Birth Of A Tragedy – The episode opens at a prison with Gideon Shepherd (Peter Capaldi) urging DI Lucy Chambers (Jessica Raine), who has cancer, to join him in stopping “him.” She agrees but only if he promises to never contact her again once they stop him. He accepts her offer. Later, Prison Guard Brian (Ross Walton) informs Gideon that someone received special permission to visit him. Looking up from his diary, Gideon stares at him. Later, adult Isaac (Joel Harper-Jackson) joins Gideon in a private waiting area. Not recognizing him, Gideon points out that his watch isn’t working. Isaac says someone told him that it was important. He warns Gideon that he will change greatly. Getting in his personal space, Gideon asks why he killed his mother.

The bomber (Jack Granville) fries bacon while filling a backpack with metal nails. He sets the timer for 60 minutes (possibly 120 minutes) and eats the burnt bacon. Elsewhere, Lucy makes her hostage, Sam Boyd (Saffron Hocking) a sandwich. She removes a restraint from one of her hands, so she can eat. Boyd tries to convince her to let her go, Ignoring her, Lucy tells her that will learn about her tomato allergy in her 40s but she will continue to eat them. Boyd denies believing she is a bad person. Lucy says if she walks away, she will be and recalls the children who will die today. Gideon and Lucy disassemble their investigation board while discussing their plan. He tells her that she can utilize the map to find him tonight. She argues that it all ends today but he disagrees. Young Isaac Chambers (Benjamin Chivers) warns her that bad things are going to happen. She assures him that she will fix it. Later, Lucy drives away while their investigation materials are burning in a barrel.

At a hotel, Ravi Dhillon (Nikesh Patel) watches Gideon’s interrogation video. A call from DCI Hatby pops up on his phone. The time jumps back and Lucy is calling. A news reporter (Donna Louise Bryan) is reporting on the Rigby’s Toys explosion. He hurriedly leaves. Elsewhere. Dr. Bennett (Meera Syal) listens to an audio recording of Isaac’s therapy session when he disappeared. Turning on the music, she pleads with Amelia to come from behind the curtain. Upset, Amelia says it’s ugly and horrible. She looks behind the curtain to find no one there. She is relieved until she sees her wilted paper flowers.

At Rigby’s Toys, Lucy watches two children playing. In a vehicle outside the store, Gideon announces an hour to go. She suggests evacuating the store but he warns her against it. At Ravie and Lucy’s favorite place, he recalls engraving their initials and anniversary year into the bench. She teases him about it being vandalism. A time jump, Ravi receives a call from Lucy informing him of the bombing which occurred shortly after 11am. Back at their favorite spot, Ravi sees it is 10:13am and races down the hill. Elsewhere, Isaac takes a photo of Sylvia Chambers (Barbara Marten). Seeing she isn’t in the photo, she leaves to do something with his watch. While looking in a mirror, Evelyn Wiseman (Amanda Lawrence) sees a woman. She closes and opens her eyes to find the woman gone. She briefly hears voices. Boyd calls out to her. Evelyn asks if she can hear the voices. Boyd manipulates her into believing the voices want her freed. Returning Isaac’s watch, Sylvia assures him that he can still hear them. Closing his eyes, he hears the voices arguing when they hear a disturbance upstairs. She tells him to hide. Boyd descends the stairs and asks Sylvia where they went. Sylvia sits quietly while she finds her keys and walks out the door.

At Rigby’s Toys, Lucy finds a backpack. Gideon assures her that he never missed the bomber. Removing the earpiece, she opens the back to find nothing unusual. Louise (Charlotte Raimes) accuses her of trying to steal it. Lucy races out the rear exit and alerts Gideon. Isaac calls to tell her that Boyd escaped and he and Sylvia left the house. Lucy demands he stay put till she gets there. Gideon emerges from his vehicle and tries her phone to no avail. The bomber appears outside the store. Gideon records him and blows his horn. The bomber enters the store where Ravi is warning Frank (Toby Longworth) of the bomb threat. He encounters Ben Watson (Nathan Parry-Davies) and Kelly Watson (Mimi Joffroy) on the stairs. Ravi sends Louise, her son, and two boys outside when he spots the bomber. As Ravi reaches out, the bomber repeatedly stabs him before fleeing. Gideon finds Ravi and tells him to apply pressure to reduce the bleeding. He apologizes and pursues the bomber. In a garage, the bomber knocks Gideon out. Inside the store, an injured Ravi finds the bomb inside the backpack, lays back, and has flashbacks of his time with Lucy. He appears to die before the timer beeps.

Evelyn tries to write a letter to Jonah when the police arrive. She hurriedly blacks out the entire paper. An officer orders her to open the door. Elsewhere, Lucy finds Sylvia and Isaac waiting for her. She hurries stuffs cash and a fake driver’s license with her photo and the name, Jane Hall, into a bag. She burns Gideon’s map. Boyd arrives and arrests Lucy for assault and kidnap of a police officer. Lucy asks if the bomb exploded. Boyd says Gideon was seen near Rigby’s Toys before the explosion. Isaac steps in front of Lucy. Boyd assures him that they only want to ask Lucy a few questions. Lucy tells him to stay with Sylvia until she comes back. As they embrace, the time jumps back. He says, “Sometimes it’s before. Sometimes It’s what comes next” and escorts her through the woods. A loud noise drops her to her knees. All goes quiet and she is outside her house in the woods with Isaac. Back in the present, Boyd says Lucy disappeared. An officer disputes her claim. Sylvia tells them that it was Isaac. She claims he doesn’t believe he belongs here but she thinks otherwise.

Lucy and Isaac are in a remote area waiting for someone. He has an injured leg. She goes to make a call. Back in the present, PC Beth Courtney (Ramanique Ahluwalia) gives Boyd what is left of Gideon’s hand-drawn map. Elsewhere, Bennett arrives to pick up Lucy and Isaac. Gideon arrives a short time later and warns them of a roadblock. Lucy asks what happened at Rigby’s. He tells her that someone saw the Bomber’s face and vows to make him sorry for not killing him. Isaac says they must go without him if they want to catch the Bomber. Lucy promises to return for him. They embrace. She gives Bennett some documents before joining Gideon on the footpath toward the farm. An envoy of police arrives. With nowhere to go, Gideon insists they reset. When she refuses, he blurts out that Ravi evacuated Rigby’s but couldn’t make it out. She accuses him of lying. An officer orders Gideon to put down his gun. Gideon assures Lucy that it will be okay and tells her to count to three. As she asks about Isaac, he pulls the trigger and everything goes black.

Debbie Warren (Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty) shows Bennett Isaac’s camera. The police confiscated the memory card. Bennett says don’t talk, only listen to him. Debbie tells her that they are going to make him part of their family. Isaac is fidgeting his fingers when Lucy appears. The episode ends.

 

The Devil’s Hour Review

Although the finale isn’t remarkable, it shows how far Lucy and Gideon will go to stop the bomber. It isn’t clear if the bomb exploded inside Rigby’s Toys. What is clear it was evacuated and Ravi was already dead.

There is no explanation as to why Isaac has special abilities. It would be nice if season three touched on this but I wouldn’t hold my breath. If Lucy and Gideon continue to reset going forward, the subplots will keep piling up until Amazon Studios cancels the series. It’s doubtful, viewers will ever see a resolution or satisfying ending.

The constant time jumps made the story hard to follow. The finale deserves a 6 out of 10.

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