Angler Fish
Episode 2 of Culprits begins in the past, presumably after the job. We see Joe dragging “Officer” to safety amidst a barrage of gunfire. He is able to get her in a car and drive away. However, they meet an accident at the intersection. Joe still manages to get Officer out and get her back to Doctor, who treats her in a makeshift emergency room in a junkyard.
Three years from the day, we see the Doctor, whose real name is Fathima, living a luxurious life in London. She also has a small child. After coming back from a stroll, she is confronted by the masked assassin who killed Marcello.
Although it is not shown, Fathima is most likely dead. Back in the States, Joe is concerned after seeing the news about Marcello. He goes back home and inserts a sim card that he used as “Muscle” for the heist. He is expecting a message in the encrypted inbox but he doesn’t find one. While discussing the development plans for the store with Molly Farber, Joe recognizes that the bag of cash, which is buried under the floorboard, is stinking. Molly catches the stink but Joe is able to turn her away.Â
He phones Jules and makes an excuse that he will be late. Joe wants to ensure that the money is safely transferred into a fresh suitcase, which he once again puts in the same spot after cleaning it out. After picking up Frankie and Bud from school, Joe realizes he is being followed. The tense sequence goes on for a bit until they make a stop since Bud has to relieve himself. A bald man exits the vehicle and follows them inside, making his presence known. Joe doesn’t recognize who he is but finds out later that he is a private investigator hired by Kyle Bedrosian.Â
This coincides with a meeting with Harry Metcalf who makes it clear that Joe’s redevelopment plan cannot go forward. Although he cites “concerns from locals,” Joe knows that Kyle is the one who has influenced this decision. We jump back into the past to understand what the plan for the heist was and what exactly Dianne wanted to steal. The object of her affection is a century-old locker buried somewhere under a building where Titus Wainwright’s mill once stood.
Titus was a wealthy businessman who hired the services of Ernest Morello to build him an unassailable locker. Although it was emptied out after he went bankrupt, Dianne has confirmation that new-age businessmen use it to store their black money. The first order of things is to steal the blueprints to that locker from Wainwright’s grandson’s house, Phillip.
Officer, Joe, and Dianne secure the heist using the former as bait for Phillip to open the door. She mixes a sedative in his drink. But in the middle of the job, Phillip regains consciousness. Joe tries to contain him and gives chase. However, both men are stopped by a woman dressed in white.Â
She escorts them to the garage at gunpoint and forces Phillip to hang himself. Dianne introduces her as “Specialist,” but Officer and Joe call her a “Psycho.” Dianne had intentionally directed Officer to give Phillip half a dose so that he would wake up…another way to test Joe on the job, which he isn’t happy about. In the present day, Kyle and Joe have a chilling interaction at the former’s house. Joe confronts him about influencing the committee’s decision to scrap his redevelopment plans.Â
Kyle demands that Joe take back his witness statement to the police. However, Joe instead encourages Kyle to tell the cops the truth given that he was not at fault for the accident. He also asserts that due to his skin colour and affluence, the police would readily believe him. Kyle’s bigoted and threatening tone continues as he distinguishes the “likes of him” from the “likes of Joe.” Joe has a tough decision to make going forward. Jules interrogates him after he comes back home. Joe assures him that nothing has changed between them and tells him the truth about the rejection of his plans by the committee.
Frankie cannot sleep after watching an Angler fish on television. She comes to Joe’s office, scared. Joe assures her that humans are the apex predators across the board: no one’s messing with them. He tucks her back in and gets a phone call on his secret sim card. It is Officer, who warns Joe that someone is killing the team that executed the heist one by one. He destroys the sim in a panic, dreading what’s coming next for his family.Â
The Episode Review
Not much happens in Episode 2 of Culprits except more character development for Joe. Kyle’s introduction as an antagonist shores up more avenues of tension and urgency in the present-day timeline. The biggest threat to Joe and his family remains the masked crusader, who is seemingly on a mission. We can expect the characters from the past to return and unite against the common threat.
The highlight of Episode 2 is the sitdown between Joe and Kyle. The entire scene is very well written and underscores the thematic fabric embedded deep into the teleplay’s roots.
Dianne’s character keeps evolving, taking surprising turns. Gemma Arterton is a skilled performer and perfectly capable of handling her changing colours. We need more of her at the forefront.
Although Episode 2 is still a decent follow-up, the lack of progression makes it a little dull.
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| You can read our Season 1 review of Culprits here! | |