The episode begins in the North Sea, where Audrey Hemmings (Alexa Davies) is holding onto a piece of debris from the explosion. She is gasping for breath while struggling to stay afloat. Royal Navy Captain Pugwash approaches in a raft. He jumps into the water to save Audrey. At this point, she is frantic, continuing to gasp for air. Captain pulls her out of the water and into his raft.
In the Cabinet Office Briefing Room, the attendees discuss the casualty rumors. Home Secretary Joseph Obasi (Richard Pepple) reports more than 300 casualties, which he believes will continue to increase. He explains the situation with the communication system. Prime Minister taps his finger and points to Eleanor James (Lisa Palfrey). Eleanor explains the cyberattack, claiming it is a correlation between the arrest of the Micael Kostenko (Greg Kolpakchi) death.
Home Secretary Obasi says the code was embedded with deliberate “rubbish.” Eleanor says a patch is being created for the “Ruin Britannia” hack. Prime Minister asks if releasing the suspects will do away with the cyberattack. He answers his own question “no.” The Russian ambassador is called in to consult with Prime Minister.
Before the meeting adjourns, Prime Minister questions the claims of Hari Misra (Karan Gill), concerning two arrests. Prime Minister threatens Misra, saying, “He will be given a painful lesson in the true meaning of cancel culture.” He demands Eleanor bring him evidence, Russians are behind the cyberattack.
Anna Marshall (Victoria Hamilton) is confronted by Eleanor. Anna blames Prime Minister’s foul mood on the Singer Report. Eleanor says she is not here to discuss the Prime Minister. She hands her a file about Edin Tosumbegovic. Anna looks concerned. Eleanor briefly explains Edin’s death to Anna. He commits suicide to avoid drawn-out torture.
Anna is reviewing the report, where Edin explains why he had to commit suicide. In the report, he professes his love to Anna. She closes the file as Prime Minister enters the room. She breaks down, telling him to back off without providing an explanation. Prime Minister exists the room.
A helicopter with Home Secretary Obasi flies overhead to assess the damage to Kent. He assesses the damage, exhales, and leans back in his seat.
At the Strategic Command Centre in Kent, Home Secretary Obasi meets with Fraser Walker (Richard Dormer). Fraser explains his near-drowning experience. Fraser decides to stay because Audrey is missing. They continue to discuss the dire situation of the town without a communication system.
Back at the North Sea, Captain Pugwash is dipping water out of the raft. He says, they will need to abort the raft because it is taking on too much water. She refuses to jump back into the North Seas, saying she had rather die. He responds, “I’ll head out in about 20 minutes.” She questions him if he was carved out of granite.
Former Home Secretary Archie Glover-Morgan (David Haig) is questioned about the cyberattack. The reporter asks him if there is a connection with the Kostenko death. He refuses to answer. Eleanor watches Archie’s interview. She joins an expert to discuss the callback code believed to be linked to Russia.
Prime Minister is joined by Anna who apologizes for her previous outburst. He is still indecisive as to what to do with the prisoners. Russia denies being responsible for the cyberattack. The Russian Ambassador arrives to meet with the Prime Minister.
On the North Sea, Audrey and Captain Pugwash enter the water once again. She gasps for breath as they near the damaged Royal Navy ship.
At the Labor Headquarters in London, Chris Edwards (Andrew Buchan) meets with Francine Bridge (Marsha Thomason). He wants her back in the shadow cabinet to deal with Home Secretary Obasi. She agrees to rejoin the cabinet. At the end of the meeting, Bridge receives an urgent message from Hari Misra.
On the North Sea, Audrey and Captain Pugwash make it to the damaged ship, where they surprisingly encounter another survivor, Stewart (Tony Way) while testing the broken communication system. The ship is taking on water.
Eleanor, Prime Minister, and Anna at the Cabinet Office Briefing Room. Eleanor is concerned about the flooding in Kent. The malfunctioning emergency communication system is enhancing the dire situation. Sednit is the prime suspect behind the cyberattack.
