A new class of gangsters has just taken over Netflix, and viewers might need a little help understanding everything about Guy Ritchie’s series.
That’s it, Guy Ritchie has just released his gangsters with a sharp accent on Netflix. Welcome to the world of The Gentlemen, a series which (very) roughly covers a film that the director signed in 2020, to explore its entire plot to the end.
Fans of the filmmaker will see differences with the feature film, while finding numerous nods linked to his filmography in the middle of a production and an editing which undoubtedly recall the author’s touch. But for those who are not used to convoluted and intertwined stories, the outcome could also seem a little obscure.
Who rode who in The Gentlemen? In reality, no one is really innocent: each character in the Netflix series had fun manipulating others to afford a good slice of cake, supplemented with herbs from Provence.
Who are the real barons, how Bobby Glass’s organization works and his collaboration with the aristocrats, who is the mole and who wins the game at the end: we explain the series The Gentlemen by Guy Ritchie.
Summary
- Why choose aristocrats?
- Who are the different drug lords in The Gentlemen?
- Are Susie Glass and Duke Edward Horniman enemies or friends?
- Who is the mole in Bobby Glass’s organization? (actually two moles)
- Who ends up at the head of the drug empire and how?
- All’s well that ends well in The Gentlemen?
Why choose aristocrats?
According to Stanley Jonhston (Giancarlo Esposito), English aristocrats were the very first true gangsters, appropriating the land and the power it represents, to establish their authority and get rid of any obstacle in their way. And we have to admit that the series proves him right. At least, in part.
Because English aristocrats still face obstacles that are sometimes insurmountable. The poor heirs who end up obtaining the title on the death of their father must comply with certain laws, imposing heavy taxes and leaving them helpless in the face of enormous charges. After all, repairing the roof of a mansion can quickly turn out to be expensive…
This is where Bobby Glass’s emissaries strike. Taking advantage of the dismay of these sad bereaved lords, the canvassers will make a proposition that cannot be refused, quite simply because it is as tempting as the heirs are greedy: in exchange for a piece of land on which the authorities do not If they don’t look suspicious, the aristocrats will receive a seven-figure sum every year.
Bobby Glass’ henchmen then promise not to involve the noble owner in their affairs, but this last rule can sometimes undergo some changes. Indeed, in the event of a problem, the baron’s men have every interest in helping their aristocrat so as not to attract unwelcome attention from the police. This is also what explains why Susie Glass is so willing and concerned in the affairs of the new Duke Eddie Horniman, while the latter’s brother has attracted the wrath of a foul-mouthed drug dealer.
On the other hand, we do not leave the organization. Renouncing one’s privileges means taking the risk of having one’s head cut off, in an ironic reminder of the fate reserved for the nobles on the other side of the Channel who were entitled to the guillotine. In a less violent way, some escape by finding themselves dispossessed of their dignity and their freedom, like the owner of Faringbourne, Tibsy, who has since become addicted to cocaine and who can no longer live at home without going without company. unpleasant from a few intrusive thugs.
Because slamming the door on Bobby Glass’s organization also means taking the risk of no longer being protected from the other bosses operating in England… and they are just as dangerous as Susie’s father!
Who are the different drug lords in The Gentlemen?
Several large fish swim in the tank as Eddie collects the keys to the Halstead estate. We quickly meet Susie Glass, daughter of weed king Bobby Glass (who represents, in a way, the same character that Matthew McConaughey played in the film).
But very quickly, we are introduced to the other antagonists: first Pete the Sticky, who introduced Freddy, Eddie’s slightly light-hearted older brother, Tommy Dixon. The latter lent money to the brother, unable to repay it. This is what pushes Susie to get more involved in family affairs. Problem: the Tommy in question is the brother of a real shark, nicknamed Gospel. And when Tommy disappears after being killed by a pushed Freddy, the Gospel intends to find the person responsible and bring down divine punishment on him.
Besides the Gospel and Bobby Glass, we quickly return to Sticky Pete. First presented as a simple friend giving rotten tips to Freddy, we end up learning that Pete mainly enjoys robbing the wealthy who are too naive by making them invest or bet money in bets that are not placed: whatever happens, the money goes to him. And until his meeting with Duke Horniman and his allies in the Glass organization, no one had had the courage to complain about such actions.
It’s the theft of a drug shipment that leads viewers on the path to the next boss. Jimmy is indeed scammed and his van containing the goods is stolen. If the customer, Toni Blair, makes his dissatisfaction clear, he mainly takes the opportunity to obtain a service: Susie Glass’s team will have to steal a luxury car, and more precisely a “Lamborghini Huracan Evo with a green finish.” The car goes to Mercy, who is shown as a seller – or receiver – of very special vehicles, for special clients. What Toni Blair is careful not to specify is that Mercy is in reality a cocaine baroness, and that the Lamborghini is used to smuggle Colombian drugs: her trunk is full of them. Toni intended to help herself, letting Susie and Eddie do the dirty work.
