Actions have consequences and the consequences in this series are coming not just hard and fast but also quickly. This episode opens with Cook having been arrested for the assault seen in last week's show. He's provided with a lawyer, a laid-back youngish guy who shows no interest in anything other than Cook pleading guilty which Cook refuses to do -"There are 83 witnesses who saw you do it!"- and is allowed out on bail pending trial. The snag is he's electronically tagged and has to stay indoors between 7.00pm and 7.00am. And even bigger snag is that he has to stay under the care of his mother.
This is a surprise as I never knew Cook even had a mother. I thought he was a clone of his tosser father. But no, his mother is a famous and rich and extroverted artist in the Tracy Emin vein who one hears, but not sees, her loudly having sex with her boyfriend. Apparently she chucked Cook out because was sick of him stealing her money for drugs. Cook also has a brother (half-brother probably) aged around nine-ish who idolises Cook.
Back in the real world at college, Cook begins to realise his friends are pissed off with him, not least because Ollie has severe bruising to the face caused by Cook at the previous week's party and Cook didn't even know he'd done it. The new college boss, who wasted no time in expelling Thomas for just being associated with a club where a girl died, certainly isn't going to keep someone around who's up on an assault charge.
He's a bad influence on his brother just by being there but definitely not helping when he steals their mother's car, lets the kid drive it, encourages him to smoke, and together they trash the car. He then accidentally wrecks an exhibit at his mother's new show. He talks to Naomi, with whom he has an understanding, but she's in a bad place as Emily isn't currently talking to her because she slept with the dead girl.
Cook finally begins to look at himself and reconsider what he's doing. He goes to see the detective investigating the girl's death and admits to selling drugs to the girl and that no-one, else getting Naomi off the hook, was involved. At the trial for assault he changes his plea to guilty. Because there may be further charges, he's remanded in custody and there the episode ends.
Despite this description, it wasn't the bleak piece I'd been expecting. Visually it's light. Most of the interiors are in light airy rooms and, offhand, I can't recall any night scenes -if there were any they must have been brief. Also it ends on a note of hope. Cook is finally considering the consequences of his actions and the effects they have not only on others but on himself. By accepting responsibility he now has given himself the chance to change his life for the better. For once I'm really interested in what happens to this character.
Next week the focus is on Katie. In the previous series, we'd seen her mainly in relation to her twin Emily and her dependency on her. I'm looking forward to it because I have no idea what might happen..
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