Apple TV+’s fascinating crime drama series Criminal Record, starring Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo, has now debuted the entirety of its first season. The series, which centers on two rival detectives in a gritty and grimy modern-day London, consists of 8 installments. The show includes an overarching, central mystery about a wrongful conviction and many other, interconnecting storylines. It’s a complex narrative, so here’s a recap of everything that happened in Criminal Record Season 1 to help better explain the show.
Criminal Record Season 1 Recap (Episodes 1-8)
Episode 1 – “Emergency Caller”
DS June Lenker is placed in charge of a new case involving an anonymous emergency caller. The mystery woman says that her boyfriend is threatening to kill her. He also brags about killing his previous girlfriend, adding that a man is serving a prison sentence for that murder in his place.
June investigates this wrongful conviction in Episode 1. She finds a man named Errol Mathis who fits the information given to her. June then contacts the detective who charged Errol with murdering Adelaide Burrowes. DCI Daniel Hegarty says that Errol confessed to the crime, he is the killer. But June doesn’t trust him. The next morning June is “randomly” inspected by Professional Standards. She believes Daniel has set her up.
June is then told that they have found the emergency caller, and she is in danger once again. June arrives at the location just as a woman (Maria) falls to her death.
Episode 2 – “Two Calls”
June enters the block of flats and chases after the killer in Episode 2. She is attacked by the killer, who then escapes. June identifies the killer back at the hospital, he is Clive Silcox. Daniel Hegarty is put in charge of finding the killer.
June continues her investigation and eventually finds Clive Silcox. He is arrested and confesses to killing Maria. June wants to question him about the anonymous caller’s claims. She thinks Maria and the first caller are the same person, and that Clive might be Adelaide’s killer. Daniel has the calls analyzed; they are two different people. June promises to find the first caller anyway.
Episode 3 – “Kid in the Park”
A child is shot in Rowntree Park, leading June to work with Daniel Hegarty once again. June continues her investigation in Episode 3, reading through Errol’s files and meeting with him in prison. Errol has given up hope, though, and is unhelpful.
Daniel uses his informant to track down the shooter in the park, Jason Reeve. The police go to arrest him. He runs and tries to kill June. Daniel watches this incident take place, happy for June to be killed. Jason misses though and is eventually arrested. Daniel prepares for a press conference about the arrest. They ask June to talk to the press.
Episode 4 – “Protected”
Jason confesses to the shooting in Episode 4, but Daniel doesn’t believe him. An anonymous tipoff reveals that the shooter was Turkish. Jason was just covering for him. Amit is eventually arrested.
June’s posters lead to the identity of the anonymous caller — she is a cleaner named Carla. The detective then has another breakthrough. June tracks down Mostapha Demir, the man who can corroborate Errol’s alibi. Mostapha admits that he was tricked by the police and was too scared to stand up for Errol. Carla phones June, begging her to drop the investigation. She says that the killer is a protected man.
Episode 5 – “Possession with Intent”
Our recap of Criminal Record Season 1 continues with Episode 5, wherein June discovers that Tony (Daniel’s colleague) was a member of the racist Combat League. She confronts Tony about her findings. Tony panics and calls Kim; they need to stop her.
In retaliation they have June’s son Jacob wrongfully arrested, planting drugs on his person. June has to bail Jacob out of prison. His details are now on the system. Enraged by the injustice, June fights back. She arrests Daniel’s drug dealer, Miras Mansur.
Daniel talks June out of the arrest, stating that he can clear Jacob’s name from the system. June complies. Daniel punishes Kim for the idiotic arrest of Jacob. It’s then revealed that Daniel is feeding his daughter Lisa’s drug habit and Lisa is dating Adelaide’s son Patrick.
Episode 6 – “Beehive”
June can’t understand why Errol would confess. She interviews Errol’s lawyer Ross Cardona in Episode 6. He is also hiding something. June finds out that Tony has been harassing Assistant Chief Constable Claudia Mayhew. She confronts him about the trolling. Tony destroys the evidence.
Daniel finds out about Lisa and Patrick’s secret relationship. They argue and Lisa storms off. She steals Daniel’s stash of drugs and goes missing. Daniel frantically searches for his daughter.
Doris (Errol’s mother) finds out that her friend Latisha was coerced into spying on her by Tony. She confronts Tony about it and they argue. Tony hits Doris with his car and kills her. Tony is arrested. They search his house and find a disc containing footage of Errol’s confession.
The footage reveals that Daniel coerced Errol into confessing, signaling to him exactly what to say. Daniel tells June he is ready to tell her the truth about the case.
Episode 7 – “The Sixty-Twos”
In Episode 7, Daniel recounts the case via flashback sequences. He was put in charge of proving Errol’s crimes. Only 6 months earlier, Daniel’s wife had died. Daniel was under immense pressure to charge Errol from Claudia and the Met. He struggled to deal with the stresses of the case and his grief.
Kim and Tony interview Mostapha. Daniel interviews Patrick and Errol’s father Reggie. Everything is pointing towards Errol being the killer. Daniel takes Errol to the crime scene to jog his memory, but Errol doesn’t remember anything at all.
Breaking protocol, Daniel separates Errol from his lawyer and questions him again. He plays Errol the recording of Patrick saying that Errol and Adelaide fought. He then lies, saying that Patrick will probably never walk again after the crash. Errol is coerced into confessing.
Episode 8 – “Carla”
The leaked recording of the Hayes Lane 999 call goes viral. June and Daniel argue over the case. Daniel hands over all the case files to June. They find a list of cleared criminals whose DNA was found at the flat. Daniel notices a suspicious name on the list that shocks him.
Daniel speaks with Kim about the name. Tony had cleared the criminal, although Kim had flagged his alibi. They decide to meet with the criminal, Stefan Ash. It’s revealed that he was Daniel’s informant, a protected man. He also owned Adelaide’s flat.
The police search for Stefan and Carla. They find them both on an abandoned floor of the flats. June fights Stefan and he’s arrested for killing Adelaide. June then finds Carla with her baby. Stefan is driven back to the station, but he’s killed in a drive-by shooting. Tony is to be punished for clearing Stefan’s name. Daniel hands over the footage of Errol’s confession, but he isn’t punished for his crimes.
Errol is freed from his prison sentence and reunites with Patrick. June asks Errol why he confessed. Errol admits that he believed Patrick’s recording. June investigates this and finds that Daniel had manipulated Patrick. She tells Daniel her findings. He just smirks whilst hanging up the phone.
That completes my recap of what happened in Criminal Record Season 1. What are your thoughts on the first season? Please comment below.
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