The Outlaws – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Episode 3

Episode 3 of ‘The Outlaws’ starts with another flashback, this time focusing on Myrna and John. One goes to prison for hijacking a police recruitment vehicle by towing it with her truck.

John, while watching news coverage of the incident, is told by his wife that she heard someone in the house. He rushes downstairs and is able to apprehend one of the perpetrators, beating him before his wife stops him. A small interaction between Frank, Myrna, and John also reveals that Frank has been outvoted by the two to take the money to the police.

The group plays a fun game of naming a porn star name for themselves; the name of their first pet and the street they grew up on. Rani narrates her horrific ordeal with the masked men to Christian, who reassures her that they won’t return. John gets a notice from the burglar for a legal case for loss in future earnings and racial profiling.

Myrna’s demonstration of protest against hate crimes outside the city hall becomes the center of attraction for the group, with Myrna’s background probed a little.

Her group, Bristol Collective Justice, ousted her after her little stunt with the recruitment vehicle. Myrna really has BCJ as her family and friends, choosing not to raise a family due to her vehement commitment to the cause of racial justice. Christian’s former mates know of his betrayal and are after him to retrieve the money.

Gabriella and Greg are busy organizing the former’s dream music festival. Since the deadline is the next day, Greg hurries to complete the paperwork. Gabriella promises to help Greg realize some of his innocent dreams – like flying in a private plane and dating a supermodel. The Chinese deal not going through is slowly realized in Josh’s company’s fractured financials. Without timely intervention, it runs the risk of going under.

Rani and Christian spend some time together but not before the latter’s gang mates catch up with them. A short chase sequence sees them just avoid them and accidentally land on Gabriella’s party cruise. The scene shifts to the Halloran’s where the father-son duo has a verbal tussle regarding who is in charge of the company. John’s alternative to the Chinese investment is instantly rejected by his father, sounding ominous signs for him. Myrna joins up with her sister, to her surprise. They, along with her friends, go for a gentle stroll in the park but frown upon Myrna’s radical views.

At the cruise party, Gabriella asks Greg to pick up the stash for her. Rani and Christian are on the precipice of developing mutual feelings for each other. John makes a u-turn on the decision to hand over the money to the police, as he is scared for his enterprise. The episode ends with a heady montage involving all the characters sans Frank.

Gabriella feels bad about her casual attitude and returns to Greg apologetically and in full seriousness to complete the filings. Rani is still gushing over her day with Christian, who picks up his sister and walks back home to find it broken into and vandalized.

For the time being, he convinces his gang mates that he didn’t steal the money; Rani is paid a visit by the police but her parents save the day by lying for her. Myrna makes it back to BCJ when she offers the money to keep it going. The climax crescendos with Frank, Myrna, and John agreeing to keep the money.

The Episode Review

‘The Outlaws’ is turning into a nervy, thriller-toned series with every episode. The storytelling elements now have a consistent tone with each character’s life being explored as representative of a different subset of the British political and social ecosystem.

All of this convalesces with a shared timeline of events that places the characters in each others’ vicinity. Episode 3 has a good balance of story-building and exposition about the country’s fractured legal system. Many social tropes that have been popular in the television space find a place here.

Writer Stephen Merchant also does a better job of creating an underdog identity for the group that is as relatable as it is an exciting opportunity to explore the many facets of diverse human personalities.

The drug line/stolen money plotline seems like just beginning to take off. Definitely expect more of this in the coming episodes. Episode 3 was also pivotal in further warming up the group to the audience by showing their vulnerable and caring sides.

At times, it seemed a bit too convenient for the creators to leave events unfinished for the sake of avoiding complexity, but overall, this episode is one of the most compelling of the series.