Ripper Street S2E5 - "Threads of Silk and Gold" Recap

A pair of telegraph boys, David and Vincent make extra money on the side as gay prostitutes. They are lovers and are involved in a blackmailing scheme to collect enough money to be able to run away together. A different telegraph boy, Otto, who works for the same company is tasked with delivering a telegram to a hotel room and when he arrives, he is murdered by a man who believes him to be David.

Inspector Reid and the rest of his team on H Division is brought on to investigate the death of the telegraph boy. Jackson collects some money from a loan he previously lent. Reid pays a visit with Drake to the telegram company to question the man in charge and begins looking through the records. He also is suspicious of David and Vincent, as it was David's route that Otto was covering when murdered. The murderer visits the telegram company and questions the boss on the whereabouts of David. Meanwhile, David is having reservations about the blackmailing and Vincent encourages him to stick to the plan. They realise that the murderer doesn't know his face but Vincent still insists that David take his knife to use for protection.

Vincent speaks with the reporter Fred Best, about Otto's death. Best points out that Detective Flight is in the same pub as them, and when Vincent goes to look, he spots the would-be killer with a knife. Vincent sends Best out before turning himself in to Flight for being a homosexual to get away from the knife-wielding man. (At this time in history, homosexuality is a crime). But once he is at the station, he claims to have been drunk and retracts his station. When Reid tries to get information out of him, Vincent points out the hypocrisy in the fact that they are trying to make him feel guilty for the death of a gay prostitute that would have been punished under the laws in place. They have no choice but to let Vincent go.

Reid brings in the man in charge of the telegram company and demands to know the names of the clients who seek out the company of the gay prostitutes working as telegram boys. This leads them to question a man named Solomon Quint, an investment consultant for one of London's largest banks. Quint's name has been mentioned several times in the private conversations between David and Vincent; he is the one they have been blackmailing. When Reid arrives, he is met by Franklin Stone, Quint's previous employer. Stone admits that Quint's work suffered from his (implied to be gay) extramarital affairs.

Quint is shown to be suffering after the boys have decided to double their demands. The murderous man is paying him a visit and they are discussing the blackmailing and Vincent's friendship with Best. Quint admits that he did and still does love Fred and would have given him anything he wanted. The murder-man also is shown to be an employee of Stone.

Jackson presents Susan with the money and she confesses that Silas Duggan is squeezing more money out of her than she is capable of producing. Jackson wants to invest their money into a risky business deal but Susan is not fond of the idea. Jackson loses his temper and decides to go after Duggan himself. When he attempts to threaten him, Duggan unleashes one hell of a beatdown without even breaking a sweat.

Reid and Drake go to Quinn's home residence but when they get to his study, they find a gun in his hand and his brain splattered on the wall behind him. There is a suicide note on his desk in which he confesses to murdering Otto. Reid shares a drink with Drake and gets philosophical, not understanding what use the laws against homosexuality have. The laws do not appear to protect anyone and instead make human love criminal. Drake has an outing with his wife and admits that the philosophical train of thought is giving him a headache. She asks him whether he would sit by if the law made his ability to love her a crime. He tells her he would gladly be a criminal. A "working girl" recognises Bella but she's spooked by the encounter and hurries Drake away, not wanting to elaborate on who that was.

Susan finds Jackson drunk and she is unsympathetic to his ramblings. He gets sentimental about their relationship before descending into his drunken moping. His pride has been wounded over his inability to protect her and she has no time to indulge his self-pity.

Best is shown to be meeting with one of the telegraph boys, Harry. Unbeknownst to him, the owner of the establishment has been bribed by murder-man, who snaps compromising photos of the couple through a hole in the wall.

Jackson's examination of Quint's body shows that the suicide was faked and he was forced to write the suicide note. When Reid questions Quint's wife, she informs him that Quint and Stone had a falling out and there was some sort of shady business with Argentina and a missing folio. She also knows about Quint's affair but she tells Reid that she was never lied to and that her marriage was a loving companionship.

Vincent is stressed upon learning of Quint's death but this time, David is the one to get him back on track. David visits the station to speak with Reid and tells him that Quint was afraid of Stone and mentions the same Argentina deal that Quint's wife had informed Reid of. Reid re-questions Stone, who uses a technicality involving jurisdictions to avoid showing Reid the documents of Quint's work. After Reid leaves, Quint asks murder-man to "get me more time."

Best meets with Vincent in an alleyway who tells him if anything should happen to him, he should take the missing folio and publish it. Before Vincent can reveal the location, murder-man comes charging after Vincent. Drake comes across Best, who implores Drake to help Vincent. By the time Drake catches up, murder-man has fatally stabbed Vincent. Drake manages to beat down murder-man but Vincent has hurried back to his apartment, where he dies with a devastated David. Drake reaches the apartment after Vincent dies.

Reid questions murder-man, who confesses to the murders but won't admit that Stone is the one calling the shots. When he dies, there is an insurance policy that will go to his son, hence his readiness to be hanged. David tells Reid that he and Vincent would steal from rich clients and ransom it back since "money was nothing to them." They took Quint's folio and Vincent knew that it was different. He surrenders Quint's folio to Reid, who finds that Argentina has run out of gold and is about to go bankrupt. Jackson is horrified, as this was the business deal he wanted to turn a profit from to help Susan out of her debts with Duggan.

Reid confronts Stone, who won't admit to anything. There's not enough proof to put Stone behind bars and his bank will be lent money to cover the debts he created. Stone will not have to face justice for the crimes he committed but Reid is determined to expose his shady business dealings. Reid presents Quint's folio to Best, who states that he will publish them.

Jackson informs Susan that he has lost all of her money. He wants her to vent her anger at him but she tells him, "I'll never give you a scrap of feeling ever again." He has betrayed her and she sends him out, thus ending their relationship.

Best destroys the story he would have published, as he is has now been blackmailed with the photos of his affair.

Reid visits Jane Cobden. He begins by admitting that he failed his wife, but is now tired of the darkness and asks her to help him know the sun. She teases him for launching into a sonnet, before telling him that she will not be his mistress and that their relationship will not be some secret, hidden affair. He agrees and kisses her.

David visits Stone and slashes his throat as an act of vengeance for Vincent.

Ripper Street airs on Mondays on BBC One at 9PM.