Gaal, Salvor and Hari reflect on how they escaped from the Mentalics, and Demerzel takes drastic action.

This season finale is an absolute showstopper, reminding us that no one is safe on this series and that things will not be the same again.

The opening five minutes reveals the sleight-of-hand used to break away from the Mentalics, with enough plot to power an entire episode. While this plot thread has generally been the least interesting this year, there’s plenty of surprises to play out.

Demerzel has emerged as the true villain of the show, pulling all the strings in the Empire. She’s taking desperate measures now to preserve the status quo, throwing anyone under the bus as required. How many of the iterations of Cleon will survive her cleansing, particularly as she cannot kill her master… or can she?

And in the atmosphere around Terminus, a vainglorious Cleon discovers that he has been played by multiple factions, on multiple fronts. Planets and heroes needed to be sacrificed to allow the Foundation to thrive, and it’s fair to say that significant cast members won’t be returning next year.

Verdict: The best hour of genre TV so far this year, leaving the show in a stronger position than at the end of year 1, reminding us that there’s always a place for intelligent, ideas-driven fantasy entertainment. 10/10

Nick Joy