DI Chambers – The episode opens in a flashback with young Sylvia Chambers (Kim Allan) standing in the rain. Upon returning home, she retrieves a key hidden in a shoe and unlocks a cabinet where a lone shotgun is stored. At 3:33am, Sylvia places the muzzle under her chin, looks over at an envelope addressed to Lucy, cocks the gun, and pulls the trigger. The gunshot startles young Lucy Chambers (Cecilia Blair) awake. She races downstairs to find teenage Lucy dead. The scene switches to a therapy session where Dr. Bennett (Meera Syal) urges teenage Lucy Chambers (Laura Marcus) to explain why she ran away. Lucy tells her that she went to retrieve Sylvia’s bloodstained letter from where she previously hidden it. She wants the letter to say Sylvia no longer cares about her, so it would give her a reason to hate her. As Bennett suggests they collect themselves first, Lucy rips open the envelope and starts reading the letter. Lucy’s eyes fill with tears, jumps up, curses, and smashes a bust on the floor. Bennett embraces her while she sobs. Later, Lucy appears to be spreading Sylvia’s ashes on a hilltop.

Tess (Olivia Bennett) recites what she will say to the clerk when she tries to buy alcohol. Dissatisfied with her effort, Lucy enters the store, slips alcohol inside her coat, turns to leave, and bumps into a VHS stand. A beer rolls across the floor. She finds herself face-to-face with the owner. A short time later, Lucy watches the owner speak with PC Nick Holness (Alex Ferns) from the backseat of a police cruiser. Nick joins her and suggests she should have stolen something better than cheap booze. He threatens to take her to the police station if she doesn’t give up her address. She blurts out that her parents are dead and reluctantly says her “posh c*nts” foster parents live on Percy Street. He asks if they will get upset. She says if they kick her out, she will stay somewhere else until she turns 18 in three months. He warns her that a criminal record will make it difficult to get a good job. She asks if Bella likes his uniform. Shocked, he asks how she knew his wife’s name. She points out a photo and a Bella’s Boutique Candles box on the dashboard. He compliments her for being observant and assures her that she would make a better detective than him.

DI Lucy Chambers (Jessica Raine) questions Sharon (Jessica Ellerby) about a break-in at her house. Sharon is confused as to why the suspect took a microwave, not her valuable jewelry. Ravi Dhillon (Nikesh Patel) is inspecting an open window when Josh (Isaac Vincent-Norgate) asks if the suspect will return. Ravi assures him that they will nab him. Mike Stevens (Phil Dunster) tells him that the neighbor, Ian, claims to have seen an older red Nissan van on the roadside. Lucy warns him that burglars tend to try again if their first attempt is thwarted and urges him to up his security measures. A short time later, Ravi confronts Lucy about what she said in front of Joshua. She accuses him of getting soppy around children. He denies the accusation. She tells him about the Dulworthy case where a burglar only took a lion. They get out to watch the fireworks. At a pub, the barman (Tom Moran) thanks Lucy for saving his life with a round on the house. Elena Rogers (Rosie Jones) flirts with Ravi from the bar. Lucy convinces him to buy her a drink. An intoxicated Holness teases Lucy about Ravi talking to Elena. She denies they are dating. He tells her goodnight.

Margo Jackson and Amanda Milton are swinging on a playground. Estella Jackson (Hayley-Marie Axe) removes a dish from the oven and looks up to see it is 4:23pm. A man watches the girls from his vehicle. Estella tries to call Margo but she doesn’t answer. The girls get into a silver car with a man. Lucy holds a press conference on the girls’ disappearance. Later, she tells Ravi about Jonah Taylor’s disappearance involving a red Nissan van. Holness worked the case and is reluctant to talk about it. Door cam footage shows a red Nissan van pursuing Amanda and Margo as they walk along a sidewalk. A short time later, they arrive at a crime scene involving a child. Lucy convinces Ravi to stay outside. Upon entering the flat, she finds a crime scene technician holding an infant. A cop tells Ravi that the husband, Shane Fisher (Kyle Rowe) was on probation for assault. A neighbor claims to have seen Shane banging on the door until his wife let him in. Lucy finds an armed Shane in the bathroom and calls it in. Hearing her radio, he attacks her. She takes him down, dislodging the knife from his hand. He attacks her again and retrieves the knife when two cops arrive. A battered Lucy watches as they restrain him. Elsewhere, Harold Slade (Paul Castleman), a boat shop owner, arrives at a dock where he sees a car with its headlights on. He retrieves his knife and turns to leave. Back at the crime scene, Shane is put into a police cruiser. Ravi holds a distraught Lucy while she weeps.

