Don’t tell me, you’ve watched over the second series a dozen
times and still can’t find any direct references as to what the “Special
Stuff” actually is. Well even the gents themselves don’t let
on that secret, it’s meant to be a mystery for the viewers to dwell
on, however Reece has said that it is possible to work out from various
clues given in the series.
By far the most popular idea is that it is human flesh, I’m mostly
convinced by this myself, however I suspect that isn’t the whole
story.
We know that Hilary doesn’t make the stuff, he gets it from someone
else. My theory is that Edward Tattsyrup makes it in the Local Shop because
he appears in episode one of series 2 with a meat clever covered in blood,
he also seems to kill every non-local he meets, but we never find out
where the bodies go. So it’s non-local human flesh, I guess.
Fan Suggestions:
Charlie has done some comprehensive ground work in this field of study,
he believes the Special Stuff is in fact cocaine, here's why:
- It satiates hunger ("Please Hilary. I'm...hungry.")
- Satisfies the taste buds ("I know it's wrong; but it tastes so good!")
- Causes a high (Hilary doesn't eat them because "somebody has to stay in control.")
- Cocaine is much more dangerous after it's been cut ("A pure supply is one thing...")
- Cocaine causes nosebleeds and irritability (hence the riots)
- Goodfellas reference #1: Hilary being trailed by a helicopter
- Goodfellas reference #2: Maurice and Same disposing of white bags as the authorities burst in
- It's highly addictive, which the special stuff would have to be.
- Maurice's first helping is a "gift" from Hilary, which is a way in which drug-dealers will get a potential client hooked.
- As far as freezing cocaine goes...I don't really know. If it's indeed been rolled into his sausages then some sort of refrigeration would be necessary...if only to keep the meat from spoiling.
- Dr. Fish mentions Midnight Express which does not contain a terminal illness, within a list of films that do. He does this to explain to a patient that he will die. Why Midnight Express? Because it's a film about cocaine-smuggling, and cocaine is what's killing the patient.
- Cocaine inhibits apetite and results in malnutrition, which explains why the cast describes Sam in the series 1 commentary as looking like he's "obviously dying of cancer."
- it's safer for Hilary to distribute the cocaine with his sausages than having drug-paraphernalia all over the butcher shop.