Marcus and Tomas head to a house in Seattle where a desperate mother needs their help with her daughter; on the island, the weirdnesses escalate; and Fr. Bennett meets an unusual ally.

There’s a good balance between the three plot threads this week, as the episode starts with one of the grossest scenes the show has done yet (and I do wonder if part of the deal to renew the series was that there’d be something of this nature in every episode – it’s just beginning to feel a bit forced) as Cardinal Guillot ceases to be a problem. It’s the work of Zuleikha Robinson’s Mouse (who, ironically given her name, saves the cat!), someone who seems to be on the side of the angels but quite happy to use less scrupulous ways of achieving her ends – and whose revelation to Bennett at the end of the episode is just one of the ways in which this instalment starts to tie everything together.

As for Tomas, he’s discovering there’s a reason why Marcus follows procedure, even though he’s been removed from the priesthood. The mother’s behaviour right from the start is a bit off – nothing you couldn’t ascribe to worry on behalf of her daughter Harper perhaps, but enough to make me (like Marcus) suspicious – and the progression of that storyline gives us more insight into the logic behind exorcism, and the dangers involved. And maybe Tomas is finally beginning to remember that Marcus does actually know what he’s talking about!

We finally learn more of Andy’s backstory as things on the island get progressively more unsettling – the unusual lamb (did it move in the grave?) and the bird attack are starting to freak everyone out, so perhaps it’s a good thing that thanks to her involvement with Harper’s case, Rose has just met two people who are experienced in such matters…

Verdict: The pieces are coming together neatly. 8/10

Paul Simpson