SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Lynley Episode 4.

The Lynley finale comes too soon, as it’s been one of the best new shows on BritBox this year. Episode 4 delivers a satisfying conclusion to the series’ emotional arc, although it does so by employing plot points that any fan of crime dramas will recognize. With the door left open for more, this feels like a beginning as much as an end.

Episode 4 features the show’s most violent case yet—which is unsurprising given that TV finales almost always have to be bigger and bolder than the ones that came before. A serial killer is on the loose, and there are several other elements that could’ve made up a whole episode on their own. There’s the fact that the murderer has ties to a local church. There’s the corrupt cop in the department. And there’s the trope of putting someone the main characters love in the line of fire. Any one of these could’ve formed the basis of its own story; trying to put them all together has mixed but generally solid results.

The blg plot twist doesn’t feel entirely twisty; from the moment that Lynley introduces the local criminology professor, audiences know that the character must have some connection to the murders. A whole subplot of Lynley at university would be totally out of place. On the plus side, the expected plot twist—that Lynley and Havers’ boss is the corrupt cop—doesn’t come to fruition. DCI Brian Nies certainly seemed set up for a fall as early as Episode 2, but Lynley avoids wasting Daniel Mays in that fashion. His character still needs more of an arc, though, and perhaps that will come in the second season this show so richly deserves.

Some viewers may take issue with Helen Clyde being abducted by the serial killer, but mileage on that complaint may vary. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book to have a main character’s love interest targeted or implicated in a crime. And Helen breaking up with Lynley after her abduction, citing the risks of his job, is also a very tired reasoning. However, Inspector Lynley fans know that if Lynley follows canon—which it doesn’t have to—Lynley and Helen eventually marry, so that gives this breakup a sense of impermanence. It’s more likely than not that the two get back together and that softens the emotional blow considerably.

But for the flaws in the narrative, Lynley Episode 4 does the most important thing: it gives Leo Suter and Sofia Barclay another chance to shine, and brings their characters’ journey to a natural conclusion (for now). It’s a small but nice touch that writer Stephen Thompson opens the episode with Havers catching the case, after he gave Lynley the same solo treatment in Episode 3. That is yet another example of how evenly Lynley treats both characters. Both of them have plenty to do in the episode; even once Helen becomes involved, it feels like a two-hander, and Havers’ sense of obligation doesn’t go away because the script is now focused on Lynley’s angst.

Viewers can also see how Suter and Barclay have found their rhythm together. It didn’t take them long to click, but by Episode 4 they’re like a well-oiled machine. The looks they give and the way they bounce dialogue off one another establish the growing rapport between Lynley and Havers that Thompson is going for. There’s no need for a big scene to prove that these two are now partners; it’s all quietly stated in the actors’ performances. That being said, Thompson is also smart—and a little cheeky—to have the final scene of the season be an inverse of their first meeting. Instead of Havers talking down about Lynley as he enters, now she’s the one insisting they leave for a drink. He’s earned his spot in her eyes. These two characters are a genuine team who actually live up to all the platitudes thrown out in other cop dramas. And the two actors feel the same way, too, like a perfect pair who bring out the best in each other. Lynley Episode 4 makes the case that there ought to be about 40 more episodes to come.

All four episodes of Lynley are now streaming on BritBox. Photo Credit: Courtesy of BritBox.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.