'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.

Maggie, now an actual widow, is maneuvering all over the place. The police froze her assets and seized her businesses, though she claimed the weed operation was a surprise to her. She approaches Sturrock demanding enough money to stay gone: £2 million. He tries to balk but fails even as the bank deal hits shaky ground after Aliza demands documents Sturrock’s been holding back, and that Maggie ensure the deal’s success. Maggie is also intent on cleaning up loose ends, aka the McCall brothers (also Skye’s £20k debt). Though Roy promised Teddy he would never have to kill Max, Maggie tells him Roy’s dead, and so’s the deal. Roy was apparently the soft-hearted one; Maggie is the heavy hitter.

Danny has been promoted to Maggie’s driver following the murder of Skye’s mother’s boyfriend (yeah, you read that right); Maggie is impressed with his quick decision but makes clear his position is conditional upon recovering the ₤20k. Oddly, Danny and Skye are entangled in either a romantic or platonic relationship. He warns her about who she owes and insists she pay since her plan didn’t work. “My plan?” she asks dubiously, implying his involvement. Skye doesn’t have the money to pay. Danny tells her to run, and he’ll say her mom isn’t involved; he’s trying to protect her.

Teddy visits Kenny for a lead on Max and Jake, literally squeezing him for the info. Teddy suspects Max would seek out his father based on what he learned as cellmates. Kenny had tracked down Alec’s address when Max left prison. After exposing Max and Jake’s safe house, Kenny is surprised by Skye, who says she must leave Edinburgh. They hurry off to warn the brothers about Teddy and to get Max’s help with Skye’s debt.  

On the police end, Yvonne is desperate to take Maggie down and make a difference before leaving her job. She’s fed up with being told who she can and can’t arrest. She continues working with Stevie, asking him to investigate the suspicious death of the man who “fell” off the flats. Although Stevie is a bent cop and still expects rewards for being a mole, his involvement with the Lynch farm raid puts him in Maggie’s crosshairs. Yvonne later finds a lead from the data on Roy Lynch’s cell phone: someone unexpectedly called him (who will probably turn out to be Sturrock).

The McCall clan returns from fishing to find Alec’s front door open. They expect the worst, only to see Kenny and Skye inside. Max and Jake opt to leave with them. Alec gives his sons money for new clothes, and there’s a heartfelt goodbye from both Jake and Max, who shakes his father’s hand — a major step. Teddy crashes his car in the Highlands on his way to kill the Brothers McCall, narrowly missing a guy on a motorbike. He had been very agitated, seemingly plagued by guilt and feeling judged by the pictures of his dead brother on his dashboard.

Once on the road, Max angrily inquires who’s after them and how they knew where to look. Skye sticks up for Kenny and verbally spars with Max. Then Kenny brakes hard, and they all see Teddy with a motorbike, blocking the road. There’s no sign of the biker.

Max and Kenny are terrified, Jake is concerned, and Skye thinks all four should take Teddy on. After a tense discussion, Max approaches Teddy. He tries appealing to him, reminding Teddy how Max stayed up all night before his parole hearing to coach him on what to say. Max is attempting compassion and friendship, but the scene is appropriately tense – is Teddy buying it? Max says he understands what role Roy might be filling for Teddy. When Teddy says Roy is dead, Max realizes it’s just Maggie, alone and exposed. He tries to win Teddy over: “I’m saying let’s work together. Let’s go back to Edinburgh, and let’s take it all.”

Bits and Bobs

• The emotional weight of the father and sons’ reunion has warmed me up to the brothers enough to care what happens to them next. Good job, show!
• Alec is a great character, and is quietly funny. He assures his sons he’ll be there when they need him, and we believe him.
• What is going on between Skye and Danny? That’s a weird pairing.
• Will Max’s band of merry misfits team up with Teddy, Yvonne, and Stevie to take Maggie down?

Guilt’s third and final season airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on most local PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Prime Video Channel. All four episodes are available to stream for members on PBS Passport. As always, check your local listings.