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THE ONE WHERE There's no escape...

VERDICT As is perhaps to be expected from a penultimate episode (they’re usually the calm before the storm), this is a slightly underwhelming instalment of The Returned . It doesn’t move things on very much, other than in small increments – Vincent’s arm, for example, is even more necrotic, Camille has something on her face too, and Simon is literally cracking up. It’s particularly disappointing that Lena’s discovery of more Returned in the woods is not followed through on – surprisingly, they’re sidelined until it’s time for them to pop up for a second cliffhanger appearance.

The episode does confirm a few things, however. Yes, Adèle tried to kill herself (not exactly big news - the fact that her husband installed secret cameras in the house always suggested as much). Yes, little Victor directly causes people to have visions – he makes that crystally clear this time with a spot of Dramatic Pointing. And yes, Pierre, with his well-stocked underground base, ready for The Rapture, is totally cuckoo.

NITPICKS How the hell did Pierre manage to stockpile all those weapons without anyone noticing? Mind you, the cops in this town are pretty useless...

SPECULATION Why does Sandrine (mother of coach crash victim Audrey) suddenly start bleeding between the legs? Is that a symptom of an everyday malady, or does it portend something far more sinister - like a supernatural birth, perhaps?

GROSS-OUT MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE SERIES Simon picking a massive chunk of scab off his stomach, then popping it in his mouth, like a home-grown pork scratching. Yeuch.

FEATURED MUSIC This week it's purely Mogwai's score .

BEST LINE “I just need to understand,” says Simon. Seconded, fella.

Ian Berriman twitter.com/ianberriman

Read all our The Returned series 1 reviews .
Read our The Returned DVD review (that's the original film which the series was based on).

Ian Berriman has been working for SFX – the world's leading sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – since March 2002. He's also a regular writer for Electronic Sound. Other publications he's contributed to include Total Film, When Saturday Comes, Retro Pop, Horrorville, and What DVD. A life-long Doctor Who fan, he's also a supporter of Hull City, and live-tweets along to BBC Four's Top Of The Pops repeats from his @TOTPFacts account.