Lee Warren (Thomas Dominique) and Debbie Warren (Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty) are discussing their home improvement project when Meredith Warren (Talia Walker-Bassols) screams. They race upstairs to find Isaac Chambers (Benjamin Chivers) in her bedroom. Ravi and Lucy arrive a short time later. Isaac tells them that Lucy is his mum. She tries to convince him otherwise but he doesn’t buy it. He wraps his arms around her. Ravi alerts Children’s Services before they head to the police station. She reluctantly holds his hand. They receive an alert about a double murder. While Lucy leaves to investigate the crime, Ravi stays behind with Isaac. He puts on some music and turns to see Isaac has disappeared. Lucy watches police officers remove the bodies from the river. An officer tells her that Harold reported seeing a red van there several nights ago. The assailant improperly weighed the bodies down, so they surfaced. While searching the woods for Isaac, Ravi discovers an abandoned house. Lucy questions his claim about Isaac disappearing. Harold arrives at the police station. Holness tries to interview him but he refuses to talk. Sam Boyd (Saffron Hocking) informs Lucy that Harold confessed to abducting Amanda and Margo but denies his intentions were sexual. Lucy says child pornography was found on his laptop. Harold intended to keep them but his wife thwarted his plan when she arranged a trip to Swan Lake in Prague. He left the girls alive without provisions. A man driving a red van caught Harold trying to dispose of the bodies and threatened to kill him if he didn’t turn himself in. Harold believes it was the devil.

Frantically wiping blood off his hands, Gideon Shepherd (Peter Capaldi) has a flashback of stabbing someone. Elsewhere, Aiden Stenner was stabbed to death. Holness believes gang members are responsible but a witness claims the suspect was in his 50s and had a Scottish accent. At the police station, Lucy reviews Miranda Taylor’s abduction case. She insists the red van is also linked to Amanda and Margo’s abduction, and Jonah Taylor’s abduction. She updates her team and shows them pictures of an abandoned holiday rental that is occupied. Later, Lucy and TFC agents execute a raid to find a man deceased in a room covered in newspaper clippings. In a remote area, Ravi is out of his cruiser when he encounters Gideon. When he tries to restrain him, a struggle ensues. Gideon gets the upper hand and Ravi is injured. Lucy discovers shoe prints leading away from the holiday rental. Gideon is preparing to leave when he finds himself surrounded by TFC agents. He makes eye contact with Lucy. They receive an alert about an injured officer. En route to the hospital in an ambulance, Lucy tells an unconscious Ravi that they got their man. At the police station, she arrests Gideon for the murders of Aiden and Connor. He reminds her of their past interrogations and says 28 people, 11 of which were children, have been murdered. One more will be added to the list next year. He warns her if he is imprisoned, he will kill himself and it starts over. He refuses to speak further.

Lucy receives a call from Boyd about a fire at the Warren house where Isaac was found. Upon arrival, she sees Lee, Debbie, and an injured Meredith in the back of an ambulance. Lucy later finds Isaac in a playhouse. He says, “Daddy made him cold” and he couldn’t stop the fire. She assures him that the firemen have it under control. He believes the fire followed him there. She opens the door to find the playhouse empty. At the hospital, Lucy holds Ravi’s hand. He says they can go crazy together. She kisses him. In another scene, Lucy and Ravi are getting married.

Lucy visits Gideon in prison. She tells him that she doesn’t have much time left. He assures her that they will return to this earth like always but the next time will be different. She asks what will be different. He says if he stops Sylvia from taking her own life, the chaos will wake her, and she will remember their conversation. She fears Sylvia’s living will cost her everything, including Ravi. He stresses the importance of stopping them. She agrees to help him. Upon leaving, she collapses to the floor. A man yells for someone to call 999. Later, Ravi is at her bedside. She claims he was all she ever needed and he made her happy. She promises they will meet again. He professes to love her. She hears music before taking her last breath.

Sylvia gives birth. When she tries to shoot herself, the gun malfunctions. She embraces young Lucy. Teenage Lucy does her homework. Adult Lucy tells someone that Isaac doesn’t laugh or get angry. She escapes a burning house and tries to go back in for Isaac. A nurse (Chloe Malarkey) tells her that Isaac survived. She remembers everything as the episode ends.

 

The Devil’s Hour Review

The script is more confusing than complex. Bits of Lucy’s story are excluded to give the delusion of complexity. The editing is not great which may also be intentional. It eludes to Lucy repeatedly dying and rebirthing – resetting – in new life circumstances. She remembers very little if anything about her past life. She doesn’t recognize Isaac or Mike. It would seem she would remember everything if she was traveling between dimensions. A very different take on time travel. Much unlike Outlander in which Claire Randall traveled between 1946 to 1766. She retained her memory and age.

Poor lighting alters visibility in night and indoor scenes. The pace is unbearably show. The episode is far too long and the story drags on for what seems like forever.

Lucy’s story will probably never evolve into something more. She will continue to reset until Amazon pulls the plug on The Devil’s Hour. The episode deserves a 5.5 out of 10.

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