This City is Ours is an explosive crime drama from the BBC following the organised crime gang led by Ronnie Phelan (Sean Bean).
As Ronnie speaks of retirement, he contemplates who he'll hand his empire over to — his son, Jamie, or his right-hand man, Michael. But there's problems that run far deeper throughout the gang as they navigate selling drugs, rats, and rival gangs. All with Liverpool as the backdrop. The eight-part series unfolds the intricate web of lies and deceit, while Michael vies for a better life and dreams of raising a child with his girlfriend, Diana. Spoilers to follow for This City is Ours.
Here's a recap of everything that happened in This City is Ours episode 6.
The sixth episode begins with Michael on the phone. He’s telling someone not to cause damage, just noise, to scare someone. Upstairs, Diana takes a pregnancy test and then throws it away. Michael comes into the kitchen and she asks if he’s in charge now, besides Jamie not thinking so. He tells her he’s in charge. She’s worried he’ll have a target on his back, but he says there already is one and there’s only one way to get rid of it. She tells him she’s not pregnant and apologises. To this, he says she doesn't need to be sorry. Then, she questions whether it’s for the best, that maybe they shouldn’t be parents. He hugs her and tells her she’ll be an amazing mother.
Elsewhere, Elaine is angry at Jamie. She tells him he shouldn’t have shouted at the wake. He should’ve told Michael in private or not at all. Rachel comes down and says while she doesn’t know if it’s true, Jamie shouldn’t have told him because he’ll make himself a target now. Elaine reiterates that they don’t know who it is, but that Jamie needs to sort his mess out.
Michael calls Bobby. He asks him to tell Jamie he wants to chat. He wants to meet and talk about what’s next and the fact that they owe a lot of money to the Amigos. The debt is everyone's. Bobby tells him that Jamie won’t come on his own and Michael says he can bring his men in balaclavas, if he wants. As Bobby stops to order breakfast in his car, a moped pulls up and someone smashes his window and drives off. Michael tells him that he did that to him. That he knows wherever Bobby is, whenever, and they need to get this sorted. He says he wants to meet today and Bobby says he’ll get back to him.
Michael goes to speak to Diana and says he’s brought her stress when the doctor told her to relax. She replies that he should just end it then, especially if they’re going to try again. Michael says he can’t just walk away, that he just needs to take Jamie out so that everyone falls into line.
Elsewhere, DS Stiles goes to visit Cheryl at home. She tells him she’s angry that Davy's friends don’t care that he's gone. He asks her who’s stepping into Ronnie’s shoes, but she says she doesn’t know or care. He gives her a lift and she mentions that she heard at the funeral that Ronnie died in Spain.
Banksey and Michael meet up and Michael tells him he wants everyone to hear what he has to say to Jamie. He gets a text from Ricardo saying that he’s coming to Liverpool that day and wants to meet Diana. They arrive at the meet and Jamie is waiting with all his men, while Michael turns up with his. They sit across from each other at a table and talk about the funeral. Michael says that they need to forget about it and find a way. Jamie says he meant everything he said at the funeral and that Ronnie told him his business is now Jamie's business. That’s what they agreed before he died and what he wanted. He invites Michael to walk away with 250k.
Michael revokes that Ronnie’s business is Michael’s business and has been for 15 years. While we would invite Jamie to stay on as part of the crew, it wouldn’t work. Michael says they clearly agree that one of them has to walk away. To this, Jamie shows him where the door is and his men laugh. Michael says if they can’t agree, then they’ll go to war. As an alternative, Michael suggests they go old school, a straightener. Jamie asks if he wants a fight and Michael says he does. He says that there will be no blades, no shooting, just a fight. Winner takes all. Jamie agrees and says they’ll fight in a cage. Michael says if he loses, he’ll walk away with 250k, but the debt to the Amigos comes with the business and that’ll be his. They shake on it.
Ricardo arrives in Liverpool and Michael goes to meet Diana at work. He says Ricardo wants to meet her, but that they’re friends and he’s on his side. She asks if he’s selling him something and Michael tells her he is. But that he needs the sale to happen, so he needs to act normal and Diana can help him do that. He swears it’ll end and she agrees to come.
At the police station, DS Stiles goes to see his superior. He tells him he’s got an informant on Ronnie's gang in Cheryl. He tells him about Spain, how Davy didn’t make it back, but his superior says he doesn’t want Cheryl as an informant as she’ll be acting out of anger. He asks what killed Ronnie and DS Stiles said a heart attack. His superior tells him that it was brought on by guilt for being a snitch to the police for years and dismisses him.
That evening, Ricardo meets with Diana and Michael. Diana asks Ricardo if his wife knows what he does. There’s tension rising as they talk about their business. When Ricardo asks what Michael is, she says he’s a wannabe Ricardo trying to turn into a grown man. Ricardo asks Diana if she likes the lifestyle and she says, if he means the money, then no, and that she’d like Michael to stop. She loves him and she worries. She tells Ricardo that Michael has a to-do list and Ricardo asks whether it begins with the fight Michael mentioned to him? Diana, not knowing about it, asks what he’s talking about. Michael tells her he’s going to fight Jamie and that it felt like a better option than killing him. She asks what will happen to them if he loses the fight and he says he’ll walk away. So, she tells him to lose. He says no, he can’t, not yet. He says he wants what’s his. To this, Diana is clearly upset.
