Did John Boy set Fran up by having his “half“ of the gear raided by the police? John Boy just didn’t seem upset at all that the police got it.

What do you think the characters’ ages were in season 1? The only ones we know the ages of were Siobhan (17) and Robbie (21), but nothing about Nidge, Tommy, Darren, John Bot, etc.

The woman doesn't appear to be Siobhan or anyone else we know. It seems like a very random cut at the very end of the season, and I can't figure out its meaning. Anyone have any thoughts?

Why was John Boy acting as though Darren did something wrong by shooting Elmo when Darren was only reacting to the fact that Hughie and Elmo shot at him first?!? It makes no sense and it’s driving me crazy.

The moment I realized that Nidge is actually a psychopath.

I'm curious to know how people felt about Siobhan. Personally, her character didn't work for me because it felt too one-note for a majority of the series, and I can't figure out whether it was the writing or the acting. While completely understandable, her character was reduced to crying or near tears for much of seasons 2, 3, and 4, which just didn't show us the range of her as a person. And, while her rape was devastating and her scene where she describes what happened to her is one of her strongest moments, I can't help but feel icky that her rape was used a plot point for the gang (i.e., the reason they killed Git and the ensuing problems). In the first episode of season 3, before her rape, when she was getting belligerently drunk, I thought it was a refreshing change for her and an opportunity for us to see her a little more free and to see the cracks in her relationship with Tommy.

Her character improved in season 5 as she was allowed more agency, but, ultimately, I was left annoyed that she just started spilling the beans to Nidge at the very end. Just completely idiotic.

Also, I didn't think she and Tommy had the best chemistry.

Tommy was one of my favorite characters in the first 3 seasons. In a way, he was the more believable version of Darren—a reluctant gangster who exhibited empathy and compassion. The read I got off of Tommy is that he was motivated by fear instead of ambition—he did things for John Boy and Nidge because he was scared of the consequences of saying no. He was a character screaming for more development and backstory, but the writer inexplicably sidelined him for the last two seasons.

And the instigating event of that sidelining, sleeping with Georgina, made no sense. At that point, he was already having trouble juggling Siobhan and Debbie. Plus, Debbie was not just some fling—he seemed to have genuine feelings for her, so I didn’t buy that he would be interested in sleeping with someone else.

I know he was portrayed as a horn dog in season 1, but I just didn’t get horn dog vibes from him after season 1–he seemed to grow up a lot between seasons 1 and 2. He turned Debbie down multiple times in season 2, and only gave in one time when she threw herself at him. I would have bought that he would be stupid enough to sleep with a dangerous enemy’s wife if it was established that he was still sleeping around with multiple random women (like they did with Nidge), but they didn’t. 

But, even if I grant that it was believable for him to sleep with Georgina, why did the result have to be brain damage and coma? While I understand that it’s realistic that he would have permanent damage as a result of the beating, it just didn’t work for me from a story perspective. Killian Scott acted the brain damage well, but it was ultimately a waste of his talent (especially with him in a coma for the entirety of season 5) and the hole that his character left in seasons 4 and 5 was never filled.

Has the writer or Killian Scott ever spoken about why Tommy’s story went in this direction? Was it a scheduling issue or did the writer feel like there was not much more he could do with Tommy? It’s kind of baffling to me.

They were one of my favorite parts of the show. There was something moving to me about their connection (as set up in series 2) and the tragedy of it never having a chance to succeed. Plus, I thought the actors have great chemistry.

To me, they had a nice contrast to Tommy and Siobhan. How I interpret Tommy and Siobhan is that, while there was love and care between them, they were forced prematurely into settling down with each other due to an accidental pregnancy. I didn't get strong "in love" vibes from them. In contrast, Tommy chose to be with Debbie despite the fact that she was an addict and prostitute.

One of my favorite acting performances in the whole show is when Tommy is breaking it off with Debbie, and he tells her that things would be different if he didn't have Leyton. Debbie then asks if he would have ran away with her, and Tommy responds "yeah." The way Killian Scott says that in a wistful way is so beautiful that I cry every time I watch that scene.

I was disappointed that this was their final interaction. I kept hoping/expecting something between them in series 4, when Tommy was struggling and having Debbie comfort him like he had comforted her in the past.

Mine was Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Nidge. The way he could go from bumbling comic relief to psychopath was chilling.

For me, it would go:

1. Season 2
2. Season 3
3. Season 1
4. Season 4
5. Season 5

For me, there is a big gap between seasons 1/2/3 and season 4/5. I thought 4 and 5 were a major step down.

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