Zahra pushes on with meeting the man who claims to know about her father’s whereabouts, much to the discomfort of Alfie. Bet is forced to confront the true nature of John Salt. Thomas arrives back in Gotham to sort out unfinished business.

Even by the standards of Alfie’s love life, finding out the girl you’ve just bedded is the daughter of the man you kidnapped on Her Majesty’s orders ten years ago is quite the pill to swallow. As Zahra moves insistently ever closer to meeting the man who claims to have answers, Alfie tries to get some of his own, but Aziz is as opaque as ever, leaving Alfie in a very uncomfortable position indeed.

Still, if Alfie thought this was the extent of his troubles, he’s got a lot to learn. Mrs P is forging on with her newfound *ahem* lust for life, and when Alfie unexpectedly turns up at home looking for his gun, he finds a lot more than he bargained for. Poor Roger, I wonder if he’ll manage to cope with all this excitement in the life of his new love…

Dave Boy is still wandering around in a psychotropic haze from the long-lasting effects of the Lullaby drug, and that means when he’s entrusted with some apparently important information, well let’s just say that isn’t the smartest idea. Alfie can’t get any sense out of him either, which doesn’t make things much better.

Up North, Bet is at the mercy of John Salt, now significantly altered physically, though still the same old evil psychopath mentally. Unable to resist a bit of maniacal monologuing, Salt reveals the extent of his plans to rejuvenate the Raven Society and finally win the war he still feels he’s fighting. This is Bet though, she’s not impressed by monologuing, nor intimidated by threats or violence. Salt may think he has the advantage, but you can never count our Bet out.

In Gotham, Thomas goes home to confront his father. It’s not entirely clear what either of them really gets out of the interaction, Thomas being uncharacteristically enigmatic, but his actions later on certainly seem very decisive, if a little out of character. Call me an old cynic, but I refuse to take events as they play out at face value. Time will tell, I guess.

Once again Mrs P is the star of the show, although it’s also lovely to have Bet back too. Alfie’s continued tangled love life remains very much at the forefront, and I can’t help but wonder if Zahra will even make it to the end of the season, or whether she’ll end up another Bond-style grave marker on our (anti)hero’s path.

Verdict: By turns funny, thrilling and heart-breaking. Great TV indeed. 8/10

Greg D. Smith