'This City Is Ours' Second Episode Tests Loyalties

In the premier episode of This City is Ours, we were introduced to the main players of Ronnie Phelan’s cocaine empire, and this week, we discover how fragile the bonds are between them. Michael, Ronnie’s first-hand man, believes he will take over the business now that Ronnie is talking about retirement. But Ronnie’s son Jamie is in the running, and his mother, Elaine, is prepared to defend him, since family is paramount. 

And it’s at this point, after a first episode that consisted mostly of establishing relationships between the characters, that the series takes off, showing us a complex mix of rivalries, ambitions, and desires. 

We are still in Spain, on a trip that is a vacation for the wives and girlfriends, but mostly business for the men. Michael drives Ronnie through spectacular scenery, vineyards, and rocky outcrops under a blazing blue sky, discussing the tactics they should use with the Amigos, their European business partners. A shipment has mysteriously disappeared in Liverpool, although the exchange of drugs and cash took place at sea to avoid detection at customs, an innovation suggested by Michael. It’s thrown the organization’s finances into disarray and is breeding mistrust.

Ronnie directs Michael to drive into a ruined farm and, gazing out, says he loves the silence. But it’s not that quiet. Their drive and conversation have been interrupted by groans and banging from the trunk of the car, where Davy is held captive. He’s hauled out, the gag removed, and begs to talk to Ronnie and know why he was brought there. He makes the point that if he had done anything wrong, he wouldn’t have agreed to come to Spain, and appeals to Michael for support, but Ronnie takes him inside one of the buildings. Michael wanders around the ruins until he hears gunshots.

Davy is dead, and Ronnie won’t discuss the matter with Michael; he just tells him to get the tarpaulin from the back of the car. They throw the body over a cliff. Ronnie asks if Michael wants to say a prayer, and he’s probably quite serious. But he won’t tell Michael what Davy said to him before his death.

The official story for everyone else is that Davy walked away, but his wife, Cheryl, keeps calling him until Ronnie orders the phone, on a lounger by the pool, silenced. Ronnie tells Banksey that Davy is dead, and presumably tells his son Jamie the same. Michael finds Diana mixing drinks at the poolside bar, where Ronnie and Banksey are walking and talking together. But Diana has important news for Michael – all four of her eggs are fertilized, and they laugh and hug. They spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and napping, with Michael able to put his growing doubts about Ronnie aside for the moment. 

But Michael looks longingly at Jamie and Melissa’s baby, Ronnie’s grandson. He tells Diana he needs to take care of her, but she’s concerned for his safety and suggests he take care of himself. Where did he and Ronnie go that afternoon? Where’s Davy? Michael tells her Davy’s gone to Estepona, and asks Diana to keep an eye on Jamie and Banksey, anxious about Ronnie’s one-on-one conversations with them.

Elaine now tackles her husband about his succession. What’s going on? She’s concerned that Jamie may not be smart enough to handle the business, and he’s already gone behind his father’s back, not a good sign. Will Michael continue to work for the organization if Jamie is in charge? She insists that Jamie wasn’t trying to cheat his father; it was a bit of entrepreneurism that went wrong, and Ronnie seems to agree. It’s time Jamie grew up, and Elaine wants to spend more time with Ronnie and travel, hinting strongly that he should retire. She also tells Jamie to make more of an effort with his father.

Michael finds himself in an awkward situation. Banksey is to stay with the women, and Michael will go with Ronnie and Bobby Duffy (Kevin Harvey) to meet with the Amigos, although he has no idea of his boss’s strategy. Ronnie dismisses Michael’s suggestion that they do business with another syndicate to pay back the Amigos, and Michael now criticizes him for killing an old friend. Ronnie brings this up more often than you’d expect, as a ploy for sympathy.

(“How do you think I feel ...” It’s a bit too reminiscent of Monty Python’s Piranha Brothers.)

The Amigos meet them in a huge clifftop house, where they drink wine on the patio. Ronnie proposes a three-month delay in payment for the last, disastrous shipment. He emphasizes that it’s a loan, and they’re all friends, and so on. Michael has no role to play except to listen, and as the business talk ends, he is invited by the Top Amigo, Ricky Guzman (Daniel Cerqueira), for a friendly chat. The conversation turns to fatherhood – Ricky has four children attending college in the United States, headed for conventional careers, and he’s touched by Michael’s photo of Diana’s four fertilized eggs. Ricky asks what Michael wants for his children when they’re grown. Something ordinary, safe, and legal, Michael replies, not this line of business. Ricky expresses his concern that Michael had no voice at the meeting; it’s not a good sign. Ricky also knows that their shipment got through customs successfully, adding another layer of mystery, and finds that Michael has no idea of what Ronnie intends for Jamie.

That evening, there’s dinner at a restaurant to celebrate Ronnie and Elaine’s wedding anniversary, and Michael becomes overwhelmed by the celebratory atmosphere. He takes refuge in the bathroom, where Banksey, also confused by the recent dynamics of the group, asks him what’s going on. Michael shares that the shipment wasn’t delayed. If the container is still in the yard, sealed, then Davy was lying all along. Banksey calls his son, Freddie (Adam Abbou), to check on the container. Freddie calls back: the container is unsealed, and its contents have been trashed. (And also, he fed the cat. Love a multi-tasker.) After dinner, Michael and Diana stroll outside eating ice cream, and discuss what his future will be now that Ronnie and Jamie are reconciled. Almost certainly, Ronnie will pass control of the business to Jamie, and Michael knows he will have to leave, if he can: “It leaves me not quite on the outside, I’ll need a good door.”

Diana asks if they can just walk away. Michael tells her the business belongs to him as much as it does to Ronnie, after twenty years, but she has guessed the truth. Does Michael trust Ronnie? Trust Ronnie not to send him to Estepona? Michael should be a lot more concerned about his survival. It was his idea to change the delivery method of the shipments, and he’s known Ronnie for two decades. If anything, he should know how his boss operates.

Michael gets out of bed, leaving Diane asleep. Outside, Ronnie calls up to Elaine that he’s having a bit of “me time” by the pool, enjoying a drink and solitude, and making a reference to the balcony scene in Romeo & Juliet. Davy’s phone is still on the lounger, and he throws it into the pool. Michael, in the kitchen, chooses a knife and goes outside, where Ronnie is now asleep on the lounger, and Michael stabs him. For a scene that takes place mostly in the dark, it packs a huge amount of drama and tension, and Ronnie’s death is neither easy nor quiet. Elaine watches from her bedroom window. 

This City Is Ours: A Crime Family Saga continues with new episodes on Thursdays through April 23, 2026.