The ultra-violent crime saga Gangs of London, created by Gareth Evans and streaming on AMC+, wrapped up its first season in epic fashion. Gangs of London is an action-packed crime drama that follows multiple criminal factions involved in a complex web of deceit and lies. Elliot Finch (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, who could be playing John Constantine) is an undercover cop, who infiltrates the Wallace organization and uncovers a vast and insidious conspiracy while trying not to fall too deep into his undercover persona. The Wallace family is at the center of everything, acting as the head of a multinational criminal co-op with multiple families acting as subordinates, and it all goes wrong when Finn Wallace (Star Trek's Colm Meaney) is murdered.
The show's central conflict begins with the murder of Finn, the patriarch of the Wallace family and head of all business and criminal enterprises. He is the man who controls everything, so his death sends the criminal underworld of London into a frenzy and sets his son and wife on a path to vengeance. The question of who killed Finn Wallace and why is a complicated answer, but the picture becomes clear when all the pieces are laid out.
Who Killed Finn Wallace on Gangs of London?
In the first episode of Gangs of London, Finn Wallace is killed by two young men, Darren and Ioan, who take up an assignment to make money. Darren and Ioan's actions set off the events of the series, but the two turn out to be small pieces in a much bigger game. Jevan Kapadia facilitated the hit on Finn through a Danish mercenary group that ended up hiring two disposable kids to do the deed. It turns out that Jevan works for a mysterious group called the Investors, who orchestrated everything from the shadows. The group holds all the real power, having influence in every sector of society, and will stop at nothing to ensure stability so that their accumulated wealth continues to grow.
Why Did the Investors Kill Finn Wallace?
The Investors killed Finn Wallace because he planned to leave everything behind and escape to a private island with his mistress, Floriana (Arta Dobroshi), and billions of pounds. Floriana is captured by the Danish Mercenary group and held hostage with her infant son, possibly because she has access to the large amount of money Finn took out of the business before attempting to vanish.
The Investors depend on Finn's ability to run a smooth business and presumably keep ungodly levels of money flowing through his legitimate and criminal enterprises. When Finn decides he wants out and makes off with billions of pounds, the Investors move to eliminate him and give the talented and level-headed son of his partner, Alex Dumani (Paapa Essiedu), control over the Wallace empire instead of Finn's own reckless and unpredictable son, Sean (Joe Cole).
Throughout Gangs of London Season 1 before the Investors are even revealed, Alex is positioned as a prodigy in business: someone smart enough to keep cool, see the bigger picture and keep everyone happy and rich. Sean is the heir apparent to the Wallace throne, but it's clear he isn't cut out for running the family empire; he's emotional, reckless and unpredictable. Even Sean's father didn't think he had what it took to do what he does. Alex is stability and Sean is chaos, so the Investors prefer to have Alex run the business and eliminate the Wallace family altogether. Sean is killed by Elliot, who the Investors had leverage over because they threatened to kill Shannon Dumani and her son. The Investors now have Alex positioned to take over, but they might have more problems to worry about.
Why Floriana Poses a Threat to the Investors in Season 2
Floriana is key to the money Finn Wallace stole when trying to disappear, which is why she was being held captive by the leader of the Danish Mercenaries. Floriana escapes with her child and disappears. Alex -- presumably the acting head of the Wallace empire -- has to find the money, or the mysterious Investors will have it out for him as well, making Floriana the most important person in the world.
In the Season 1 finale of Gangs of London, Marian Wallace (Michelle Fairley) was believed to have been killed by Ed Dumani (Lucian Msamati) in the cemetery. But -- surprise! -- Floriana shows up and saves Marian from dying. Marian is the last Wallace standing, and it looks like she will try to use Floriana, her newborn son and the billions of dollars Finn stole to try and get revenge for the destruction of her family. Everyone that knew Floriana was alive is now dead. They have the element of surprise, now that they've teamed up to cause some real havoc for everyone in Gangs of London Season 2.
Gangs of London Season 1 and the first four episodes of Season 2 are available to stream on AMC+.