Criminal Record – Season 1 Episode 5 “Possession With Intent” Recap & Review

by

Possession With Intent

Criminal Record Episode 5 begins with Lenker and Leo entertaining a guest for dinner who is a psychiatrist of some sort. A discussion begins about the psychiatry that could’ve led to Errol’s confession and wrongful conviction. Errol forgot the events after seeing Adelaide’s dead body when he had a car crash. He said his memory was blank but confessed to committing Adelaide’s murder. Lenker wants to know how and why that was. The guest tells her our memory can play tricks on itself in traumatic cases.

Lenker checks for information about the rise in cases against police officers. She visits Clive Silcox who was arrested for the murder of a woman who called the helpline. Lenker suspected Clive had a connection to her murder. But Hegarty stopped her from getting any information from Clive. Lenker asks Clive about his involvement in a Combat League. She wants to know if Hegarty, Cardwell or Gilfoyle were part of it. Clive can’t remember Hegarty or Cardwell being involved but remembers Gilfoyle being well-known to people. 

Lenker visits Gilfoyle at his house and asks him if he was a part of this Neo-nazi group called Bloodline. Gilfoyle calls her a bully and threatens to take action against her by calling Chambers. He then calls Cardwell, saying he wants her silenced. Cardwell tells Hegarty that Lenker is still looking into the Errol Mathis case. Elsewhere, Hegarty pays a man called Stefan to take care of a flat for him.

Sonya thinks Hegarty is dealing drugs after getting photos of Hegarty at a cash point near a shop for carpets and rugs that is actually for dealers of drugs. Hegarty meets Miras Mansur, a wholesale dealer of heroin at this shop. Sonya thinks he is getting blackmailed or he has a side hustle in the drug trade.

Two white police officers decide to check three black school kids, one of which is Lenker’s son, Jacob. The cop takes out a small bag of heroin and claims that Jacob had it in his backpack. The police officers process Jacob under the charge of possession of drugs with intent to sell. Jacob tries to call Lenker but can’t reach her. He calls his grandmother Maureen instead and asks her to help him.

She heads out but loses track and becomes overwhelmed. Leo can’t reach Jacob on his phone, as he’s missed his football match. Leo calls Lenker to ask what’s going on, and she can’t get hold of him either. Lenker learns of Jacob’s arrest from his father, and they both get to the police station. She confronts the female officer in charge for how it all went down. She suspects Hegarty is behind the arrest.

Back at home, Leo doesn’t firmly believe Hegarty is behind Jacob’s arrest. An argument breaks out between them, as Lenker doesn’t feel like Leo is on her side. Lenker turns up at the place Hegarty has been seen hanging out to arrest Miras Mansur. She arrests him and notices him trying to call someone. She figures he is calling Hegarty, so she tells him to get Hegarty to meet her at St. Leonards docks. She questions Hegarty about Mansur’s crimes, but he orders her to let him go. She tells him about her son’s arrest, which he seems surprised about.

He claims Gilfoyle was not a neo-Nazi but was actually working undercover. He offers to clear Jacob off the system and tells her to let Mansur go. Hegarty heads to Cardwell’s house and confronts him about his involvement in Jacob’s arrest. Cardwell claims he just wanted to warn Lenker. Hegarty is annoyed because he can’t attack Lenker as he planned. He damages Cardwell’s car as a punishment before heading home. Elsewhere, Errol’s son Patrick enters an apartment that Hegarty has paid for. 

The episode ends with June and Sonya meeting Doris to get her to listen to the call from Carla that suggests Errol’s arrest was wrong.

The Episode Review

This is the best episode of the season so far, as things are getting personal between Lenker and Hegarty. There’s some good commentary about racial inequality and there’s definitely some undertones of racial injustice in this show that ring very true.

Lenker is played very well by Cush Jumbo, who deals with a string of different emotions in this episode and nails them all. Capaldi is scary as Hegarty, but you still feel there’s so much more under the surface with this character. Top drama!

Previous Episode

Next Episode

You can look forward to a full season review when this show ends!
  • Episode Rating
    (4)
4

Leave a comment