Episode 2.8

Episode 2.8 is the eighth and final episode of the second season of Bulletproof, and the fourteenth episode of the series overall.

Summary
DOMINO'S WILL FALL -- Bishop (Noel Clarke), Pike (Ashley Walters) and the rest of the Unit go off-book in an effort to bring down Alex (Stavros Zalmas) and Mikey (Ben Tavassoli) Markides once and for all, but when Cockridge (Lee Ross) interferes the raid goes disastrously wrong and the Unit are left emptyhanded.

Plot
The teenager seen previously rides his bike throughout downtown London. Arriving at the shops, he gathers supplies and attempts to flirt with the cashier after asking for a bottle of brandy. Upon leaving, he heads to the flat the Markides family are hiding out in and delivers the supplies to a wounded Mikey. Mikey questions Alex on why they cannot return home, and Alex tells him that he killed a cop and the authorities are looking for him; the same cannot be said for Eleanor, however, who is free. Unbeknownst to Mikey and Alex, there is a microphone hidden within the RFID tag on the brandy and Pike and Bishop are able to listen to the conversation.

Back at the NCA, Cockridge reveals that Tanner has been stood down due to personal reasons and he has assumed tactical command. He tells the crew that they will work as a team to raid certain locations they believe the Markides family are hiding out. Bishop, however, tells Cockridge that they do not answer to him, but to Tanner. The situation between the two escalates and Cockridge threatens to take Bishop’s badge but does not follow through when Bishop challenges him. Pike manages to convince the team to side with him, Bishop and Tanner.

Bishop tries to call Tanner but she is unwilling to answer. Needing to speak with her, he scales the wall of her house and finds her in the garden. The two talk and Tanner reveals why she was suspended, and Bishop tells her that she should’ve asked for help if she needed it. She tells him that she understands, and Bishop begs her to come back and try and make it right.

Down by the docks, Tanner, Pike, and Bishop talk about the plan and all agree that if caught, their excuse is that they didn’t have time to inform Richard; Tanner tells the two that she has got into contact with some friends from a different branch and, moments later, Scooch, Paige and Munroe arrive to help.

The crew get into position and track the teenager as he travels the same route to the Markides hideout. Their plans are foiled, however, when Cockridge finds out about the operation and tells Bishop to shut it down. Bishop dismisses him and tells the team that they have got the go-ahead, but Cockridge takes the radio of a nearby officer and tells the team to stand down much to Tanner’s dismay.

Cockridge tells the team that he warned them about the dangers of not working together and that several of them could face the consequences. He tells the officer from before to get the battering ram as they will force entry to the property. Tanner is shocked and tells Cockridge that he shouldn’t have stopped the operation and someone will more than likely get hurt. Nevertheless, he gives the team the go ahead and, just as the door is opened, one of the officers is shot in the head and killed immediately; Cockridge is shaken and looks visibly scared. The NCA storm the flat but are unable to locate Mikey and Alex. Investigating the basement, Pike is quick to notice a mattress hiding an exit from the basement of the flat; an exit that allowed Mikey and Alex to escape.

Tanner attends to a distraught Cockridge, who admits that he screwed up and should’ve listened to her. She agrees, and asks if Richard can approve roadblocks, sewage access and uncompromised work between Richard and Pike. He agrees, and in a moment of solace, admits that he didn’t report Tanner and told nobody about the money. Tanner thanks him and leaves to lead the operation; Scooch asks if she is back in control, and she admits that she “was never out of control”.

Alex drags a wounded Mikey to an abandoned shop where he slumps on the ground fatally wounded. Alex tells him that everything will be alright, and moments later, remarks that Mikey was wrong when he exclaimed that he owned the future. Now, only one of them will survive. Mikey is confused and becomes angry, and Alex admits that he would’ve killed Mikey when he ordered Brandon’s death had he not been Eleanor’s son. He leaves Mikey alone to die moments later having renounced him as family.

Mikey calls his mother from a payphone asking for help. Unbeknownst to both Mikey and Eleanor initially, Paige and the rest of the team are listening on the call. Mikey tells Eleanor that Alex left him and that he needs help, revealing his location, Eleanor tells him to stay put and wait for her. Bishop and Pike mobilize and at that moment, Eleanor realizes that Sarah is listening to their call and pleads with her not to hurt Mikey.

Arriving at the scene, Mikey tells Bishop and Pike that they could’ve ruled the world together. Mikey is badly injured but refuses to show his hands and prove that he is not holding a weapon. Despite Bishop and Pike’s remarks that Mikey doesn’t want to die in the street, he pulls out a gun and shoots at Bishop and is subsequently shot to death by Pike. Eleanor witnesses this from the street and runs to Mikey. Believing it to be her fault, Eleanor shoots herself with the gun despite pleas from Sarah.

At the hospital, Scooch brings Pike a coffee and the two talk. Pike tells her not to say anything about the connection between the two given he is married, but Scooch continues and remarks that if he shows up at the bar the night after, she will know they both feel the same. The encounter becomes awkward, however, when Arjana arrives forcing Scooch to leave. Arjana tells Pike that she misses him and begins to ask if they’ll make it, but Pike is unable to answer as Bishop interrupts the two.

Bishop accompanies Anna to see the bodies of Mikey and Eleanor, and Anna begins to blame Bishop for the two’s death. Bishop exclaims that he asked Anna to help him avoid all of it, but she wouldn’t listen. Anna is reluctant to believe that Alex abandoned Mikey, but changes her mind when Bishop plays the recording of the phone call between Mikey and Eleanor.

Anna calls her father, Alex, and informs him that both Mikey and Eleanor are dead and that the Police are saying he left Mikey to die. She asks if it is true, and he remarks that he held Mikey in his arms until he passed away. Instantly, Anna realises that Alex is a liar, and calls Bishop to tell him that she will help him catch her father. On a tip from Anna, Bishop and Pike arrive at a warehouse where they suspect Alex is hiding. They scout the place, but are unable to find Alex but notice a helicopter flying above — a clear sign of Alex’s escape plan. A fight breaks out between Bishop and Alex, and Alex pleads with Bishop to shoot him, but he is unable to bring himself to do it, and remarks that Alex’s nightmare — spending his life in prison — is about to come true.

Afterwards, the crew drink at the office to a successful mission. Bishop remarks that he and Tanner are friends now. Afterwards, Bishop and Pike eat dinner at Arjana’s house, but get a call from Tanner that something big is going down and they are needed. Before they leave, Bishop thanks Pike for always being there for him during the situation with the Markides.

Main Characters

 * Noel Clarke as Aaron Bishop
 * Ashley Walters as Ronald Pike Jr
 * Lindsey Coulson as Sarah Tanner
 * Jason Maza as Chris Munroe
 * David Elliot as Tim Jones
 * Olivia Chenery as Scarlett Hailton
 * Lucie Shorthouse as Paige Pennington
 * Lee Ross as Richard Cockridge
 * Vanessa Vanderpuye as Arjana Pike
 * Ben Tavassoli as Mikey Markides
 * Stavros Zalmas Alex Markides
 * Gala Gordon as Anna Markides
 * Gina Bellman as Eleanor Markides