Diana and Matthew must face the consequences of their return to England – Matthew by accounting for himself to Elizabeth and Diana by seeking out Goody Alsop to continue her training. But surprises, welcome and otherwise, await them both.

After the show took a week off from spending much time with our time-travelling lovers, this week sees us focused exclusively on sixteenth century England once again. Matthew and Diana, after all, returned without half their prize, and both have things to take care of.

For Matthew that means going before the Queen to account for why he returned without Edward Kelley, or indeed produced the Book of Life for her. Matthew’s lie that the book was a fraud isn’t fooling Cecil, who promptly orders a thorough search of Matthew’s house, with the promise that if the book is found, it’ll go badly for him.

Meanwhile Diana goes to see Goody Alsop, still in the land of the living but much frailer, to complete her training. The visit sees Diana finally starting to get closer to harnessing her full abilities as a weaver and also has a couple of revelations of her, both of which have implications as to both her power and her unique place in the Creature Kingdom.

Unfortunately for both of them, Louisa very much has Kit under her spell, and has convinced him that the only way he will get Matthew back is to do away with Diana. Our heroine has never been much of a one for backing down, and now even less so. We get a glimpse of just what her new confidence in her powers has done to bolster that fighting spirit.

As to Matthew, a touching scene with the Queen reminds us the audience of just how much fondness Good Queen Bess has for our Matthew, as well as his way with words. It’s a beautifully acted scene, a queen obsessed with her legacy and the protection of her realm, and a man who has the ability to help her assure it forever if only he’d grant her the one gift he absolutely can’t. The way it plays out is perfect, and amongst some of the best scenes the show has to offer.

It’s a real humdinger of an episode with tension aplenty, whether it’s Cecil’s search of the house as he inches perilously closer to the Book of Life and the undoing of everything, or Kit’s tortured indecision coupled to Louisa’s sheer cruelty. Even another instance of Matthew’s bestial nature rising to the surface only for Diana to stare it down still has the ability to enthral, because they and the other cast sell it so well that you’re never quite sure whether or not this might be the moment when Diana has pushed her luck a little too far/Matthew finally loses control.

As the episode comes to a close, Diana and Matthew are closer to one another than ever before, and it’s clear that when they do finally return to their own time, the Congregation won’t know what’s hit it.

Verdict: Tense, rich and thoroughly bloody entertaining in every sense of the word. 9/10

Greg D. Smith