The clock is about to start ticking for the human race as Harry prepares to wipe us all out. There’s just the matter of pizza to deal with first…

I don’t want to discuss the main events in too much detail here, but needless to say we do get a proper conclusion to the main plot of Harry activating his device to destroy all humans. We’re getting another season so no prizes for guessing how it broadly ends. Thankfully we avoid a load of old schmaltz, as Harry’s decisions are as always pragmatic and even selfish, and I was impressed how this played out. Did it seem a little rushed at the end? Perhaps, but one of the pleasures of this show is how it almost wilfully plays against expectations based on the viewer knowing what American telly is usually like. We’re half expecting big speeches and “I love you”s and poignant moments but because this show is cleverer than that what we get is an actual conversation between two characters that serves to change Harry’s mind (as mentioned, for almost entirely selfish reasons).

Speaking of “I love you” we are privy to a lovely moment where D’Arcy, almost in passing, refers to the man she loves. It’s easy to forget that characters in SF don’t necessarily know they’re in an SF milieu, so at the end of last week she, as far as she knew, had stumbled upon the frozen body of her beloved Harry. Aww… although obviously things get weird when he shows up alive and well shortly after. While I usually take a dim view of “will they/won’t they” drama I’ll happily watch this potential pairing dance around each other for a while longer.

Those of you kind enough to have read last week’s review may remember my comment on the “who killed the doctor?” plot, that it was hardly the most surprising outcome. It did cross my mind that it may not have been the end of the matter, but with just one episode to go I assumed they’d wrapped that subplot up to make room for the events of the finale. Well, as the cold open shows, we were served a huge red herring, one of a number of threads left dangling for next season. I think they did the right thing in dealing with the main plot but leaving some unresolved business. Had this not been renewed it would have been fairly satisfying and remain something that new viewers could enjoy down the line, unlike so many cancelled shows that don’t seem like being worth starting after being suddenly curtailed. As it stands we have plenty to be getting on with next year.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already, I highly recommend having a look at the original comics by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse (all but the current, and final, mini-series have been collected as trade paperbacks, with the first three also in omnibus form). They are vastly different, and an interesting lesson in how to adapt material to serve an entirely different medium and audience. Here only the very basic premise is retained on screen, and most of the TV characters are either entirely new or reimagined. Comic Harry (the stranded Captain Hah Re) is a benevolent and kindly soul, with none of the awkwardness which Alan Tudyk magnificently displays on the TV version. With his love and knowledge of detective fiction (changed on screen appropriately to TV crime procedurals) he solves various murders in and around the sleepy town of Patience, while the Men in Black are on his trail. Of the other characters really only Asta retains much of her persona on screen – here she’s the one who sees Harry as not-quite-right (his face is a blur to her) – and she operates very much as his confidante and crime-solving partner. Raymond Chandler is one of very few authors for whom I can confidently say I’ve read their entire oeuvre, so I’d happily watch this alien Philip Marlowe in action but I can’t necessarily say the same for the TV audience at large. I really appreciate that the writers behind the adaptation were prepared to be so bold and give us something that seems so original in itself.

Verdict: A satisfying end (for now) for a series that’s been nothing other than a delight from start to finish. 9/10…

…for this week, but taken as a whole this really is a 10/10 show. Roll on season 2!

Andy Smith