WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Watch, Season 1, Episode 3, "The What?," now available on BBC.
BBC's The Watch, inspired by the Discworld series of fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett, is a police procedural set in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork. The series, which blends comedy and drama, sees the titular cops trying to unravel a criminal conspiracy -- all while trying to keep the city's rampant crime at bay. Thankfully, they catch a break when a punk-rock heist allows Vimes (Game of Thrones' Richard Dormer) and his eccentric team to expose Carcer's (Sam Adewunmi) sinister plan to exact revenge on the city.
Carcer has been working with a mage named Wonse since she helped him steal a grimoire from the Unseen University, but Carcer needs the tome unlocked to unleash its full power. The Watch deduces that the key to this lies in the Assassin's Guild, believing their leader, Dr. Cruces, is aiding Carcer. They disguise themselves as a punk band and audition at the Musicians' Guild so they can access the basement connected to Cruces' lair. With Vimes on guitar, Angua the werewolf on bass, Carrot on drums and Cheery on vocals, they give an impressive performance despite their inexperience and manage to gain membership. When they get to the basement, Carrot runs the amp up so loud that as the assassin's guard opens the connecting door, he's quickly knocked out.
The group links up with Lady Ramkin, who has infiltrated the assassins using the mask of the person who killed her parents years ago. While it seems her side-mission might scupper things, it's actually a welcome stroke of luck. She tracks down Inigo, the person she thinks murdered her parents, and he has intel on the relic they're seeking. It's not the statue that has the information -- it's the sword they need. Aptly titled Gawain, paying homage to the King Arthur and Merlin lore, it turns out that the weapon is missing. It also fits into the page of the grimoire that the Watch saw when they tried to apprehend Wonse at the library in the previous episode.
The assassins quickly realize they've been invaded and chase the newly minted rockers. Luckily, the Watch's HQ can't be raided because guilds can't attack guilds -- and their newfound membership gives the band immunity. However, they haven't the slightest clue how to find the sword. Their musical outing could prove to be more serendipitous than first assumed, though, because they're allowed to keep Inigo locked up. While the guilds are allowed to commit crimes, tax evasion isn't one of them -- and Inigo was working side jobs to make extra money without paying the city its due.
Now, with the means to hold him, the Watch can use Inigo to mine info -- but it'll have to be quick. Wonse and Carcer plan to use the grimoire and unleash the Noble Dragon, a beast of shadow and cloud, to burn the city for its sins. They believe they're on a righteous mission to make the city pay for its treatment of the underprivileged -- but the way the Watch sees it, Wonse and Carcer are just magical terrorists pursuing the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. Interestingly, Vimes used to be an inside man for Carcer but flipped on him years ago, siding with the police. As they renew their rivalry, Vimes knows he has to get the relic first -- because his ex-colleague isn't at all forgiving.
The Watch is executive produced by BBC Studios' Hilary Salmon (Luther) and Phil Collinson (Doctor Who). The series, which will run for eight episodes, was written by Simon Allen (Das Boot). It stars Richard Dormer, Anna Chancellor, Lara Rossi, Ingrid Oliver, James Fleet, Marama Corlett, Sam Adewunmi, Jo Eaton-Kent, Adam Hugill, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Ruth Madeley, Bianca Simone and Ingrid Oliver. The Watch airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BBC America.