THE eagerly anticipated second season of Gangs of London has been teased in new dramatic first look images, giving fans a glimpse of what’s to come.
The Sky Atlantic crime-drama returns to screens in 2022 and shows stars including Paapa Essiedu as Alexander Dumani and Michelle Fairley as Marian Wallace are seen in preview snaps ahead of the new series.
Season two picks up a year after the first left off and, by the looks of things, it’s set to be as dark and dangerous as ever.
The programme has followed the battles between rival mobs operating in England’s modern-day capital city.
At the centre of the show has been the death of kingpin Finn Wallace, who had until his death kept London’s crime factions in check.
Finn’s murder led to fierce power struggles in the city’s underworld as his son Sean went on a violent mission to avenge the killing – pitting the Wallaces against the previously-friendly Dumani family, headed up by Ed and son Alex, and under intense police investigation.
However, it turned out Finn was killed by the Wallace clan Investors, who also want Sean dead and replaced at the top by Alex, a more level-headed and smarter crook.
At the end of season 1, loyalties will have shifted, secrets revealed, and viewers left wondering who will end up the main man in town.
Here we explain what happens at the end of season 1 – and the questions which need answering in season 2.
*Warning: Gangs of London spoilers follow – including the ending.*
Gangs of London season 1 ending explained
In the finale, with the Wallaces in hiding, Sean’s mother Marian meets up with Ed Dumani to discuss the situation, but Ed instead shoots Marian, though it’s later revealed she’s only wounded.
As the series climaxes, Ed’s daughter Shannon and Sean find out that Shannon’s boyfriend and Sean’s right-hand-man Elliot is actually an undercover cop investigating the Wallaces.
In a rage Shannon kills Elliot’s handler, while Sean is devastated to learn the truth about the man he trusted.
But, in an unexpected twist, Sean wants Elliot to help him bring down The Investors, not knowing they’ve threatened to kill Shannon and her son if Elliot doesn’t get rid of Sean and keep Alex Dumani safe.
Alex arrives and pulls a gun on Sean, who urges Alex to consider taking back power from The Investors, before Elliot takes the weapon and shoots Sean in the face, leaving him lying in a pool of blood.
Elliot then urges Alex to escape while he sacrifices himself to the police.
After hours of torture at the hands of a police interrogator, a doctor monitoring Elliot’s health gives him a code that shows he’s on the side of The Investors and forces the police to let him go.
Only Elliot is planning The Investors’ downfall, having kept a SIM card Sean’s father made with masses of information about their corruption, and the series ends with The Investors saying they will be in contact.
What does the ending mean for Gangs of London season 2?
With Elliot now working for The Investors, viewers will likely be handed an insight into the identity of the mysterious operation, how they operate, and gained so much power.
Elliot could release the information on the SIM card to build distrust and paranoia among their network, potentially leading to more revelations about those at the head of the organisation.
Knowing how this would mean the lower ranks would be punished, Elliot could start a vigilante campaign of justice and kill the previously untouchable Investors.
At the same time, Sean is not definitely confirmed as being dead, and there’s a suggestion Elliot wanted Sean to live as he only shot him in the cheek, meaning the pair might team up again.
Even those working in the show won’t reveal Sean’s fate. Director Corin Hardy told Den of Geek that “it was planned from the start that Sean Wallace would die… He’s shot and he’s killed.”
But co-creator Gareth Evans admitted they’ve deliberately left the situation ambiguous.
He said: “I think we’ve kept that pretty open of where Elliot shot him. If it had been dead centre [of his head], then yeah absolutely [he’d be dead].”
What we do know for sure is that Sean’s mother Marian faked her death by pretending Ed Dumani’s shot had killed her so he would no longer see her as a threat.
In any season 2, she will likely team up with Finn’s mistress, Floriana, to work in the background, using Finn’s wealth to become a formidable force against The Investors and the Dumanis.
Alex will almost certainly become the leader of the Wallace organisation, with support from his dad.
Believing Sean to be dead, it’s unlikely he will go against The Investors, initially at least.
With Elliot now on The Investors’ books, viewers may see Alex forced to work with him.
Should that happen, Alex might eventually grow tired of The Investors’ control and form a plan with Elliot to bring them down.
Finally Shannon might decide to stick around and confront Elliot about being a policeman, or The Investors could also lure her back to London as leverage against Elliot or Alex.
Ultimately, with so much uncertainty at the end of season 1, fans will be wondering if anyone will be able to take down The Investors should series 2 get the green-light.
Gangs of London airs on Sky Atlantic. All nine episodes are available to stream now on NOW TV.
