Top Boy season 3, episode 7 recap, explained: The Squeeze

The streets are getting hot as we recap and explain season three, episode seven: The Squeeze – from British crime drama Top Boy.

Episode seven of Top Boy begins with an aerial look at the fictional Summerhouse estate in East London. Then we see Jaq teaching Ats how to discretely store heroin or crack at the back of his mouth in case of police searches.

Sully and his new crew of three are riding around looking for ZTs to assassinate. They see a guy from Fields but he’s a football player, not a gangster, so they leave him.

At Jamie’s, his brother Aaron has his girlfriend over to stay, which annoys the former. Jamie explains to Aaron and Stef that he is going away for a period and the house is off bound for anyone else. They must go to school or university then home every day; this is because the eldest is a target of Dushane’s gang. After their family meeting, Aaron says he knows what his brother does for a living – alluding to drugs.

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Kit assures Jamie that his siblings will be all right and that he too will be as they’re staying together at his place. Reuben has set-up a live feed capture security system at Jamie’s flat and entrance controlled by a phone application. He is also informed that Kit will be over to his establishment to hire the rest of his guns. Reuben also tells Jamie that he stays neutral and won’t divulge when asked if Summerhouse had his other firearms on loan.

Shelly is still looking after Pat, Dushane’s mum. She gives her condolences about his cousin Donovan’s murder. Though Pat is distraught for her nephew; she says she vouched for her son when people talk of his gangsterism. She cannot presently forgive her offspring; intuitively knowing that he is some way involved with the killing and asks him to leave.

Meanwhile on Top Boy, Jaq gives Ats an assignment; go to Manchester – or ‘country’ a slang term for outside London to sell drugs – to drop some presumably illegal substances to contacts. Stef accompanies him.

A fry-up for breakfast doesn’t impress Jamie at the, very large, Kit’s apartment. Lizzie invites Jamie to one of her renovated dwellings for sale. He gives her money and gets another “kneecapping” lesson or a punishment beating detailing. They then make love, yet she uses him just for sex again refusing the advances of romance.

Two particularly creepy and tough-looking fellas pick up Ats and Stef in an expensive G-Wagon Mercedes. In the back of a scary restaurant used by Jaq’s Mancunian drug dealers for illicit business, the pair threaten the youths. But it appears they are just joking. The Mancs take their bag of goods and give them one to take home. It seems Ats is determined to continue “shotting” – selling narcotics – to provide money for him and his mother to remain in their house.

Dushane tells Sully he needs him at a meeting later that night. Dris gives the former less money from their dealing than Dushane expects; Dris doesn’t act bothered but gives his boss a look of disapproval when told to get back to work. While Sully and his men are out lurking for “opps” to blast – in other works creeping about in a car looking for opponents to murder.

Unfortunately for Leyton, he is spotted by a female fellow gang member talking to Cornell from the late Cam’s A-Roads faction. Now Jamie hears Sully is also visible so goes to kill him while the girl is told to kneecap Leyton.

On their way home, a masked man steals the backpack that Stef is carrying; Jaq says they’re now in her debt. Although she has played them, it was a ruse to get to Jamie through Stef in some manner; it was Dushane’s plan which Jaq feels sympathy over. When Stef arrives to his flat late, he makes Aaron promise not to appraise Jamie that he broke the rules. Aaron denies that the eldest is a Top Boy.

Whilst out riding, Sully and his boys carry on late searching for ZTs. Leyton is interrogated but doesn’t admit any wrongdoing. When they shoot him they hit an artery and he bleeds to death. They don’t appear concerned for him, only for themselves.

When Sully and an accomplice go to check the “youngers” following them for Jamie, another associate is shot in the head behind them by Jamie and his ZTs. Although Sully returns fire, the assailants escape unhurt. Howes, Jamie is very angry to hear of Leyton’s demise; only because they have to lie to Modie. Their phony story is that Leyton was killed by Summerhouse gangsters in revenge for the funeral shooting.

Haze asks Dushane if they’ll have trouble over Donovan’s death, the former says no. On the same subject, Haze also notifies the latter that he stopped Sugar ordering the torture of the “cripple”, too – so Dushane should feel thankful. It is also apparent that Haze believes ZTs are winning the war – Dushane disagrees.

Unimpressed, Haze is annoyed his wholesaler needs more time to sell and threatens to kill him. Though Dushane calls his bluff knowing Sugar will attack Haze due to Dushane’s debt being lost. Subsequently, Haze says he’ll kill Dushane’s mum, girlfriend, and her daughter if the payment is not timely.

In the cafe, Sully assigns a gunman to Pat’s door. Yet Dushane is preoccupied with Jamie’s potential demise and strength. The former thinks their heart and teamwork will suffice if his friend steps up. Though Dushane is reflective over the deaths and what the consequences of their actions may be. While Sully suggests this is their only viable vocation. That concludes this episode of Top Boy.