Hearts

The latest episode of BBC drama This City Is Ours left fans on the edge of their seats

Viewers of This City Is Ours were left concerned following the latest action packed episode.

The current series of the BBC programme resumed on BBC One on Sunday evening (November 8) with a fresh episode for those who haven’t yet devoured the complete season. Continuing from its launch last year, both audiences and reviewers have showered the Liverpool-set crime drama with acclaim.

*Warning – this article contains spoilers for This City Is Ours series 2, episode 5*.

Its second run follows Michael Kavanagh being pulled back into the Phelan criminal empire, operations, and brutality. The ensemble features performers including Mike Noble, James Nelson-Joyce, Laura Aikman and Hannah Onslow.

In the fifth instalment, Jamie and Melissa threw their engagement celebration while Michael and Diana tried to negotiate peace with the family. Meanwhile, Freddie descends deeper beyond Michael’s grasp and the Phelans negotiate an arrangement with Ozzie Thompson, reports the Liverpool Echo.

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However, audiences could sense that something truly terrible was imminent as the celebration drew to an end. Shortly after Michael arranged an accord between the groups, Freddie was observed tearing across the city, evidently on a mission.

Michael’s efforts to locate him and intervene before events unfolded proved fruitless. As the Phelans departed the party venue and spilled out onto the street, Freddie emerged from a concealed position opposite and began shooting.

Jamie appeared to be his intended target. However, in an earlier scene, Freddie had tested the weapon and missed spectacularly.

It came as little shock, then, when it emerged he had once again failed to hit his mark. Amid the chaos, Rachel discovered she had been shot in the leg.

Michael swiftly arrived to assist her husband Bobby in rushing her to hospital, with the rest of the family close behind. As she was brought into the emergency department, Rachel flatlined, and her prospects looked deeply troubling. Meanwhile, outside, Michael persuaded the Phelans to make a run for it as he gave himself up to police.

Viewers watching at home were left utterly devastated as the dramatic scenes unfolded. Many had sensed chaos was imminent, with one person posting on social media: “I’m getting definite The Godfather vibes from watching the engagement party scenes.”

Another added: “Sobbing here. They can’t kill off Rachel.”

Several fans warned that another character’s fate also looked precarious. As one viewer asked: “Freddie’s in trouble! Do the others know it was him?”

Another wondered: “Omg Freddie. What have you done?” While one admitted: “I fear for Freddie’s future.”

However, another viewer remarked: “For a bad shot Freddie got the right spot on that leg. Fatal surely?”.

Meanwhile, one viewer believed they had noticed a blunder in one character’s behaviour, commenting: “Whyyyyy didn’t Michael just level with Freddy and say “your auld fella’s playing dead but he’s fine” Sometimes you’ve just got to be blunt”.

This City Is Our is streaming on BBC iPlayer

“I totally understand it, though. I loved my time at Hearts, I need to say that. It was only a short time, but I thought my Hearts team were a breath of fresh air for Scottish football last season.

“I really enjoyed what we managed to achieve. It shows what can be done despite not having the huge financial muscle of Rangers and Celtic to compete with, and I was proud of what we did there.

“I think taking a team who finished in the bottom six and getting to 80 points, I just felt a real injustice at the end of it all. So I think I understand it’s not going to be great for me [on Wednesday], but I get it.”

Hearts led the Scottish Premiership for most of the season, only to lose 3-1 at Celtic Park as the reigning champions retained the title in the most dramatic fashion.

“At the time, at Hearts, we were hurting last season,” McInnes said. “It was almost as if we were in mourning. That seems a bit exaggerated, but that’s how it felt.

“We were all kind of clinging to each other in the first part of the close season. It’s a time when we felt we should all be sticking together. So I kind of feel the guilt that I had a decision to make, whether I stayed or whether I left.”

McInnes realises how Hearts fans felt about his exit, given he himself had a similar reaction to captain and leading scorer Lawrence Shankland having already announced he was moving to Ibrox.

“I remember how I felt then, how I felt a bit let down, a bit flat with the whole thing. For me to make a similar move a couple of weeks later, I understood that,” McInnes added.

“The treatment I get is what it is, and you could say I deserve it, but nothing will change how I felt about my time at Hearts.

“I think there was a real injustice. We felt that grievance towards the end of the season that we should have won a title.

“I wanted to be a manager that won a title outwith the Old Firm. But for a few contentious decisions going against us, I think we would have won it.”

The same cannot be said of Duran, who is thriving in a Celtic shirt and has 14 goal contributions – nine goals and five assists – in 15 games, many of which have come while playing in a wide role.

However, O’Neill has said that the Colombia international prefers to play centrally, and Halliday believes he can offer Celtic much more in that position – but what does that mean for Hogh?

“You look at Duran as a number nine on Sunday, the part he plays in the third goal, the fourth goal,” Halliday said.

“When Jamie McCart takes a loose touch, Hogh wouldn’t be close enough or quick enough to get on to that loose ball and spring Celtic into attack. Duran isn’t just a goalscorer, he’s so much more than that – and you saw that on Sunday.

“O’Neill still reckons Hogh will score 20 goals this season. It’s hard to suggest he wouldn’t, given his previous record at Bodo/Glimt, but at this moment in time, he isn’t doing enough to be in Celtic’s attack.

“O’Neill’s searching for his best team and best front three, and the three you saw on Sunday are that.”