Summary
Shantaram continues to pile on the tension, but it doesn’t elicit any real response. This is painfully slow and clichéd storytelling, focused on characters we couldn’t care less about. A series that has needlessly dragged on for far too long now.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Shantaram season 1, episode 10, “Dig Two Graves,” which contains spoilers.
Lin Ford (Charlie Hunnam) is a surprisingly relaxed character when you consider his awful backstory. He became a drug addict thanks to his ex-girlfriend, which led to the botched bank robbery. In prison, he was tortured by the police because he wouldn’t give up his friend. The police made him look like a snitch, which in turn made him a prime target in jail. Now on the outside and partially free again, Lin has been set up once more, this time by the drug dealer Maurizio (Luke Pasqualino). In episode ten, “Dig Two Graves”, Lin loses his cool and goes after sweet revenge.
Shantaram season 1, episode 10 recap
After the previous cliffhanger, Lin, Prabhu, and Didier weigh up their options. Raheem wants Lin dead, but Lin refuses to hide, preferring to find Abdullah before he is attacked instead. The gang soon finds out where Raheem is staying and prepares to confront this criminal, with Abdullah’s help. Prabhu dresses up as room service and they break into Raheem’s hotel room. Lin and Abdullah defeat Raheem and his men quite easily. Abdullah mentions Khader’s name and Raheem instantly begs to leave for Nigeria. But Abdullah wants Maurizio’s location in return for this safe passage.
In a separate subplot, Karla lays out her plans to Lisa. She has made a deal with Kavita, if she drops Lin’s story then she will deliver her the goods for an even better one, about government corruption in Bombay. Karla needs Lisa to speak with the reporter to corroborate the story. She plans to take down Zhou and Walid but wants to leave Khader out of the setup. Lisa agrees, but she can’t understand why Karla is fleeing when she is clearly in love with Lin.
Lin isn’t acting like the man that Karla fell in love with though. He’s gone feral, blinded by revenge. Lin wants to take on Maurizio all on his own and heads towards his enemy at full pelt. Maurizio isn’t stupid though and has already made good on his own escape, killing one of Raheem’s goons in the process. Prabhu pleads with Lin to return to the slums, to not seek out revenge, but years of anger are finally rising to the surface. Lin has been set up too many times before, he will not stand for it again.
Meanwhile, Australian Detective Wally Nightingale has touched down in sunny Bombay, after receiving Lin’s whereabouts from Nishant. On arriving at the airport, Wally is greeted by a liaison officer called Chavan. Wally instantly clashes with the Indian authorities, who soon bring him down a peg or two. Wally is clearly out of his depths here, yet he tries to gain some control and annoys everyone he meets. He orders that they head straight to Nishant’s.
Kavita interviews Lisa about the Palace and Walid. They change the story slightly to keep Khader out of any trouble. Lisa agrees to go on the record for Kavita’s story but asks for the article to be delayed until they have left Bombay for good. Kavita is suspicious of Karla’s sources and asks to speak with Sunita next. Karla gathers a large payment from Khader to help Sunita escape once she has provided Kavita with her story.
Wally then meets with the reporters. He informs them that Lin (Dale Conti) is a fugitive, wanted for armed robbery and for escaping prison. Kavita lies and says that Lin is long gone, but Wally sees straight through her tall tales. He has a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way and soon gets into an argument with Kavita. Chavan takes Wally to the station, where he is provided with his own cramped office. He asks for paperwork on the case and some hard-boiled eggs.
An enraged Lin searches for Lisa and questions her about the setup. Lisa admits that Maurizio ripped off Raheem, then Modena stole the money, complicating matters. She didn’t want to get involved, although Lin needs her help to track down Maurizio. The slum doctor won’t let it go, he wants his revenge this time. Lisa orchestrates a trade-off and Maurizio calls her up. Lisa demands twenty grand and her passports to be returned. Maurizio accepts the terms of the deal.
The drug dealer has fled to Madame Zhou’s, where he explains the setup to his boss. Modena stole her money and Raheem nearly killed him for it. He seems to leave out the bit where they were going to con Zhou and run away with all her money, but I suppose he doesn’t need to elaborate. Karla and Abdullah arrive to take Sunita away and Maurizio finally realizes the big secret — Karla is working for Khader. Karla pays for Sunita’s freedom and takes her to meet with Sunita for the final part of the deal.
Shantaram season 1, episode 10 ending
Maurizio arrives for the trade-off but is met by an angry Lin instead. The fugitive pins Maurizio against a wall and shoves the barrel of a gun in his face. Maurizio apologizes, revealing his reasons for setting Lin up in the first place. Maurizio thought Lin had snitched on him to Abdullah, but it was in fact Karla who set Maurizio up. Lin finally hears the truth – Karla works for Khader. Everyone is setting everyone up in this installment it would seem.
Next, Lin and Lisa meet with Karla. He hands over the passports and accuses Karla of lying to him. The fugitive is hurt and feels used by Karla. He says how he is glad to be leaving Bombay and adds that he never wants to see her again. Lin storms out of the apartment, leaving Karla heartbroken and alone.
What did you think of Shantaram season 1, episode 10? Comment below.
