‘Gangs of London’ Episode 8: Did Sean destroy Alexander Dumani's dream or will he still rule the Wallace empire?
A childhood friendship, buried deep like the roots of a tree, sometimes withers quietly in the shadow of betrayal and deceit. ‘Gangs of London’ portrays one such excruciating sequence through the interpersonal dynamics of Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) and Alexander 'Alex' Dumani (Paapa Essiedu). In a flashback, distances can be seen creeping in when Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) raises a toast to Alex's success.
“Alex did good. Ten billion dirty yen,” he says. He then turns to Ed, “And you said we couldn't do it. Denied your own son.” While celebrating the success, he belittles his heir, saying, “You do your job, Sean. What will you do when I am not here? You have to deliver. You're a Wallace. A Wallace. Everything hangs upon our name.” That shows Finn actually preferred Alex to his own blood.
In Episode 7, Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati), who has been planning something with Jevan Kapadia (Ray Panthaki), spills the beans and tells Sean that not just his father but the investors also want the same. They want him out of the picture and they shot at him. Unable to handle the treachery, Sean shoots Ed in his leg and then the family goes into hiding. Billy (Brian Vernel), meanwhile, teams up with Jacqui (Valene Kane) and they seem to have a new plan in mind. Clearly, Billy has more potential than the loser addict that he is portrayed to be.
By the end of the episode, Sean is on the phone with Alex, talking about what they built together and asking him to look out towards the Wallace Tower. Speaking to each other from two ends of the city, staring at the same scene, they watch the magnificent building explode into a crumbling pile of rubble, thanks to Sean's rage and his quest for revenge.
A cinematic splendor, the explosion marks the end of an era. What he did may be psychotic and crazy, but Alex just diminished his chances to inherit the Wallace empire. Will Alex now take another revenge and kill Sean? The summary of the episode reads: “With the stakes higher than ever, the Wallaces are forced to go into hiding. Luan risks his life to rid himself of Mosi. Floriana seizes an opportunity. Elliot (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) attempts to save the life of a colleague.”
Now, after Sean lets go of the empire, it is yet to be seen if Alex can be the frontrunner, or will Elliot have to take the reins? It seems like Ed and Alex were just waiting to pounce on an opportunity like that. Can they steal everything from the Wallaces? As of now, Mariana Wallace (Michelle Fairley) who is as badass as one can imagine is still there and she might intervene to avenge Sean, wouldn't she? But from what we can gather, Alex may have lost a golden opportunity and only time will tell if he can set it right.
‘Gangs of London’ premiered on AMC Plus on Thursday, October 1, 2020. The first three episodes aired on the premiere date and the rest of the 10-part series will be followed by weekly episodes at noon on Thursdays.