7 questions we have after Safe House episode 2

Did the gunman just straight-up kill MacBride and Julie?

When MacBride and Julie ran into the path of the mystery assailant, we heard one shot, followed by a scream from Julie, and then one final blast. Did anyone get hit? It’s not looking good for MacBride: although we don’t actually see it, one of the last frames of the episode – the split-second glimpse of MacBride with a flash in front of his head – very much suggests he took a bullet.

But was Julie hit by the second shot? It’s unlikely. After all, presuming that the hooded man was one of her kidnappers, they’ll still want her alive. If they previously abducted Julie it would make no sense to kill her after a failed escape attempt.

It’s unlikely she suffered any major injury either: although Julie might initially survive a gunshot wound located away from any vital organs or arteries, she’d need medical attention soon enough. And the kidnapper wouldn't be able to stroll up to A&E with Julie without inviting some very unwelcome questions.

So: the clues indicate that poor MacBride took both shots. But we'll have to wait next week to find out the bloody truth.

Who was the hooded gunman?

For now, we’re presuming they are the same person who kidnapped Julie. Are they a character we already know? Somebody connected with Luke Griffin (Stephen Lord) – the man previously jailed for The Crow murders – perhaps? Remember, MacBride only found Julie from information given by Griffin under torture in prison. And although we didn’t see exactly what information Griffin gave away, it looks like there’s some link between the hooded gunman and the man once thought to be The Crow.

Why did Tom Brooke leave the police?

It’s a question Tom (Stephen Moyer) was asked directly by wife Sam (Zoe Tapper). And like Sam, we’re skeptical about his answer: “politics”. Tom claims that when he asserted Luke Griffin wasn’t the real Crow nine years ago, he was “frozen” out by his police superiors.

But Sam had the perfect follow-up question: “It was just one case. Why didn’t you just transfer?”. Tom replied he “just wanted out,” and that’s not a convincing answer.

Whatever the real reason he left the force, it’s probably linked to our next query...

What’s Tom’s relationship with Elizabeth Ellroy (Dervla Kirwan)?

Elizabeth Ellroy: the high-flying top cop who worked with Tom during the origin Crow abductions. Although they're far from best buds now, Ellroy drove all the way from London to the safe house in North Wales to speak to Tom. Her message to him? Keep out of The Crow case.

Why does she want to stop Tom from investigating Julie's abduction? After being asked by Sam (who else?), Tom tried to explain: “Her entire career was built on The Crow case. Take out that brick and the whole wall comes tumbling down.”

But it doesn’t look as if Ellroy is simply playing politics. While ordering Tom to turn away from the case, she tells him: “Without me, you’d have nothing! Less than nothing!”

Everything isn't what it seems. Did Brook do something during the first Crow investigation which Ellroy had to hide? Did she subsequently force him out of the police? Whatever the details, it's clear Tom owes her – and just what is probably connected to why he quit the force.

What on earth happened with John and Dani?

Nope, we couldn’t believe it either. Dani kissed John (Ashley Walters), her mum's partner. And it was SERIOUSLY weird.

But kiss-gate also invites an important question: has this happened before? Has Dani been seeing her mum’s partner behind her back? The affection between the characters during the scenes could suggest so.

A relationship between the two would also explain why Dani had signed her Mum up to a dating website – to get her a new partner, leaving John to herself. This would also explain why Dani claimed to Sam, “you can’t trust anything [John] says” – she knows he’s constantly lying about their relationship.

Yet even if this was a one-time happening, we’re guessing another character will discover their secret before the series’ end. And it's not going to be pretty.

What is John up to?

It’ll be an understatement to say John was acting shady in episode two. Firstly, Tom found a true crime book about The Crow abductions in his house, with John claiming it belonged to his partner. Very suspicious.

And then John paid MacBride £20,000 (apparently money from his business) to get a prison inmate to torture Luke Griffin for information. It looks like John is spending a lot of money to try to find Julie, but it also reveals that John is capable of making some brutal deals with his criminal contacts. What other illegal activities is John involved in?

Oh, and he also shared a kiss with Dani. Which we're still not over.

What is happening with Simon Duke's son?

There’s something not right with Liam Duke. Although he claims it’s just a coincidence Julie disappeared a day before he reunited with father Simon (Jason Watkins), we can’t just put this down to luck – it’s a crime drama after all.

Of course, there’s also the creepy fort that Liam built at his Dad’s house. Now, normally we’re not against fort building – hell, if anything we’re extremely pro dining table forts. But a fort that looks like the plastic sheet structure used by The Crow – one similar to what John was tied around in episode one – is darn creepy.

Was this a manifestation of Liam’s trauma over seeing his dad in such a plastic tent years before? Or something more sinister? We’re not even sure if we want to know…

Safe House returns 9pm next Thursday on ITV