The final season of Top Boy<\/a> is all about consequences.<\/p>\n Though drug kingpins Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson) are unquestionably the show\u2019s protagonists, the real crux of the\u00a0Netflix<\/a> series, and its Channel 4 predecessor before it, has always been how their actions have poisoned the youth of the Summerhouse Estate \u2013 and beyond \u2013 and the devastating repercussions of that corruption.<\/p>\n In the previous batch of episodes, their misdemeanours led \u2013 either directly or indirectly \u2013 to the brutal murder of young drug runner Ats (Keiyon Cook), and saw Stefan (Araloyin Oshunremi) have his world turned upside down, while earlier outings for the show saw Sully\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Jason (Ricky Smarts) meet a grim fate and wide-eyed duo Ra\u2019Nell (Malcolm Kamulete) and Gem (Giacomo Mancini) dragged into a life of dangerous criminality.<\/p>\n With just six episodes of Top Boy left, Dushane and Sully must finally face up to the by-product of the devastation they have wrought, as both men\u00a0individually find their status quo upset by shocking changes in circumstances and are driven to desperate acts \u2013 Sully<\/span> was always a loose cannon, and Dushane is only ever truly one difficult situation away from threatening or enacting violence despite <\/span>play-acting as the more level-headed of the two.<\/span><\/p>\n The shorter episode order \u2013 compared to the first Netflix season\u2019s 10 episodes and the second\u2019s eight-part run \u2013 means that events here unfold at a rapid pace.<\/p>\n With fewer secondary plot strands, this is a lean and mean final season \u2013 and the callousness with which the charismatic Jamie (Micheal Ward) was offed at the close of the previous season, coupled with the knowledge that this is Top Boy\u2019s swan song, means that a newfound sense of dread permeates every scene. Anyone, you feel, could go at any time.<\/span><\/p> Four characters \u2013 Dushane, Sully, the formidable Jaq (Jasmine Jobson) and Stefan \u2013 mostly take centre stage, a more focused approach that allows the show to wring every last drop of rage, upset and anguish out of this talented quartet of performers.<\/p>\n Walters and Robinson remain hugely compelling as Dushane and Sully, childhood best friends turned gangsters who regularly commit reprehensible acts yet somehow remain tragic figures, never entirely hateful. Sully\u2019s self-loathing, in particular, is palpable \u2013 faced with another character who is at their lowest ebb, he has only one piece of advice: \u201cDon\u2019t be me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The loss of Jamie\/Ward also allows Oshunremi his most challenging scenes yet as Stefan, and the young actor more than steps up to the plate, nailing the transition from charismatic child actor to adult performer with real acting chops \u2013 Stef\u2019s burgeoning romance with Erin (Savanah Graham) this season highlights his youth and innocence in painful contrast with his vengeful descent into violence following his brother\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n Jobson \u2013 who was previously nominated for a BAFTA for her performance in the show \u2013 is gifted some suitably meaty material as Jaq too sees the life she leads begin to take a serious personal toll.<\/p>\n Despite the tighter focus, Top Boy also avoids neglecting its secondary players \u2013 Shelley (Little Simz) is better integrated into the narrative than previously as her business ventures serve as the catalyst for Dushane\u2019s latest activies, while in the only real subplot of note Mandy (NoLay) becomes something of a local legend as she leads a Summerhouse revolt against outside forces looking to oust the residents.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a relief to see Top Boy retain its political edge here as it continues to explore issues surrounding deportation of citizens and rising tensions with the London Met, but on a more personal level, the show does suffer a little from its fleet-footed race to the finish \u2013 there\u2019s not a bit of fat on these six episodes, but they also lack some of the characterful sidesteps that gave earlier outings a good deal of nuance (as well as a greater sense of scope), like Sully and Jason\u2019s trip to Ramsgate in season 3, or Jamie\u2019s Moroccan jaunt in season 4.<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, though Barry Keoghan<\/a>\u00a0and Brian Gleeson<\/a> make for entertaining new additions to the cast \u2013 Keoghan, in particular, is great fun, his character\u2019s w<\/span>himsical exterior concealing a vicious brutality \u2013 their screen-time is limited and you\u2019re left with the feeling that perhaps we could have done without one last external threat for Dushane and Sully to face, when the show instead could have dwelt more on internal beefs and quarrels.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Stef](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/09\/stef-top-boy-e74e330.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"stef-top-boy\\"\/")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>