Henry Collins is one of the latest barons to appear in the Netflix series The Gentlemen, and he’s also one of the most formidable. The businessman invests in real estate and it succeeds, but he has other specialties, such as the organization and management of high-level boxers. He also gets rich on bets, but in a finer way than Sticky Pete. If the bets are real, the value of the fighters is not always. Its champion deliberately lost many matches, to increase the stakes during his rare victories. Susie’s brother will pay the price, becoming one of the levers to put pressure on Bobby Glass’s daughter. Because by discovering that Duke Horniman is trying to launder 15 million pounds, Henry Collins understands how imposing and profitable the Glass drug empire is.
Finally, the greatest adversary in The Gentlemen is undoubtedly Stanley Johnston – with a T(hey)! Uncle Stan is a born manipulator, and we quickly understand how he came to be at the head of his meth empire in the series – in an obvious nod to Breaking Bad. It is Stanley who is responsible for the theft of the van full of merchandise, which he burned to damage relations between the Glasses and their customers. It was Stanley who infiltrated a mole to create dissension between the different members of the family and slow down the export of weed abroad, with the participation of the Belgian De Groot. The character, introduced at the start of the series, is also the most dangerous of the different barons. Not only is he as violent as the others, but his finesse and cunning make him the great enemy to defeat.
Are Susie Glass and Duke Edward Horniman enemies or friends?
Susie Glass and Eddie Horniman are first and foremost collaborators, but they have crossed certain boundaries.
This is particularly the case during the evening “imposed” by the gypsies to conclude their deal. We can actually see the two colleagues kissing, and the rest is suggested. However, their relationship ends there. Firstly because they prefer not to get more involved in favor of purely professional links, then because they will then have fun betraying each other, each seeking their own interest in drug trafficking.
Eddie doesn’t like Susie lying to him and delaying the money laundering deadline. Upon learning of it, he decides to turn to Henry Collins, without realizing it revealing the full potential of the Glass organization and causing drama around Susie’s brother. The latter, seeking revenge and putting an end to her alliance with the Duke of Halstead who tried to sell his estate to Uncle Stan, will denounce him to the Gospel…
But in reality, if Susie tried to postpone the moment when the money would be laundered, it was above all to protect Eddie: because Bobby Glass made it clear, anyone who leaves his organization will have their head cut off. Faced with such a categorical response from her father, the young woman preferred to temper it to save time.
For his part, Eddie made up for it in his own way by going to see Bobby Glass and offering him a new deal, with the aim of helping him corner Stanley Johnston.
Who is the mole in Bobby Glass’s organization?
There are actually two moles in Bobby Glass’s organization. The first, against his will, is Jimmy. The blue flower horticulturist from the Halstead estate farm has fallen in love with Gabrielle, and reveals to her all the details of his profession. Unluckily, her friend was recruited to look for the information in question and report it to Stanley Johnston’s henchmen.
The second mole is Keith, one of the burly bodyguards who accompanies Susie Glass and carries out her orders. Aware that his position in the organization does not guarantee him a happy and safe ending, Keith prefers to betray Bobby Glass in hopes of a better life. It is he who transmits information on international transport despite passing through customs in Belgium. It is also he who steals the 4 million pounds to accuse the gypsies.
Who ends up at the head of the drug empire and how?
Bobby Glass has decided to sell… at least apparently. Like his counterpart Mickey Pearson in the film, Bobby pretends that his empire is being put up for sale, the better to weaken his competitors and eliminate them.
Because who wouldn’t do everything possible to become king, even if it means getting off the beaten track and putting themselves in danger? In the end, it is Eddie who will do all the work: after having navigated between the different spheres of the organization, the Duke makes the decision to also try to acquire Bobby Glass’s traffic. Smarter than the others, he will manage to eliminate all competition while strengthening the investment of the various aristocrats already involved.
Stanley Johnston is arrested for tax evasion. Car receiver Mercy kills Sticky Pete with a machete after learning that his offer was more generous. To make up for it and make a good impression on the Glasses, Henry Collins kills Mercy. Then the Duke captures him and offers him to Susie. However, it is Eddie who shoots him dead, thereby marking his definitive entry into the world of crime. And when Susie and Eddie bring Bobby $235 million, they learn the truth: the patriarch has no intention of selling.
Bobby Glass then explains that he wanted to shake them up under the pretext of a sale, before adding: “I wanted to be sure that you were ready to get wet.”
All’s well that ends well in The Gentlemen?
The last episode offers a denouement to most of the intrigues: Bobby Glass’s competitors are no longer threats, and the Duke has finally decided to continue collaborating with the traffickers, to the point of investing in the company himself.
As for the rest of the Horniman family, the conclusion is also happy: Freddy understood that he did not belong to this world of bullies – at least for the moment – and Geoff Seacombe was finally able to present himself as the real father of Charly, the little Eddie’s sister.
Finally, a final scene reveals Uncle Stan in prison with Bobby Glass. As America’s meth emperor says, there could be a lot worse situation.
However, we will not see more about the results of the aristocrats’ investment in the Glass organization – unless, of course, Netflix decides to release a season 2 of The Gentlemen.
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