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Season 7 Episode 6
Episode 298 Sky One Transmission Date: Directed by David Penn
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Naysmith & Davenport
C.I.D Cop, DS Bailey
Mr Woo, Abi
Ryan
Steve |
GS: Anita Johnson (Suzanne Church) Mr Lee (Richard Woo) Mr Lau (Stuart Ong) DS Bailey (Gregory Donaldson) Steve Johnson (Daniel Greene) C.I.D Cop (Simon Macera) Ryan learns that he has made the England squad, but his good mood soon changes when he hears on the news that Steve has been found dead. After a press call with Luke, Ryan has to speak to the police and he finds out that they know little so far. Since they are aware of Steve’s history as a ticket-tout, the detectives then go and visit the Boyles, and take Tony and Dean in for questioning. Karen begins to suspect Tony’s involvement in Steve’s death, and that night Tony tells her that they did pay Steve off but didn’t kill him, leaving Karen still unsure. Pilar is rattled when Dream Inc get in touch wanting proof of Bruce’s injury. She tries to get Abi to provide X-Ray’s of broken thumbs that could be passed off as Bruce’s own hand, but she refuses. Bruce takes Abi to a Chinese restaurant where he is good friends with the owner Mr Lee, who helps Bruce translate to Abi how he doesn’t want to make her job anymore difficult for her. Mr Lee then explains to Abi of the real amount of pressure Bruce is under to do well in the English Premiership, not just for himself but his country. This convinces her to do as Pilar requested, and she visits the hospital to collect a fake X-Ray from an old work colleague. Stuart tells Ryan that Steve’s mother has personally invited him to the funeral. For obvious reasons, Ryan is reluctant to go but Stuart insists it would do him a lot of good, especially in the public eye as he is now an England player. Stuart accompanies Ryan to the funeral where they meet Steve’s parents, and Ryan is shocked to learn that Stuart has told Steve’s mother he will be saying a few words at the service. During his speech, Ryan is consumed with guilt and comes close to confessing. Tony and Dean meanwhile are forced to tell Karen the truth about Ryan being responsible for Steve’s death, when she catches them counting Ryan’s money taken from the scene. Tony then goes to the flat and tells Ryan what he knows, prompting Ryan to give the Boyles an alibi to the police. When the police then take Ryan in for questioning, he uses his bet from the morning of Steve’s death to claim that he’s been gambling and this is how he’s lost so much money lately. Mr Lau discovers that Harchester have faked Bruce’s injury, and in an attempt to save herself and the club, Pilar persuades Mr Lau that they did it so Bruce would not show them up as a weak player and would have improved greatly by the upcoming Manchester City game, where millions in China will be watching. Mr Lau comes round to Pilar’s way of thinking and as they toast to a deal, a confused Bruce breaks his thumb for real with a dumbbell. At the Liverpool game the next day, Bruce is still determined to play, and as otherwise Dream Inc would withdraw their sponsorship money, Pilar and Stuart allow him to go ahead and play. When the police put pressure on Karen, Donna comes to her rescue by saying that at the time of Steve’s death Ryan was paying them the money he lost, and shows them Ryan’s cash to prove it. This weakens the police’s case against both Ryan and the Boyles, and they are forced to go away. Notes: Best Known For: Greg Donaldson played the regular role DC Tom Proctor in “The Bill” from 1997-2000, and appeared in the films "The Football Factory" (2004) and "V For Vendetta" (2005) The Best: Ryan, standing at the alter of the church and on the verge of admitting what he had done. Mr Lau storming into Pilar’s office and confronting her with “Zhao Qiang’s X-Ray’s”, followed by she and Abi’s public spat with Stuart in the middle. Luke giving Bruce the Man of the Match champagne at the end of the game, for his persistence to play even with a (real) broken thumb. Quotes: Some classic animosity from Abi and Pilar beginning with Pilar to Stuart: “This is all our jobs on the line. If that stupid physio…” Abi (from behind): “If that stupid physio what?” and later, Abi: “Yes, well if the club goes to the wall then at least one good thing will come out of it - you won’t be around anymore” Pilar: “Nor will you. You’re fired!” Abi: “Good. This place is a shambles. No wonder Marcel dumped you as his agent!”. Clyde (whilst confronting Ryan on the training pitch about associating with the Boyles): “Mate? I’m not your mate. You are nothing but a lying bitch Naysmith! A lying bitch!” Foreshadowing: Ryan’s nightmare of Steve at the canal at the episode’s end - hinting towards his upcoming personal haunting from the crime. Additional Info: Jeremy Thompson describes Steve as being 25 and from Manchester. Bruce broke his hand when he was fourteen years old. What Was The Score?: A goal from Luke makes the final score Harchester 1 – 1 Liverpool. Soundtrack: Audio Bullies: “Real Life”, Blur: “Crazy Life”, Embrace: “Hooligan”, Pin: “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” |
