As the episode begins, Emily Waters (Jessica Raine) leaves her cellphone on the subway. Wesley Ndoyo (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) picks it up and chases after her. He eventually returns the phone. Emily convinces the man to let her buy him a cup of coffee. He is shot and killed. The shots continue. The incident is discussed in the courtroom. Gabe Waters (Paddy Considine) tells the court about the day. Gabe admits that the suspect was known to them at the time. He doesn’t say how the man was known to them. We jump back in time one year. We see Raza Shar (Nabhaan Rizwan) working in an assembly room. Raza speaks with a couple about becoming their flat mate. Raza tells them about his street photography. He finds out that he is one of their photos.
He tells them about Tarik, who works at Aladdin’s Garden. He doesn’t like being referred to as radicals. When Raza leaves, he takes photos. Then, he visits his aunt. He speaks to them about his family before leaving. Then, he meets with Miss Woods. Raza’s brother, Nasir, is in trouble for bringing a pocket knife to school. Miss Woods (Rae Hendrie) explains that she is going to have to suspend him. Raza manages to convince her otherwise. Afterwards, Nasir explains that it is for protection. Raza gives him his camera. He begins using it right away. They return home. Raza cuts the emblem from a jacket and smokes a cigarette. He gets a call from his friend down below. Raza buys weed from the man.
The family watches the news about terror attacks. Raza doesn’t take them seriously. He heads out on his own. He meets up with Charlotte Humphreys (Nell Hudson). She introduces him to Tristan (Luke Hornsby). They do drugs together. Then, they dance and party. Charlotte seems to have a bad reaction to the drugs. Tristan leaves them. Raza tries to get Charlotte to the hospital. He gets her help right away. Raza is searched. The drugs are found and he is arrested for possession. Meanwhile, Gabe drinks at a bar. Afterwards, Gabe is shown getting into a vehicle. Gabe heads to the office. Holly Morten (Bel Powley) watches from a distance. Hello is welcomed to the team. She introduces herself. Holly is assigned to Gabe’s team.
They watch video of the terrorist in London. Gabe and Holly work together. Gabe tells her about informants. Gabe explains that they’re going to fail and when they do people will do. He suggests that someone will always slip through the net. Raza gets pictures taken at the jail. Raza calls Hanif (Paul Tylak). Raza tells him to open the salon. Hanif’s phone dies. Gabe gives Holly advice for finding informants. They speak with several men with no luck. Raza finds a friend at the jail. The man introduces himself as Dadir Hassan (Roger Jean Nsengiyumva). Gabe meets with another man. He tells Holly to leave this one off of the report. He explains that Yousef is a bit skittish. Gabe speaks with him alone. Yousef explains that the feds have his brother for possession.
He admits he saw the man back in summer. They supposedly met in Raqqa. Yousef isn’t willing to talk until his brother is out of jail. Holly watches them intently. Dadir wakes up Raza. They play a joke on another inmate. Dadir is released from the jail. Holly is interested in knowing more about Raza. Gabe and Holly question Raza. Holly does most of the talking. She asks him to enroll in the informant program. Raza laughs about it. Gabe recognizes the high school jacket. He writes down that Raz could be a flight risk. Raza is forced to remain in custody until he can see the magistrates. Holly asks Gabe how he is a flight risk. Gabe explains that he has bought her 24 hours to find some real leverage. Raza is angry.
Another man watches the cops nearby. He calls them pigs. That man, Faisal, is arrested. Gabe and Holly speak with the man. We learn that the man is DC Imran Aziz. Aziz doesn’t believe that the terrorist was near his town. Hanif tries to pick up Raza at the jail. His ID is expired. Dadir is released. He meets with Yousef (Abubakar Salim) outside. Dadir tells them about his release. Gabe gives orders to Yousef. Yousef and Dadir hit the gym. Yousef leaves him after the boxing session. Gabe calls Yousef and tells him to get the package soon. Imran seems to believe that Yousef has left him high and dry. Gabe is ridiculed for his progress with Yousef. Raza continues waiting in jail.
Gabe and Holly turn their attention to Raza. They find out that Raza’s mother died in 2002. He is now living with Sadia and his father. Holly visits the family’s house. She speaks with Sadia. She wants to speak about Raza. Holly tells her that a teacher at the school as been accused of molesting students. She implies that Raza might have been a victim. Sadia admits she was born in Pakistan. Nasir snaps a picture. Sadia scolds him and Holly leaves the home. Holly tells the boss that the woman is undocumented. Gabe learns that one of his old cases is up for parole. Gabe looks at a picture of himself with the suspect. Someone calls Yousef. Dadir checks on him.
He grabs the phone and ignores the call. Raza finally gets an attorney, Adrian Hodge (Kadiff Kirwan). Raza is asked if he has family abroad. Adrian promises to get his case dropped. Geoffrey Boyce (Stanley Townsend) meets with Rose. Boyce explains that Italian AC are closing in on an attack cell in Turin. He believes the terrorist might have passed off his bomb building knowledge to comrades in London. Holly tells Gabe that she found Yousef. A white van has been following him. They decide to check the vehicle’s GPS. Raza waits for his court appearance. He speaks to his law aid about his shoes. They speak about their jobs. Raza’s name is called. Raza learns that his case has been dismissed. Gabe surprises him outside.
Gabe tells Raza that Sadia’s visa is no longer good. He is forced to cooperate with Gabe. Gabe wants Raza to meet him once a week with information. As long as he does that, Sadia will be fine. Raza explains he knows nothing about terrorism. Gabe tells him about the Rotterdam bombing. Neil (Danny Kirrane) greats them. Raza is taken to a bunch of refugees. Gabe tells him to pick one and he’ll let them stay. Raza eventually relents and picks one of the men. The man, Rostam Avshar, explains he is from Afghanistan. Rostam is told to remember Raza’s face. He is the man who changed his life. Raza is finally allowed to go home. Gabe rights 9 on the back of a cellphone.
We see Yousef’s vehicle. Gabe calls him again. Yousef has been killed. Gabe returns home to his kids. His wife, Emily Waters, is painting with his kid, Lori. Raza is seen on the train. He walks the streets. He finds his mom and dad asleep on the couch. Raza heads outside for a smoke.
Informer Review
The first episode of Informer was okay. It has definitely got a lot of propaganda in here. Nevertheless, the story is interesting so far and the acting is great all the way around. It is a little difficult to follow because there are so many characters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the opener. It didn’t blow me away, but I am interested in finding out where things are going to from here. The opener scores a 7 out of 10.
