After weeks of steadily rising tension, the season finale of Down Cemetery Road stumbles precisely where it should have closed with precision. The script’s flaws accumulate into numerous plot holes, making the nearly hour-long episode feel like an exercise in stretching a story that is already overcomplicated.

Sarah and Dinah manage to reach the coast in Amos’s boat, and as they try to disguise themselves to escape, they run into Zoe. Yes, “somehow,” she not only survived the explosions and Amos’s line of fire, but also swam, found the boat that had abandoned the two girls on the island, and reappeared with the help of a captain who openly hates the English. None of this is remotely explained; the show simply asks the audience to accept the absurd.

On the other side of the chessboard, Malik sees everything unfold. Sent to Scotland by C to “wrap things up,” he handles the mission in the most convoluted way possible, much to his boss’s frustration, now under pressure from the Secretary of State, who finally has all the information about what truly happened.

What follows is a parade of predictable — and at times unintentionally risible — situations. Still, the strength of the cast keeps the tension afloat. Malik hijacks the bus where Zoe, Sarah, and Dinah are hiding on their way to the train station, takes them to an abandoned church, and hesitates to kill them. With no other option, C calls Amos, in excellent spirits after completing his revenge. Or at least part of it.

C hires him for one last job. The “bonus”? Handing Malik over as an incentive. When Amos arrives at the church, he is his usual calm, superior predator. But Zoe and Sarah are not easy prey. Their attempted escape through the sewer delivers a genuinely harrowing sequence. Sarah and Dinah are forced to deal with Malik, while Zoe is captured by Amos.

Sarah confronts the clumsy government operative with a gun and, remembering the tip taught by Downey, destroys Malick’s arm. Meanwhile, Zoe engages in a brutal physical fight with Amos. When all seems lost, she stabs his eye with a pin. Amos slips, falls, and dies after hitting his head. A truly memorable villain from start to finish, and a remarkable performance by Fehinti Balogun, who sustains menace even when the script falters.

In the epilogue, Sarah and Zoe return to England by train, while Malik, who is injured, apparently makes the journey on foot. Back in London, C shifts the blame onto the Secretary’s shoulders and calmly moves on to the “private sector of terrorism.” At Zoe’s request, Wayne releases all the confidential documents, exposing the entire operation to the public.

Sarah asks Zoe whether she plans to continue working as a private detective once they’re back, admitting she has no idea what to do with her own life. Dinah is handed over to her next of kin and sent to live with the family, a resolution riddled with unanswered questions: how were they contacted? How did they know where to find Sarah? And after everything that happened, how could the girl be handed over without even confirming their identity?

Zoe charges Sarah for the costs of the entire ordeal, and each of them goes their separate way. The finale leaves far too many loose ends to ignore, clearly positioning itself as a bridge toward a potential second season.

Down Cemetery Road lacks the narrative solidity of Slow Horses, Mick Herron’s subsequent work, but there is still material — at least three more books — to draw from. Even so, with Malik transformed into a monster left loose in the world, it feels as though this particular story may already have hit its ceiling. Despite the stumbles, it was a strong season overall. And yes, I’m still rooting for more.