Out There episode 5 recap: 'A life for a life'

This Out There episode 5 recap contains spoilers... Nathan (Martin Clunes) does some very quick thinking — and with the help of Eva (Natalia Kostrzewa) — he manages to save his son's life by offering his farm up as a crime hub for drug kingpin Turuk (Silas Carson). Yet PC Jane Crowther (Eiry Thomas) is still asking some very difficult questions, so how long will Kenny's brutal demise stay a secret?

Turuk (Silas Carson) arrives at Bron-Haul Farm with Sadie (Carly Sophia-Davies) and Rhys (Gerran Howell) and by the time Nathan returns, he finds the drug dealer’s henchman holding a gun to Johnny’s head. “A life for a life,” says Turuk.

Nathan tells him he killed Kenny and will take them to his body, but demands that Sadie and Johnny are allowed to leave. However he then starts outlining Turuk’s whole business, how he brings drugs into the country hidden in garden furniture and stores it in the warehouse behind Powys Garden Centre. “If I’ve figured it out, how long until the police do,” he says. “You need a new location and the timing is perfect. I just bought the farm next door and I’m short a tenant farmer.”

Turuk doesn’t seem interested, but at that moment Eva (Natalia Kostrzewa) walks in through the door holding the shotgun and pointing it straight at him. She tells him the egg van comes out of the farm next door and comes back empty. “It’s a perfect cover.” With a gun pointing at him, Turuk doesn’t have much choice, but we wouldn’t bet on him honouring the agreement once he’s out of the firing line. What choice does Nathan have but to trust him though?

Nathan then takes Turuk on a tour of the farm and points out Gwen’s house. He says she won’t have questions and that having her unconsciously involved will help with things, as she’s an institution in these parts. “Continuity” muses Turuk. “We’ll visit the woman in the morning and then I’ll make my decision,” he explains, before warning him that if he does something stupid like go to the police, Johnny will go to prison, where he won’t last long.

“These people aren’t like people you know Nathan,” says Eva later on. “You can’t trust them or expect them to be reasonable.”

'I think I've landed on my feet...'

The next morning, Nathan visits Gwen (Sharon Morgan) to let her know Turuk is coming over and how he wants to rent the outbuilding and invest in the egg business. “I think I’ve landed on my feet,” says Turuk after Gwen agrees to his investment.

Meanwhile at the bank, Nathan finds he’s not going to get the loan to buy Gwen’s farm, which puts him in a spot of trouble. He tells Turuk what’s happened and asks him to fund the purchase of Gwen’s farm. The drug dealer isn’t happy, but he agrees saying the money will arrive in his account from an off-shore account. “It’s not a gift, it’s a loan,” explains Turuk. “And you start paying it off today.” he continues, saying a shipment is coming in soon. He also wants to know where Kenny’s body is.

Speaking of which, PC Crowther (Eiry Thomas) is up at the old drift mine with Pete, the anonymous tipster, who’s telling her what he saw on the night Kenny disappeared.

The next day, Caleb arrives on the farm to take Johnny fishing, but Nathan tells him he’s got to stay at home and do his homework. However before he leaves, Caleb reveals that he’s changed his mind about coming to work on the farm as security. This is not welcome news to Nathan, who’s clearly trying to keep his deal with a drug kingpin a secret. “I’ve got to keep him away from this for his own good,” Nathan tells Eva later. But we think she’s right to wonder if it’s a realistic plan.

There’s not much time to dwell on that though, because soon Turuk’s men are here, including the chemist. He wants to set up three zones, to offload, store and cut-up the drugs, within Nathan’s farm. However while they’re discussing all this, Turuk’s henchman arrives with the owner of the nail salon in his boot. He wants Nathan’s help getting rid of her body, which is a bit of a shock to the farmer.

We bet he’s wishing he hadn’t flushed those drugs down the toilet, as he digs a grave for an innocent woman with his JCB.

'I need a scalp...' 

Later on, PC Crowther arrives at Bron-Haul Farm and explains how she believes Nathan and Caleb killed Kenny after Johnny got in trouble with him. “I need a scalp okay,” she explains. “I need to prove my existence.” She says she goes way back with Nathan, but it doesn’t seem like she’s doing him much of a favour here, trying to sell him and Johnny down the river over a lowlife drug dealer.

He tells her he doesn’t know what she’s on about, but she wants them all to come to the station to have their photos taken, for witness identification. Nathan tells Caleb immediately, but wonders why no one has found a body if what Jane is saying is true. Nathan wants to find out more by visiting Jane, but Caleb tells him it’s a bad idea.

Not to be deterred, Nathan ignores his brother’s advice and pops round anyway, although he intentionally arrives just after she leaves, so he can chat to her partner. He then makes the excuse of putting the leg of lamb he’s brought round in the freezer out the back and starts looking through PC Crowther’s notes on the investigation. However, Jane’s husband sees what he’s up to.

Yet just as he leaves the garage, Nathan receives a call from his brother telling him he’s found the witness from the mine, so has Nathan brought a load more suspicion on himself for no reason?