‘Bloodlands’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Bloodlands’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the Acorn TV series, Bloodlands, is one of the most unique crime dramas on the airwaves. Because this writer is hard pressed to think of another crime series out there that is host to a genuine anti-hero akin to DCI Tom Brannick. Simply because… he is that rare cop that crosses every line in the name of keeping his secrets and he is also one that manages to evade capture or discovery at every turn by working the system in a manner that is also unrivaled. But what also makes this series so unique, is that season two has been host to a lot of close calls for Tom and well, after that finale in ‘Episode 4’ we were all left wondering if that was it. If Birdy’s harrowing end was going to bring Tom to justice at last. 
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Because a missing police officer would undoubtedly bring forth great focus from the police, since no law enforcement agency takes kindly to their own being harmed, and the potential for it to lead back to Tom was strong and well… that prompted Tom to scramble and work some incredible magic to keep his name out of the limelight here. In part, by doing nothing at first. Which kept any burden of suspicion regarding Birdy’s sudden disappearance at the office away from him easily and as business went on and no one thought much of it, in the hopes that Birdy was just working a case… Tom went to work on executing a plan to save his skin and make all of his troubles go away post haste. Basically… by striking a deal with Olivia.

For she had the gold and she had control in this story, and that is precisely why Tom stepped in and offered her a path to freedom. One that would allow for him to get his share of the gold and would create enough dead ends with the case… to let the whole mess cool down. For no leads meant no answers and a cold case instead. Thankfully, she went along with the plan and that allowed for the gun that killed Colin to be retrieved, making it look more and more as though the now deceased Dardis was responsible and of course… she worked her own magic to make it appear as though she had no interest in money. And that… combined with the chaos sown by the discovery of Birdy’s car, with no Birdy… was enough to send the office into chaos and keep Tom in the shadows.

But there was still fallout for him to face regarding this. After all, Izzy wanted to know where her love was, and she finally let her father know of their love affair and of course, that put Tom in a tough place. Since he had to play loving and consoling father, all while reconciling the fact that her fury was rightfully directed at him for putting Birdy in that situation in the first place. Leaving Tom broken and sorrowful and perhaps facing some accountability at last. However, he may not have time to process his emotions on this matter. For Olivia also played Tom behind his back. By constantly letting Ryan Savage know that a police officer was involved in trying to get the gold back, and well… Ryan cared little about that until she tried to kill him. Because then it was obvious to him, there was association here since there was no rush to solve the case. Just a rush to remove the collecting party, and that… set the stage for real trouble for Tom. 

The kind that might cost him more than his job and his freedom. Since Mister Savage, has his eyes on Izzy now, thanks to threats to Olivia, and well… that’s a powerful way to set the stage for the season two finale. Because now, there are real stakes and consequences for Tom’s actions, and there’s real risk he will get nothing and still potentially pay the piper for his actions. Simply because, Nimah’s work on the Goliath case continues heartily along, and she may well uncover the truth about the vaunted DCI she’s work side by side with, for years on end. In the end, this was just another ugly episode about a man that continues to shoot himself in the foot with his greedy and desperate actions and it truly will be quite fascinating to see how this horrible mess comes together in the finale, and whether or not Tom will walk away from it all with his freedom intact. Until next time.

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