Virdee episode 3 recap: 'Now the game begins'

This Virdee episode 3 recap contains spoilers... The Bradford Police Force is deeply troubled when the son of Chief Constable Jonathan Boardman (Silas Carson — who we saw very recently on the wrong side of the law in Out There) is abducted. Harry springs into action, yet he's distracted when he discovers his estranged father has been lying in hospital and his wife Saima (Aysha Kala) has been keeping it a secret. Elsewhere, we get a better look at Riaz Hyatt (Vikash Bhai) and his mysterious partner who's whispering in his ear...

We open in 2001, where a rather geeky Riaz is set upon by two racist white lads. Luckily Harry is there to help him out and tells him he won’t need to fight in the future “with that big brain” of his.

Back in the present, Riaz turns up at his club where Harry tells him the venue’s manager, Tyrone Graves, has been murdered after his throat was cut. The drug kingpin is convinced that, like the murder of Priti, this is the work of Shala crew, yet Harry thinks it’s something different. “You think you’re in control,” says Riaz. “But look around you. This city has rules of its own.”

Those words certainly start to ring true when Harry looks in the victim’s throat and finds a keyring with the old trademark from when Appleton House was a mill. It’s now an apartment complex and Harry and DS Khalil Amin (Danyal Ismail) set off to investigate, with the help of a SWAT team.

There’s no one in the flat, but there is a pile of insects on the bed, as well as an online poker game that was paused just 12 minutes ago, indicating that whoever was here was here very recently.

Shots then ring out through the night air and at the bottom of the building a member of the SWAT team is struck by a bullet, as a silver van drives off. Khalil fires a hail of bullets at it, but is unable to stop it escaping.

Meanwhile upstairs, a UV light reveals the word PARASITE which has been written all over the apartment. It turns out the person who’s been abducted is Alastair Boardman, the 20 year-old son of Bradford’s Chief Constable, Jonathan Boardman (Silas Carson).

'Promises are holding you back...'

The next morning, Riaz chats to his partner Sophie Brodenham (Nichola Burley), who questions whether he should maintain his loyalty to Harry. “Keeping hold of promises you made years ago is holding you back,” she says. “You should trust your instinct.” Riaz doesn’t need much persuading and decides the time is finally right to take Vasil Shala (Andi Jashy) out.

Later on, Ateeq Farooqi (Yousef Naseer), who was kidnapped in the first episode, tells Riaz’s second-in-command Enzo (Tomi May) he wants to help them take down Vasil. He’s certainly recovered from his ordeal quickly!

Across town, the UKCA wants to take over the investigation from Harry and Khalil, saying the kidnapping of Boardman could be a revenge attack after the CC put some big drug players behind bars. They also say Harry & Co. are stood down for the time being. Yeah, good luck with that.

Luckily Harry and Khalil already have a lead, as they know the insects found in Boardman’s room is a tarantula hawk, or a spider wasp, which preys on tarantulas and come from Asia.

However while CC Boardman is making an emotional appeal for information, a video of Alastair begging to be released is released online. The police boss is determined that despite what UKCA says, Harry should be on the case and the detective advises the killer could be incubating a spider wasp inside his son. It’s not the news any father wants.

'I'm the same woman as I was yesterday...'

Harry pays Saima a visit, yet his father Ranjit (Kulvinder Ghir) sees the pair and realises the true identity of the nurse who’s been treating him. A tense conversation between Saima, Ranjit and Harry’s mother Jyoti (Sudha Buchar) follows. “I’m the same woman yesterday as I was today,” says Saima proudly, to the man whose life she saved.

Across town, Ateeq Farooqi meets Enzo with information about how he can hit Vasil’s supply, although he wants a cut of £50,000 for his troubles. Yet things get more complicated when Saima sees Ateeq - aka “the lad who were taken” — walking through the back of her brother’s shop. “Kid wants a job...” says Riaz, which isn’t a lie tbqh.

However, when Aaron is messing about in Riaz’s office, he takes a phone from the drawer and shoves it in his bag. Oh dear.

Later on, Nadia is visiting Saima when Harry’s mother comes by to meet her grandson, Aaron. “He has the same smile as Harry,” she says, fighting back tears, before apologizing for putting Saima in such a difficult position at the hospital. “All these wasted years have broken my heart,” she continues.

"Now the game begins.."

Harry’s niece Tara (Nina Singh) is off to meet a source who claims to know more about the killer. Her girlfriend is worried about her, but she lies and says Harry will be coming with her. When she gets there, she’s drugged and kidnapped, only to wake up a few hours later in a dark and terrifying dungeon.

Meanwhile Harry is at Bradford hospital learning the truth about his father. He’s furious with Saima for keeping Ranjit’s heart attack a secret from him, even though she was doing it as a favour to his mum.

However their disagreement is interrupted when a package starts vibrating. It contains a phone with images of Alastair Boardman (Jack Archer), while a sinister voice tells him to drop his family at the police station and start driving. He soon reaches an empty building, where inside he finds a masked man who offers him a choice; arrest him or save Alastair who’s tied up and dangling upside down over a tank of water. “Now the game begins..” he says.