‘Keeping Faith’ Recap: ‘Series 3, Episode 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 305 of ‘Keeping Faith’.
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The last time we settled in to discuss Keeping Faith on AcornTV, we talked at length about the hopeful nature that Episode 304 left us with. Because not only did Faith Howells win the biggest case of her career (to date) but she also gave into her emotions when it comes to Steve Baldini and most important of all, she came to realize that the time had come to embrace her sorted past and make peace with it, so she could finally move forward in life. Which is a ton of growth, the kind that definitely left us believing that Faith was about to cross an important threshold and find the peace and joy she’s been seeking for the past three seasons. In fact we were so enraptured with her positive journey, that we overlooked quite the warning/concern in that tale.

Because Faith did make mention of the fact that her mother, might use the interactions she had with everyone to her advantage and try to manipulate a great many people and well… Faith was right about that. For Rose decided the time had come to cause a little trouble and she made some serious moves in this tale, the kind that outright jeopardized Faith’s newfound happiness and positive direction. For example, it appeared as though she decided to enact a little payback against Steve for his bold decision to walk away from her criminal empire. Since he magically disappeared in this particular story. Which motivated Faith to take in Angie and worry non-stop about the fate of her newfound love and while that alone could have carried this episode for the entire hour since it really did test Faith in a manner we haven't seen since series one… Rose had more trouble to stir.

For she also took the time to start a grand endgame with Evan. One that once again involved her toying with him as Gael. To the point where she even brought him to the gym that Steve robbed earlier on this season, in order to get pictures of him moving about the doors in a suspicious manner. Why exactly? Well because it would seem that she’s eager to pin both the robbery and Gael’s death on him, something that she worked to bring together late in this episode. Since she sent the photos of Evan lurking about the gym to DC Williams, and she even took the time to visit Evan’s mother and shoot the breeze so that she could stealthily plant Gael’s phone within the house, further incriminating him down the line. But while all of this was fascinating and mostly horrifying in its own right, since it showed us just how powerful and vengeful she can be… her actions here did leave an important question hanging over this tale.

But before we ponder upon that, it is best we point out that this entire episode wasn't completely mired in mystery and vengeful acts. Because Faith did manage to convince Mark to give Osian a choice as to whether or not to have the surgery of his own accord, since the hospital refused to help. And thankfully the young man chose to go through with it, because the long-term benefits outweighed the risk. Plus, we also saw Carys and Tom play nice since she was able to save Howells from going under and it was also quite sweet to see Steve make plans to be near Faith and see him support her when she needed him. And of course, you can never go wrong with seeing Evan suffering. Which might be a petty thing to put to digital paper, but the man has caused Faith so much heartache and pain that he really does deserve everything that’s coming to him. But at the same time… he doesn’t deserve to be framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

Which brings us back to Rose and the grand question… what exactly is her endgame? Because at times it really appeared as though she was working to bring everyone down with her, simply because she can. While at other moments in this tale, it seemed she was enacting vengeance for her daughter’s plight in an attempt to be a good mother for a change. But while we wait to uncover that answer, we can celebrate another powerhouse tale. One that once again reminded us of Faith’s strength and it also managed to put us on the edge of our seats with the show’s most important and critical cliffhanger. Because this is it my fellow nerds and geeks, this was the penultimate episode for this series and its grand finale awaits, one that will undoubtedly reveal the fate of Steve and of course… bring Faith’s powerful journey to a close and hopefully, the series finale will feature a grand showdown between Faith and her mother. The kind that finally gives Faith the strength and the closure she needs to move on and raise her family with peace and joy in her heart. Until next time.  

‘Keeping Faith’ is available to stream right now on AcornTV.

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