Patrick Malahide, An Appreciation

Be prepared for anything

On the previous episode of  “Luther”, as recapped by Fearless Admin, absolutely everyone was in trouble.  Luther’s colleague Benny Silver (Michael Smiley) survived kidnapping and torture at George Cornelius’ (Mr. Malahide) hands only to be shot dead by the fearsome Mr. Palmer (Anthony Howell), a grimly efficient hitman hired by George to kill Luther.  George still believes Luther had something to do with Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) kidnapping and later killing his son Alistair (Andrew Mullan), after brazenly walking into his (George’s) house disguised as a Russian hooker.  George was warned off hassling Luther by Luther’s boss, DSU Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley), in a charmingly nostalgic scene in the back of George’s Jaguar, but it’s safe to say that George doesn’t appear to have taken the warning all that seriously.  And Alice is still stuck on her “Option 2”, wanting to kill George for reasons which are a little vague, if not strictly motivated by revenge.  Mostly she appears to believe killing George will remove any obstacles to her and Luther running off together.  Oh, and serial killer Jeremy Lake (Enzo Cilenti) is still on the loose; his wife Vivien (Hermione Norris) is now in police custody. but refusing to cooperate.

A Meeting with a Hitman

Mark and Alice are alive, but on ice – literally.

And now, on to the finale!  The episode opens with Mr. Palmer giving Luther directions to an out-of-the-way spot where Luther is to exchange himself in return for Alice and Mark’s (Paul McGann) safety.  Poor Mark was roped into the whole mess when Luther turned up on his doorstep with Alice and Benny in tow.  Palmer is holding Alice and Mark in a warehouse freezer; he seems willing to let Mark go, but not Alice.  Luther demands proof that Alice and Mark are still alive, and Palmer sends him a cell phone shot.  What did all of these people do before cell phones?  And where do they keep finding these abandoned warehouses?
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