After complaining about the descending level of quality for the last couple of weeks, Bedlam seems to have upped its game at the last minute, and delivered an episode that’s entertaining and exciting. We get some new characters thrown into the mix, which nicely distracts from the increasingly stale dynamic between existing players, and their intrusion into Bedlam Heights brings about the kind of deadly horror that usually accompanies naively conducted satanic rituals. When will these people learn? But what of the relationships already existing on the show? Well, surprisingly, Ellie has gone and got herself an abortion. While this is a step away from the sexist ‘casual sex = trouble’ attitude I complained about last week, it raises many more issues about whether she should have informed Dan of the decision. We clearly aren’t supposed to wonder, as the storyline is dismissed after the initial conversation, but seems too abrupt to be the end of the story. Is it something meant to add trauma to Ellie’s experience? She already has enough of that to last a lifetime, if the end reveal is anything to go by. It’s also clear that she’s meant to end up with Max, if this is indeed the last series (with this cast at least), and Dan has more pressing matters with father Warren and bit-on-the-side Keira. The trio have a particularly awkward sit-down this week, but the only reason we’re given for Dan’s sudden interest is to get his hands on some of the family cash. But Warren is slowly losing his mind, much like Kate did in the first series, and it’s slightly ambiguous whether his grim discovery later was real or imagined. Judging by the preview for next week’s finale, he’s going to continue kicking off, and I’m looking forward to seeing how his story plays out. I predicted that the last two episodes would be a cut about the rest, but why couldn’t we get some of this urgency throughout the entire six-episode run? In US dramas, with their generous helping of 22+ instalments, you expect filler episodes of no consequence, and forgive them as necessary evils. When you have just six episodes to fill, there’s really no need, and that’s been my main problem with the show. I’m happy to sit back and enjoy next week’s finale nonetheless as, when Bedlam really taps into its potential, it can be brilliant entertainment. Read our review of last week’s episode, here.
