Joan is a thrilling six-part drama on ITV1 and ITVX that tells the true story of Joan Hannington and her notorious rise in the 1980s as one of the best diamond thieves. In a desperate bid to escape her troubled past and provide for her daughter, Joan embarks on a tumultuous life of crime.
Here's a recap of everything that happened in Joan episode 3.
The third episode picks up a week later. Joan is sitting in a diner and Boisie comes in after scoping out the next job. He says the house is miles away from anywhere, has bad security, no window locks, and they can break in at night. There's an oil painting he wants to steal, worth thousands. He says Hugo, an auctioneer he knows who valued it, says the woman who lives there is alone and usually drunk. Joan says, if someone wanted it valued, someone's waiting to buy it. She suggests instead they make a sham, as in a fake, and swap it.
It cuts to Joan hobbling up to the home, wearing a curly wig, and practicing a Scottish accent. Knocking on the door, she says she's twisted her ankle and needs to come in. While the woman is hesitant, Joan suggests sharing a drink. While in the house, she learns the woman's husband has left her, as well as her daughter, and she can't afford the house or bills. She offers Joan to stay the night.
At 2am, Joan lets Boisie into the house. She says she put valium in the woman's nightcap. As they go to swap the painting, a man, presumably her husband, walks in calling for Henrietta. As they stand still on the staircase, Boisie tells Joan to scream. He pulls down his balaclava and the man breaks a glass bottle in defence. Boisie pulls out a gun. Joan runs upstairs and jumps out the bedroom window, escaping to the van. Boisie gets into a fight with the man, but leaves with the painting. They drive off.
Back at the flat, Joan is worried both the woman and man know her face. Boisie says she doesn't need to worry, but since they can't sell the painting for a while, he takes it to his warehouse. Again, he won't let Joan come.
Angry, she steals money from the drawer and leaves. She heads to the spot she buried the diamonds, digs them up, and goes to a jewellers to sell them. The shop owner questions her and tells her she's been conned and they're only cut glass. He tries to hold onto them and Joan smacks his hand and runs out with them.
Joan goes to the Lombard Hotel, where she had afternoon tea. Boisie shows up and tells her to come back, but Joan insists they need to trust each other. Agreeing, Boisie drives her to the warehouse and shows her his collection of antiques. He reveals he had nothing, not even family, growing up and his mum gave him up for her boyfriend, only wanting him back to claim family allowance. Joan reveals her father used to beat her a lot. She leaves the diamonds in his warehouse and he lets her take a ring. They kiss and he tries to take her dress off again, but she puts it back on. Then she lets him and the scars on her back are revealed.
The next morning, Joan rings social services to say she's waiting for a visit, but they never come. She sees an advert for Sapphire Goldsmith's of London on the TV and has an idea. Next, you see her dressed up at the store where she sees a ring she wants to steal. She tells Boisie her plan and asks him to help. They argue as he doesn't want to be involved because he's busy with the antiques shop.
The next day, the doorbell rings. Joan runs to see if it's social services, but it's Albie. Boisie has shared Joan's plan and he agrees to help her. They go back to the jewellers where she tried to sell the loose diamonds. Albie knows the owner, King, and Joan puts him in his place about her plan and convinces him to make a sham of the ring. She says all she wants is £80,000 and the value of the ring is £250,000. He agrees to do it.
Joan plans to pick up the sham, go to Heathrow, get a black cab to St James' Park Hotel as Mrs Stephanie Sutherland, before heading to the jewellers the next day. Boisie seems jealous of Albie and asks if he'll be staying the night at the hotel. The next morning as Joan gets ready, it reaches the scene that started Joan episode 1. Leaving the hotel, she heads to the jewellers.
As she arrives, with an American accent she greets the salesman. She pretends to have a cold and holds a tissue to her nose. She tries on the ring again and says her friend will be meeting her as she hopes he'll buy it for her. Albie walks in and kisses her. She flirts with him and he goes aside to speak to the salesman about purchasing the ring. She sneezes and as she goes to put the tissue back in her purse, she swaps the ring on her hand with the sham in her purse.
Boisie walks in and says he's Mr James Sutherland, seemingly jealous and angry at catching them together, Joan acts sheepish and walks out with him. The salesman, shocked, asks Albie if he still wants to the buy the ring, but he says no, not now, and leaves too. Outside, they celebrate, but Joan is keen to go back to King and complete the deal. She goes and gets her £80,000 cash.
That night, Joan, Boisie, Albie, Val, and Nancy have a dinner party. Albie and Joan flirt and Boisie looks angry. He stands up to toast her and ends up proposing marriage, to which Joan says yes.
The next morning, the doorbell rings and social services have come. The flat is covered in empty bottles from the night before and Joan looks worse for wear. The social services woman says Kelly is thriving and the Ashburys have asked to adopt her. While it's not set in stone, the woman thinks Joan still can't provide Kelly with a stable environment.
That night, Joan drives to see Kelly. She sees the Ashburys watching TV downstairs and breaks in to visit Kelly asleep in bed. She hides as Mrs Ashbury walks into Kelly's bedroom to say goodnight. Upset, Joan walks away from the house.
All episodes of Joan are available to stream on ITVX now.
