Gangs of London Review: Having a Doctor in the Family is Key to Survival (Season 1 Episode 4)

Following its first three episodes’ introduction into Gangs of London’s criminal world, Season 1 Episode 4 jumps right into unraveling all the tenuous relationships surrounding the Wallace family.

Despite his well-earned reputation as a psychopath, Sean Wallace is really just a sad little boy still trying to earn his father’s approval. Something that he’ll never get now, so every decision he makes is way over the top.

This episode gives Joe Cole a chance to show what’s behind Sean’s mask, and this aspect of his character is far more interesting than the man who we first met burning someone alive.

We understand this is an action-packed crime drama, but we need more of the quiet moments to establish why we should care about this man once the bullets start flying. And boy do they fly, but we’ll get to that later.

After his unilateral decision to save Lale’s family on Gangs of London Season 1 Episode 3, Sean and Ed are now very suspicious of Elliot. To give Elliot some clarity on his place in the family, Ed shows up at Elliot’s father’s house and threatens him.

He lets Elliot know he works for Mark, the family’s lead enforcer, and must do whatever he says.

The one question that continues to hang over the series is, why would Elliot’s superiors allow him to stay undercover when he clearly isn’t giving them anything and is constantly “getting closer to the danger?”

Sope Dirisu gives Elliot interesting layers, but his character continues to be written as someone just stumbling through a dangerous world not thinking about consequences.

For example, possibly starting a romance with Ed’s daughter Shannon doesn’t seem like the smartest move. It feels forced, and out of the blue.

On Gangs of London Season 1 Episode 3, she told him about her deadbeat ex being in prison, so it’s ridiculous for us to think this smart woman would make the same mistake with one of her father’s low-level men.

There’s absolutely no reason to force a contrived romance between these two characters. Frankly, they both have more important things to do.

As we dig deeper into Wallace family secrets, Michelle Fairley, as Finn’s wife Marian, is finally given a chance to shine.

Marian has been doing a textbook job of being the grieving wife. She’s supported Sean, taken care of Billy, and absorbed Jack’s contempt. She’s done everything she can to put her children first, while also investigating Finn’s secret life.

It’s only when she’s alone does Fairley allows Marian the full range of emotions. There’s so much more we want to know about Marian, and we’re positive Fairley will deliver it all.

Over the course of four episodes, the show has introduced several mysterious storylines.

There’s crime boss Luan’s dangerous Nigerian business partners, Asif’s son Nadir’s mayoral campaign, who is holding Finn’s pregnant mistress Floriana captive, the photos Finn had on him when he died, and the reason Finn was in Albanian territory without protection?

On Gangs of London Season 1 Episode 4, a seemingly meaningless robbery leads to Elliot’s identity being revealed to Mark. The way this story slowly unraveled and became more significant during the hour, gives us hope that all these loose ends will be tied up.

However, until we get a hint that answers are coming, the stories are starting to feel too crowded. The series is in danger of crumbling under the weight of too many questions.

Ending episodes on stunningly shot, breathtaking action scenes has become Gangs of London’s calling card.

Just as Elliot is about to be outed to Sean as a cop, Sean and Luan are attacked in a brutal ambush.

Mark takes a bullet for Sean, then Elliot is shot saving him. Sean rushes him home to his sister Jack, who’s also an emergency room doctor. As she works to remove the bullet, another assassin is hiding as a server in the house.

Alex kills her and it is now very clear the Wallaces are under attack.

The ambush is bloody, relentless, and makes viewers feel like they’re also in danger.

Anytime the audience starts to feel like there’s too much intrigue or unanswered questions, we get an exhilarating action sequence to immediately draw us back in. This approach makes the show slightly uneven at times, but it’s still a captivating drama that we can’t look away from.

What did you think of this episode of Gangs of London? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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