All bets are off as Kovacs and team bring down Bancroft’s empire, but who will the casualties be?

For a series that has been criticised in some quarters for being too confusing, the final instalment is a remarkably straight A to B take that wraps up all the main plot threads while also leaving one open that will allow the adventure to continue. That’s not just Netflix building in some contingency for the inevitable sequel, but also because this is based on the first of a three-book series, with Broken Angels and Woken Furies to follow.

As I picked up in previous episodes, it’s hard to realistically second-guess what’s going to happen next just because so little is what it seems, with characters swapping bodies or replicating themselves with little effort. We do get a final confrontation between Kovacs and his sister, which is a bittersweet battle as she clearly needs to be contained, yet is still his sibling.

Ortega continues to suffer misery, this time being forced to re-live the moment that she discovers her mutilated family, but the real stand-out this episode is Lizzie (Riverdale’s Hayley Law) who finally comes out of the shadows and starts to mete our her own revenge justice. There’s some fine visual effects work as things start to explode, but the first of the climaxes end a good 15 minutes before the end.

The previous resolution of the whodunnit is now revealed to be something a little different and just the taster for a more significant resolution. Importantly, ignoring the pile-up of bodies (don’t worry, they can be re-sleeved) there’s a satisfying finality and the feeling that some things have changed.

Verdict: There’s enough closure and satisfaction from the narrative to walk away from this first season happy and positively looking forward to some more adult entertainment. 8/10

Nick Joy