He was suddenly terrified and adament he was about to die yet seemed to accept a beating (that could have killed him) by milkys family?
shareReally didn't think they would be that obvious and kill combo but even so they were shocking scenes and were gutted it were never confirmed he were dead or milky admitting his involvement!
share[deleted]
I think it was left intentionally ambiguous whether or not Combo was killed by the Neo-Nazi types, he was led to, kicking and screaming up the stairs of the flats, delivered by Milky's family in the van to the 2 men who grabbed him. I can only assume that they were ex-Neo-Nazi associates of Combos. Someone just stated above that Banjo was not one of them.
We are led to believe by Combo's uncharacteristic extreme fear reaction on seeing the 2 men who grabbed him from the van, that this is not going to end well for him, but I guess we'll never know for certain what happened to him?
Milky looks very regretful at Woody and Lol's wedding reception as he slumps over the pool table in the room on his own, but is this out of regret for what has happened to Combo, or sadness that Lol and Woody are married?...
When Lol confronts Milky about Combo's disappearance, when she says; " he came out of prison a changed man, a bright new life and vanished off the face of the earth...."
Milky replies by saying: "It's not my business, I'm not bothered..." before they are interrupted by other ones entering the pool room.
We don't know if he would have, given the chance to look Lol in the eye, and deny all knowledge of what had happened.
Bit of a cliff hanger, for the viewer to decide for themselves, perhaps.
It's not ambiguous at all. Combo is killed. End of.
shareThe 2 white men were hit men, that milked and his family paid to do the business on combo so they would not get there hands dirty or have if come back on them, combo thought he was getting a beating which he accepted but when he saw the hit men he panicked as he did not want to die, ironic that the people who killed combo were the very people he was for at the start
I don't think they were hit men as such.
I think the were NF members that Combo possibly sold down the river to get his sentence reduced in prison.
No, they were hit men.
Your suggestion that they were NF members that he sold out has absolutely zero basis and is ridiculous.
Best film ever made? The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
It's not ridiculous at all. The NF images in the credits were a nod to it all too.
As has been done in every other episode of the franchise, the credits link to the story in the series.
You think Milk's family would PAY someone to kill him which could then be traced to them? That's preposterous.
I think they were hit-men. Combo knew that he wasn't getting a beating when he was handed over and when he saw he was in some disused industrial site. He didn't have to know them to be scared or figure out his fate. The NF footage was to show the parallel with violence and hatred in both situations. You wouldn't hand him over to those men, in that remote location just for a beating. It was a slaughter location. It actually reminded me of Texas Chainsaw Massacre when Leatherface takes his victim into the room and slams the door. When the door slammed on Combo it was really horrific, cold and brutal. Haunting stuff from a great film-maker and an amazing actor. Stuck in my mind all day.
sharelol Why would you believe this?? There is nothing in the entire series that would suggest this to be true.
shareRight so, sorry to be dense but the men they handed Combo over to were hit men?
I thought it was related to him glassing the other guy before?
I don't understand why Combo couldn't just have been given a beating? He seemed to be accepting of that - its not like he killed anyone himself did he?
Goodnight, good luck and may your God go with you
I don't understand why Combo couldn't just have been given a beating? He seemed to be accepting of that - its not like he killed anyone himself did he?
Unless all is explained in yet another series, I don't think we'll ever actually know . . .
We don't know much about Combo's past or what else he was involved in. When we first see him in the original movie he's just got out of jail then as well (but we don't know what for). It's possible that the two hit men or whatever they were somehow involved with Combo previously, he seemed to recognise them personally as soon as he saw them (but maybe not, it's all very ambiguous). I've heard a theory somewhere else that those guys, whether they were old NF or AFA (Anti-Fascist Action) or someone else, had an old score to settle with Combo and were just using Milky's family to conveniently deliver them to him. So Combo's death (if he really is dead) may have a lot more to do than just him beating up Milky . . . which may partially explain Milky's guilt as he knew that any revenge against Combo would probably be taken a lot farther than he would have liked due to other parties wanting to get in on the action so to speak.
I often see arrogant threads on IMDB saying things like "Do you need to be spoon fed?" and the like. They are usually a bit nasty but directed at people who have some kind of at least half-valid question.
I can see why these posts happen (although don't agree with the nasty way they are written) as people seem to be unable to piece anything together for themselves.
