Sherwood review: Season two, episode two – it doesn't get more exciting on TV | Episode reviews

Spoiler alert: This recap is for people watching Sherwood on BBC One. Please don't read it unless you've seen season two, episode two.

Mission to Skegness

Once again, we begin with an outlaw marching through the famous forest. This time, it's crime family patriarch Roy Branson (Stephen Dillane), testing handguns with his unpredictable nephew Kyre (Conor Deane). When he goes to buy a used car, he gets into serious trouble. After learning the location of the Bottomleys' hideout from her inside police source, Ann Branson (Monica Dolan) is eager to begin her revenge road trip – and takes young Ronan Sparrow (Bill Jones) along to identify the targets.

Mother lioness Daphne (Lorraine Ashbourne) insisted on coming along – “OK, I'll pack extra corn on the cob,” Ann said with a serious expression – before (like a real secret policeman) using a cell phone trick to contact the mysterious companion who had witnessed the shooting with Ronan. She was stunned to see her long-lost daughter Rachel (Christine Bottomley) again. Both women were over the moon. A scene that hits you in the pit of your stomach, powerfully staged.

Reminding Rachel that she had “run away and left a frightened boy with a corpse,” Daphne pressured her to take Ronan's place. “Nobody will get hurt because we're going to stop them,” she vowed. Her older son Rory (Perry Fitzpatrick) gave her two disposable cell phones. She planned to smuggle one of them to the Bottomleys and text them a warning. Could she save the “walking corpses”?

Dubious dossier caused a bombshell

County councillor and new sheriff Lisa Waters (Ria Zmitrowicz) was having a bad day. She was trolled online for her opposition to the planned new pit and the Bransons petitioned to name a street after their murdered son. “We just need to convince the neighbours? Easy as pie,” they concluded ominously.

At a community meeting at the Clubby, Lisa looked to Julie for leadership as a representative of the striking generation of miners. Julie insisted that the decision was up to the next generation, echoing her previous speech about the need to look forward, not back. Developers were buying up farmland in the area to cover with solar panels. Like a true Sparrow, Rory was hostile, but agreed to a meeting about leasing his family's land. That should be entertaining to watch.

Last we saw Lisa receive a dossier that shed new light on the past – and present. Amid newspaper clippings about “Thatcher's spies” were photos of the slick mogul Franklin Warner (Robert Lindsay). Could he be another spy cop? Or indeed the nameless father of Daphne's daughter?

Bent copper? Send to AC-12

Lisa expressed concern that DCS Harry Summers (Michael Balogun) was still traumatised by the turf wars and compromised by meeting the Bottomleys at the victims' support group. Her fears were proved well founded when Harry visited their safe house and ended up having a whisky-soaked, intimate chat with Denis (David Harewood, excellent). He spoke of Chloe, who had been “an innocent bystander” (a wife? a daughter?) before falling asleep on her sofa and experiencing noisy night terrors.

The next morning, poor Harry was still not fully on the ball. Visiting blood-splattered crime scenes did little to help him. He didn't notice the Bransons overtaking him on the road to Skegness, nor did DC pal Marcus Clarke (Jorden Myrie) feed them information. Surely it can't be long before Ian is brought out of retirement to lead the investigation instead.

M&M: Manville and Morrissey

Amidst the gloom, a glimmer of possible romance appeared. Former detective Ian St. Clair (David Morrissey) visited Julie Jackson (Lesley Manville) for a cup of tea. When he asked about the “For Sale” sign outside, Julie confessed that she didn't know why she was still in Ashfield. Ian looked momentarily distressed. He found a flimsy excuse to come back and ask Julie for a drink. After some pointed back and forth, she said yes. A divorcee dating a widow is never going to be easy, but it was a charmingly sweet moment.

We don’t like the sea

What an unbearably exciting last 20 minutes. In a brilliant scene, the unusual killer squad of Roy, Ann, Daphne and Rachel make their way to Skeg Vegas to hunt down the Bottomleys. At least they planned to kill one of the siblings, not both: “A life for a life. There is a code.”

Tensions mounted as the siblings enjoyed a day at the coast with Stephie (the brilliant Bethany Asher). Rachel spotted the family having lunch at a pub. Embarrassed, Daphne was about to tell them to run away when Ann burst in. “You look like you've seen a ghost,” she said. “Oh. Maybe you have.” Daphne managed to slip them the phone, but the battery was dead. She cursed Rory. The viewers did too.

When Kyre arrived armed, corrupt DC Clarke warned her to take the disposable phone too. Roy and Kyre stormed into the safehouse wearing balaclavas. Roy shot Pam (Sharlene Whyte) in the head, execution-style (“For Nicky!”), before Kyre gunned down Denis on a riding lawnmower. Two dead men broke their precious code of honor. Roy called the phone that sent the warning message, but it buzzed silently in Daphne's pocket. Phew. He left a voicemail telling the traitor they were “dead, dead, dead.” In short: dead.

There is still time for one final tragic twist. While searching for metal detectors on the beach, Stephie saw the Bransons flee the crime scene. She chased Kyre and stabbed him with the garden shears Denis had taught her to use before his death.

It was a chaotic mission full of mistakes. Kyre's body, locked in his van along with the disposable phones he was supposed to destroy, will lead directly back to the Bransons. The police mole should be identifiable from the call logs. Ann's discarded water bottle and Roy's cigarettes could be subjected to DNA testing. The Sparrows are also in for trouble. Rachel used her bank card in the pub and Ann was suspicious of Daphne's behavior. She also now realizes that Ronan overheard “that” conversation with the spy cop. Sparrows are taking revenge.

Quote of the week

It was reminiscent of EastEnders (“You're not my mum!” “Yes, I am!”) as Daphne speculated about Rachel's relationship with Ronan. “Girlfriend? New girlfriend? Fuck buddy?” “Sister.”

Nott's Notes

• A flick of the cap to Stephen Dillane, whose grim performance was full of telling details – from a nervous breakdown over his son's old voicemails to the disgust he felt when smoking a blood-stained cigarette.

• One of those voicemails was from the 2022 play-off final, when Nottingham Forest finally ended their 23-year wait for promotion to the top flight. Hopefully James Graham will now be forgiven for Notts Forest's faux pas in season one.

• Ann turned out to be a Thatcher fan and quoted her speech, “There is no such thing as society.” Who would have thought?

• RIP, Bottomleys. You were indeed “good people, decent people”. Treasure hunters who dreamed of buried treasure. Lovers of crumpets, supermarket sandwiches and pub pies. But I fear for Stephie.

Come back next Sunday for the next Sherwood Shakedown. In the meantime, leave your theories below. I'll pack extra pistons…