Sexy Beast – Season 1 Episode 2 “Donny Donny Donny” Recap & Review

Donny Donny Donny

Sexy Beast Episode 2 begins with us finding out more about the McGraw gang and the links to the coin. Gal tries to crack the safe they stole with Aitch helping out. The pressure is on because Teddy wants it done in 2 weeks. Teddy thinks Gal will figure it out and has faith in him, but Gal thinks it is impossible. 

Don confirms his loyalty to Gal, and they argue over the new business venture. A targeted attack threatens McGraw’s territory, which prompts a warning from someone controlling his area.

McGraw receives a warning to find a missing valuable coin, with big consequences if he fails to do it. Teddy Bass asks Stan Higgins to tell him about Freddy McGraw. 

At the boxing club, Gal’s fiancee asks Don if he’ll come on a double date with her and Gal and one of her friends. He agrees. The team also discusses the logistics of the safe-cracking job, with the pressure on them to succeed. An associate says ‘Don’t bother,’ but failure is not an option. 

Aitch is disillusioned with the whole thing and thinks it’s a big risk they’re taking, as the group debates whether the heist can be done. Gal says they have made an agreement with Teddy Bass and must continue, reassuring Aitch it’ll be fine. 

The Golden Eagle pub: Gal speaks to his sister, Ann Marie about her problems, with their mum thinking it’s an issue with a guy she’s seeing. 

The double date happens and Don ruins the whole evening by going crazy. Gal’s fiancee says she doesn’t want him at the wedding, but Gal insists he’s his mate and is loyal. He also says it’s not his fault because he had a difficult past. 

Gal finds an excuse to go to see Dee Dee and they end up kissing, but it all ends badly when her boyfriend turns up and brandishes a knife. Gal beats the guy up and runs away. 

He returns home to questions from his fiancee about where he’s been, but the discussion ends up with them having sex in the kitchen in an impromptu show of affection, probably because Gal didn’t get what he wanted from Dee Dee. 

Gal gets an idea of how to crack the safe, but before that, Gal and Don pay a visit to Larry’s place and are shocked to find Ann Marie there. Ann Marie wants to know where Larry is, and Gal says he’s left town and gone back to Ireland. 

Teddy Bass has a standoff with Freddie McGraw at his club, but nothing violent happens between them… yet. 

Gal and Don manage to get the safe open, but there’s no money inside, which makes them question what Teddy is up to. They do find a weird ornament that raises more questions than answers. 

The episode ends with Freddie McGraw kissing a woman in a private area of his club until Teddy interrupts them and attacks him, and violently rapes him.

The Episode Review

This episode is an absolute mess. So many different things are going on with a lack of structure, with the heist feeling like an incoherent merry-go-round. Some of the one-liners in this show fall flat, and there is a bizarre end to the episode that sees Teddy Bass engage in a rather brutal rape of his enemy.

The cast is doing their best to elevate the material, and despite Tamsin Grieg’s over-the-top portrayal of Don’s sister, Cecelia, she is at least entertaining in the role.