A week has elapsed since Top Boy returned to our screens, so it’s about time we ignored any complaints about spoilers and got stuck into it. The Netflix revival of the series brought with it an impressive cast including Dave (Modie) and Little Simz (Shelley), as well as old hands Kane Robinson AKA Kano (Sully) and Ashley Walters (Dushane). Twists and turns were rife in the latest series, but there were a few stones left unturned. Is a final edition of the popular UK drama on the cards?
1. What has happened to Ra’Nell?
Young Ra’Nell was a man of principle who repeatedly brushed off Dushane’s attempts to recruit him in Series 1 of Top Boy: Summerhouse. Fans of the show have been surprised by the apparent absence of Ra’Nell, previously a central character, in Netflix’s new series. This has led to one very believable theory emerging, that new character Modie, played by Dave, is in fact an aged Ra’Nell, turned cruel and ruthless by his environment. There are several details which strengthen this idea; Sully and Modie’s rivalry in prison, Modie’s slight likeness in appearance to the youngster, and the suggestive line Dave raps on his track ‘God’s Eye’:“I used to be Ra’Nell, I never had a score/We’re the show, tell me what we need a channel for.” If this intriguing connection is for real, it was never revealed during Modie’s life, but perhaps in the wake of his death all will become clear.
2. Will Jamie let Ats take the rap for his crime?
Director Ronan Bennett’s enticing finale saw a triumphant Dushane (Walters) leaving Jamie (Micheal Ward) in prison on the horns of a dilemma. Summerhouse’s newly restored Top Boy had video footage of young, misguided Ats entering Jamie’s flat with a bag containing drugs and a gun, which was used to set up Jamie. Twenty years inside following such a framing would leave a bitter taste for the young dealer, but his kind, nurturing nature is made abundantly clear by the love he shows for younger brothers Aaron and Stefan. Will Jamie abandon these principles and let Dushane show the footage to his lawyer, allowing Ats to take the rap for his crime? The offer of freedom and a job working for Dushane on the outside will be incredibly tempting – can Jamie survive this moral test?
3. Did Sully really kill Dris?
One of the most heart-breaking moments of the season was Sully (Robinson)’s arrival at Dris’ flat following the latter’s betrayal of Sully and Dushane’s whereabouts to Modie. Sully’s intention to kill the Top Boy veteran did not even need discussing. From the rooftop of his block, a gunshot cuts into the still night air, with London’s bright skyline shimmering in the distance. However, fans of Dris will cling on to the glaring absence of detail in this scene. Chiefly, when the gunshot sounds, the camera has panned away from Dris and Sully, meaning we are given no actual proof that the popular character has genuinely been killed. Unfortunately, Dushane’s right-hand-man is notoriously ruthless, as shown in moments like the kidnapping of his cousin Jermaine in Series 2 of Top Boy: Summerhouse. Regardless, there will be many people with their fingers crossed for a Dris comeback in the future.
4. Will Sully and Dushane work together again?
“There’s always a way… but not that way” is Sully’s disgusted response to Dushane’s crafty framing of Jamie at the series end. The duo have always had their differences, and it isn’t until the new series’ fourth episode that they are partners again. However, Sully’s poignant observation that “just because we didn’t lose, doesn’t mean we won” hints that this latest drama may be a step too far for the Summerhouse boys’ relationship. Dushane’s attempted recruitment of the incarcerated Jamie as part of his empire certainly suggests so. However, this is a relationship which has previously recovered from serious strains – if Sully can forgive his partner-in-crime for the orchestrated murder of his best mate Mike in Series 2, who knows what will happen in the future.
5. Will the undercover feds take down Dushane?
Surely the finale’s biggest twist of all came in its closing scene, which reveals that desperate junkies Lee and Sarah are in fact undercover feds working to bring down Dushane. Smart alecs will point to hints such as the pair’s exposure of a suspicious market vendour in episode three, but come on, no one really saw this one coming. In a Met Police office, a whiteboard displays the reality that Dushane is once again Top Boy on the Summerhouse estate, a detail Lee and Sarah confirm to their commanding officer. The undercover investigation to bring him down is clearly in full swing – will they succeed, or will their true identities be revealed?