This recap of the Apple TV+ series Criminal Record season 1, episode 5, “Possession with Intent,” contains significant spoilers.
The Criminal Record episode “Possession with Intent” is the best episode of the season. Most of that has to do with the lead actress, Cush Jumbo. She is fabulous in the role of DS June Lenker. Tough, strong, and cunning while finding an emotional center to deal with issues that elevate this procedural into a superb crime thriller.
Not only because the mystery continues to deepen, becomes more complex, and plays out like a great crime novel, but the subtext of race comes up that exposes holes in June’s marriage.
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Apple TV+’s Criminal Record Season 1 Episode 5 Recap: Who does Clive Identify?
June visits Clive Silcox at Whitecross and identifies two out of three men. She shows pictures to DCI Daniel Hegarty and DS Tony Gilfoyle but cannot remember DS Kim Cardwell. Clive has no problem identifying Hegarty right away, which I find odd. However, he goes cold and gives June a look when Tony’s picture comes up. June visits Tony. He is leaving his home and loading the car.
June asks if Tony was involved in a political group called the 62s/Bloodlines. We assume this is what Clive told June, and Daniel later confirmed that Gilfoyle was undercover. Tony ignores her, but when she brings up what happened in the Errol Morris case, Tony shows his teeth, threatening June by telling her he will call her supervisor. However, when Tony leaves his car, he begins to hyperventilate and panic.
Kim tells Daniel that Tony called him. Kim pleads with Daniel that they must help Tony because he took on a burden for them. We assume he means Tony is disabled now. Daniel, however, does not look worried. June visits Sonya. She tells June that she had Daniel followed. He keeps visiting a carpet shop known to be a front for wholesale illicit drug sales. Sonya thinks that Daniel is either dirty or being blackmailed.
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Why is June’s son Jacob arrested?
Jacob is arrested for his intent to distribute illicit drugs. This is strange since Jacob is not even in high school yet. He is not even a teenager. His mother is a police officer, and his father is a well-respected psychologist. That’s because Jacob is set up. When walking home from school, two plainclothes detectives make Jacob and his two friends line up against the fence. They search their bags and pretend to find something like “crystal meth” in their bag. He is then arrested.
Jacob needs to show up for soccer practice. He calls June, who has yet to hear from him either. Jacob tried to call his mother at the station, but the phone went to voicemail. For some reason, he did not reach his father, Leo. He then calls his grandmother, who picks up. She goes to the station but has yet to make it. June’s brother calls her and tells her Jacob has been arrested. At the station, she said DS Roskill and Waite brought him in. June is hysterical, knowing that Jacob’s DNA is in the system.
June finds her mother at a hospital. She became confused, thinking she had received a call to pick up her husband at the hospital. When she arrives, June’s mom is also hysterical. She must remind her mother that her father passed away years ago. June finds out that both officers work for DS Kim Caldwell. June is so angry that Leo thinks June may be overreacting, saying Daniel may be behind it. She’s then horrified when Leo asks Jacob if he may have had one of his friends put the drugs in his bag. Leo then points to June’s family’s mental health issues.
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Criminal Record’s Season 1 Episode 5 Ending Explained: Who does June arrest?
Criminal Record ends with June arresting the drug dealer at the carpet shop. She then brings him to Daniel, who tells her she needs to release him because he’s a criminal informant. At this point, Daniel is genuinely in the dark about what is happening with June. She emotionally tells him that her son’s DNA is in the system.
Daniel suggests he could make that go away, implying she would hand over the dealer immediately. Daniel discovers that Kim is behind Jacob’s setup. He criticizes him in the seething way he can and drives Kim’s car against a wall as punishment. Later, we see Daniel giving his daughter what appears to be heroin.
He also arranges for Patrick to live in a flat outside of the youth home, where he is being beaten up, using Daniel’s own money. The episode ends with June and Sonya playing the emergency call from Carla to Erroll’s mother, Doris.
Grade: 9/10
What did you think of Criminal Record Season 1 Episode 5? Comment below.
You can watch this series with a subscription to Apple TV+.
