'Gangs of London' Episode 2 Review: A trip to Sean's gory childhood explains his thirst for blood and vengeance
Spoilers for 'Gangs of London' Episode 2
When gory violence and brutal fight scenes aren't taking the center stage, 'Gangs of London' is laden with Chevy emotion and sentiments - a clear emblem of that being Sean's backstory or at least a page out of the book that crafted this bloodthirsty young man whose life's priority is vengeance. And why shouldn't it be; his father was the most revered crimelord in London and was still murdered by a gunshot to the head.
And as his mother claims, Sean is the only one prepared to do anything about this brazen attack at their family. But why? Was he always this riddled with bloodlust? Did something happen in particular to turn Sean into a killing machine? Episode 2 answers quite a fair bit, but not with the content one would imagine.
Opening with a flashback, the episode shows us a teenage Sean, and his younger brother Billy out in the neck of the woods with their parents. Finn is carrying a gun of course and one might think it's a fun camping trip since Mariane is also present, but not quite. In the midst of a clearing there's a bucket and Finn removes it to reveal what looked like a bleeding, severed head.
Knowing the series' pilot, this wouldn't be the most twisted thing for the Wallaces, and sure enough, Finn takes it a notch higher by handing Sean a gun and asking him to shoot the man, who is still very much alive and buries underground with just his head popping above the surface. Sean aims, but not before the buried man comes to his senses; agonizing pleas fill the air as Sean's distress etches upon his young face.
After what seems like an inner conflict with his conscience, or unwillingness to follow his father's footsteps, Sean is able to aim once again only after Finn covers the head with the bucket. And then the inevitable happens; a single shot silences the pleading bargains.
The same frustrated agony that Sean was overcome with at the prospect of killing a man, is seen in Billy back in present-day when he is told he can't really be of any help. The Turkish partners are still moving their embargo against Sean's orders; their biggest cover being Asif Afridi who is pretty much the only man firm enough to stand up to Sean and call him a child to his face.
Afridi makes it very clear that he won't tolerate compromising the business, but Sean's priorities lie elsewhere. He wants to dig out the hole where the hitmen came from; so when one of the killers' fathers meets with Sean and insists whoever put that hit on Finn is far more dangerous than the shooters, Sean is far from convinced. He plans to take out the entire settlement where the killers and their family's lived, and soon it becomes clear just why he is so obsessed with impulsive bloodshed.
Joe Cole's pained conviction of a man whose father was wrongfully murdered makes witnessing this bloodbath even more thrilling. He puts a reckless abandon into his character that just two episodes in, makes him more menacing than any villain of a long-running drama. And in moments where emotions don't run wild, only ammunitions do, 'Gangs of London' is already drowning its competitors by a fair margin.
Gunshots rain down in the manner of Netflix's 'Fauda' and explosions take the scene unlike anything else we have ever seen on television networks in a long, long time. But it is the ever twisting plot that keeps us grounded for more to come, as right at the end, a second trip to the same flashback explains Sean's innate need to hunt down his father's killer.
When we revisit that inopportune day from the past, it is revealed that Billy was the one to fire the shot that killed the buried man. In response, all Finn could tell Sean was a low grunt accompanying "I thought you were ready." And that is exactly what drives Sean's bloodthirsty and desperate need to prove himself. Having disappointed his father all that while ago is something he still hasn't been able to forgive himself for; and in hunting the man who killed his father, he will find his true retribution.
Luckily for him, Billy is a solid ally in this frustration, as he is able to create a scene pompous enough to be able to gather the only heroin circulating in the market currently: Afridi's brand. With all the puzzle pieces finally coming together, what really lingers is the teasing doubt at the back of our mind: Is Sean on the right path towards finding the killer? Or will he lose enough allies in the process to eventually become the ultimate sacrifice?
'Gangs of London' dropped all nine episodes on April 23, and is currently airing new episodes every Friday at 9 pm only on Sky Atlantic.
