A dinner party invite and a visit to a reservation show Harry that sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.

This week’s cold open inadvertently goes all WandaVision as it riffs on the famous title sequence from Cheers and sets up the theme of this episode – why do humans seem to want to spend time with each other? Reluctantly accepting an invite for dinner with the Hawthornes (including of course young Max who Harry has so far completely failed to murder) things get awkward when his date D’Arcy drunkenly lets slip that she and Ben have a past. Meanwhile Max and his friend Sahar continue to investigate, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Last week I wondered if and how Asta’s backstory would intersect with the main plot and indeed it does here, with Harry as usual unknowingly putting his foot in his mouth. His propensity for plain speaking makes one wonder why any of these characters would ever want to spend time with the guy, but his honesty ultimately seems to bring people closer together. As Harry continues to learn little life lessons about humanity the show thankfully avoids tipping over into schmaltz, as he usually thinks or says something unspeakably awful to remind us he’s trying to wipe us all out despite his curiosity.

As usual there’s plenty of laughs to be had but I’m also warming to Asta and her story, helped by a lovely natural performance from Sara Tomko. We also see Deputy Baker, routinely dismissed and demeaned by her awful boss, assert herself in her quest for the truth as she identifies a piece of evidence that may prove to be Harry’s undoing. While it seemed a little odd at first, I’m really appreciating the way the female characters are written to contrast with the males – the former usually dramatically and emotionally, the latter mainly comically and one-note. I’ve no idea if that was deliberate but it helps give the show a distinct tone and feel I don’t think I’ve encountered before, even in female-led series.

The shadowy agents on Harry’s trail introduced last week make another appearance, although with another six episodes to go they’re not yet a major part of the story. We’re also privy to a little bit of Harry’s backstory as he shares an emotional moment with Asta, but as the potentially game-changing cliffhanger shows, he may have been lying through his pointy teeth (or just been dead wrong, it remains to be seen). With a body still crammed into his freezer and a couple of other immediate problems to deal with, everything points to Basil Fawlty levels of farce next week. As usual, I can’t wait.

Verdict: Smashing stuff as always, with some strong character building and an unexpected twist at the end. 8/10

Andy Smith