Episode 5, the unfortunate penultimate chapter of season 4, was humorous and continues to build the tension of the overall plot while simultaneously providing some of the expected violence. After yet another cliffhanger at the end of episode 4, it was with baited breath that the audience watched as Tommy evaded Luca Changretta and his men once more. As previously suggested, Pol’s plot to betray Tommy to Changretta was concocted by Tommy himself. Perhaps the most surprising plot twist was the sudden reveal of a machine gun against the mafia’s lone guns.

This episode was also surprising in terms of its sexual endeavours. Firstly, Pol’s exploits with Aberama Gold was certainly an interesting turn of events. It was odd that their passion occurred over the corpse of a dead hare, but I suppose the small fire provided enough of the romance. It was assumed that Pol’s seduction was a ploy to reel in Gold to truly threaten him, and while he did have a blade to his throat, it wasn’t as violent as anticipated and hoped for. Similarly, Tommy’s encounter with Jessie Eden, while hinted at in earlier episodes, was also surprising. The line ‘Tommy Shelby is going to stop the revolution with his cock’ was certainly apt; he always seems adept at charming women to his side.

However, the best part of the episode was most definitely the five minutes that Tom Hardy as Alfie gets to shine. I don’t often laugh aloud, but the line: ‘Add another tonne on to your bill for being a cunt mate’ startled more than a meagre chuckle. His mannerisms and blunt way of speaking combined with the acerbic wit is surely not only a testament to Hardy’s skill to embody the role but also to the talent of the show’s writers to create such a likeable, jovial and yet eccentric character.

 

Stephanie Bennett

Image Credit: CultBox