List of Utopia episodes

Utopia is a British conspiracy thriller television series broadcast on the UK TV station Channel 4. Two series were produced, consisting of six episodes each.

Series overview

Series Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 6 15 January 2013 19 February 2013
2 6 14 July 2014 12 August 2014

Episodes

Series 1 (2013)

No.
overall		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date UK Viewers (in millions)
final ratings
are sourced from BARB[1]
1"Episode 1"Marc MundenDennis Kelly15 January 2013 (2013-01-15)1.70
Five strangers from an online comic book forum agree to meet after one of them gains possession of the original manuscript for the unpublished second volume of the cult graphic novel 'The Utopia Experiments'. They find themselves pursued by a shadowy organisation known as 'The Network', who are in pursuit of the manuscript and a person named Jessica Hyde and are willing to kill to track them both down. While three of the forum members – Ian, Becky, and Wilson – meet in the pub, another – Bejan, the one who acquired the manuscript – is confronted and killed by two Network henchmen. The only witness to the murder is 11-year-old Grant, the fifth forum member, and when he flees with the manuscript, the henchmen give chase. Ian and Becky soon find they've been set up for crimes they haven't committed, while Wilson's hacking skills attract the attention of Network henchmen Arby and Lee. As the trio's lives begin to fracture, the world of civil servant Michael Dugdale is also torn apart as he is blackmailed by The Network. Just as things are looking increasingly desperate for Ian, Becky and Wilson, they come face to face with an enigmatic stranger – Jessica Hyde.[2]
2"Episode 2"Marc MundenDennis Kelly22 January 2013 (2013-01-22)1.45
Unable to ever return to their old lives, Ian and Becky are forced to face the terrifying reality of life on the run. Jessica Hyde reveals herself to be the daughter of the author of the Utopia manuscript and has been on the run for most of her life. Ian and Jessica follow the trail to an undercover CIA agent, who directs them toward The Tramp. Meanwhile, Dugdale is drawn deeper and deeper into a plot, as the mysterious and sinister Network shows itself to have insiders in major government intelligence agencies. The episode ends with Grant finally joining the group, having left his half of the manuscript with a young girl he recently met named Alice.[3]
3"Episode 3"Marc MundenDennis Kelly29 January 2013 (2013-01-29)1.42
The group feel the full weight of The Network's power as Grant is framed for a mass murder at his school. With nowhere else to turn, they are forced to make a new ally, an MI5 agent named Milner. Arby is given the location of Alice, the girl with whom Grant left the manuscript, and a standoff ensues.[4]
4"Episode 4"Alex Garcia Lopez & Wayne Che YipDennis Kelly5 February 2013 (2013-02-05)1.52
The group make use of a derelict manor house. Attempting to decipher the secret meaning of the manuscript, they realise that a global food manufacturer may be involved in the spreading of a new disease, and that they intend to market a cure that only works on specific genetic profiles or races. Meanwhile, Alice is on the verge of a breakdown following the death of her mother, and Ian and Becky's relationship deepens. Dugdale's attempt to blackmail The Network backfires, and he must decide if he should drop his pursuit of The Network in order to save his marriage. The group visit a man connected to The Network, intending to extract information, but the situation turns sour when Alice shoots him dead, believing him to be responsible for her mother's death.[5]
5"Episode 5"Alex Garcia Lopez & Wayne Che YipDennis Kelly12 February 2013 (2013-02-12)Less Than 1.21
The group attempt to extract information from their new hostage, Letts, who details The Network's plan. Becky's drug supplier tightens the screws when he demands the manuscript in exchange for future drugs, putting her in a dilemma. Ian, Grant and Alice take the vaccine to Dugdale to provide him with ammunition against The Network, but Grant is arrested when Dugdale opts to phone the police.[6]
6"Episode 6"Alex Garcia Lopez & Wayne Che YipDennis Kelly19 February 2013 (2013-02-19)Less Than 1.15
Letts' assistant attempts to extract the code to Janus from Grant. Dugdale realises he has been fooled by Anya, who is an Agent of the Network, and joins the group to attempt to stop the vaccine from being deployed by setting fire to the shipping warehouse. As the group believe Mr. Rabbit to be Letts' Assistant, Wilson and Jessica move to assassinate him, but Wilson turns on Jessica, believing the Network's goal to be just; Grant kills Letts' assistant and interrupts Wilson, giving Jessica time to stab him and escape with Grant. With the vaccine destroyed and Mr. Rabbit dead, the group disbands – Alice leaves with Dugdale; Becky, Ian and Grant plan to leave to the Scottish Highlands; and Jessica will hand the manuscript to Milner. At the train station, Becky has a fit, one of the signs that Deels syndrome has begun to take effect, and distracts the others to board a train by herself; Ian and Grant are left bewildered at the station platform. During her meeting with Milner, Jessica realises that Mr. Rabbit was in fact Milner, and escapes to the rooftop to burn the manuscript. Milner shoots Jessica's leg to prevent her escape and tells her that the manuscript was just a tool to bring Jessica to the Network, and that her father hid the Janus virus in "his greatest achievement" – Jessica herself.

