Summary
Tense, violent, and shocking, the third episode of Top Boy‘s final season takes some bold narrative swerves and sends the latter half of the story in a new direction.
This recap of Netflix’s Top Boy Season 3 Episode 3, “Birthday Party”, contains spoilers.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Basic principles of physics and, it turns out, gang culture. “Birthday Party” opens with the former ZTs, including Si and Tayo, who helped Stef retrieve Jamie’s chain from the rave in Episode 2, getting attacked. Their drugs are stolen, the scuffle leaves someone on the floor, perhaps dead, and forces everyone to scatter when the police arrive and give chase.
And this, comparatively, is the least important thing that spirals out of the events of the season’s first two episodes, so you can tell that the stakes are beginning to heighten.
Netflix’s Top Boy Season 3 Episode 3 Recap
Sully, who obviously decided to accept Dushane’s offer of help though is clearly not especially happy about it, is working on a plan to deal with the McGees.
During the tour of the nursing home in Episode 2, Jonny revealed that he would be there to visit his great-uncle Pat for his birthday and that Tadgh would also be present. Sully has bribed one of the nurses, Abigail, to ensure that the CCTV is turned off and to give him an entrance into the building through the room of a dementia patient named Veronica Gamble.
However, Jonny also suggests to Sully that he might be interested in a partnership between the two of them. Tadgh is on his way out, apparently, and if the opportunity to step up presents itself, Jonny is ready to take it. However, he needs someone smart and capable by his side to do that, and Sully seems to fit the bill.
How does Jaq find out about Rowmando?
Jaq is distraught about Lauryn’s death, but her grief, in a roundabout way, shows a much more compassionate side of Sully.
Sully, as we know, has lost more than virtually any other character in Top Boy, as well as being responsible for taking more away from others than any other character, so he’s a difficult to figure to try and unpack. Jaq, understandably, wants revenge — she wants the name of whoever was dealing to Lauryn.
Sully, though, cautions her against this path, reminds her that Lauryn’s death isn’t her fault, or even the fault of the dealer, but Lauryn’s own, and crucially tells Jaq that the road she wants to go down won’t make her feel better. It won’t help. And it’ll likely ruin the good setup she has with Becks and baby Jack.
But there is still work to be done. Kieron tells Jaq about the incident with the Fields crew, which has lost them a lot of money, so Jaq pays them a visit to tell them to up their prices and hustle harder to recoup the losses. There’s pushback, though, since Tyrone blames Jaq for killing Jamie and Kit. While Jaq insists — truthfully — that she doesn’t know who killed Jamie and that they had no reason to do so, she does reveal that it was Jamie who killed Kit, which is news to all of them.
Jaq also presses Kieron to tell her who supplied Lauryn, against Sully’s advice, and he reveals it was Rowmando. She goes to his house and attacks him, but leaves him alone after a few strikes because his tearful justification is absolutely correct — he was just selling drugs like she told him to.
Why does Dushane kill Jeffrey?
Jeffrey learns that the Summerhouse development funds were requested by a company called Soundrock Properties, which is one of Lithe’s shell companies. To avoid suspicion, and since everything seemed above board, the entire £15 million was released, and Soundrock subsequently winked out of existence. For all intents and purposes, Dushane’s money is gone for good.
When Jeffrey tells Dushane this, he takes it so badly that he beats Jeffrey to death with a frying pan.
Dushane is forced to clean up the crime scene while dealing with his continuing palpitations, and he snaps at Shelley when she gets home, telling her that the chain acquisition is no longer on the table and insisting she stay out of his business. She’s devastated.
Netflix’s Top Boy Season 3 Episode 3 Ending Explained
Who gets killed at the birthday party?
Sully and Dushane suit up in bulletproof vests and head out to the nursing home for Pat’s birthday party. They’re able to sneak into Veronica’s room without issue, screw silencers onto their guns, and shush the dear old lady back to sleep when their bickering wakes her up.
This whole build-up is excruciatingly tense, as we wait for Jonny and Tadgh to arrive, and then for a nervous-looking Abigail to send the text telling Dushane and Sully they’re there. Abigail’s behavior alerts Jonny, who goes to investigate, but Sully and Dushane are able to get in, coldly execute Tadgh, Jonny, and their security guard, and then get out again with the duffel bags Sully spotted in the basement while Jonny killed Billy.
Abigail is left to deal with her complicity in a triple murder as the police arrive.
As the episode ends, Stef tells Si that it was Sully who killed Jamie.
You can stream Netflix’s Top Boy Season 3 Episode 3, “Birthday Party”, exclusively on Netflix.
