The last episode ended with Tuppence and Tommy disguised as undercover agents, trying to uncover the mysterious disappearance of one Jane Finn. Tommy had found his way into a criminal hide out in Soho where he slyly inserted himself as part of Mr. Brown's group of associates. He was about to get in trouble after they got suspicious of him right before the credits rolled, leaving us with a cliff hanger, while Tuppence staged herself as a secretary/maid for Rita, an opera singer also thought to be part of the crime.
See a recap of episode one here.
In episode 2, Tommy is still at the Soho basement, where he has managed to fool Mr. Brown's associates into thinking that he is Drennan, a money man they had been expecting. While this saves Tommy from getting his feathers ruffled up, he is totally out of his comfort zone. Not only is he in the mist of dangerous thugs, he is in the most dodgy place in town. He is nervous and keeps acting awkward (as awkward of a human being as he already is). He is definitely having difficulty keeping up with this pretense, making us nervous for him; he might just blow his own cover. It also proves how gullible these criminals are for even believing that Tommy could be in any way one of their kind. However, even as incompetent as Tommy is in his disguise, David Williams does a great job at portraying this characterization.
Meanwhile, Tuppence and her blonde wig are having the time of their life in this new found mission. It is as if Tuppence has finally answered to her true calling (at least that's how she feels) and she is like a little child on first day of school, ready to take in as much as she can while giving it her all. Her "madam" receives a mysterious package from Mr Brown, which further confirms Tuppence's suspicions about her. However, Rita locks this parcel away and Tuppence cannot get her hands on it to see what it is.
To keep their charade going and hopefully get all the information they need, the couple stalk the real Drennan into an old English bar and spike his drink, buying enough time to go back undercover. This is despite an order from Tommy’s Uncle, Carter, not to. The two are now obviously knee-deep into this mission and it seems to give them a certain high of adrenaline rush. They are like addicts who must have their next fix, no matter what. When they start disobeying Carter like this and going against his wishes, that's how we know that it will be a long season of breaking rules and boundaries for this once typical British middle class pair.
The 1950s still create a backdrop for the show and we still get to experience the glamour of the post world war era (even low class in the 50s still had class!). So I still get to drool over the style,fashion and production design.
Back in their disguises, Tommy is caught snooping around the basement room looking for Jane. Tuppence's cover is also blown. This might have been the greatest call from the writers as things were starting to look a little too smooth and convenient. It just would have been impractical for Tommy and Tuppence to go in and out of the Soho and Rita's place, pretending (poorly so even) to be people they are not, and never get caught. Just like the last episode, this episode is also quite slow and it is only in this part which is towards the end that things pick up speed. This makes you wonder if this is the pattern that "Partners In Crime" might present till the end of the season; a slow start and explosive ending with a cliff hanger.
Tuppence manages to make a run for it, and escapes through a window into a drainpipe while Tommy is placed on a chair with a noose around his neck. Will Tuppence get to him in time or will the chair underneath Tommy's feet get kicked away before he could ever get help?
"Partners In Crime" airs every Sundays on BBC First at 8pm.
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