Legends Episode 5 begins with Hakan and Aziz summoning Carter, Eddie, Mylonas and Guy to a crisis meeting. Hakan makes a big announcement: now that their Istanbul partners are dead, the six of them will go to Pakistan in person and pick up and move two tonnes of heroin.
Guy hears about the plan and tells his team. “A shipment of this size could be worth almost 100 million GBP and devastate communities all over the United Kingdom,” Erin explains. Guy agrees to go to Karachi with the group, silently vowing to see to it that the drugs never see British soil.
The Angus is worried about the operation, saying the mission is too risky to go ahead without government approval. Guy is looking for someone with experience in maritime matters. Don suggests Pete, a former Special Forces officer who can manage the boat operation in Karachi.
Angus and Don go to the Home Office to get the official go-ahead and Eddie meets Bailey to talk about the coming trip. Bailey wants to protect Eddie and his family, but Eddie refuses. He admits he does want Carter taken down but is still too afraid of what Carter may do if he has him out in the open.
Eddie won’t officially work with Customs, and Bailey puts the pressure on Eddie to get evidence on Carter. Bailey then reveals he too will be travelling to Pakistan, shocking Eddie further when he hints someone within the Turkish operation is secretly working as an informant.
Meanwhile Sophie trains Guy for the mission and asks him to come back home safely. Instead of telling the truth about the operation, Guy talks about the identity he has built for this undercover life. He promises Sophie that, when the mission is over, that version of him will be gone for good.
Before they leave, Erin has Don, Guy and Bailey sign government consent forms. Tension builds as Guy finds out Bailey has an informant in the Liverpool gang. Guy warns him that if Bailey continues like this, the mission will be in jeopardy, but Don steps in and makes the two men focus on the purpose behind their actions.
Meanwhile, Erin and Kate continue digging into Carter’s network. Erin puts together a list of 900+ officers who could be connected to Carter. Kate begins to lose hope, but Erin manages to whittle the list down to 326 names. The two decide to try a different tack and set out to find the officer who has Carter’s archived police files.
The team finally arrives in Pakistan and meets Mr. Ayub Afridi. Afridi doesn’t discuss business in public and takes them directly to where the drugs are being stored – his house. At a distance Don and Bailey watch the convoy, without letting on.
On the way Eddie quietly tells Bailey about Afridi’s destination and asks him to pass a message to his wife if he doesn’t return alive. Carter sees the private talk and immediately becomes suspicious.
Later, Guy is surprised to discover that Mylonas has brought his wife to Karachi. Soon after an American official working with the British operation arrives and offers to escort Don into Khyber, warning him how dangerous the territory is.
As Hakan, Guy and the rest arrive at Khyber, Afridi boasts of having survived attacks from the British, the Russians and the Americans. Things get even more disturbing when Afridi publicly executes a man in front of them, visibly shaking Guy.
Later, Guy and Mylonas are confronted by armed locals while walking through the area. Mylonas tells Guy that if he wants Afridi’s trust, he’s gonna have to earn it.
Meanwhile, Mylonas’ wife goes to Afghanistan, where she turns out to be the daughter of a former Afghan king. This revelation finally helps convince Afridi that the group has powerful connections.
Afridi asks the next day why he should give up his Istanbul operation to work with them directly. They tell Guy that their Istanbul contact is dead. Guy insists a direct partnership would be way more profitable. Impressed by their offer – and by Mylonas’ wife – Afridi agrees to hand over the two-tonne shipment of heroin.
Back in Liverpool Kate tries to access Carter’s police records, but is refused access. Goodwin sees her asking for Carter’s file. Goodwin pretends to be helpful and offers to help Kate get into the records privately the next day.
Meanwhile, Hakan tells Aziz to stay behind in Pakistan and learn all he can about Guy and eventually take his place. But later Aziz tells Guy he’s not interested in spending his life in the drug trade. Instead he dreams of setting up a legitimate business when they return to London.
Preparations are underway and Carter asks to ride with Guy in the car to the docks. Guy is reluctant, but eventually agrees.
The next day, Kate finally learns the truth when she meets Goodwin – he has been protecting Carter for years. Goodwin tries to attack her but Kate has called for backup. He is arrested and threatened with giving evidence against Carter.
In the docks in Pakistan, Guy tries to warn Don secretly of their coming. Eddie sees this but says nothing, silently indicating where his loyalties are now.
As the shipment is about to go, Carter asks Guy how he’s going to get the drugs out of the country. Guy tells him that the heroin will be sent back to London by boat, but Carter suddenly changes his mind, insisting that Guy make the trip himself, with the shipment.
The episode ends with Don and Bailey horrified to watch.
Episode Review
“Old Kings” feels like one of the slower chapters of the season. The move to Pakistan raises the stakes on paper, but much of the episode is set-up, rather than payoff. Some of the scenes go on longer than they need to and the pacing sometimes has difficulty maintaining the momentum.
That being said, there are still a few good moments. Kate and Erin’s investigation remains one of the more interesting storylines, and Eddie’s increasing inner turmoil offers much needed tension. It’s a surprise that Mylonas’ wife is related to the royalty of Afghanistan, but it ultimately serves a definite purpose in gaining Afridi’s trust.
The ending does a good job of setting up the next episode. Guy is forced to travel with the shipment, putting his undercover mission in even more jeopardy. “Old Kings” may not be the strongest episode of the season, but it does a good job of laying down a number of major pieces of what’s to come.