Operation Perseus is Underway in 'The Tower's Penultimate Episode of "Gallowstree Lane"

The third and penultimate episode of The Tower: Gallowstree Lane opens as DS Sara Collins tries to explain to her girlfriend, Julie, why their relationship might be hitting a snag. If the Portland Tower case is reopened, Sara must admit to having a personal relationship with Julie, who was a witness in the case and could cause all sorts of damage to both her reputation and the case itself. Julie suggests Sarah should keep quiet about their relationship. But that, to Sarah, would be a lie and unacceptable. Her values and behavior are challenged, and she finds it profoundly worrying.

“There was this clear, bright line in my head between right and wrong, correct and not correct behavior. ... That was one of the officers from the Portland Tower case. He could be suspended from service; he could be jailed. ....He took time out from a big operation to give me the information I need to keep a kid out of trouble. 

Meanwhile, undercover cop Steve Bradshaw is in danger, having been forced barefoot into a car late at night and taken to a car repair facility where Bulgarian gangster Mitko and his minions want him to rat out his boss, their rival, Shakiel. They have many questions, including why Shakiel chose him, this low-level stoner, as his second-in-command after Ujal’s arrest. Steve successfully fools them into thinking he is a naive associate of Shakiel, not any danger to their operations, and they eventually tell him to get out. Mitko reluctantly hands over money so he can catch a cab home, and Steve distracts one of the men, grabs his gun, and demands his shoes. Shoes on, the weapon is returned, and Steve escapes. The following day, Steve calls Kieran and fills him in, adding that, although the gangsters bypassed the locks and alarm on his apartment, they didn’t have a scanner, so the recording equipment is undamaged. He also believes Shakiel ordered the incident as a loyalty test. 

Operation Perseus’s big standover will occur sometime in the next twelve to twenty-four hours and will take only a few minutes to complete. Meanwhile, Ujal is currently under arrest for the hit-and-run murder of Lexie and is not cooperating. After a witness comes forward with a video proving he was behind the wheel, he finally claims it was an accident; his feet got tangled in the pedals.

Lizzie watches the footage again from last week's confession by Ryan, where he told Steve he witnessed Spencer's murder and the perpetrator having a tattoo of a bird on his neck. It sparks a memory for her, so off she goes, using her charm on Arif to let her see recent custody photographs until she finds what she's looking for. Upon leaving, she heads straight to Kieran with the big reveal: Spencer’s murderer is Jermaine King (aka Kingfisher), and Sarah should be told. Although he insists Operation Perseus is the top priority, he agrees. Meanwhile, DCI Jim Fedden is busy reminding Sarah that public opinion (and the press) believe the murder of a white girl takes precedence over that of a young black man before being informed Kieran requested a meeting with her to discuss that "a suspect has been identified." She’s not so pleased when she discovers DCS Tim Bailie has also been invited.

Kieran insists what he will tell them is intelligence, not evidence, and Sarah, with Tim rolling his eyes, requests he spell out the connection between Lexi and Spencer’s murders. Kingfisher, initially a tiny player in the Soldier Gang, set out independently. His friend was injured in that fight at the mall, where Ryan was arrested. Kingfisher killed Spencer in retaliation and then Lexie because of her role as messenger. However, he has nothing to prove this claim and suggests that Sarah comb through the video of the mall fight. If Kingfisher was there, that’s enough to arrest him. Tim orders Kieran to share any relevant information with Sarah from here on out, but not before ordering her not to compromise Operation Perseus. Sarah demands more on Lexie’s murder – she suspects Kieran and/or Tim know more than they are saying. 

Ryan is home with his sister, Tia, and their mother, Loretta, when Shakiel turns up and invites Ryan for a drive. (Loretta isn’t happy about it.) In the car, Shakiel tells Ryan that Spencer’s killer has been found and he will take care of it, but he needs Ryan’s help. Ryan needs to become more involved in order to move up in the gang; Shakiel also offers him a place to stay. He gives Ryan a gun and a burner phone and instructs him to wait for orders. Back at the precinct, Sarah fears Ryan is in danger and suggests that Kieran should let her arrest Kingfisher or that they should arrest Ryan to keep him safe. So far, Lizzie hasn’t seen him on the tape. She offers an alternative – why not pick Ryan up for the theft of a mobile from a wealthy banker, which they have on video, but Kieran insists she keeps looking.

Lizzie confronts Kieran and demands he tell her what's going on, and is filled in about Mary calling Sarah last week claiming she has the mobile belonging to Farah Mehenni, who was killed in Season 1, with evidence of the accident at Portland Tower. Kieran implies what's on the phone implicates them both. Lizzie is horrified even as he claims he’ll protect her; she knows she did wrong, and it’s her fault that Mary is trying to destroy them. Kieran tells her his philosophy is to do the job first and then deal with the fallout. With that, they begin preparing for Operation Perseus and meet with firearms expert DI Lucas Stanning (Robbie O’Neill). Kieran then tells everyone to go home and rest. But Lizzie, inspired by Kieran’s example of putting work first, volunteers to stay with DS Mark Angel to help view the CCTV files. She knows the players’ faces and convinces Mark to keep her on when he gives her a spot test on Kieran’s gallery.

Sarah drops in to see how the mall tape examination is going, worried Kingfisher stayed clear of the cameras, and the evidence will not exist. She's also concerned her colleagues will lie, and the case will be thrown out. However, Kingfisher (Kwabena Peprah) is on the tape, and even better, he appears to be home, so Elaine and DC Lee Coutts leave to make an arrest. It’s not the department’s finest hour as Kingfisher insists he needs the bathroom and escapes through the window. Now, he’s on the loose, leaving Sarah no choice but to call Kieran and beg him to arrest Ryan as soon as possible.

Back at the station, Mary Shaw has arrived and is being interviewed. She offers to hand over the phone the following day, knowing she could be charged with withholding evidence, but to her, punishing Kieran for his lies is worth it. Lizzie is already there as Mary arrives home, and swears her affair with Kieran is over. She tells Mary she’ll transfer to another job outside London asap, but Mary knows Kieran wants to visit his son, where Lizzie lives won’t make any difference. Lizzie warns Mary that she and her daughter will suffer if she destroys Kieran. Mary almost seems convinced but tells Lizzie it’s too late. The police know everything. She goes inside and closes the door.

Sarah meets Julie for a very quick drink in a bar. Julie knows she can’t ask Sarah for information, but Sara tells her she believes justice is coming and smiles wryly as she adds that it will be a considerable embarrassment to the department. Her values are changing, and it’s put her in a difficult place. Julie responds that Sarah will be okay since she knows something is wrong, but they both know it won’t save their relationship. As far as Julie can see, it’s easy to compartmentalize between a police officer who’s broken the law and a teenager who died in terror. Sarah returns to work, where Kieran has the evidence to arrest Ryan.

Steve and Shakiel visit one of his operators, Becca (Emma Cavoli), which turns out to be the place Shakiel offered Ryan to stay. He’s not even the youngest one there; two small children appear to be part of his operation. Becca has two bags packed, one for cash and one for drugs, and they are making her nervous, so Steve is instructed to put them in his car in the parking garage. Shakiel asks if Steve will be available as a driver the following day, as concurrently, Kieran announces to the team that the operation will begin at 7 a.m., and Kingfisher arrives at the Kennedys’ flat, looking for Ryan. When he fails to find him, he kidnaps Tia instead; Sarah is devastated when the news reaches her.

The Tower Season 3: Gallowstree Road continues with new episodes every Thursday on BritBox through mid-October 2024.