'Guilt's Second Episode of the Final Season Trots Out the Daddy Issues
Guilt has a penchant for starting with characters you’ve never seen before, which is annoying when you’re trying to wrap things up. In its second episode, we meet possible pill addict Aliza (Tamsin Topolski) – though her name is never actually spoken. A no-nonsense American at a large investment company, she’s sent to Edinburgh to close a huge deal: buy the National Bank of Scotland. Representing the bank is government bigwig Jim Sturrock (Euan Macnaughton), whom we met last week, greenlighting said deal in a fishy manner. Unsurprisingly, Maggie is also involved, but beyond helping Sturrock into his position and holding enormous sway, it’s not evident how deep her ties go.
Alec: "How long will you be staying?"
Max: “Until it’s safe to leave.”
Jake: “Until you explain.”
Max and Jake’s journey to the Highlands takes them to the last place Max wants to be, but the only place that makes sense: Their father’s house. Alec (David Hayman) asks his boys, why now, after all this time? Jake explains they had nowhere else to go. Max starts to get into it with Alec, and Jake calms things down. Far from the monster Max anticipated, Alec is sad and kind. He offers his version of why he abandoned his sons: their mother was mentally unstable, and he couldn’t take anymore. It’s not pretty, but he’s honest and feels genuine remorse. He and Max have a middle-of-the-night heart-to-heart, and in the morning, Alec takes his boys fishing, where they bond and heal.
