TV episode review
UK airdate 16 April 2010 (BBC One)

A series of arson attacks on the day of the 1983 General Election leads Gene to suspect that The Great Handbag is the next target…

Another well-crafted episode sees Jim Keats try to sow further dissension within Gene Hunt’s team, this time focusing on Ray Carling, whose past becomes a subject of discussion after he bravely races into a burning building. Keats knows exactly the right buttons to press with each of the team, targeting Ray’s dissatisfaction with his promotion prospects as well as his loyalty to Hunt. This allows Dean Andrews the character development that both Marshall Lancaster and Montserrat Lombard have had in the past.

The 1983 General Election was heavily influenced by the Falklands War, and appropriately so is the episode – it’s one of those where a knowledge of the period adds extra layers to the drama, particularly in the revelations in the final act. It also allows for some sharper than normal comments from Gene Hunt!

The series has changed format noticeably, with no “breakthroughs” from contemporary times being seen. Instead we get weird moments where characters, quite literally, see stars, or the world seems to go dark around them. With five episodes left, is time running out for them in a different way than we’ve thought? Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10