Gary (Justin Rosniak), best friend, sidekick and criminal accomplice of Ray Shoesmith (Scott Ryan) the title character of the series, has not shown us very much in the first three episodes. Flaky and needy, we haven't been given any indication of why Ray has anything to do with him.
Gary changes that quickly in the fourth episode by presenting Ray with a surprise gift - a Patchett submachine gun. Not only thoughtful, the present is quite practical and timely. Ray has just saved him from the clutches of his scatterbrained, but nevertheless ruthless brother-in-law, in two separate attempts to loot Gary's stash. Ray can back him up more ably with the added firepower.
Ray knows better than to show it to his girlfriend Ally (Brooke Satchwell). They get more serious every time we see them though their relationship retains a playful, flirty tone. Disrupting that tone is an encounter with a couple of drongos who box in his car as he is trying to drive out of the lot at the market.
Ally is there in the passenger seat to watch him put the boot into one, and menace the other forcing them to drive off. She had no inkling of his propensity for violence and is predictably shocked. Ray hasn't just shown the threat he presents but also presents disturbing rationale for it when they talk about it. It is the same one he uses in court-ordered anger management group sessions. In his view, when properly applied, violence curbs human excesses.
Ray somehow hasn't alienated her quite enough, and Ally decides she is ready to meet his daughter Brittany, and his brother Bruce (Nicholas Cassim). Ally's quick bond with Brittany and Bruce shows how valuable each of them are to Ray. Any one of them could be lost in his clashes with other crims or related legal problems. How he is when he is with each of them suggest there is hope for him.
Local crimelord Freddy (Damon Herriman) - Ray's boss sets up a meet with Davros, another crime boss who happens to be the brother of Freddy's son-in-law. Davros's guys had a go at shaking down Gary and put him in a coma. Ray responded by doing the same to each of them. Though they shake on it , and imply agreement with the assessment that things are settled, it is pretty obvious Ray hasn't heard the last of it.
The impression we're given of the Sydney underworld is that everybody either knows everybody, or some of them have friends of friends that know everybody. They also appear more interested in ripping each other off than looting civilians. If one goon rips of another what's he gonna do? Call a cop? Also, what kind of a stash would a normal person have? Probably very little of fence-able value.
Episode four represents a balancing of accounts. At some point Gary and Freddy would have to show some indication of why Ray has anything to do with either of them. They're far more resourceful than we've been shown and they'd have to be. They're crims alive, and at large. Freddy is less successful in what he tries to do for Ray, and for himself. But he does put in.
At some point Ray would have to break character and be seen expressing himself violently in front of Ally. Within four episodes is fairly good timing. A guy from this deep in wouldn't be able to hide it for long.
