Law & Order UK “Hard Stop” may be one of the best episodes ever in all of the Law & Order UK series. It was also Paterson Josephs’ final episode, as his character DI Wes Leyton, is shot and killed within the first two minutes of the story. The episode was based on the original Law & Order episode “Criminal Law” (season 16, episode 9) - a memorable episode all its own - where lead characters were in danger but no lead was killed. I enjoyed Paterson Joseph in this role and am sorry to see him go. It will be interesting to see how the MIU team responds to another change in leadership.
This was an exceptionally well written story which delivered not only high drama, but also deep emotion. The beloved Ronnie Brooks, in an outstanding performance by Bradley Walsh, is clearly rocked by Wes’ murder, yet he keeps a stoic outlook and continues to soldier on and work the case without letting others know how, or if, it affected him. The final scene, where we hear Ronnie’s voice reading the letter he wrote to Wes in the condolence book, was a true tear-jerker, and I imagine that everyone watching felt their heart sink as Ronnie asked the store clerk for that bottle of vodka. (I heard myself saying "Ronnie, NO!") After paying for the vodka and as he walked out of the store, when the clerk yells that he forgot to take the vodka with him and he keeps on walking, relief comes over me. It was a scene that brought both tearful emotion and fear, followed by a cheer for Ronnie as he walked away from the booze. Bradley Walsh, along with the wonderful writers over the years for Law & Order UK, have made Ronnie Brooks into one of the few fictional characters that I actually care about. In the long run, I think Ronnie will be just fine...at least I really hope so.
I was also thrilled to see a story line which gave Peter Davison more to do than having Henry Sharpe give his usual bluster. Henry clearly is stressed by the threat to his own life, and, unlike Ronnie, Henry loses his cool in a very visible way.
“Hard Stop” was a phenomenal episode and there simply aren’t enough superlatives to describe it...although the first word that comes to my mind is "perfection."
Here is the recap:
Cast:
Bradley Walsh - DS Ronnie Brooks
Ben Bailey Smith – DS Joe Hawkins
Paterson Joseph - DI Wes Leyton
Dominic Rowan - Jacob Thorne
Georgia Taylor - Kate Barker
Peter Davison - Henry Sharpe
Guest cast:
Mark Bonnar - Mark Glendon
Elinor Crawley - Abby Glendon
Adelayo Adedayo - Kayla
Rachel Atkins - Cleo Finch
Priyanga Burford - Martine Leyton
Gerry Cowper - Hope Corday
Bradley Hall - Adam Glendon
Julia Hills - Hayley Ashburton
Alexander Perkins - Pete
John Rowe - Judge Silverton
Matt Sapsford - Armed Police Officer
Pip Torrens - Philip Nevins
Lauren Trickett - Cashier
At MIU, the detective and whole team celebrates DI Wes Leyton’s birthday. Wes’ wife Martine arrives to take him to a surprise. Ass Wes and Martine leave, she won’t spill the surprise. In the parking garage, a motorbike pulls up behind their car and blocks their exit. The rider steps of and steps up to Wes’ car window. When Wes asks “Yes mate, what’s the problem?” the rider pulls out a gun and shoots twice, point blank, at Wes. Martine screams.
Later, Wes’ body is zipped into a body bag as forensics comb the scene. Ronnie speaks with Martine, sitting in an ambulance, who explains what happened. She is devastated and she sobs.
Ronnie speaks with Joe and finds there are no witnesses. Joe speculates if it was a carjacking; Ronnie says it was just a bloke on a motorbike. Joe gets a phone call and then tells Ronnie that shots were fired in Dalston at the flat of another police officer. Ronnie thinks this is not a robbery, it’s an execution.
Ronnie and Joe leave MIU to find many reporters waiting for them. They don’t answer any questions as they race to their car.
At the home of Archie Morris in Dalston on Thursday, November 27, Ronnie, Joe, and other officers enter Morris’ flat. They find him dead in his bed. Ronnie hears a noise and they find his wife, hiding in the closet.
Later, outside, Joe tell Ronnie Morris’ wife hid as soon as she heard the shooting start so she saw nothing.
On Friday November 28, while walking on Bow Street, Joe tells Ronnie about a motorbike seen cruising near Morris’ home last night but not plates have been IDd. Ronnie, who is on the phone, stops in his tracks and asks the person on the phone if they are kidding him. He sighs as Joe asks what?
Later, with forensics at the scene of another shooting, there is a body of a woman, shot in the head, in a car park. Forensics confirms there were 9mm casings, The woman’s ID says her name is Susan Lewiston who works at Domestic Violence Services, a refuge worker. Her car was parked outside the office.
That same day, inside Greenwood Women’s Aid in Friday, they speak with a manager who said Susan worked late, and she heard and saw nothing. They deal with women with abusive and controlling men. Susan has not received any recent threats. She had been shot before, about 4 years ago. She had been walking a woman to a car and her husband walked up and started shooting. Susan was injured but the woman was killed. Susan gave evidence at the guy’s trial and he was put away for it. She asks if he is still in jail, and Joe says they will follow up. Joe asks to see Susan’s recent case files. As she looks for the files, Ronnie, agitated, comments that a woman gets shot in their car park and lays in the car all night dead…and Joe tries to cut him off but Ronnie continues and asks that no one heard anything? Joe tells Ronnie he’s got this.
Outside, Ronnie wonders if it is an aggrieved husband why shoot Wes and Morris? Joe wonders if it is random but Ronnie says the scenes are the same and the casings are wiped down and thinks this is not your average nutter, this was planned. Ronnie thinks that the killer was parked nearby and waited for her to leave then drives into the car park and pulls up next to the car…and Joe adds “bang.” Joe sees a nearby camera and suggests they get the footage to see if they are right.
