What happened in Gangs of London season one? Recap ahead of season two release-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

Is London still for the taking in season 2? (Picture: Sky)

Gangs of London was one of the most breath-taking pieces of telly, featuring Shakespearean levels of family drama mixed with gut-wrenching action sequences.

With season 2 of the Sky Atlantic drama about to drop, which Marian Wallace actor Michelle Fairley has already promised will be ‘violence on steriods’, let’s get up to speed with the jaw-dropping events of the first instalement.

Gangs of London season 1 was all about getting rather blood-thirsty revenge for the equally blood-thirsty deaths of loved ones, no more so than Sean Wallace (Joe Cole).

Sean’s dad, and the big dog of London’s criminal underground, Finn (Colm Meaney) is shot in the face by hapless assassin Darren Edwards (Aled ap Steffan) while visiting a tower block on the Albanian mafia’s territory.

The gunning down of such a key gangster in the capital has a ripple effect, starting with Joe calling off all criminal activities with the likes of Kurdish freedom fighter Lale (Narges Rashidi) until his murderer is found.

Meanwhile, undercover cop Elliot Finch (Sope Dirisu) has been tasked with bringing the Wallace organisation to justice, and goes deep undercover, assisted by his handler Vicky Chung (Jing Lusi), to get to the beating heart of the family.

Joe will not rest until he seeks avengance for his father’s death (Picture: PA)

Successfully infiltrating the gang, and winning the hard-won trust of Joe, Elliott’s mission becomes more complicated the deeper he goes, particularly when he falls for gangster Ed Dumani’s (Lucian Msamati) daughter, Shannon (Pippa Bennett-Warner).

As Joe gets closer to finding out the identity of his father’s assassin, it turns out Darren wasn’t aware of exactly who he was killing, with the people giving the orders still a mystery.

Alex goes against Sean (Picture: Sky UK Limited / AMC LL)

Finn’s wife Marian (Michelle Fairley) is also looking for answers and discovers that her husband had impregnated his lover Floriana (Arta Dobroshi) and planned to escape to an exotic island with her.

In fact, Finn had swindled millions out of a shady group known as The Investors, and was planning to leave his company not to his own flesh and blood, but to Ed and his son Alex (Paapa Essiedu) in a double betrayal.

Marian is hurt when she finds out about her husband’s double life (Picture: Sky UK Limited / AMC LL)

The season ends with the discovery that it was in fact The Investors who ordered the hit on Finn, who Ed and Alex are now working for.

Under orders to take out Sean, Alex asks long-time friend Marian to reveal her son’s location, which she doesn’t let up, while he shoots her in the side in a graveyard.

But she appears to be saved by her husband’s lover, who had been captured by the Danish militia also seeking to track down the Wallaces.

Sean learns also that Elliott, who has now been abandoned by police for taking things too far, is nonetheless an officer.

Elliott is threatened by The Investors and told that if he doesn’t kill Sean and save Alex, then they will take out Shannon and her son, leaving him with no option.

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In a dramatic showdown he shoots Sean in the face and helps Alex to escape, while The Investors also save him from police interrogation by telling him to say he’s under the diplomatic immunity of Panama.

Elliott is now at the complete mercy of The Investors, while Alex and Ed run free.

But how long will the new order last in season 2?

Gangs of London season 2 premieres on Thursday October, 20 on Sky Atlantic and Now

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MORE : Gangs of London season 2 will be ‘violence on steroids’ warns Michelle Fairley

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