Revelations aplenty as Diana discovers more than one secret about Matthew in the past, and in the present, Ysabeau and Diana’s aunts search for the source of an anomalous feeling.

James Purefoy pretty much dominated the previous episode so it makes all the sense that he does so again here, Phillipe being easily the most complex and fascinating character in a series that’s filled with complex and interesting characters. But it’s not just Purefoy’s onscreen charisma that really lifts this one, but the quality of the writing which contrives to tell a deliciously moving and heartwarming love story that spans centuries and involves the two participants never sharing one moment of screen time.

In one of the show’s most interesting uses of the whole time-travel dynamic, we are faced with Philippe in the past being clever enough to discern that he’s clearly not made it all the way to the time whence his son and Diana have come and insatiably curious enough to wonder exactly why that is and what happened. Back in the present, Aunts Sarah and Em sense a disturbance of some kind in the vicinity of the library at Sept-Tours, prompting Ysabeau to suspect that maybe there’s one more message from her long-dead love to be found among his favourite books.

And all that is just one part of what’s happening here. For a decent part of the episode, Philippe remains a figure of mystery – seemingly hell-bent on driving a wedge between Matthew and Diana, and provoking the revelation of not one but two closely guarded secrets about his son to his love, only one of which is actually known to Philippe himself.

Here, we get to the root of just why Matthew’s relationship with his father and his mother is so complicated, the source of the enormous weight of guilt he carries around which even Philippe can see. It reveals new depths to the character and to the dynamic of so many of his relationships with other established characters, and that’s impressive for the back half of the second season of a show.

Diana and Philippe’s relationship might be the most fascinating of all though – there’s obvious antagonism between them. Philippe struggles to trust a witch at all, much less with the heart of his favoured son, and Diana isn’t about to back down from anyone, no matter how powerful they may be. The grudging respect that grows between the two of them is a pleasure to watch unfold over the course of the episode, and makes the conclusion all the more meaningful.

Honestly this may well be my favourite episode of genre television as a whole this year, let alone of this show. Every performance is incredible, the writing deftly handles so many different angles so beautifully and despite the fact that it’s an episode with relatively little action, you will be riveted from the first moment to the last.

Verdict: As close to utter perfection as genre television is ever likely to get. Flawless. 10/10

Greg D. Smith