Series 2 (2014)

A second six-part series of Utopia was commissioned by Channel 4, going into production in late 2013.[7] Kudos Film and Television announced that series 2 would air in July 2014, which it did.[8]

No.
overall		 Title Directed by Written by Original air date UK Viewers (in millions)
7"Episode 1"Marc MundenDennis Kelly14 July 2014 (2014-07-14)0.90
Back in the 1970s, Philip Carvel starts to work on Janus with a young Milner. While testing it on his reticent son Pietre, he conducts a macabre experiment on a pet rabbit in an attempt to get a response from his child. He believes he has failed until his pregnant wife buys Pietre a rabbit which, only a short time after having it, their son kills. His wife kicks him out. A few months later she dies in childbirth, and Carvel raises his daughter, Jessica, himself. Five years later, without telling Milner, Carvel adjusts the virus formula. Milner and the assistant are desperate for Carvel to give them the formula, and in the process kill several politicians to whom Carvel has been turning for help. Milner tortures Carvel to find out what has changed. He escapes and injects the virus into Jessica in secret.
8"Episode 2"Marc MundenDennis Kelly15 July 2014 (2014-07-15)0.79
Jessica is held prisoner and tortured by Milner, to try to find out the adjustment to Janus. Grant is believed dead and being looked after by Ian, who is searching for Becky. Arby tries to live a normal life with his girlfriend and her young daughter, until Lee is revealed to be alive and threatens Arby to return to the Network. Wilson has started to work for Milner. With Donaldson, Becky comes across an unintelligible old man, Anton, who is an expert in Deels Syndrome. Ian tracks Becky down, and with Grant, finds her with Donaldson and Anton in a warehouse just as the Network arrives to kill Donaldson. Arby rescues them, and tells them to run.
9"Episode 3"Marc MundenDennis Kelly & John Donnelly22 July 2014 (2014-07-22)0.65
The gang are on the run and find a hacker, Ben, who shows them that Russian flu, used to scare the world into taking the vaccine containing Janus, is not fictional but a genuine, weaponized virus. Jessica escapes custody and finds Dugdale. Ian and Becky realise Anton is Phillip Carvel, the creator of Janus. They promise not to tell anyone else, but Ian calls Milner, who is shocked at Carvel's survival. Carvel sees a news report on TV that Grant is watching, and shouts in English to him that Janus is real. When Lee arrives at Ben's home later that night, ready to kill him and his family, he finds Arby has already killed them. Arby makes a deal with Lee, in exchange for Donaldson.
10"Episode 4"Sam Donovan [9]Dennis Kelly & John Donnelly29 July 2014 (2014-07-29)0.71
In America, a sleeper agent gets his orders and delivers a canister, hidden in the car light of his car to a country-side small airport. He then kills his family and himself. Ian goes to look for Dugdale, only to find an excited Jessica at his house and they sleep together. Before he leaves, she hides a phone in his coat. Milner shows Wilson a sleeper agent, who when ordered will fly a plane with a canister inside exposing Russian flu to the United Kingdom. Milner says there are other agents who will be doing the same thing, causing a world-wide pandemic, and a rush for the vaccine, unknowingly containing Janus. Becky tells Grant that Anton is Carvel, and they hire an interpreter to tell them what Carvel is saying when he speaks Romanian. They find out about the sleeper agents, and how the flu is ready to be spread across the world. Milner kidnaps Ian's brother and later tells Wilson to shoot him. Dugdale's wife, Jen and Alice, are being held hostage by the Network. Jessica tells Dugdale that Milner is Mr Rabbit. Milner appears to kill Dugdale, but Jessica stops her and almost shoots her before Milner reveals that her father is alive. Carvel tells them that the change in Janus is a race, but before he tells them Arby appears and shoots the interpreter and is about to kill Ian and Becky before Grant stops him. Arby then takes Grant and Carvel away.
