‘Gangs of London’ Recap: ‘Episode 6’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Gangs of London’.
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Thus far, our journey through the unsettling world of Gangs of London on AMC, has focused heavily on the nature and the danger of revenge and understandably so. For Sean Wallace has been impacted greatly by his father’s untimely passing and his desire to set that right by punishing others has indeed allowed for us to explore all things vendetta related. But while that has made for some powerful moments, the kind that have helped us to understand the consequences that can come forth from letting revenge flow through your veins… this focus has indeed allowed for other plot points this story has introduced, to go the wayside. For we’ve seen little of Floriana outside of her brief introduction last week, and Darren, the man who killed Finn… has all but disappeared from the plot.

But that wasn’t an oversight or poor writing in the slightest. Because last night’s episode took the time to inform us that this series is going to address everything when the time is right and bring it all together and this week’s chapter… was the perfect time to follow up with Darren and what he’s been up to. Which as it turns out, is a whole lot of nothing. For he’s been laying low at a safe house at the shores, waiting for his boat to come in so he can be whisked away to safety. All the while thinking he had left the worst of this mess behind him in London but sadly… that was not the case. For this story was quick to inform us that Pat Keenan survived the attack on his caravan camp and was badly injured and racing against the clock to try and save his boy. For the aftermath of that assault, saw some odd fellows drop by the burning remains of said camp with some high-tech gear, the kind that informed Pat they were going after his boy.

Which led to a harrowing fight for survival for Pat, one that saw him push through his horrific injury to rescue his son and get him to a safer place, only to discover he was moments too late. For those mysterious forces reached the safe house, first. A revelation that led to one stunning action sequence, one filled to the brim with the show’s incredible visuals and trademark gore and well… in the end, despite fighting hard to save his son with every fiber of his being… Pat failed in his mission. For eventually the boat was left in ruin and in turn, he and his boy were left vulnerable and were easily defeated by these forces. Which made it seem as though, at long last Sean Wallace was successful in his quest for revenge and now this story could move in a fascinating new direction with the family free of vendetta’s icy grip. But that’s when the story took quite the surprising turn.

For it turns out that Sean and the family weren’t responsible for this attack in the slightest. For a quick phone call to one of the assassins revealed that Jevan Kapadia, one of the top members of the investor group that is doing business with the Wallace family, ordered the hit on Darren, potentially to get the money flowing through London once again. But apparently, one big surprise wasn’t enough for this tale, and Jevan’s announcement that another hit of a son was in order… made it clear that his happened well before the events of last week’s brutal episode and that Jevan has been scheming behind the scenes for weeks now… undoubtedly as a power play to get the Dumani family in control of the finances and that was quite the powerful reveal. Since it speaks to the fact that there is no honor among thieves and that the almighty dollar matters above all else and of course… this unexpected twist adds all kinds of new depth and trouble to the current situation and the overall themes this series has been exploring since day one.

For this move serves to remind us one again that Sean’s quest for blood continues to have devastating consequences and of course, that this world of crime isn’t safe in the slightest. For all it takes is a phone call to change fortunes and bring lives to an end and well… this is quite the brilliant story when all is said and done. For a simple follow-up tale, the kind that appeared to be designed to clear our mental palates and shift focus for a bit, ended up tying deeply into to the overall plot and the potential civil war that is seemingly ready to boil over and well, this is another chapter in this harrowing journey that leaves you hungry for more. Because now the stakes are higher than ever, and that definitely leaves one eager to see what comes next for the Wallace family and the London Syndicate in general since it is now truly standing on the precipice of disaster. Until next time.  

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