Dolores’ true intentions are revealed, Bernard confronts a ghost from his past; Maeve is conflicted and William faces an unexpected villain.

Right from the outset, Season 3 has been determined to be a different show to its preceding run, something to be enjoyed rather than puzzled over. Its narrative has not been dumbed down, just clarified so you have a fighting chance of understanding what’s unfolding, and to the greater extent it has been successful.

Its shorter eight-episode run (previous seasons were ten apiece) has kept a sharper focus, while never skimping on spectacle, with some fantastic action set pieces and imaginative location filming. To say that this final 74 minutes plays out as you’d expect, with Serac and Rehoboam defeated, is not so much a criticism as recognition that it has a satisfactory conclusion with just enough dangling threads to allow another jumping on point when Season 4 is made.

What unexpected is two post-credits scenes, taking us to exciting new possibilities. The focus this year has been on the ladies – Dolores, Maeve and Charlotte – the casualties being the reduced roles for William (Man in Black), though Aaron Paul’s Caleb has taken up some of the slack.

Verdict: I’m actually looking forward to the next season, which is not something I was saying at the end of season 2. With all immediate threats neutralised, the slate has been wiped clean for a new storyline for next time – all credit to Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy for picking up the dropped ball and running with it. 8/10

Nick Joy