As Dr Manhattan disappears in front of her eyes, Angela Abar realises that greater forces are at work, with the Millennium Clock counting down to doomsday.

What an impressive series this has been, ending at a point that’s in perfect symmetry with the first scene of its opening episode. Clearly this wasn’t made up as it went along, and even if nine episodes feels all too brief a visit, it’s the quality that ultimately counts, and showrunner Damon Lindelof has delivered a perfectly-formed complement to the source book.

For so many weeks there have been non-sequiturs and dangling threads, screaming to be answered. The payoff was always coming, it was just a matter of waiting for the right time for that piece of the puzzle to click into place. Unlike some shows that pretend they’re smarter than they really are, using bluster to disguise nonsense, the science and the narrative of the show pay off as hoped for, and even in these 65 minutes, there’s still time for a rug pull or two.

It’s great to see Jeremy Irons’ Adrian Veidt finally getting more to do than planning to escape from prison. When he leaves his captors, it’s in a spaceship, sent by the most unlikely of saviours. Regina King’s Angela gets a couple of key moments in this finale – just wait for the last shot! – with only Jean Smart’s Laurie Blake feeling slightly shortchanged, but as an ensemble piece, it’s highly impressive.

Verdict: I’ve no idea if there’s going to be a second season, and if this ultimately proves to be the only TV incarnation of Watchmen, let’s applaud Damon Lindelof and his team of superheroes for making the best new show of the year. 10/10

Nick Joy