Bang (S4C) Episode 8 Review

If Roger Williams isn’t doing so already, he should definitely charge mega bucks to give lessons on how to write a series finale.  As with every closing episode the fear is there’s too much wrap up in such little time and nearly every time it proves to be the case. Bang, however pulls off a television miracle and satisfactorily ties all the loose ends together in one dramatic sucker punch of a closer.

Rhys, as it was always going to be him, is responsible for the escalation of terror that follows. On the receiving end of a bloody beating, Sam confesses his sister is in possession of the gun. This sets up a showdown as Gina has to hand the gun back to the dastardly duo in return for her brother. We soon discover that the shifty fellas that kept popping up are extra shifty and to top things off, working for Patricia bloody Rose. In a matter of seconds we learn that Mel and Marie are sisters, we discover who killed Stevie Rosie and that the main purpose of Stevie’s dodgy dealings (and ultimately his death) was human trafficking. It’s chaotic, adrenaline fueled mayhem and it’s brilliant. Oh, and Rhys is shot dead. Forgot to mention that.

While Marie has quietly been a major player in the background, Ray has always been a blatant villain throughout but the real scale of his treachery surprises. The truth is, he’s been hiding in plain sight. The grumpy, evil man that’s been the centrepiece wasn’t the red herring at all. He really is the big bad of the show. The reveal of a mystery that’s been burning since that very first scene eight whole episodes back is heartbreaking and shocking. The whole spectacle is handled with such finesse that even our jaws drop to the floor with grace.

We get a couple of much needed one on one scenes too. Firstly, Sam and Gina touchingly express their love for each other but later Sam doesn’t offer the same sentiment to a mother who valued life’s trivial things over her children. As they solemnly face off, her empty words of apology don’t cut the mustard. His heart more broken than his cut up face.

All plot points neatly tired up, all motives explained, all bad guys getting their comeuppance.. it’s all been resolved with a style rarely witnessed. Well, almost. Just when you think it’s all done and dusted, one thing has fittingly escaped everyone’s minds – the gun. Mel holds it along with Patricia’s money and with it, potentially the key to a second series. Unlikely maybe, but if there’s a ‘Bang 2: Mel On The Run’ there’s definitely an audience for it. 10/10

Bullet points:

• We learnt so much that the fact Rhys doesn’t have a ten inch penis was the least of the revelations
• What punishment awaits Sam from the justice system?
• Will Ela visit him in prison and attempt to steal other inmates money?
• Understatement alert: Gina’s promotion might have been delayed a bit.

Bang (S4C) Episode 6 Review

Just when you think Sam couldn’t dig himself deeper into a pit named trouble things escalate further than ever before. Surely it’s only a matter of time before big sis finds out the truth. Ela may have unwittingly saved him from brandishing his gun at the club but on the run home he’s pointing it into the back of Luke’s head. Not only that, but due to everyone waving mobile phones about, Ela is spotted in photos and that brings Gina back to Sam’s door. Honestly, it was so much easier committing armed robbery before smart phones were invented. Apparently.

The loved up pair escape to a hotel with their “earnings”, frollick in the bed and the pool and soon find another victim in the form of a creepy guy in the restaurant but true to form things start going tits up quicker than you can say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Creepy guy catches them on the take and sexually assaults Ela which means only one thing, Sam goes all Reservoir Dogs again. The gun is out and it’s the closest he’s come to killing yet. His relationship with the weapon is so serious he might as well propose to it and put it in a wedding dress. An alarmed Ela gives an ultimatum but he chooses it over her and she strolls away. Probably out of his life for good.

An interesting side story is Luke’s trauma after being held at gun point. He suffers flashbacks and struggles to tell anyone through shame. His bottled anger whipping up a frenzy at a teen catcalling Gina. He does eventually say but the boss isn’t happy and he’s sent home pending a disciplinary. It’s a topic rarely covered in crime dramas and great to see it be touched upon. Indeed, another fallout from the effects of the job are shown as Layla is signed off with stress. There are no alcoholic cops coming back for one last case cliches here, just a more raw, honest take on police work.

Thankfully Bang is not full of crazy plot twists just for the sake of plot twists. It goes in unexpected directions without resorting to silly shock tactics, it intrigues without having the need to shout at you. This was the most exciting and absorbing episode to date and with only two more to go, everything stands on a precipice. Sam needs a miracle to escape the fall. 9/10

Bullet points:

• Yes, Ela was a bit crazy but she seemed to have a good heart. Sam is nuts to ditch her. Not just because she looked good in a swimming costume.
• Will Ela be the one that dobs him in to the police? Unlikely given the crimes she carried out with him
• We still don’t know what connection Sam and Gina’s dad had to Douglas Rose?
• What is Patricia playing at? Who was she on the phone to?
• Mel is back. Uh oh

Bang (S4C) Episode Five Review

The past is staring to catch up with Gina, mostly because she chooses to seek it out. She requests the twenty year old files of the investigation into her father’s death only to find out about his vast array of criminal records. All the Cautions, suspended sentences, trespassing, fraud and handling of stolen goods charges paint a picture of the man that’s totally different to the one that’s been hung up in her mind all this time. Her present too is is proving complicated. Sam knows about her fling with Carl and it looks a matter of time that proof in the theory about mixing business with pleasure comes true.

As for Sam, despite his early visit to the police station, things are weirdly looking up. Turns out they just wanted to know more about Cai so he walks free into the arms (or rather a jacket) of a lady and now the gun isn’t the only object of his desire. Ela, however, is a bad influence and if there’s one thing this “sad, beautiful boy” doesn’t need right now it’s someone taking him down even darker paths. Not only that, but he gets one up over Ray after spying weaknesses under that surly exterior. Sam is allowed to stay in the home as a method to keep him onside but suspicions between the two aren’t a one way street. Clearly convinced his stepson played a role the robbery, Ray scouts around the house looking for evidence.

Where Bang excels most, other than it’s beautiful, subtle direction is in the performances. Especially by the two leads, Catrin Stewart and Jacob Ifan. Nothing is overblown or too stagey. They keep the story grounded and real. Sam is going off the rails with an almost calm sense of invincibility but the portrayal is no grand Hollywood statement. He steals money from under a workmate’s nose and in a drugs induced state robs cash from till of a club and yet his plight still elicits sympathy rather than judgement. We end with him cornered, gun in hand and on a close up of his face, caught in two minds about pulling the trigger. What follows is set to be a showdown of recriminations and extreme family politics. 8/10

Bullet points:

• Are there any links between the death of Sam and Gina’s dad and the Stevie Rose murder?
• Why would Patricia order a private detective to follow Gina? Seems extreme to say the least. Is it because of her family links?
• Even now he’s getting his end away, Sam can still barely break into a smile, bless him.
• Will Sam’s involvement with the gun end his sister’s career?
• Will he be charged with the murder of Stevie Rose as well as the actual crimes he has committed?