Gangs of London Review: Family Drama, Intense Action Blend for Riveting New Crime Series (Season 1 Episodes 1-3)
Caution! Spoilers ahead for Gangs of London Season 1 Episodes 1-3. Seriously, stop reading now if you want to be surprised.
Fine, you’ve been warned.
If you’re into Shakespearean power struggles combined with brutal fights and lots of action, then the new AMC+ series Gangs of London is made for you.
The British drama follows the Wallace crime family as they deal with the death of their patriarch, Finn.
He was the head of London’s criminal world, with all the other families answering to him.
When someone kills him, his oldest son Sean takes over running things, but the others are questioning his leadership style.
Every great gangster story has a fascinating boss. Unfortunately, the first three episodes do not portray Sean Wallace as a capable boss who can be trusted to lead his family through the coming upheaval.
It’s impossible to find anything interesting or redeeming about Sean. Everyone around him is smarter and better at this than him. He refuses to listen to the many warnings from his competitors and allies.
Joe Cole is great at showing glimpses of Sean’s occasional reluctance about the life he’s in, but the character isn’t given enough layers in these opening episodes.
It isn’t until the final moments of Gangs of London Season 1 Episode 3, where he confronts Lale, the woman in charge of the city’s heroin operation, that he finally takes charge of his family and feels like the boss.
The potential of seeing Sean’s evolution is enough to keep us anticipating more of his story.
The audience’s entry into the show is Elliot, a low-level enforcer in the Wallace family.
On Gangs of London Season 1 Episode 1, he makes an impression on Sean by tracking down Finn’s missing driver. This catapults him closer to the inner circle, which makes everyone suspicious.
By the end of the first episode, Elliot’s real secret is revealed. Turns out he’s an undercover cop working to bring down the Wallaces.
It’s not clear what level in the police service Elliot is, but he’s obviously in way over his head. Apparently, he’s been undercover for two years and hasn’t brought them any important information.
Finn’s death gives him the opportunity to work his way up the ladder. The problem is, he doesn’t appear to be very good at his job. Any advances he makes all happen by luck.
We’re not expecting a Jason Bourne/James Bond-style expert operative, but we do need to feel like he could realistically blend in with these criminals and gain their confidence.
A series’ opening episodes serve to set up the world viewers will be living in for the rest of the season. In Gangs of London, that means meeting the various bosses, discovering their motivations, and revealing the shifting allegiances that depend on a given situation.
By far, the most interesting of these characters is Lale. We meet her as the first boss who openly defies Sean, however, later her real motives are revealed.
Lale is a Kurdish revolutionary who sends the money she makes home to help her people with medicine, food, and weapons for the fight. She’s not in it for the power, it’s a means to an end for her.
Narges Rashidi’s performance is captivating. Every second she’s on-screen we can’t look away. She takes us from crushing grief to raging vengeance to heartbreaking resolve but never goes over the top. Even in the quiet moments, she keeps us on the edge of our seats.
Gangs of London has already been renewed for a second season. We hope that by the time all the bloody backstabbing is over, Lale will still be around.
The Wallaces are longtime partners with the Dumani family. Ed was Finn’s problem solver, while his son Alex is the businessman in charge of the numbers.
Following Finn’s death, Ed and Alex hold a meeting with the heads of the other families to assure them it will be business as usual.
Ed obviously wants to take charge, but he concedes control to Sean, who stops all business until his father’s killer is found.
At this point, Ed and Alex’s full goals are not clear, but they definitely have their own ambitions separate from the Wallaces.
We can tell there’s more going on with them, but we don’t spend enough quality time with either character to get a solid read on them. And trust us, there were a few pointless scenes we could’ve done without, so we could get to know the Dumanis better.
The series really gets to show off during the action and fight sequences. They’re savage and extremely cinematic, so the audience feels like they’re a part of the chaos.
Gangs of London’s family drama, constantly changing motivations, and overall mystery make it a solid choice to fill the Succession or Game of Thrones sized hole in your TV schedule.
What did you think of Gangs of London’s first three episodes? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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New episodes of Gangs of London premiere every Thursday on AMC+.
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Stephanie Holland
Stephanie Holland is a nerdy lover of Star Wars, Disney, Doctor Who, Arrowverse, Star Trek and WWE. Is living the dream of turning a lifelong obsession with TV into an actual job. Still waiting for a reboot of the '80s classic Small Wonder.