'Ridley' Recap: Episode 8

Ridley is available to stream. Recap the previous episode.
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There is a startling admission on the recordings Patrick Elliott made of his therapy sessions with Cal Flannery: Cal, not his brother Michael, burned down Ridley’s house, killing his wife and daughter. And yet Michael is the one in prison for the crime, and he confessed to it. 

Cal blamed Ridley for the danger in which Michael found himself, having informed on the criminal Adam Donnelly for Ridley and thus suffered threats from Donnelly’s men. Cal decided to retaliate against Ridley after Michael, who essentially raised him, fled home. He didn’t think anyone was at Ridley’s house when he set the fire, and it burned more than he expected.

Ridley was at the pub with his colleagues when the fire occurred, celebrating the sentencing of Donnelly. At that celebration, his boss, Goodwin, agreed to find protection for Michael. But it was too late. 

Ridley visits Michael in prison and tells him what he has learned. Michael doesn’t think Cal would survive in prison, and refuses to admit that he is innocent and thus implicate Cal. After Ridley leaves, Michael calls Cal, who has been released from police custody on lack of evidence, and warns him that the police are coming for him.

Cal was released because Ridley didn’t immediately go to Farman with the recordings between Cal and Elliott, which he listened to illegally anyway. Farman is appalled at Ridley’s avoidance of the rules, and Ridley is furious that she released Cal. 

Goodwin removes Ridley from the investigation. Ridley for once agrees with him, telling him he was right to recommend that Ridley retire after the deaths of his family—and that Goodwin saved his life when Goodwin prevented Ridley from running into his burning home. Goodwin tells Ridley that he should have listened to him earlier about protecting Michael. 

Meanwhile, Cal breaks into Marling’s, the jazz club Ridley co-owns with Annie Marling, and smashes it up. He then goes to Ridley’s home with a gun, while Ridley and Annie report the break-in to the police. Before sending Ridley to go find Cal, Annie tells him he needs to let go of his wife and daughter and finally move on, and accept his grief. 

Before Ridley reaches his house, however, Farman’s son Jack gets there first, to help Ridley work on his boat. Ridley’s door is always open, so Jack finds Cal waiting inside, with a gun. Cal takes Jack hostage as Ridley arrives and notices Jack’s bike. Ridley tries to talk Cal down as he holds his gun to Jack’s head.

Meanwhile, Farman has gone to visit Michael in prison. We know you tipped Cal off, she says, but Cal is dangerous. Help us find him. Michael says Cal has probably gone after Ridley. As Farman speeds towards Ridley’s house, her wife Geri calls, asking if she has heard from Jack, who’s not answering his phone but was supposed to go to Ridley’s. Farman goes even faster.

As she’s nearing the house, Ridley convinces Cal to let him in and release Jack, since Ridley is the one that Cal wants. Jack flees and meets Farman on the road as she is pulling up to the house, with a tactical team close behind her. 

Inside the house, Cal admits to Ridley that he visited Elliott after his mom’s wake. Elliott tried to turn him away but let him in when he explained that his mom had died. Elliott told Cal that he needed to turn himself in, and that Elliott had an obligation to report Cal’s confession to a crime. Cal felt he had been betrayed. He killed Elliott to prevent him from reporting. 

Cal blames Ridley for all of this.

Goodwin arrives at the scene. He knows that Ridley is worked up by this case and doesn’t believe Ridley is in a state to talk Cal down, and so he tries to establish communication with Cal. When he calls Ridley, Cal makes Ridley answer and Ridley puts it on speaker phone. 

Goodwin asks Cal what his endgame is, but Cal just wants revenge for his brother on Ridley. He hangs up the phone. Goodwin authorizes his team to kill Cal, while Farman asks for more time for Ridley.

Cal is realizing he’s backed into a corner, and tells Ridley that he can’t go to prison. So he offers Ridley his gun, telling him that there are two bullets: Ridley can put them both out of their misery. Ridley takes the gun and points it at Cal, who is responsible for the loss of his family. The snipers outside see an indistinct figure brandishing a gun and think it’s Cal.

But Ridley finally refuses to shoot Cal and backs away. Cal rushes at him, they struggle, and the gun goes off. As Ridley lies bleeding, Cal stands—and is shot in the head by a sniper. 

Ridley survives, having been shot in the side. When he is released after a couple weeks, Farman is there to meet him and thank him for saving Jack. He makes a dinner date with her, and she agrees—there’s a difficult case she’d like to discuss with him.

Ridley visits Michael in prison to tell him what happened to his brother. Michael wishes he had had the chance to stop Cal. Still, he will soon be out of prison, since he is innocent—and Ridley has arranged witness protection status for him.

Ridley returns to Marling’s to sing a song with the band. He also takes up the offer of Dr. Larsson and visits her for therapy. 

And he finally finishes restoring the boat he bought with his wife. He and Annie take it out for a maiden voyage.