1) Combo was a violent racist, when we were first introduced to him he had been released from prison, was hanging around with extreme Right Wing racists groups and finished teh film beating Milky almost to death, for the simple reason that Milky was Black and had a decent family. Combo was jealous
2) It was implied, and then confirmed by Milky in the last episode, that Milky was in a very, very dire situation as a result of Combo beating him to within an inch of his life. In fact if there was no tv series you could easily speculate that Milky had been killed. Milky's black family would obviously be spending a lot of time at his bed and "promises were made". A promise that whoever did this unspeakable act to their son/brother/nephew/whatever would be killed. Probably ideally beaten to death. Milky has a permanently scarred face. Black people don't take racially motivate dbeatings lightly. But Milky showed some forgiveness to Combo, but it had got too far down the line for his fate to be changed. Combo was finished.
3) The members of Milky's family don't want Combo being murdered further ruining Milky's life. Or at least thats what they are thinking when they arrange for Combo to be delivered to a pair of NF (or similar) thugs for him to be beaten to death. They could've been paid, they may have issues with Combo for all manner of other reasons. They manhandle him up the stairs into teh disgusting old flat and there they beat him to death. He recognised them because he was also a violent sadistic NF thug in the past, and he may have known that these two men were the last faces he'd ever see. He certainly scremed and cried like he knew they were going to kill him.
4) Lol was Combos only real friend. She hasn't heard from or seen Combo since Milky took him to his death in his nifty Ford Capri.
What I would like to know, is what more Shane Meadows could have done to make this more painfully obvious?
How can anybody really say, especialy after seeing Milky's face that there is any ambiguity about Combos fate?
I think Mikly would have forgiven him, especially when he saw that he was no longer a threat to him or his daughter. And thats why its so sad. Milky's family may have lost people to racist beatings. Imagine knowing the man who nearly killed your son was roaming free, it can't be easy.
Eh, why are a pair of vicious National Front thugs now working with a bunch of black guys to kill one of their own?
''What I would like to know, is what more Shane Meadows could have done to make this more painfully obvious?''
Not valid, old chap. Smugness overload. Rethink required.
In fact if there was no tv series you could easily speculate that Milky had been killed.
What I would like to know, is what more Shane Meadows could have done to make this more painfully obvious?
How can anybody really say, especialy after seeing Milky's face that there is any ambiguity about Combos fate?
I wasn't on imdb when this was news but out of curiousity I had a look what y'all had to say about it.
It was my sister who pointed out to me how Combo recognised the guys when they opened the van door.. I think I was too upset by his screams and probably couldn't see clearly through my tears!!! ..his desperate push to get back into the van with the family of the boy he nearly beat to death.. well there ya go.
Devastated that Combo went that way but important that the director has the guts to go with such a contrast - that wonderful reintroduction and integration in his job with smiles and genuine happiness, becomes the last day of his life.
Yeah your summary is top notch
Some day this war's gonna end
I imagine 'he was delivered into the hands of his enemies"
Judging by his reaction he certainly knew his fate when the doors to the van opened. I imagine it was a negotiation between Milky's family and some other faction in exchange for something or as payment. As others have pointed out it would cross Milky out of the eventual investigation of his disapperance, which i imagine would undoubtly happen as he had just been released from a murder sentence. But thinking back it was a gamble for Milky to have been potentially the last person to be seen with Combo as they were getting into the Capri.
Not that it really matters and I only saw the episode once last night, but I got the impression that the thugs were leading Combo up the stairs in order to throw him off the building, to make it look like a suicide.
shareA suicide where the body disappears eh? I like it!
OOM POM PAH OOM POM PAH thats how it goes...
The scene where he is bundled out of the van has stayed with me since I watched it. He is without doubt dead now: -
1. Milky's tears as he knows what will happen and his powerlessness to do anything about it.
2. Combo's reaction when he sees the men and his subsequent pleading as he is carried off.
3. Lol asking Milky if he knows anything about Combo being missing for a month.
The last moments of Combo won't leave my head. He knows he's going to die but I'm not sure exactly why Combo knew he was going to be killed as soon as he saw the two men which although it's not important in relation to the film, is part of the reason I can't stop thinking about the scene.
Milky's emotions during the wedding reminded me of the saying, "He who seeks vengeance should dig two graves, one for his enemy and one for himself."
I think this is possibly the best film/TV series ever created in the UK and the cast are wonderful, they created characters you care about and love, just as the characters do for each other.
I haven't read all the posts so apologies if I'm repeating something here. It's interesting to note that the two guys who were ultimately taking Combo to his death were WHITE. The context of the first major incident in TIE is rammed home.
The Spikeopath - Hospital Number 217