A serial killer returns to haunt his school decades after his apparent death. A former Time Bureau head is revealed to be a true crime podcaster. A pyromaniac Australian romance writer faces his greatest fear:

EMOTIONAL.

COMMITMENT.

Buckle up for quite the ride.

This is so much fun. I mean, horror is a big part of my day job and podcasting is another big part of that so maybe I’m just naturally predisposed to like this one but it really is immense fun. From the villain’s name (Freddy Myers) to the elegantly handled dual time period narrative this is an episode that crackles with love for its genre. Plus in Beth Riesgraf, known forever in these parts as cat burglar Parker in all-time great show Leverage, it’s got one hell of a guest star too.

The pleasingly complex Encore puzzle is also a nice chance to check back in with Nora, doing time as a fairy godmother and with Roy, who, it turns out, went to the same school as the killer. Both their plots, and that of the killer, follow the idea of redemption and do so in wildly different ways that all lead back to the same place: kindness. Rory hooks back up with the date he abandoned, Nora sees what good her powers can do and Freddy discovers that kindness isn’t weakness. It’s surprisingly multi-layered and powerful stuff, and the ending here really packs an emotional wallop. A physical one too as Ava and Sara have the time of their lives fighting off the killer as the final girl… final girls.

Verdict: Rounded off by a smart start to Zari’s redemption arc this is the CW’s weirdest show at its weirdest and best. An absolute delight from start to finish. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart