Desperate Measures episode 1 did exactly what any decent thriller should – left us with lots of intriguing questions.
The Channel 5 series kicked off on Tuesday (February 21, 2023) and saw Amanda Abbington‘s character Rowan dealt one brutal blow after another.
The four-part series asked the ever-relevant question of what a person could be capable of when faced with a terrible dilemma…
As the title suggested, the thriller asked: Would you resort to desperate measures to protect yourself and your family?
Of course, the answer is a resounding yes.
Here are the questions we want answering ahead of episode 2 of Desperate Measures.
***Warning: spoilers from episode 1 of Desperate Measure ahead***
Who robbed Hanlow’s Bank in episode 1 of Desperate Measures?
At the beginning of Desperate Measures episode 1, viewers saw Detective Simmons (Jonathan Nyati) question Rowan about a bank robbery at her workplace.
We saw bank clerk Rowan Taylor tell the detective: “They were in the vault for just a minute but they cleared it.”
We’re told that the “suspects are armed and considered extremely dangerous”.
Like The Gold, currently airing on BBC One, the most obvious question is whether the robbers had an inside (wo)man.
And it seemed that Rowan was prime suspect…
So, who robbed the bank?
Could it have been the same gang who robbed the jewellery store in the same episode, including Rowan’s ex Patrick, played by Warren Brown?
If so, did Rowan give them the information they needed to carry out the tricky heist?
Was Rowan the insider?
As the episode continued, we learnt that Rowan had every reason to be involved.
For starters, her smug boss showed barely any remorse when he told her she was being made redundant.
It was a devastating blow for the “broke” single mum who desperately wants to send her son Finn to university.
Although much of the plot was borderline preposterous, most viewers would have been able to relate to Rowan as she heard the upsetting news.
Of course, this was nothing compared to what happened later in the episode.
Her beloved son Finn was duped into helping his so-called friend Conor into participating in a “drug drop”.
This is a TV drama so naturally it all went horribly wrong for the young lad.
When the police showed up, Conor gave Finn £25,000 to take care of for him.
However, scared out of his wits and being chased by the cops, he ditched the money in a bin during the pursuit.
Now, villainous crime boss Kristof wants his money back…
At the end of Desperate Measures episode 1, Kristof kidnapped Finn as they made an attempt to escape London.
With her son in the hands of Kristof, will Rowan be forced to take desperate measures to pay him back?
Desperate Measures episode 1: Or is Varisha to blame?
Of course, everything points to Rowan being involved in the bank heist.
But this is a Channel 5 series no doubt filled with twists and turns…
So it might not be what we think.
We wonder of Sunetra Sarker‘s character Varisha might be less innocent than she seems.
In the promo pictures of the series, she even appears to be holding plans to the bank…
Watch this space.
What’s the story with Rowan’s dad Mal?
As Rowan desperately scrambled to come up with the £25,000 owed to Kristof, we saw her attempt to get a loan.
Sadly, it was refused due to unpaid debts in her dad Mal’s name.
Rowan also made several comments about Finn’s grandad being untrustworthy with money – she hid her mum’s engagement ring from her dad so he couldn’t pawn it.
So what’s the story with Rowan’s dad Mal?
Francis Magee‘s character Mal has been watching Rowan’s house, and even attempted to talk to Finn while Rowan was out.
Is he somehow involved in the heist?
Desperate Measures episode 1: Is Finn Taylor going to die?
At the end of Desperate Measures episode 1, Rowan made the risky decision to flee London.
The bank clerk obviously believed that running away from Kristof and the debt of £25,000 was a safer bet that hanging around for her redundancy money (£16,500) from the bank…
However, when she stopped at a petrol station to fill up and buy sandwiches, Kristof abducted her son Finn.
You’d think a crime boss would have better things to do than follow a mum around all day, but not this crime boss.
In tense scenes, Kristof drove away with Finn in the back of the car.
Will Kristof kill Finn if he doesn’t get his £25,000?
Read more: Desperate Measures on C5: Why you need to watch new Amanda Abbington thriller
Desperate Measures continues on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 9pm on Channel 5.
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