11"Episode 5"Sam Donovan [10]Dennis Kelly5 August 2014 (2014-08-05)TBD
A man, Terrance, working at a fast food restaurant is abused by a customer, who asks if this is what he wants to do in life. Terrence, one of the sleeper agents responsible for releasing Russian flu, goes home and packs several different passports and money into a bag. Arby takes Grant and Carvel to the countryside. Jessica takes Milner to track down the phone she placed in Ian’s coat pocket (being worn by Grant), which leads them to Carvel. Ian and Becky go to Dugdale’s for answers but Wilson arrives and asks them where Milner is. Dugdale tells them about the phone Jessica planted in Ian’s coat, allowing Wilson to track her down. While Jessica is unable to get Carvel to reveal the alteration, Milner gets him to reveal what he has done; The Janus ‘vaccine’ does not work except for Romani people, his people, leaving everyone else to die from Russian flu. Milner tells Carvel what he needs to do, to which he shoots Arby. Jessica takes the injured Arby to safety. Wilson arrives and asks Milner if she has ordered the flu release. She says she has but then uses Wilson's phone to order Terrance to release the virus. Wilson tells her to reverse it and threatens to kill Carvel, but Grant shoots and kills Milner.
12"Episode 6"Sam Donovan [11]Dennis Kelly12 August 2014 (2014-08-12)TBD
With help from Leah, the group try to find out who Terrance is, and where he will be. Becky is running out of tablets and plans to commit suicide, spending her last hours with Ian. Jessica tells Becky that she shouldn't let Ian go through that, as seeing someone die slowly will stay with someone forever. After two other sleeper agents around the United Kingdom are found dead, Leah realises that Terrance is preparing to release the flu immediately. After tracking Terrance down, Ian and Jessica corner him in a car park, and is shot by Ian before he opens the flu canister. Carvel tells Ian that the tablets Becky is taking aren't medication only an addictive opiate, and she is perfectly fine. Ian rushes to tell Becky but finds her unconscious, having attempted suicide. He resuscitates her, only for armed men to come and take them away. Dugdale is promised a new life with his family but is told by Wilson that he has planned new ways for the Network to distribute Janus without the flu pandemic. Dugdale is told to go home and continue to work with the Network, else his family will be killed. Wilson kills Lee, before carving the Chinese symbol for Rabbit on his abdomen and entering a cold storage containing more flu canisters.

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
  2. ↑ "Utopia – Series 1 – Episode 1". Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Utopia – Series 1 – Episode 2". Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. ↑ "Utopia – Series 1 – Episode 3". Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Utopia – Series 1 – Episode 4". Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Utopia – Series 1 – Episode 5". Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  7. ↑ Brown, Maggie (18 March 2013). "Channel 4 commissions Utopia second series". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Utopia Kudos". Kudos. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  9. ↑ http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/utopia-video-2
  10. ↑ http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/utopia-video-0
  11. ↑ http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/utopia-video-5
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