Criminal Record – Season 1 Episode 3 “Kid in the Park” Recap & Review

Kid in the Park

Criminal Record Episode 3 begins with the shooting of a young boy at the park. Hegarty turns up at the scene as the SIO on the case, and it appears to be gang-related, with the boy getting caught in the crossfire. We meet DS Kim Cardwell, who is on the case as well. 

Lenker is printing out ‘Do you know this woman?’ posters to follow up with the unidentified caller lead she has, but is interrupted by a call for volunteers to work on the boy’s shooting case. She agrees to join the team to get closer to Hegarty. 

Back at the crime scene, it is revealed that the boy has survived and has a bullet lodged in his head. Hegarty reluctantly approves Lenker being on the team. DS Kim Cardwell introduces himself to Lenker when she arrives for work. Hegarty also goes over to speak to Lenker and welcome her to the team. 

Lenker meets with Sonya to discuss the Errol Mathis case. Sonya offers her the evidence box on the case. Lenker turns it down as she wants to focus on the caller. However, she reluctantly takes it in the end when Sonya insists. Meanwhile, Hegarty gets wind of the posters Lenker has been printing out when he meets up with DS Tony Gilfoyle.

Lenker opens up the evidence box and watches the crime scene video and tapes of the interviews with Errol’s son, Patrick. Lenker calls Sonya and plays devil’s advocate, saying it doesn’t look good for Errol. However, there was no motive, and the police’s theory that when he fled from the scene with Patrick and crashed, it was a murder-suicide attempt, doesn’t ring true. And he was actually going to see his mum, Doris. Sonya suggests Lenker meets with Errol in prison and reveals she can get her in without Hegarty knowing about it. 

Hegarty calls Lenker to ask her to get to the hospital and speak with the shooting victim’s mum, as she has specifically asked for her. She meets with her, and Hegarty watches on as Lenker comforts the woman. After the meeting, Lenker and Hegarty meet in his car. Hegarty takes a call, while Lenker discovers a business card for Hegarty’s chauffeur business and takes it with her. 

Lenker arrives at the prison to meet with Errol, but she tells the prison officers she’s meeting with a man called Sampson Michaels. This is a ploy and when she gets into the waiting room, Sonya is there, and when Michael’s name is called, Sonya gets up, leaving Lenker to meet with Errol Mathis. Lenker speaks with Errol and tells him she’s a friend of Sonya’s. He asks her what she wants, and Lenker questions him about his alibi and his confession. Errol blames the drugs he was on for both. Lenker and Sonya regroup and discuss the meeting. Lenker also mentions Hegarty’s side hustle to her and they ponder why he is moonlighting as a chauffeur. 

Lenker gets a call and has to leave as the police think they have found the shooter. Cardwell arrives at the scene with the others, and Lenker arrives late and gets told off by Cardwell. Armed officers are at the location of the suspected gunman. They kick his door down, but he has fled, and his girlfriend is the only one there. 

Gilfoyle calls Hegarty to tell him he’s got word of Lenker visiting Errol Mathis while he’s at the scene of the search for the gunman. Hegarty sees on the CCTV that the suspect is approaching Lenker with the gun and hesitates to warn her, as he considers this could solve his problem and get Lenker off his case. Lenker is shot at but not hit, and Hegarty arrives on the scene soon after.

Later on, Lenker tells Hegarty she was conducting a prison interview, and that is why she missed the briefing about the lead on the suspect, but lies about who she was meeting with. This discussion is interrupted by news that the police have found the firearm that gunned the boy down. 

The episode ends with Hegarty preparing for the press conference, and he is told to put Lenker in with him to satisfy diversity. Lenker gets a call from the officer who dealt with Patrick’s drug case and reveals why he wasn’t arrested. Apparently, a CID officer with a Glaswegian accent was protecting him from prosecution. 

The Episode Review

This is a decent episode that sees Lenker getting closer to Hegarty as they investigate another case. This show does have a lot of good action in it, but it can feel corny at times, with things conveniently happening that probably wouldn’t in a real investigation.

Peter Capaldi is the stand-out performer in the series as the sinister corrupt detective, Hegarty, and he plays off Cush Jumbo’s Lenker very well. It’ll be interesting to see what direction this crime drama goes in next.