Fraser meets with a member of the Royal Navy at the Strategic Command Centre to discuss the triage system. Fraser asks for couriers to carry communications between hospitals and emergency services. Home Secretary Abasi tells Fraser about Prime Minister’s plan to release Kostenko suspects. Audrey Hemming’s brother, Gary Hemmings (Michael Jibson) arrives to speak with Fraser.
Prime Minister meets with Russian Ambassador Voronin (Rob Locke) in the Terracotta Room. Ambassador Voronin denies the cyberattack allegations. He says the British government does not have Klara Lechkova detained but low-level criminal Larissa Petrova.
Prime Minister angrily demands Eleanor to find out the true identity of the detainees. He questions if the Kostenko shooting is truly linked to the cyberattack.
Hari Misra meets with Francine Bridge to discuss the cyberattack and the North Sea explosion. He believes the catastrophe is linked to the Big North Sea drilling by the Chinese Jiayou Corporation.
At the Strategic Common Centre in Kent, survivors are being treated for their injuries. Gary Hemmings questions Fraser why his sister was on the ship. A rescue mission will be dispatched to the North Sea when the weather clears.
The Royal Navy ship begins to fill with water. Captain Pugwash, Audrey, and Stewart are forced to leave the ship. They climb to the top of the tower platform.
Eleanor validates the identity of the suspects in the Kostenko shooting. Russian Ambassador Voronin was being truthful about the identity of Larissa Petrova. The Prime Minister believes the Russians are trying to humiliate the British government. Eleanor updates on the Big North Sea drilling rumor, without significant evidence.
Audrey tells Stewart about her brothers and father. Captain Pugwash yells “stop talking.” He decides to swim ashore. As he enters the water, Audrey watches with concern.
Archie meets with Prime Minister. He tells the Prime Minister to “return the whip to my little band of brothers and you increase your majority by eight.” Prime Ministers admits to his parliament being weak, but not himself. He warns Archie to not overstep his mark or face consequences. Archie wants to be at the frontline to defend his country. He does not believe the Prime Minister is the best person to lead Britain, but he will stand by him. Archie wants Eleanor fired. He blames her for the catastrophe the country is currently facing. He demands to be back in the COBRA room.
Audrey and Stewart wait for Captain Pugwash to rescue them. Stewart is suffering from hypothermia. Audrey comforts him. Captain Pugwash continues making his way to the shore. A helicopter can be heard in the distance.
Home Secretary Obasi looks at a board with images of fatality victims. Gary Hemmings and other Mods arrive at Kent to volunteer as couriers.
Anna looks over the Junction 23 Shootings Investigation Report by Judge Allan Singer. She alerts the Prime Minister, “We’re in the clear.”
Fraser tells Home Secretary Obasi, the emergency system has been patched, but still no phones.
A helicopter rescues Audrey and Stewart. Captain Pugwash is aboard the helicopter.
Prime Minister thanks Fraser for his effort. Fraser explains the situation in Kent. Prime Minister says the Singer Report has been leaked to the press.
Anna pleads with Prime Minister to not fire Eleanor.
Francine Bridge meets with Chris Edwards to discuss Hari Misra.
Hari Misra receives an urgent phone call, alerting him to destroy the drive once he is done. He is delivered an SD card of sorts. A message appears on the computer screen “This man is responsible for the explosion in Kent.” A man being tortured is slumped over a chair.
Eleanor continues to investigate the explosion and cyberattack as the episode comes to an end.
COBRA Review – Another episode filled with cheesy dialogue. Although Archie is always interesting, he was allotted little screen time. Audrey and Captain Pugwash survive the massive North Sea explosion. Captain Pugwash is able to retain a rescue raft, which he utilizes to save Audrey from drowning.
While Stewart suffers from hypothermia, Captain Pugwash swims for hours in the cold North Sea without a life jacket. Remarkably, he survives and brings back a rescue helicopter to retrieve Audrey and Stewart. Fraser is able to make contact with Audrey’s brother even though the emergency communication system is down. These unrealistic scenes continue. By this point, you will have to bend reality to tolerate it. The episode deserves a 5 out of 10, which is being generous.
Catch up with previous recaps here.
