taken the other exit. Myrna finds John in the washroom locked up. He gets cold feet and feels he cannot do the job. The larger issue is a mid-life existential crisis where he feels he is not adequate to take care of his family. Instead of sugar-coating lies, Myrna gets real with John. She says he has never learned to show weakness and ask for help since his own father bullied him. When circumstances get tough, John whimpers in the corner despite having all means of seeking help. Her strategy works and John proceeds with the plan. He meets up with Frank, Greg, and the Dean. He shows him the cocaine and it is the same product that Dean gave the group to sell. The Dean agrees to the deal and hands over the money (400,000 GBP). Just then, Rani and Ben come out with guns and force them to give them the briefcase. They run off with the money. Frank feigns to call off the deal but the Dean threatens him to deliver the product to him in London. He sets off to London and Haynes’ partner alerts highway patrol of Dean’s car’s makeup and its plates. Gabby stops Dean’s car to give it a wash and ask for donations. He then leaves. Myrna is called up to the stage by the Mayor to hand her over the keys to the center. She is reminded of what John said to her about Claire. Myrna declares that she is retiring from the BJC and hands over the reigns to Claire. Haynes and the police intercept the Dean on the highway. She asks him to open the boot and voila; 10 keys of cocaine are found. Dean is taken under arrest. We jump back to the investigation 72 hours hence, wherein the background of the outlaws refusing to accept any part in the operation, we see the last part of it play out. Rani and Ben actually had not taken the bag of money from the back of Halloran’s van; they had taken a box of drugs packed by Gabby. When Gabby stopped Dean’s car, Myrna helped open the boot, and Ben and Rani did the rest, while Gabby distracted Dean and his men. The outlaws are freed from the questioning, as even Haynes realizes it is a win-win for all of them. They celebrate and resolve their personal lives. Myrna no longer carries the ghost of seeing the policeman after handing over the reins; John tells his wife the truth and they embrace; and finally, we come to Frank. Margie says although she isn’t upset with him, he must leave. It is his nature to hurt other people and there is no way she is letting her kids go through what she went through. Frank accepts the truth and leaves. He tells the kids that it is his decision to leave and not their mother’s. Tom is upset and watches Frank leave. Rani gives the line and Taylor’s cut of the money to him. They part their separate ways and we see Taylor throwing the line in the gutter, signalling he is getting out of the drug business. John and his wife have his father over for dinner and let him know that they’re suing him for wrongful termination. John is coming for every penny his father’s got. Diane graduates and Haynes is in the crowd, cheering her on. Greg is fired for asking for a promotion but also goes on a date with Anne-Marie who is impressed by his confidence. Gabby decides not to snort up the cocaine she had taken out from the Dean’s pack. She instead chooses to go to a rehab meeting in the community center. Rani and Ben board the train to Weston. She goes to have a snack and suddenly has a vision of her life ahead. It scares her and she gets off the train. She stands outside Ben’s window, who is busy drawing his shop’s logo and aesthetic. He notices her outside and is confused at first. But gradually, he accepts Rani’s truth and decision and leaves his separate way. Rani goes outside the station and steals a Ferrari, signaling that her love for thrills will see her land up in the criminal world.
The Episode Review
I have to say that this is one of the better finales I have seen in a while. It is certainly better than season 1’s disappointing effort. The comparison might be skewed as well given that season 2 had a more compelling build-up and a thrilling conclusion with an elaborate con-plan. The close-out to season 2 is phenomenal in every regard. It is the perfect match for the ups and downs we saw in the middle. Character development was top-notch and the ending was such that we can easily have another season after this one. The central focus was on the big plan that our adorable outlaws pulled off with aplomb. Christopher Walken was the star of the show, almost single-handedly getting them out of a black hole. The Dean is away – for now – but expect him to come back if the show will be back for a season three. Rani’s character arc was built sumptuously given how she ended up in episode 6. We saw glimpses of change in her personality – the way she talked, dressed up, her body language, and her fascination with the adrenaline rush. She is attracted to it and couldn’t see herself with Ben in that boring life as a Weston-shop owner. It turns out; she’s the biggest gangster of them all! Another heartfelt aspect of the finale was closure. Myrna and John had a lot of things bottled up; so did Gabby. They have risen from their mishaps with a triumphant cheer, bringing smiles to our faces. Hope was never lost in their ability to change and they have capitalized on the opportunity. Episode 6 was perfectly placed and even though there were a lot of things conveniently steered toward the outlaws, there can be no complaints in the overall scheme’s context. Slick, happening, and inscrutably dramatic, this episode is the best of the lot – both seasons included. Kudos to the team and the wonderful cast for giving us such great moments!
