Tiago and Molly visit Santa Monica Pier in an effort to escape their complicated lives while Lewis is on the trail of those who murdered his friends.

I criticised last week’s episode for being too languorous, and while I wouldn’t suggest this third instalment has picked up the pace, it feels more deliberate and confident. It doesn’t revel in the gothic high drama and gore of its sister show but it’s developing its own noir niche and is starting to grow on me.

It’s the acting and period detail that continue to give the show its class, Nathan Lane’s detective breaking down in tears while clutching the bloody bullets that killed his friends is a beautifully played moment that drives his fury. And from the perspective of scale, the scene in the Crimson Cat dance hall is a sight to behold, with hundreds of extras strutting their stuff.

Natalie Dormer continues to dominate in her multiple guises of Magda, memorably transforming into a leather-clad fury, blasting the glass out of windows as she strides by, her Alex alter ego having been spurned by Councilman Townsend. Her Elsa is faring better, pulling Rory Kinnear’s Nazi into her web by apparently faking domestic violence, and finally there’s the Hispanic version at the dance hall who is stirring up the trouble within that community.

Verdict: Much like this year’s season of The Terror, the evil that men do is played as far more horrific than anything the supernatural can conjure up. Tensions ratchet tighter and Magda’s plan for chaos grows one step further. It’s like seeing an accident happen in slow motion, but you just can’t help watching. 7/10

Nick Joy