Things are really heating up for our pals after last week’s episode. Will the good (ish, let’s be real) guys and gals prevail? Or will Maggie and her cadre of goons and evil bankers win the day? Only one way to find out: onward!
We kick things off with an epic monologue from Maggie, who basically says that she’s prepared to defend her higher ground in Leith, and won’t be cowed by her enemies. I would say this is a bold sentiment, but if I’m being honest, I half believe her: she’s been running this show for a LONG time.
Anyway, over at Rear Window’s house, she and Max snipe at each other regarding Jake, who Rear Window wants to defend from his mean brother. I mean, same, but I also feel pretty sure that she’s partly doing this to try and take advantage of Jake herself. Max, who’s all gussied up in his fancy suit, claims that the plan is on track, and leaves. It’s not like he’s ever really told his brother the truth, so why start now? After Max leaves, Rear Window and Jake get up to their business, whatever that may be.
Meanwhile, Yvonne tries to call Kenny, and is met with the Leith Legals answering machine. I’m seriously gonna lose it if something bad happened to him, and am starting to worry that we might be rapidly barreling toward that eventuality. But before she can go check on him, Demoted knocks on her window, revealing his uninvited guest for this chat: Max.
Across town, Skiing Accident wakes up in an unfamiliar room… in Skye’s Mum’s flat. Not a terrible place to hide, I guess, except that Handsome Goon’s sidekicks from the earlier episodes have been here before. But what do I know! Anyway, Skiing Accident is (understandably, I guess) kinda rude to Skye’s Mum, and then turns her sights on the young people. She didn’t come with them because they promised to keep her safe, she did it because they have photos of the paperwork she can no longer access. She’s not impressed by their seeming lack of plan, and she’s also not impressed by their assertion that she’s in the bad part of town, because she’s from the projects herself.
Skiing Accident: Look, I’m good at figuring out who’s in charge. If you’ve got a way to take down Rich Politician Type, great, but you have to take me to the boss, because it’s obviously not you kids.
Not gonna lie: I’m a little afraid of what it looks like when this lady meets Max. Speaking of whom, he’s currently trying to convince Yvonne that he can help her take down Maggie.
Max: I can give you proof of conspiracy to commit murder, but I’ll need you to share the proof you have that Roy and Rich Politician Type were in cahoots.
Yvonne: That would be illegal, and I suspect would help you get away with something untoward.
Max: Yeah, and I’m not the only one who would get away with stuff.
Yvonne: Speaking of Kenny, where is he?
Max doesn’t know, and suggests that Kenny is probably drinking, but she isn’t buying it. She also isn’t buying that this collab will be helpful for her long term, because Yvonne is no dummy. Anyway, she doesn’t take the deal, and tells them that if anything happened to Kenny, it’s about to get messy.
Across town, Maggie sets up a meeting with her estranged daughter, Erin. She’s going away for a while, and wants to know her kid’s ok. Her daughter, however, is not interested in being cool about this (understandable).They talk about how last season ended, which Maggie lays squarely at the feet of Max, prompting Erin to wonder: is Max back in town? Maggie lies and says no, which Erin sees right through, and then leaves. Drama:
Across town, the youths have brought Skiing Accident to Rear Window’s house to meet Max, and she is, unsurprisingly, NOT impressed.
Max: Look, here’s the issue: you want to mess with Rich Politician Type and stop that deal, but I need the deal to happen so I get my money. After I get paid, I’m always happy ruin that jerk’s life, but not before. We need you to help us figure out a mutually beneficial solution, and you need a safe place to stay. Welcome; you’ll hate it here.
Skiing Accident: So you’re kidnapping me?
Max: No, I’m *saving* you.
Jake: It sounds like a kidnapping.
Handsome Goon: It really does.
Max: Not helpful, guys.
This argument doesn’t get resolved, because Skye gets a horrible update via phone: Kenny is at the hospital, in a coma. Skye goes to sit with him, while Max and Jake go to the Leith Legals office. Why? Because Kenny’s got some important paperwork squirreled away at the office, and Max wants to find it. Jake isn’t impressed: Kenny is badly hurt, and it seems that Max doesn’t care at all.
Max: Look, it’s a busy day, and I don’t have time to explain utilitarianism to you.
Jake: Do you know that you ruin everyone’s life that you touch?
Max: That’s not true!
Jake: Give me an exception then.
