‘Criminal Record’ Plays “Snakes & Ladders” to a Draw
For every snake, there is a ladder; for every ladder, a snake.
This week’s Criminal Record cold open begins with the boy at the heart of this season’s mystery, Billy Fielding. Last week, we learned that Cerys’ murder was at least partly accidental; it wasn’t an act of physical violence. Instead, he gave her ketamine, a drug that in itself is not fatal, but was the direct cause of her death. It’s been clear since the premiere that Hegarty knows him well, though precisely how well is still up for debate. However, the important thing is that he doesn’t see Billy as a murderer, but rather as a dumb kid who made an extraordinarily bad choice.
Billy may seem like a dumb kid, but he’s half playing at it. When challenged to a boxing match by Nigel, he allows himself to be beaten up until Cosmo walks in, and then, like magic, the kid turns on a dime and starts winning. Watching via CCTV, even Hegarty seems impressed.
Unfortunately, the big boss, CTC Tim Dencik (Peter Sullivan), is not impressed. Not with Billy, not with Cosmo, and not with Hegarty’s ranting about seven detonators. He thinks this is an overreaction and is far more concerned with Billy’s escape from prison being turned into “police collusion.” He demands hard proof of Hegarty’s terrorist imaginings, or the operation is over; so Hegarty returns to the team and says they need to figure out which of these losers (Andy, Nigel, Kieran, Liam, or Phil) actually might know how to build a bomb.
