I hope everyone had a great weekend, yeah? We left our intrepid duo in dire straights last episode of Rose and Maloney, let’s rush right to it.

When last seen, Rose and Maloney were on their knees with guns to their heads; we open with Maloney pacing the hallway, so at least he’s okay. WHERE IS ROSE???

A nurse (Lovelace Apkojaro) comes out; he asks Maloney if Rose had any trauma or a fall or and then he’s very sorry (AND I’M ABOUT TO GET VERY SHOUTY) but she lost the baby.

WHAT BABY????

Who’s baby?? Well, other than obviously hers.

Is Rose okay??

Oh she’s okay, thank goodness. She looks so shaken, almost as much as Maloney, who immediately grabs her

Oh Rose. We all shed a tear there, didn’t we? Right?? She doesn’t want to talk about it, she doesn’t want him to ever mention it again. Will she tell the father? THAT’S TALKING ABOUT IT!

She flashes back to what happened the night before, they were released with a warning, but now they REALLY need to find out who that was. Maloney can’t understand why she’s in the office, but I get it. The alternative is to sit at home and think about the loss. Better to stay busy, anger can carry you through a lot before it turns toxic.

Maloney dreamt about it all weekend too, he was even a hero once. Rose looks gorgeous, I love it when she gets this look in her eyes, asking what her part was while he was mustering up dreamland heroics?

Joyce has been looking through the Parris files (you know, the one that was just a formality, quick look and on, which now has three full time investigators), one of the prisoners on Alan Turner / McCaffrey’s cell block is an Andrew Carson (Martin Herdman). Now, we knew he was significant because the camera kept cutting to him in flashbacks of Alan, but it seems his body of criminal work doesn’t match any of the other inmates in that area. He’s also been released already, and was the main witness putting Parris and Alan together the night of the undercover agent’s death.

They’re off to see Superintendent James (Adie Allen) to ask exactly why a tax-evader was in with a bunch of murderers and arsonists; it seems Andrew Carson is as much of a tax evader as Scarface was. It was the sole thing they could hang on the mob boss, so Rose assumes that’s who Alan was there to get information from.

Superintendent James is furious that Rose and Maloney are mucking about in their ongoing massive investigation of Carson; do they need to be ordered to stay away?

Maloney says no, but we all know it won’t make a lick of difference anyway. Rose doesn’t let go once she’s got the bit in her teeth.

Back at the office, Rose’s incredible messy desk (I am cleaning it up in my head right now) holds the details of Maloney’s upcoming trip to Majorca with Joyce. There’s going to be champagne!

The baby? Are we ready to talk about that yet? No pressure! When you’re ready

Rose and Maloney brainstorm about the case; they know Carson was responsible for killing Alan, but they can’t prove it, it’s locked up tight. Rose suggests they look at it differently (I swear, you lot are making me see Sarah Lancashire in a COMPLETELY new way, she looks amazeballs), what kind of information was Alan looking for? Not about criminal enterprise in general, perhaps, what about his “charmed life”? Who in the police ranks has been protecting Carson? That is an EXTREMELY difficult assignment for an undercover officer, the insider could blow his cover at any time. Any maybe he  / she did.

Rose and Maloney are in to see Parris again, he’s still very angry. He gives a speech about White Privilege and he’s not wrong, but we don’t get a whole lot of anything useful until he mentions (shouts) that one of the police officers who arrested him is very much NOT in Australia as advertised, but rather was at his murder trial, so must be still keeping tabs. Maybe even a finger in a pie or somefing like that.

I’m surprised that his trial was so closed; only Chatham was there to watch him plead guilty; perhaps to make SURE Parris plead guilty.

They brace Wendy back at the office; she’s got Chatham’s CV right there. It seems the sergeant is now a Commander and they will absolutely not be able to interview him, The Met refuses to allow it. Rose struts out, saying she’s out of moves and going home, but I don’t believe it.

Wherever the other Parrises have been staying can’t have been safe enough, Gina is snatched while waiting for Vincent, and ohhhhh, Scarlett (Yvonne Brewster) is pregnant! Vincent and Scarlett are visiting George, the gang is insisting on a guarantee. The case is over and sent back, surely that should be enough for the gang?

George sends Scarlett away; Gina will be okay now that the case is over and now he needs to get off the junk. Vincent needs to be a father to Scarlett’s baby and he can’t do that out of his mind on H. George gives Vincent what he truly needs; he apologizes for failing Vincent and calls him what Vincent desperately need to hear.