Max is saved from having to come up with a name by one such person walking in the door: Erin’s here, having remembered the owl-bestrewn branding Kenny chose for the office last season.
Speaking of Kenny, over at the hospital, Skye and Yvonne finally talk: apparently Skye was the one who called Yvonne to tell her about Kenny.
Yvonne: What happened?!
Skye: You know it all comes back to Maggie, someone you cops should have sorted out a long time ago.
Yvonne: Sure, but Kenny isn’t in here because of something HE did. He’s here because he’s kind.
Skye: I’m going to find out what happened, and I’m gonna get revenge.
Yvonne: No you won’t. You have a lot to lose, and Kenny will never forgive me if you lose it.
But if Skye doesn’t do anything, who will? Is this the thing that finally unites all the anti-Maggie factions? Maybe! Anyway, back at Leith Legals, Erin and Max are having an excruciatingly awkward reunion. She thanks him for what he told her, even if it didn’t give her much peace. She also asks if he has capacity for a new project.
Max: Look, I say stuff to you I don’t usually say. Like “I helped you because it was the right thing to do.” And I’m in the middle of a nightmare. Where can I find you, when this is all over?
She tells him, and in the process, Maggie comes up, which causes some understandable tension between the two. Erin tries to hand Max an envelope, but before she can pass it over, Jake runs in, says that Maggie’s goons are coming, and the brothers hoof it out the back door, leaving Erin behind to deal with her mom. The brothers find a good hiding spot, and while they’re doing that, two other important things happen: Kenny wakes up, and Skiing Accident figures out a way for her and the Scottish Avengers to both win.
First, let’s deal with the Kenny situation: he tells Yvonne that he had an epiphany whilst in the coma: they should co-run Leith Legals.
Yvonne: I’m not away from the cops yet, and I have to do something first.
Kenny: Not if it’s tied to this nonsense!
Yvonne: Who did Maggie send to do this?
Kenny: Please do not ask. There’s no way to beat Maggie without sacrificing who you are.
Yvonne: You’re a good person. Too good.
Meanwhile, in a weirdly picturesque alley, Max meets up with Rich Politician Type. He explains that Skiing Accident is hidden, but won’t shut down the sale. Their only requirement is that Rich Politician Type puts 2 million into a specific account beforehand. Rich Politician Type reluctantly agrees, but not without making a mean joke at Max’s expense.
Back at the hospital, Kenny has an… interesting visitor: Teddy.
Teddy: I’m choosing to see me putting you in a coma as a rage relapse. I’ve still made a lot of progress, but sometimes there are setbacks! Anyway, I don’t want it to happen again. I can see one way to end this where I’m the only one to suffer. I should suffer. But I kinda want to spread it around first… to the people who made me who I am. And made me do bad stuff, like this.
Kenny: Well I can help with that. I can tell you what to do to hurt them, and I can give you what you need the most: forgiveness.
Not gonna lie: I am scared AND excited for whatever this leads to. Anyway, back to our baddies: Rich Politician Type calls Maggie and tells her that he knows she doesn’t have Skiing Accident, and that he’s going ahead with the sale. Maggie’s pissed, at least until Rich Politician Type tells her he isn’t going to go with Max: he doesn’t intend to be blackmailed, so he had Max followed, and will hand him over to Maggie.
Meanwhile, Teddy shows up at Yvonne’s office and tells her he worked for Maggie, and he’s got receipts. Compelling ones. At Rear Window’s, Demoted locks himself in the bathroom and takes out his phone. Skiing Accident explains her plan to Max, who doesn’t quite understand it, but does agree that it’ll work. And Jake tells Rear Window he’s going to need a drink for what comes next (presumably, their plan to double-cross Max), which she leaves to fetch. While she’s out of the room, Jake rifles through Max’s jacket pocket, just in time for his brother to return, put on said jacket, and prepare to leave.
Rear Window: You’re on your own, and also: that money is coming to Jake and I. If you try to stop us, we’d just have to tell about your parole violations and all that money laundering you did through Jake’s record shop. It’s revenge for your nonsense.
Max: I came here for two reasons. I knew we’d be safe… and I knew you’d screw me over. I also knew how you’d do it: through Jake. I told him you’d come for him, and while he was distracting you, I was out working. Nothing is in motion; you don’t have Jake. He and I are going to go finish this.
Rear Window: I know what you’re doing and I can stop it.
