Heading For The End-Game
Baptiste returns this week with another episode of BBC’s latest crime drama. Constantin tells Stratton very early on that he has 24 hours to get Baptiste or he’ll wind up meeting a similar fate as his Father with a chainsaw. This sets off a dramatic chain of events to follow. As Stratton deliberates over his next move, the police force his hand, blackmailing him into wearing a wire or face being arrested for Natalie’s murder. With impossible choices every way he turns, he begrudgingly agrees to help as the focus turns to Baptiste who goes on the hunt for the money. This brings him straight to Natalie’s father’s house where we learn more about the whereabouts of the money. With his car window smashed and the money AWOL, Baptiste suspects one of the people working at the estate, a seemingly innocent window cleaner. As he goes investigating, the focus turns back to Stratton. Intent on trying to make the most of a bad situation, he plays both sides of the coin in a bid to try to come out on top. As stress starts to overcome his rationale, Stratton finds himself continuously restless and trapped as he’s forced to stay in the hotel against his wishes. As Baptiste dives deeper into his investigation, he bends the rules and breaks into the window cleaner’s house. Here, he comes face to face with a pretty creepy secret locked away in the basement. After some deliberation, Baptiste convinces the man to help him and in doing so, leads him straight to the source of who really stole the money. The episode ends with Baptiste letting Stratton know he has the money and all seems well. Unfortunately things aren’t that simple and after escaping from the hotel in the dead of night, Stratton makes his decision, leaving things wide open for next week and big question marks over the direction the show is likely to go next. Dramatic and full of tension, Baptiste continues the BBC crime drama train, delivering a pretty impressive episode overall. While most of the plot development and characterisation feels standard fare of these BBC dramas, there’s some nice little twists here to help keep things feeling fresh. After a slow start, Baptiste is much improved this week and as the pieces align into place, this crime thriller looks set for a dramatic finale to the tale.
