'Guilt' Season 2's Second Episode Says Everyone is Guilty of Something

The second episode of Guilt Season 2 opens with a flashback. At the Phoenix Estate Development, a young man presents a proposal for the New Leith project. He gets turned down because his projected costs are too high, but on his way past the building site, another bright idea occurs to him. He could offer to buy the church nearby from a priest of questionable ethics. His partner isn’t thrilled with the idea. The money (with a tracking device in the bag) gets picked up by our ex-Army fellow, Joe (Paul Tinto), who drives it to a casino. A bearded man – likely the bent minister – arrives, but the cash is gone. Meanwhile, inside, Adrian is conducting a drug deal with the roulette croupier when he notices the bag stuffed with bills on the floor by Joe’s feet. When the intoxicated soldier steps out for a quick smoke, Adrian snatches the loot and hightails it out of there. Joe threatens the croupier at gunpoint and follows Adrian home to Erin’s house, where both men meet their fate. 

Picking up where we left off last week, Jackie (Sandy McDade), the lady with the dog on the bench, is an undercover police officer; Max is one of her informants. She’s on a years-long mission to bring down Roy Lynch and has tasked Max with gathering evidence against the gangster. She says money laundering isn’t enough to prove her case, but it’s a start, and Max must record every interaction.

As they return from Joe’s memorial service, his brother, Teddy (Greg McHugh), tells their father about Papillon, a book a friend gave him. It’s about a boy who wanted to escape prison only to find out the prison was in his head. He thinks life was like that for Joe after the Army. His father suggests that what happened is Teddy’s fault and cryptically tells him he must “take care of what needs to be done.”

Yvonne stops by Erin’s house to check the facts on Adrian’s rejected missing person’s report. She passes it off as a data entry mistake but must suspect something fishy. Erin corroborates what was in the report to the letter and then admits she doesn’t want him back. After Yvonne leaves, Erin goes to see her father and tells him of Yvonne’s visit. She doesn’t mention the encounter with Max, who has been following her and has just put together her connection to Lynch. 

At the police station, Yvonne confronts Stevie about his involvement with the missing person's report. Stevie sneers that she only has a job because he stood up for her, so butt out. Yvonne calls Kenny to discuss her moral dilemma. He encourages her to follow her conscience, so she enters the Chief Constable’s office to report her concerns about DS Malone. She’s put in touch with Jackie, who knows DS Malone was involved in Yvonne not being promoted. She asks Yvonne to keep tabs on Stevie and gives her a list of addresses that are part of her investigation. If he goes to any of them, Yvonne should let her know.

Kenny drops in on the shady priest, Sandy (Ian Pirie), who works at the church where his AA meetings are held. Kenny attempts to gain Sandy’s confidence, warning him others will be less friendly. Sandy declines to comment. Back at the office, Leith’s business dealings are bringing Max down. Kenny tries to give his friend a pep talk after a particularly trying consultation with a woman wanting to leave money for her cat in her will. He takes Max to meet Sandy, urging him to be respectful. Instead, Max belittles religion, suggesting Sandy doesn’t realize how dirty his missing money is and should tell them what he knows. Sandy stands his ground and isn’t intimidated by Max. Kenny and Max look over the massive New Leith development as they leave; Max notices the Phoenix Estate sign and suspects something isn’t above board.

While Max is gathering info on Phoenix Estates, a surprise visitor stops by the office: Teddy. He and Max were cellmates, and he’s hiring Max to investigate what happened to Joe, handing over a photo and the casino pass card. Once Teddy leaves, Max mutters that was the only person he was afraid of in prison. They’ll give the investigation a week and then say they turned up nothing new. 

As suggested in last week’s final moments, Roy and Maggie Lynch are not estranged. He’s bringing her a cuppa in her living room, and they’re chatting about their daughter like an average couple. Maggie expresses her appreciation for what he gave up so she didn’t have to, and she seems very much in the loop regarding his business dealings. After tea, Roy shows up at Sandy’s church and offers to buy it. The two grew up together, and Sandy suggests Roy wouldn’t pass muster with the parish board. Roy protests he and his money are clean. The priest asks Roy if he’s the money behind Phoenix because they need the church’s lot to build a road out of the New Leith development. Lynch confesses that the plan is to build over the ghosts of his past and leave a legacy for his daughter. Sandy says the money is not enough; he wants redemption. 

Jackie has parked outside Erin’s house for a stakeout, but Erin’s not home. She contacted Max after seeing her father leave her mom’s building. They go to a hotel bar where she admits to being Roy Lynch’s daughter. At first, Max claims to be Roy’s friend. When it becomes clear Erin is not a fan of her dad, Max turns off the recording function on his phone and tells Erin he was in prison for two years because of Roy. Erin says she’s been waiting for someone who sees her father as she does. Max admits he wants revenge on Lynch, to take what he values and leave him in a cell, wondering how he got there. The bar closes, so the couple gets a room.