Elsewhere, at a boxing gym, Jamie is training. Jamie tells Bonehead to hide blades around the edge of the cage, so that once Michael’s down, he can make sure he's not getting up. After dinner, Ricardo speaks to Michael alone. He says that Diana is right, Michael is changing and Michael asks why Ricardo has traveled to see him. He says his business is with Michael and Michael says he took care of Ronnie and now he’ll take care of his son, but he needs the shipment as soon as possible. He says he needs the three months that were promised to Ronnie and Ricardo replies that he’ll kill him personally, if he must and gives him just three days to repay the debt.
As Michael arrives home, Diana isn’t there. He sees that she's packed her things and left. While he tries to call her, she ignores it and checks into a hotel. Michael sits at home alone and receives a text from Banksey asking to meet. In the car, Banksey asks him why Jamie isn't dead already? Michael says the truth is he’s afraid of getting caught and locked up. He says when he was about to kill Davy, he thought he was putting it all on the line because Ronnie asked him to, and then he sided with his son, which felt like the ultimate betrayal.
Banksey asks him if he’s okay for the fight and he says he can’t wait. That when he wins then Jamie will get whacked. Banksey asks him who’s going to do that and he said he’ll ask Bobby as penance. As Michael leaves the car, Banksey calls him and asks him if he killed Ronnie. Michael asks him if he thinks it was him, and he says yes, but I'm still here. At the hotel, Diana takes another pregnancy test. This one is positive.
It’s the morning of the fight and Michael is still trying to call Diana. At last, she calls him back and tells him that she’s safe. She tells him not to call her and that she'll call him. She also won’t tell him where she is before hanging up. Elsewhere, DS Barney Stiles is calling for a passport movement check on Michael and the rest of the people on the Spanish trip. Diana texts an unknown number and asks if she can meet.
Michael pulls up to the fight and Ricardo arrives to watch. The club owner takes them through the rules in the changing rooms. He says when they’ve had enough, shout it. As Bonehead leads Jamie into the cage, he tells him where he’s hidden a blade. Men are stood all round, holding onto the cage, shouting and jeering. Immediately, as it starts, Jamie runs at Michael kicking and punching him. He tries to fight him off, but Jamie punches him repeatedly and throws him against the side of the cage. Jamie begins to miss some punches and Michael fights back. As he knocks Jamie to the ground, he crawls over and picks the blade. Jamie slashes him and, in response, Michael beats him to the ground. Jamie shouts that he's had enough and the fight ends. Michael is declared the winner and Jamie leaves the cage.
In the changing rooms, Ricardo comes to see Michael. Michael says he’s not stupid and he knows Jamie won’t just go away and what needs to be done, but he’s got authority now. Ricardo asks him if he can do it. He says he doesn’t have to, he can get someone else to do it. Ricardo asks who will do it for him, go to prison, risk their life, keep quiet, because he'll have to make that choice. Ricardo says nothing has changed at all and that right now, Jamie will also be choosing who to send to prison for killing Michael.
Diana goes to meet the person she texted, it's Cheryl. She tells her she’s walked away from Michael. Cheryl says she’ll go back, but Diana isn't sure. Cheryl offers to let Diana stay with her. Elsewhere, Bonehead is driving Jamie after the fight. He says the loss means something and Jamie calls Bobby. Bobby says he’s right behind them and when Jamie asks for the money from Rachel by tomorrow, Bobby questions whether he's the right person to have it. To this, Jamie gets out of the car and goes to speak to Bobby directly. He says that the money is going to pay for his deal with proper people and Bobby says that everyone locks the Albanians out and it's not a good idea. Jamie threatens him and tells him to call Rachel and ask for cash.
While in the car, Michael calls and Bobby answers it, not revealed that Jamie is there. He tells Bobby that he needs to tell Jamie that his name means nothing now. He also tells him that Ricardo’s in town looking for payment. If Jamie touches the cash, everyone dies. When he hangs up, Jamie tells Bobby that Rachel will know what to do and to call her.
Back with Diana and Cheryl, Cheryl is talking about how they've always had to give their men the benefit of the doubt. She asks Diana if Davy is dead. Finally, she says that she thinks so. She tells her that Ronnie went out with Davy and only Ronnie came back. Cheryl asks where they left him, but Diana doesn’t know. She then asks if it’s true Ronnie died in Spain and when she asks if it was a heart attack, Diana says, "What do you think?" She tells Cheryl she’s terrified and that she’ll stay with her, if that’s okay. She says it is.
DS Barney Stiles goes to meet Michael outside his house. He says he wants to ask a few questions about Ronnie's death. He tells him that he knows Michael flew out, but that only Elaine, Jamie, and Banksey returned with him on the boat. No Ronnie. He says that according to the passport records, Ronnie never made it back from Spain and DS Stiles wants to know who they buried. He asks him if Ronnie actually died, and he tells him he did. DS Stiles tells Michael he’s not bothered about a police informant being dead, to which Michael looks shocked, but he says he wants to know how he died. He tells him Ronnie has been giving the police information for years. He tells Michael not to be worried since Ronnie didn't grass on him, although Michael did spend some years in prison. To this, Michael drives away.
At home, Michael’s place has been trashed. He texts Diana to see if she’s safe and she ignores it, whilst packing her bag to go to Cheryl's. When she doesn’t reply, he calls Banksey and tells him that Jamie has been misbehaving. He says that what they were talking about before in the car, he’ll do it himself. He says he wants a gun, clean and wrapped. Banksey says he’s on it.
All episodes of This City is Ours are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now, or released weekly on BBC One.
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