Oh and I’m so worried George is only being nice because he’s going to kill himself. As I said, anger can only sustain you so long before it turns toxic.

The phone rings on Rose’s desk JUST as my concern is deepening, and it is about George, but not what I was worried about, he wants to see them. What?

Rose and Maloney are similarly nonplussed; why now? Why does he want to tell them what happened when the case is closed? Rose and Maloney are pissed: why not help them do their job?? Do they want to know or not?

Andrew Carson wasn’t the type to shiv and run, he liked to do it out in the open while everyone was watching. The only problem was that Alan died saying George’s name, why was that? Rose has it sussed, though, the reason Alan died with George’s name on his lips is that Alan told George something.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Alan DID talk to George that fateful night; he must have known his cover was blown. Alan struck up a conversation with George about parenting; and asked George to pass on two names to Alan’s wife: Jimmy and Carol. DID I MENTION THAT SUPERINTENDENT JAMES’ NAME IS CAROL??? AND THAT JAMES IS ANOTHER WORD FOR JIMMY????

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

George even manages to thank them for what they tried to do and he smiles and NOW? Now is when he kills himself?? SOMEBODY WATCH HIM!! A whole life can’t be wasted

Rose and Maloney don’t know what they can do, but Maloney wants to do this: tell Mrs. McCaffrey that she’s wrong about George. We see Gina released and then Rose and Maloney are in the office to hear that George Parris has hanged himself.

DAMNIT

I knew it

DAMNIT

George just wanted someone left alive who knew the whole story, that was his one precious possession: the truth.

Ah Gina’s face when she understands that her son is lost.

We all have a cry then

Rose and Maloney are in to see Mrs. McCaffrey of the musical Scottish accent. She doesn’t want to hear anything about George and she’s glad he’s dead. Now Rose and Maloney get what I said above; that message from Alan was all a code. She and Alan already knew their baby was going to be a girl and already had a name picked out.

Mrs. McCaffrey takes a minute to berate Rose for not having any children, you know, which Rose might have done, had THIS CASE NOT MURDERED THAT POSSIBILITY. Oh Rose cries in the car. Oh Rose.

She doesn’t want to think about that any more, she wants to go see that bastard Bennett (James Pearse), who’s infirm but alive in a nursing home. Bennett’s sister (Jean Leppard) lays it all out for them; Chatham was who fired on George back in the day, not Bennett, but Bennett took the fall for his sergeant because that’s the type of chap he was. She means loyal, but we think bent and dangerous.

George’s funeral is well-attended, I hope Vincent is able to focus on what’s good in his life and the message his father left him.

Rose and Maloney are there, guess who else makes an appearance? Superintendent Carol James, or Carol Jimmy, as Alan and I like to call her.

Gina thanks Rose and Maloney for trying to do a good thing; Vincent and Scarlett invite them back to the flat for drinks. Ah Rose

Superintendent Carol Jimmy approaches Rose and Maloney; her boss Commander Chatham would like to speak to them. He does a great talk, sounds very solid, but Maloney’s only heard the part where Superintendent James is referred to by her first name: Carol.

See, that’s my mistake, I saw Carol in IMdB when I was looking up the actor, so that’s why I knew it advance and I hope it doesn’t spoil anyone’s experience.

So Chatham WAS on the up and up, it was just Carol Jimmy who was on the take, and Chatham squares off to confront her in the car as our team stands to the side. At least I THINK that’s what happens, he gets into the vehicle and they leave.

Chatham’s kind enough to confirm Maloney’s belief that there were taps on their phones, and suggests that the north side of Majorca is where Maloney should visit. It’s not a dirty weekend with Joyce as we all thought; it’s a surprise for Maloney’s brother (for a moment I thought he was saying he was going with his nephew and it was HORRIBLE) and his sister in law for their anniversary. That all adds up to Rose being wrong twice, but stop gloating Maloney, you’re at the grave of a man who died for no reason.

And we’re out. That was a darker episode than usual; our poor Rose and her lost baby. Poor Gina and her lost son, with a whole life wasted over mistaken identity and racism. Poor Mrs. McCaffrey and her lost husband and Polly, who lost a father she never knew. Lost is a nice word, isn’t it? As though they might pop up like a missing sock. Until next time.