The power is still working. I love the way Royce's toxicity permeates everything. And by episodes 3 & 4, it is definitely working towards the big climax. The storyline is more 'lean' in that there are really only two major criminal strands to focus on as well as the usual, often related, personal drama and trauma. And as usual, the links and connections with and to the past, are, once again, masterly
I loved the magical moment when Royce was overcome by a sense of freedom just before he was picked up, staring out over the empty moors with the evocative birds-eye shot showing him so small and isolated. There was almost sympathy for him ,at that point momentarily. This was very brave dramatically. The quite remarkable scene at the end between Ryan and Tommy, the way the latter seduces Ryan, was more than usually powerful, brilliant and chilling . And to have him say to Ryan 'I love' you' after Ryan had, finally, said that earlier to Catherine was both remarkable and stunning.
And so, finally, to the last episode. After just the pre-title sequence (an excellent device for every episode that worked very well – often blackly humorous which was a very effective touch before we got into the dark depths of the story) I have a sense of dread about how matters are going to be resolved – if that is the word.
For me it came to a wholly satisfying conclusion -dramatically and emotionally. The final confrontation between Royce and Catherine was just so masterly with the emotional ebb and flow between them. The writer even managed to make our (or at least my) sympathies momentarily change on occasion without it seeming calculatedly manipulative.
The way that there was a degree of open-endedness about it was very satisfying. We did not, and could not, know all the last details about what happened to everyone, but then, that’s life.