The Tower season 3 is a gritty crime thriller starring Game of Thrones favourite Gemma Whelan, based on Kate London's third novel and adapted by screenwriter Patrick Harbinson, who promises this will be the best series yet.
The third and penultimate episode opens with Sarah talking to her girlfriend Julie after Kieran's unwelcome visit in episode 2. The pair talk about how their relationship could jeopardise Sarah's police work, while Julie points out she solved the murder of a white girl in 24 hours, however, Spencer's death is taking much longer.
Elsewhere, Steve is being pulled from a car in a garage by the gang of men who got him out of bed at gunpoint and took him to meet their boss before he could even gather his thoughts - let alone his shoes and a wallet. The men explain that they don't like change and grill Steve about where he has come from, telling them that Jurrel didn't trust him, and now he has been arrested.
Steve manages to avoid the tricky questions, keeping his head as they try and work out who he is and where he is from. They eventually let him go, but he isn't happy about the fact he doesn't have any money for a cab. The men give him some cash, but he wants shoes and so grabs a gang member's gun from his pocket and holds him at gunpoint until he hands his shoes over.
The next morning Steve calls Kieran and asks to meet while Sarah and Elaine question Jurrel about Lexi's murder. He answers no comment to everything and they are frustrated that they're getting nowhere fast with the case. They get a call from a witness from the night that Lexi died who captured the hit and run on his dashcam, and the images clearly show it was Jurrel at the wheel of the car.
Steve and Kieran meet in secret and Steve explains about the Bulgarian gang getting into his house the night before, telling him that they got past the locks and alarms without any trouble but that they didn't find the cameras or mics. Steve tells Kieran he thinks it was a test from Shakiel but that he believes he passed and that he thinks the gun trade is going to happen in the next 24 hours. He tells Kieran that he won't be able to wear a tracking device so he is going to need the police close by and rely on traffic cams and public CCTV.
While watching tapes from Steve's undercover work, Lizzie hears Ryan describing the man who killed Spencer, saying that he has a bird tattoo on his neck. She uses this information to search the police database and eventually finds the name of the killer is Jermain King and the tattoo is a kingfisher. Kieran isn't happy that she is still trying to help Sarah with her murder case instead of focusing on Perseus, but Lizzie points out she is trying to catch a killer.
While Jurrel has finally admitted to killing Lexi after the dashcam footage proved he was driving the car that ran her down, he is claiming it was an accident and that his foot got stuck under the car pedal. However, what he won't tell Sarah is how Lexi connects to Spencer's murder. As she is talking about the case, she gets a call from Kieran telling her that they have an ID on Spencer's killer and she goes to the Perseus HQ with Bailie to hear what he has to say.
Kieran reluctantly explains about Perseus to Sarah, telling her that when Spencer was killed Bailie asked them to look out for information on his murder. They have now got a lead on his killer and they hand over the information about Jermain King. Sarah wants to know more about King's background and how Spencer and Lexi's deaths are linked. Kieran is reluctant to give that information but with Bailie there he has no choice but to reveal that King's friend was one of the people who was beaten up at the mall (the same fight that Ryan was arrested for GBH) as a warning from Shakiel. King wasn't happy so he killed Spencer in retaliation and with Lexi being the messenger in the whole thing, she was also killed, tit for tat.
While Sarah doesn't have any solid evidence to arrest King on, Kieran suggests the punch-up at the mall was the start of this war and so King must be on the CCTV from that night. She isn't convinced but Kieran doesn't want to give more. Bailie wants King arrested as the press is on their backs about the fact they haven't caught Spencer's killer, however using this information without more evidence will make Ryan look like a grass - leaving him in a vulnerable position. Bailie tells Kieran to give Sarah access to Perseus and he isn't happy. Sarah is happy for now, but under strict instructions not to make her move until the Perseus team have made their arrests.
Shakiel collects Ryan from his house - Ryan's mum doesn't want him to go, but he does as Shakiel says and goes to talk to him in his car. Shakiel tells Ryan he knows who killed Spencer and that he will deal with King, however, first, he needs his help with a deal. He gives Ryan a burner phone and a bag with a gun in it... telling Ryan not to betray him. Before Ryan gets out of the car he tells him to wait for his text and keep the gun hidden.
