It’s finally that time, and Dick Turpin series has come to an end. The show that tells the surreal story of Dick Turpin through comedic anecdotes is anything but serious. It’s almost like children’s TV with morals, but for adults? I’m not quite sure what the point of this show was, but I did quite enjoy Dick’s panache, and that’s enough for me to keep going. During my last recap, I did mention that I was missing Wilde in the picture, and I’m happy to report that he’s made a return in the finale, just as I had predicted. In episode 5, Nell’s mother splits up the gang by kidnapping Dick and Nell and then keeping Dick in the dungeons while Nell’s freed to go get the gang to join Tommy in taking over Hempstead. The final episode of Dick Turpin takes off right where episode 5 ended.
Spoiler Alert
Does Tommy get the gang to join him?
The sixth episode of the series is titled “Turpin Time” for good reason. It’s an episode that makes us believe the guy is truly the greatest bad highwayman there ever was. The episode begins with Tommy taking over Hempstead where Dick’s beloved by all and rejoiced by none. He steps on the backs of his subordinates, Honesty and Moose, and tells everyone who is in charge now. Apparently, it appears to Nell’s mother that the town loves Tommy, though nobody really seems to care about highwaymen. Nell has no choice but to join Tommy, but she gets her mother to promise that she won’t torture Dick (in the torture dungeon) or kill him. Helen makes the promise to Nell, but we’ll see how long that lasts.
On the other hand, Dick suffers all by himself in the dungeons, where Geoffrey advises him to eat moss. Dick’s still stuck on the idea that these are simply chambers, and he’s going to be getting fancy baths and room service soon enough. While Dick tries to figure out if there’s an escape route from the dungeons, Tommy gets his team to wear identical ensembles, all similar to his own. He’s like a cult leader who wants everyone to be clones of each other, whereas Dick is the free-thinker, allowing everyone to show off their individual panache. Tommy even gives the gang designated roles, and Nell is “the woman,” which she absolutely hates. Then they learn the strangest thrust dance (no, viewer discretion is advised), and Tommy even has a gang of singers to be his background score. After the gang is trained to become Tommy’s backup dancers—sorry, Tommy’s gang—they’re made to remove everyone from their shops, including Craig, the warlock. I’m not sure how this would help Tommy, but sure.
In the meantime, Dick has hallucinations or strange dreams after eating the moss. Or maybe he’s seeing things because he’s been rotting in the dungeon for a while. In the dream, he sees his father, who is very disappointed with Dick and how terrible he is at being a highwayman.
Who is Tommy, really?
Nell tries to argue with everything that Tommy makes them do, but it doesn’t go very well. Eventually, she finds her mother, who accidentally tells her that Dick will be dead soon enough. Nell is hurt that her mom is breaking her promise and decides to take matters into her own hands. Apparently, Dick’s been too good an influence on her, and she’s gone too soft, so her mom wants her to go back to her old harsh self. Additionally, she plans on taking over all of England with highwaymen like Tommy, who is not an actual highwayman but possibly just an actor. See, Helen shows Nell a piece of paper that shows her who Tommy really is, but it’s not revealed to us just yet. Back in the dungeon, Dick’s got a beard and a moustache that could give Gandalf a run for his money. But it’s only been a week, and the facial hair is fashioned from rat eyelashes by Dick himself. As Dick awaits his friends, a pamphlet arrives for him, which reads that they’re prospering under Tommy, leaving Dick heartbroken. You’ll know it’s always the media that’s the problem. Nell finds Honesty and Moose at a quiet time and shows them who Tommy really is. He’s got a full team of people waiting to do his bidding. Even his hair is a wig that is styled to match Dick’s beautiful black locks.
Back at Little Karen’s, which is only open thanks to Nell’s persistence, Craig reveals that his name is actually Balthazar, which was not cool enough for a Warlock, according to him. He tells the gang that they need an in for Dick to be saved, the way he has an in with Karen. Only he’s filled the shop with frogs, and she’s furious, so he’s probably going to be jobless in about 5 minutes.
Who saves Dick?
Finally, someone scary arrives at the dungeons, making it seem like this is the end for Dick, but it’s only Wilde and Christopher there to save him! I knew they’d be the best of friends. Wilde gives Dick a proper morale boost, telling him that he can only defeat Tommy by being Dick Turpin because nobody else can do what he’s done thus far (i.e., rob the urobbable cart, steal from the syndicate, etc.). Though the father-son duo saves the guy, he accidentally traps them in the dungeon before leaving. Helen learns of his escape and fires Geoffrey, heading to Hempstead.
As it goes, Dick Turpin only shines when he’s uniquely him (learn, kids). The gang reveals that they’ve messed with Tommy’s team, and so he doesn’t stand a chance to win the duel against Dick. Still, Tommy stands against him, but just as it’s time to shoot, Tommy runs the other way, dropping his wig and showing everybody that he’s really just a coward. Helen tries to take matters into her own hands and comes at Dick, gun in hand, but Nell shields him and professes that they’re mates, and she chooses water over blood.
During Dick Turpin‘s ending, Dick’s father sheepishly tells Dick that he’s proud of him. Dick finally gets exactly what he wants: love from his father and his gang, making him the world’s greatest highwayman. Just before the end of episode 6, Dick talks about seeking out their next adventure before a man walks into Little Karen’s pub, telling them that a special cart is passing by the town that night and anybody who steals from it will become a legend. I suppose Dick’s main goal is to become the most sought-after, infamous highwayman, so it’s possible his made-up adventures will continue in another season of Dick Turpin.
