‘Gangs of London’ Season 2: Is Sean Wallace alive? Fan theories unmask the truth behind Elliot's bullet shot
Is Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) really dead? The brutal ending of ‘Gangs of London’ may have left a zillion questions running through your head. In the final episode, Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu) heads into Sean's hiding spot where the hard truth is laid out: Sean knows Elliot is an undercover cop. Despite his anger, Sean makes an offer to Elliot and asks him to team up so they can bring down the investors, particularly Jevan Kapadia (Ray Panthaki).
He also flashes a SIM card where his father stored years of information. At the same time, Alex Dumani (Paapa Essiedu) lands there and points a gun in Sean's face. Sean begs Alex to reconsider what he's planning to do. In a major twist, as soon as Alex puts the gun down, Elliot takes it and shoots Sean. But the biggest theory that seems to have spun out is: Sean survived that bullet shot. Is the “boy who would watch cities burn just to prove he’s a man” alive?
Elliot had been loyal to Sean so much that his credibility as an undercover cop was being questioned. It seems unlikely that he actually killed him. The bullet went closer to Sean's cheeks instead of his head and that sowed the seeds of doubt. Through the flashbacks, we find out that the investors had blackmailed Elliot to kill the woman he loves, Shannon Dumani (Pippa Bennett-Warner) and her son Danny (Taye Matthew). Elliot was forced to shoot him for Shannon's sake, thus, he could have found a way to let Sean survive and perhaps, it will be revealed in Season 2.
The biggest clue is that Sean can be seen lying in a pool of blood, but when the cops come, his face or his dead body is never seen. Could the police officers have lied about his death? Director Corin Hardy told Den of Geek, “It was really important, and it was planned out from the start that Sean Wallace would die at the end of episode nine... He’s shot and he’s killed, and the policeman identifies that. It was important to me that you see the gunshot. I wanted to make it feel like Alex is going there to kill Sean. It’s the last thing he wants to do, but he has to do it. What we know of Elliot is, Elliot is going there to bring Sean out at that point. Although we don’t know that he’s encountered these investors on the way, and they’ve actually given him an ultimatum.
“You know that Alex is going there to kill him, and then you think Sean’s diffused it. He’s very good at that, tapping into the people he knows well and charming them. But what we don’t know is what Elliot’s encountered. So when Elliot suddenly pulls the gun and takes Sean out, there’s no time to understand what the hell has just happened.”
However, co-creator Gareth Evans hinted that there could be a slight chance for them to alter that. “I think we've kept that pretty open of where Elliot shot him. If it had been dead centre, then yeah absolutely [he'd be dead],” he said. If that was not all, Xavier Gens — who directed episodes 6, 7 and 8 — claimed, “We don’t know. We don’t know. It’s too early!” Evans reiterated that thought, saying, “I don’t know, to be honest... I don’t necessarily know what the plan is in terms of what they’re going to do with season two.”
Fans certainly believe that the main character will be back in Season 2. Let's take a look at these wild theories on a Reddit thread that may explain how that could happen.
“I refuse to believe Sean is dead. The Wallaces are about to tear down the London they built,” one fan said and another posted, “I don't know about more seasons, Sean was like the key for all of this. I mean, this could keep going with the Dumani family and Elliot but I don't know.” A third chimed in, The one thing I'm thinking, apart from the cheek part is the chip. I feel like Sean might have a trick or two up his sleeve. Why else would he trust Elliott with something so valuable, that he could ultimately try and barter for his life? Something feels a bit odd. I think Sean has a larger play here, we have to remember he is a Wallace after all.”
A fourth fan concluded: “I agree Joe Cole is alive and pulling the strings. I mean he still has the chip that Sean gave him. That little chip is what can bring the investors down. I think Sean trusts Elliot more than he leads on, that's why he gave him the only piece that will bring down the investors. Otherwise, why wouldn't he give it to Alexander? I think Sean has a few tricks up his sleeves. And remember what Ed says a couple of episodes ago, that when Sean gets out of this, he will probably be more dangerous than ever.”
‘Gangs of London’ premiered on AMC Plus this October 1, 2020, with the first three episodes and then a weekly schedule. The series has been renewed for Season 2 and reports claim viewers can expect new episodes in 2022.