Sarah wants concrete evidence that she can use to arrest Ryan as a way to keep him out of danger after she arrests King for Spencer's murder, but Kieran wants him kept in place, telling her that if Ryan gets arrested then Shakiel will know and Perseus will fall apart. Lizzie finds out that Ryan stole a mobile phone and says they can use that as a way to arrest Ryan, but Kieran still isn't happy.
Lizzie asks Kieran why he is so wound up and he admits that his wife, Mary, told Sarah she has evidence about Portland Tower that would reopen the case. Lizzie worries it is a phone that they were meant to get rid of, but it has somehow got into Mary's hands. Kieran says that the blame is all on him as he put pressure on her to go against her instincts, but Lizzie says she did plenty wrong in that case and tells Kieran she is walking out of her job, but he won't hear it.
Sarah's team searches the mall CCTV for evidence that King was present at the fight, but they are struggling to ID him. They go and arrest him anyway but Sarah stays back at the station because she has a meeting with Mary Shaw, Kieran's wife.
Lizzie and Kieran meet with the firearms team and make a plan for that night, when they believe they are going to catch Shakiel with a car boot full of automatic weapons as he makes his deal. Lizzie wants to be involved and although Kieran is hesitant at first, he agrees to let her sit in with another officer in the council CCTV room where they can watch the deal happening and keep Steve safe.
The police arrest King at his house and they read him his rights while Sarah talks with Mary about the evidence that she has. Alice, who worked with Sarah on the Portland Tower investigation, is also there. Mary tells them she has the mobile phone of the girl who died - Farah Mehenni - and that Kieran gave it to her when the police searched their house, but she hid it in a cup of coffee. She says that she told Kieran she destroyed the phone, but has kept it safe and tells them they can come and collect it tomorrow morning. Alice warns her that she could be charged with perverting the course of justice and Mary says she is coming forward now because she wants Kieran to know there are consequences when you lie.
Over at King's place, Elaine is trying to find a cell for him, but everywhere is full. King tells them he needs the bathroom and so they eventually let him go, however, while he is uncuffed he escapes through a skylight and goes on the run. Elaine has to call Sarah and break the news they have lost their murder suspect. Elaine then has to call Kieran and tell him the news because King is now on the run and potentially thinks that Ryan shopped him to the police, meaning the teenager is in danger. Wanting to arrest Ryan to keep him safe, Sarah asks Kieran to get an ID on Ryan for the stolen phone, and he isn't happy but agrees to help.
Lizzie goes to see Mary, begging her to not go through with handing the phone over to the police, telling her that there is nothing going on between her and Kieran and that once their undercover work has finished she will move away. Lizzie tells Mary that there are consequences for her and her daughter if she goes through with it too, with press on the doorstep and police in their lives, but Mary tells them it is too late, she has already been to the police.
Sarah and Julie are out for a drink when Kieran calls to say they got a positive ID on Ryan stealing the phone, so they are okay to go ahead and arrest him in a bid to keep him safe from King.
Steve meets Shakiel at the house of a woman called Becca and she's packed two bags - one with cash and one with drugs. Shakiel asks Steve to put it in the boot of a Skoda and then he goes to see Ryan, who has been staying with Becca because his mum is being overprotective since Spencer was killed. He tells Ryan to be on the look out for his text. As they leave, Shakiel tells Steve to be ready for 7am the following morning because he needs a driver for a job he is doing.
Steve gives Kieran the heads up and the police get in position to watch the firearms exchange happen so they can bring Shakiel down... while Sarah's team head to Ryan's house to arrest him for the phone theft, but really as a bid to keep him safe from King. However, they are too late. King has already found Ryan's house and lashes out when his mum and sister tell him that Ryan hasn't been home for hours. He asks for Ryan's phone number but when Ryan's mum won't tell him, he pulls out a knife while his friend grabs Ryan's sister, Tia, and drags her out the house.
All episodes of The Tower season 3 are available to watch on ITVX.
