Summary
Episode 5 sees a close call and a tense raid as the series presents how Charles stayed one step ahead of the authorities.
This recap of the BBC and Netflix series The Serpent episode 5 contains spoilers. The drama is already out in the UK on the BBC, but it will be released on Netflix on April 2, 2021.
Episode 5 begins on March 11, 1976 – Bangkok; Nadine learns that the police are coming to Kanit House for a drug raid in the afternoon. Charles asks who was on the phone, and Nadine manages to blag the situation. Herman is fretting and wants Nadine out of the house. He sends Paul Siemons over. It’s all touch and go in the fifth chapter.
Charles has it in for Nadine
But Nadine is not in the clear as much as she thought in The Serpent episode 5 as she is slowly running out of time.
Ajay is suspicious of Nadine and Remi and raises them to Charles. He’s fully aware that something is not right. Ajay and Charles send out drinks for Nadine and Marie-Andrée. She doesn’t want to take it, believing it’s poison, but Charles insists. Marie-Andrée senses something is wrong as well and tries to defend Nadine. Later on, Charles wants Nadine to punch him in the stomach to test out his abs. He grabs her hands to break them and tells her that he doesn’t believe her when she says she knows nothing about Dominque. Charles then punches Nadine in the stomach, and she sobs. Paul Siemons shows up and takes Nadine away.
All three need arresting
Nadine is fretting because Ajay and Marie-Andrée are not at Kanit House. She wants all three of them arrested and asks Herman to get the police to wait. Nadine heads back into Kanit House and strips to her bikini in front of Charles before heading into the pool. Charles can sense something is up.
Marie-Andrée and Ajay return, so Paul Siemons alerts Herman that all three suspects are at Kanit House. Charles sees the police arriving and jolts into action. He tells Marie-Andrée to put on all her jewellery. The police enter their room and arrest them all while completing the raid.
Suspicions for Nadine
Two days earlier; Ajay, Charles and Marie-Andrée return to Bangkok and wonder where Dominique is. They check out the post office and see Nadine reading a letter. They ask her if she’s seen him. Despite Marie-Andrée’s concerns, Charles has a plan. He meets Suda and gives her money — he asks for a large consignment of rubies, gems and sapphires. Charles then gives her an engagement ring, and she’s happy with tears. Before he leaves her, he gives Suda a red briefcase and asks her to look after it for him. Later on, Suda updates Charles that she has the stones for him. You always feel like Charles is one step ahead in episode 5.
No basis for arrest
Charles has frustrated the police process, showing how intelligent the evil man was.
Three months later; Marie-Andrée, Ajay and Charles are asked for their jewellery at the police station. The police tell Herman that the man they have captured is an American citizen named David Gore and shows him his passport. Herman is adamant that the man is called Alain Gautier. The police have no basis for holding the suspects. Herman tries telling them that the passport is forged. Paul Siemons gets furious and asks if there’s a real policeman in the station. Herman asks an officer to hold them for a little longer.
The US Embassy checks him out
Herman rings the US Embassy and meets with a US diplomat named Mr Redland. He insists that this man has murdered, drugged and robbed people. Mr Redland looks at the passport and immediately thinks it’s fake and wants to speak to Charles directly — Charles puts on an American accent and acts like David Gore. He says he didn’t know that Alain Gautier was a drug dealer when he took residence at Kanit House. Mr Redland asks Charles if he knows Teresa. When Mr Redland leaves the interrogation, Herman tells him to talk to Marie-Andrée.
Mr Redland asks Marie-Andrée about the missing person named Teresa. She claims to have never seen her before in her life. Meanwhile, Charles rings Suda and asks if she still has his briefcase. The Serpent episode 5 sees Charles and Marie-Andrée playing their respective roles under pressure. It really adds to the tension and the drama — we want them to be caught.
Later on, Mr Redland learns that the real David Gore was drugged in Hong Kong and that he’s alive — he updates Herman. They now know that Charles isn’t David Gore. Herman tells Nadine and Remi that they can go home; their mission seems to be complete.
The ending
In the middle of the night, Herman learns that the doors were left open at the police station and Charles, Ajay, and Marie-Andrée have escaped. The police decide to open Charles’ safe. Meanwhile, Nadine is feeling spooked at Kanit House as she sees lights in Charles’ apartment. She goes to check it out. Ajay leaves one of the rooms and reveals that they know she was spying on them. He tells her that they will be watching her.
When the police open the safe, Herman looks inside, and it’s empty. Meanwhile, Charles is with Suda and her father, and he has the red briefcase with everything inside. Charles heads inside a car and kisses Marie-Andrée. He gives her the ring that he gave Suda and tells her she is the future.
The Serpent episode 5 sees a close call and a tense raid as the series presents how Charles stayed one step ahead of the authorities. He knew the game well. The series continues to well-acted, bringing a compelling true story.
