Summary
“Carla” is an anti-climactic finale that veers into silly, cliched territory now and again. As always, the central rivalry is riveting, but that ambiguous ending will no doubt divide fans of the series. Criminal Record answers most of its mysteries by the end of the first season, but it just isn’t a satisfying conclusion overall.
The Season 1 finale of Criminal Record opens with two major questions still to be answered: Who killed Adelaide Burrowes, and will they be arrested, allowing Errol Mathis to walk free after his wrongful conviction? In Episode 8, “Carla,” viewers will be happy to hear that both of these questions are answered, although the ending of Criminal Record can be a tad underwhelming as the investigation concludes and the final note will be divisive.
“Carla” begins with the leaked Hayes Lane 999 emergency call going viral. As expected this puts even more pressure on the Metropolitan police force as the general public believes Errol Mathis has been wrongfully convicted, and sentenced to imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. June pleads with Daniel, promising him that she did not leak the audio file.
Daniel is rightfully panicked by this latest development; it is his reputation and integrity that is on the line, after all. He argues with June over the case. June brings up Errol’s forced confession and his ignored alibi, but Daniel is adamant that they had all the evidence, Errol is the killer, and they followed protocol. June worries that the actual killer is still out there and that Carla is in danger.
June wonders what will happen if Daniel is wrong. Daniel admits that he questions his actions every day, he still has his own doubts. The DCI agrees to hand over all of the paperwork on Errol’s case, to prove that he is telling the truth.
The Detective Sergeant flicks through the files, questioning Daniel’s motives. June asks why he didn’t question Clive or all of the other criminals who had been in Errol’s flat. Daniel says that all those criminals were cleared. He’s about to show June the list of names, but then he notices a name that shocks him to his very core. Daniel quickly exits the room with the list.
Panicked again, Daniel phones Kim about a particular name that was cleared. Kim states that he interviewed the subject and questioned their alibi. Tony conducted a second interview when the alibi was flagged. Tony was the one who had cleared the subject. Now Daniel is starting to mistrust his old pal Tony.
Who is Stefan Ash?
Daniel heads to the subject’s home immediately. It is revealed that Stefan Ash is the man in question, one of Daniel’s trusted informants. Stefan escapes before meeting with Daniel though. Daniel and June discuss their latest suspect. Stefan fits the bill perfectly; he rented out properties, including Adelaide’s flat. He could have come and gone as he pleased.
The team investigates all of Stefan’s properties in the local area, searching for the suspect and Carla. After checking all of the properties, they decide to inspect an abandoned floor in the tower block. June finds Stefan there and a fight ensues.
Stefan starts to strangle June to death. She grabs a nearby knife and attempts to stab Stefan in response. Daniel appears just in time to stop June from killing the murderer. Stefan is then arrested for his crimes. June finds Carla and her baby hiding in the vicinity.
As Stefan is driven back to the police station for further questioning, the police car is attacked by intruders. Stefan is executed in a drive-by shooting. Daniel takes a hit as well. As June arrives on the scene, Daniel is bleeding out, having been shot in the stomach.
Who killed Adelaide Burrowes?
The police find Stefan’s murder weapon and further evidence in his garden shed. It is confirmed that Stefan Ash is the one who killed Adelaide Burrowes. Errol is told about the arrest and is freed from his prison sentence.
As the season draws to an end, Daniel visits his old pal Tony. Tony is looking at reckless driving charges, not murder, for the killing of Doris Mathis. He will also get away with the trolling charges too. Daniel asks Tony why he cleared Stefan, saving him from further investigation. Tony admits that he respected the work Stefan had done. He believes that Daniel orchestrated Stefan’s death.
The old friends end their chat as enemies. Daniel says that the force will use Tony as their scapegoat. He will more than likely be punished for clearing Stefan’s alibi. Afterward, Daniel is interviewed by the police about his involvement in the Adelaide Burrowes case.
He offers Claudia the footage of Errol’s coerced confession. Daniel wants a fresh start after all the madness and is happy to accept his fate whatever that may be. He tells June that he wasn’t punished for the coercion though. The police said that the footage was inconclusive. Daniel has also escaped punishment, just like Tony had.
How does Criminal Record Season 1 end?
June asks Daniel why he failed to protect Errol, implying that he is a racist and that he wanted Errol arrested. Daniel concludes that he doesn’t know himself. There are many reasons why Daniel accused Errol of the crime; it could have been the intense pressure, the grief, or racist reasons after all. We are left to make our own conclusions.
Errol and Patrick reunite, and Patrick apologizes to Errol for not believing in him. The local community throws Errol a party. He is seen cooking with Patrick. June asks Errol why he confessed. Errol says that he believed Patrick’s recording, that he had indeed argued and fought with Adelaide in the past, even though that wasn’t true.
The finale ends with June investigating this claim. She listens to Patrick’s recording and hears the cartoon playing in the background. Patrick had copied the line “I’ll knock you flat” from the cartoon. June believes that Daniel knew this and used the recording to manipulate Errol regardless. Daniel smirks as he listens to June making her final point about the case. He then hangs up the call. It would seem that he has gotten away with this manipulation and his crimes, for now.
What did you think of Criminal Record Season 1, Episode 8 and the ending? Comment below.
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