Kin review: Cunningham gets even more scary as he targets the Kinsellas' children
Charlie Cox and Hannah Adeogun in episode seven of Kin on RTÉ One.
First he came for the Kinsellas - now he’s coming to unleash terror on their children. The formidable Eamon Cunningham will stop at nothing to get his drugs haul back and his rivals are already reeling following two attempted hits and the assassination of their associate Dotser.
But in Sunday night’s episode, several of the Kinsellas’ children feel the wrath of both a violent drugs war and criminal life. Michael has already been given a barring order forbidding him from seeing Anna after she was caught up in the assassination attempt last week.
But it’s not enough to protect her and a violent attempt by two men to abduct her ends only after an onlooker intervenes and she manages to escape.
In another chilling scene, Amanda’s surviving son, Anthony, is giving a terrifying warning at his school in broad daylight. “I want you to tell your f***ing mother that Eamon wants back what is stolen from him. And if he doesn’t get it, I’m going to find you and I’m going to set you on fire.”
Meanwhile, Frank’s son Eric is learning the hard way that crime doesn’t always pay. He is spooked to learn that he could face possible charges for attempted murder and hears the threats of other criminals to collect Eamon’s bounty from beyond his cell walls.
But the biggest schooling of all for Eric comes from his long-term girlfriend Nicki, he warns him she has no intention of living the lonely life of a gangster’s moll. After learning he could be jailed for ten years, she asks him: “What about me? If you’re inside, I could be suffering too. The problem is you never think how this is going to affect me.You just do what you f****n’ want. You never think about the consequences for anyone else.”
Episode 7, in fact, is all about consequences, as the Kinsellas debate how to face the immediate threat to their lives. Frank thinks they should all skip the country and lay low. Birdy, who has a history with Eamon, goes to talk to him in a confrontation which does not end well.
Like cornered animals, Amanda and Michael have privately decided the only defence is attack. “We need to end this thing,” she says. “Chop the head off the snake.”
Problems with pacing in early episodes aside, Kin is building into a riveting finale next week as we wait to discover if Michael and Amanda will follow through on their threats to tackle Eamon. The blend of drama and action here is better balanced than in any previous episode, with David Holmes' evocative score truly cranking up the tension in advance of what seems destined to be a violent showdown.
