I Came By 2022

In this pivotal moment, Toby Nealey (George MacKay), a rebellious 23-year-old graffiti artist with a penchant for exposing social hypocrisy, sets his sights on retired judge Hector Blake (Hugh Bonneville). Unbeknownst to Blake, Toby has been infiltrating the homes of London’s elite, leaving behind his signature message “I CAME BY” as a scathing critique of their privileged lifestyles. As he targets Blake’s residence, Toby is driven by a deep-seated distrust of the judge’s façade of social progressivism, fueled by the discovery of ivory antiques and colonialist artifacts in Blake’s possession.

During one of his nocturnal visits, Toby stumbles upon a hidden pottery studio and an imprisoned individual in the basement. However, his intrusion is abruptly cut short when Blake returns unexpectedly, having received an alert about his wireless alarm system being disabled at home. Toby barely escapes with his life, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions.

As he attempts to confide in his friend and former accomplice, Jameel “Jay” Agassi (Percelle Ascott), Toby is met with Jay’s distraction by personal turmoil. Jay’s pregnant girlfriend, Naserine “Naz” Raheem (Varada Sethu), has been evicted from her parents’ home, leaving him to take on the responsibility of providing for her. With his priorities shifted, Jay refuses to entertain Toby’s concerns about Blake’s house, effectively ending their partnership.

Toby’s desperation prompts him to anonymously report his findings to the authorities, but the police find nothing amiss in Blake’s residence. Undeterred, Toby continues to probe into Blake’s affairs, only to be met with further obfuscation and deception. Meanwhile, Lizzie (Kelly Macdonald), Toby’s widowed mother, has grown increasingly anxious about her son’s lack of direction, leading to a heated confrontation that culminates in his eviction from their home.

In a tragic turn of events, Toby returns to Blake’s residence, driven by a sense of responsibility to free the imprisoned individual. However, he finds himself face-to-face with Blake once more, who brutally murders him with a cricket bat. The judge then uses his pottery kiln to cremate Toby’s body, ultimately flushing his ashes down the toilet in a callous display of disregard for human life.

As tensions simmer between Jay and Lizzie, he struggles to confide in her about his clandestine graffiti escapades with Toby. Instead, he plants a cryptic letter in Toby’s room, addressed to Blake, which inadvertently sparks another police visit to Blake’s residence. This time, the authorities stumble upon the hidden basement prison, which Blake claims is merely a panic room. Despite being arrested for obstruction of justice, Blake manages to leverage his connections and secure a swift release.

Meanwhile, Lizzie begins to stalk Blake, her surveillance yielding a surprising discovery: he has taken in Omid (Yazdan Qafouri), a gay Iranian asylum seeker who works at a local spa that Blake frequents. As Blake’s past unfolds, it becomes clear that his motivations for helping Omid are rooted in a complex web of emotions stemming from his own troubled childhood. The memory of his father’s cruel behavior and the subsequent suicide of his mother still lingers, a painful reminder of the destructive power of unchecked hate.

As Lizzie watches from the shadows, she witnesses Blake’s brutal treatment of Omid, who manages to escape despite being drugged. However, Omid refuses to report Blake’s actions to the authorities, fearing that his precarious immigration status will be compromised. The following day, Blake tracks down Omid and metes out a vicious revenge, cold-bloodedly ending his life.

With Lizzie’s fate hanging precariously in the balance, she turns to Jay for help in infiltrating Blake’s home. However, Jay is torn between his loyalty to her and his own sense of responsibility as a new father. The weight of his past misdeeds, including prior charges, leaves him hesitant to take action.

Lizzie’s subsequent solo intrusion into Blake’s residence ends in tragedy: she is caught, brutally murdered, and her remains are incinerated. Jay’s discovery of Lizzie’s gruesome fate sends him spiraling into guilt-ridden despair, his relationship with Naz beginning to fray due to his inability to communicate and confront the darkness that has consumed them.

As the tercentenary celebration at Birlstone School approaches, Jay’s world is plunged further into chaos. The specter of Blake’s malevolent presence looms large, casting a shadow over the festivities and Jay’s fragile sense of self.

As the evening’s festivities drew to a close, Jay (character name) embarked on a discreet pursuit of Blake, tracking him to a secluded country estate. With calculated precision, Jay apprehended Blake in a fierce struggle, ultimately rendering him helpless. The silence was then shattered by the sound of pottery wheels spinning into motion as Jay made his way to the studio hidden away in the garage. There, a shocking discovery awaited: the same enigmatic figure that had first piqued Toby’s interest now languished behind bars. Without hesitation, Jay summoned the authorities, freed the prisoner from their confinement, and beat a hasty retreat. The sound of sirens soon filled the air as police units converged on the estate, only to find Blake in a state of disarray, his body bearing the telltale signs of a violent confrontation. Amidst the chaos, a bold declaration echoed through the halls: Jay’s parting gift, a defiant scrawl that read “I CAME BY,” a stark reminder of their unexpected and intense encounter.