Warning: as you’ve no doubt guessed, this article contains spoilers for BBC One’s Noughts & Crosses. Read on at your own peril…

I feel like I start every recap for Noughts & Crosses this way but believe me when I say that the stakes are raising ever higher for our characters and their relationships…

This episode kicks off with the Hadleys (who are all fine, phew) at a vigil for the victims of the hospital bombing. Kamal uses the incident as an excuse to broaden the police’s powers, while Sephy has her own concerns – mainly, how did Callum know it was going happen in the first place? Over in Meadowview, tensions are high. Armed police roam the area, while Callum is barely able to hold in his anger towards his brother, and Meggie is worried about the future for her sons. She confronts Callum about his relationship with Sephy and tries to warn him about how dangerous it is.

At home, Sephy is watching a news report revealing the victims of the bombing (a named Cross cardiologist and surgeon, and an unnamed nought cleaner) when her father finds her. As Sephy contemplates what could turn someone to terrorism, Kamal realises she may have a clue about who planted the bomb. He passes on the name of a suspect to the Prime Minister, who in return tells him she is drawing up a white paper regarding the decriminalisation of interracial relationships, much to his outrage. 

Callum tries to persuade Jude to go to the police but before he can, armed police officers burst into their house and forcibly drag Callum away. When Ryan finds out, he heads straight to where the LM is hiding out and attacks Dorn, who is unrepentant about involving Jude in his schemes. Meanwhile, Callum is being violently interrogated, but he refuses to talk. Then, a reprieve comes from an unexpected source – Ryan confesses to the police that he planted the bomb.

An injured Callum stumbles out of the police station to find Sephy waiting. Knowing that she revealed his insider knowledge about the bomb, he refuses to listen to her apologies and shouts that she is a “child” and a “tourist”. Later, it’s Jude who ends up outside the police station ready to hand himself in, before someone from the LM stops him. Meanwhile, in prison, his father is approached by an imposing Cross inmate who informs him that the bombing has earned him a lot of enemies.

Desperate to do anything she can to help her husband, Meggie turns to Kamal but he brushes her off, even when she threatens to reveal the truth about Yaro to the press.

However, unknown to Kamal, his wife and youngest daughter decide to help the McGregors. Turning up at their home, Jasmine apologises to Meggie for firing her, promises never to fail her friend again and even helps her wash up (a sure sign that she really means it!). She also offers to pay for Ryan’s counsel as “it will infuriate Kamal”.

Before Ryan’s trial gets underway, his counsel tells the press “there’s another story here - one of a community living in a police state, an entire people traduced and victimised on a daily basis”. This is backed up when Callum takes to the stand and highlights his brutal questioning at the hands of the police, as well as the number of times they have stopped him (“about 300” he says, to the shock of Sephy and her fellow Crosses). 

When it’s his turn to speak, Ryan highlights the injustices that his fellow nought relatives and friends have faced. Outside court, Sephy approaches Callum to apologise for her part in his father’s predicament and they share a lingering look.

The wait is over for Ryan’s verdict and the judge announces that rather than facing execution, he will serve the maximum custodial sentence of 30 years in prison. Afterwards, Meggie reminds Jude of his father’s sacrifice so that he can have “a real future”. Meanwhile, Callum and Sephy head to his bedroom together, where Meggie finds them holding hands. She calls them both idiots but also fondly embraces them. 

As the two lovebirds climb up onto the rooftop and kiss passionately, Jasmine asks where her daughter is and is shocked when Meggie replies with a suggestive glance upstairs. But Jasmine isn’t the only person who becomes aware of their illicit romance this week. Kamal asks Lekan (who is now acting as personal trainer for Sephy’s sister Minerva – go figure!) about his breakup with Sephy and Lekan doesn’t hold back from revealing her relationship with Callum.

As worrying as that development is, things look even worse over in the prison. While Ryan struggles to sleep, a guard opens his cell door to let in the prisoner who confronted him earlier. The last thing we see is a bloodied Ryan struggling to stay upright. I am very fearful for his fate, but that’s not the only thing I’m desperate to know more about…

What will Yaro do now?

This episode saw Kamal track down his illegitimate son. When they finally meet, the politician offers Yaro money to disappear, but that doesn’t go down well at all. Yaro says: “I have heard you speak, but I make every word you speak a lie. I am the cancer in your throat.” How will he make his absent father pay for everything he has, and hasn’t, done?

Will anybody be able to stop Kamal now?

Kamal was a busy man this episode – not only was his confronting Yaro, but he also staged a coup to unseat the Prime Minister. After getting political party donors on his side, including the former Army General of Albion (who funnily enough turns out to be Lekan’s father), Kamal tells Opal Folami there will be a vote of ‘no confidence’ against her and he will be nominated as interim Prime Minister. As the LM watch Folami’s resignation speech, Dorn tells his followers: “Now he’s in power, he’ll come for us. The real battle begins.” Whether his prediction is right, one thing’s for sure – Kamal isn’t short of enemies. 

The next episode of Noughts and Crosses will air on Thursday 2 April at 9pm. 

See the recap of episode three here.

Images: courtesy of BBC One