Max: Thought you’d say that. That’s why Demoted is here: to watch you.
Rear Window, to Jake: You’ve ruined yourself.
Jake: We’ll see!
And with that, they leave, Max tossing some small bills on the table on his way out. Demoted, for the record, looks terrified of Rear Window… or maybe he’s actually scared of what’s about to happen, because Maggie’s goons have just arrived at the house. See, that call Demoted was making in the bathroom? It was to Maggie, who he’s still working for. Unfortunately for him, the goons don’t care, and they’re pretty mad to find the house empty of the people they came to kidnap. Demoted gets killed for his trouble, rolled up in a rug, and lugged out the back door while Rear Window hides in the kitchen.
Over at Rich Politician Type’s office, Max and Skiing Accident roll up, much to the banker’s surprise. And at Maggie’s house, Yvonne has arrived, with backup, to arrest the mobster. Maggie isn’t impressed: Teddy isn’t the best witness, with his background.
Yvonne: Doesn’t matter: once we have one witness, more will follow. And I have a recording he made of you telling him to kill the brothers. Oh, also, remember how you told me there was a group of power-brokers who run this city? I spoke to them, and told them that their numbers were on Roy’s phone records. Suddenly, they were totally ok with me arresting you, as long as I don’t follow up on those phone calls. You’ve been trading on your reputation, but your power is gone, and you’re coming with us.
Across town, Jake goes to Leith Legals and bags up a laptop. He also grabs the envelope Erin left earlier. And Teddy meets up with his father, who’s spent the last year bragging about his mob-connected son.
Teddy: Well guess what: now you can brag about how I took Maggie down.
Teddy’s Dad: Are you nuts? She’ll come for us both!
Teddy: She hasn’t even re-captured you yet. She won’t be coming for anyone.
Teddy’s Dad: You’re a disgrace.
Teddy: Don’t care; I’m going into witness protection.
Amazing. Good for him, honestly. Anyway, at the bank, Rich Politician Type hands Max a document showing the bank transfer, and Skiing Accident gets her part of the deal: she wants her boss to get fired, so she can have his job, and she wants to be the one to do it. Rich Politician Type is weirdly gleeful about this, and agrees.
At the hospital, Jake visits Kenny, and they talk about Max. Specifically, how he’s kind of a jerk who ruins lives and makes you forget how to be a good person.
Jake: I’m here to apologize, because I should have noticed we were having the same problem, and done something to fix it.
Kenny: Kinda late for that.
Jake: Is it?
Back at the bank, Rich Politician Type sidles up to Skiing Accident to gloat: he’s just talked to her boss, and they agreed that she’s fired. Also, they’re planning to file an injunction so she can’t tell what she knows. She’s… unbothered. Why? Because she spread rumors about this shady deal in order to short the bank’s stock. She just made a killing playing the market, and the deal is ruined. It’s a huge win-win… for her.
But we’ve got one final score to settle, reader: the one between Jake and Max. Jake tells Max to meet him in the cemetery, and then lays it out: people, generally, want Max to suffer. How much will depend on Jake.
Jake: See, nobody knows you like I do. They don’t love you like I do either.
Max, super awkward: Well that’s mutual. Ditto, I guess.
Jake: Dad said if I understood you, I’d find peace. So I forgive you, and also what’s about to happen comes from love. You knew what Rear Window was gonna do because that’s how YOU think, and that’s really bad for you! I don’t want you to be like that anymore. I’m gonna help you change.
Max: How?
Jake: I realized when we were at Leith Legals that you were thinking Kenny was out of the picture, and that it was awfully convenient that he had a bank account you’d be able to dump a whole bunch of money in. That’s not a good way to see the world! Kenny was in a COMA!
Max: I set up that bank account! I’m allowed to use it!
Jake: Don’t worry, the money still passed through. Kenny and the kids got the money you wouldn’t have given them. And the rest is going to me 🙂
Max: Jake, what the HELL.
Jake: I’m hoping that me taking the money leads you somewhere else. Somewhere better.
Max: Jake, you and the money are all I have!
Jake: Not true. Here’s that letter from Erin!
Honestly, this is perfect. A+! Jake jets off to Berlin, Yvonne and Kenny get to be together and free of drama, and Max heads to Erin in Dundee… where he finds out that he has a BABY. What a fun way to end this absolutely bonkers series, huh? I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have!
