The Hour Series 2 Episode 4 review

No! Not Ben Whishaw's face! Freddie is dead, or almost, at the hands of Raphael Cilenti – payback for persuading Kiki Delaine on to the air to expose the workings of the club, the business concerns of a government minister, and corruption of the police force on a major scale. It was an episode that left me gripped, shocked but rather unconvinced: a strangely explicit end to a show that has largely been about smart quips and implied violence.

There were lots of questions raised by such a dramatic ending: would Cilenti have beaten a broadcast journalist to death while the protection he had previously enjoyed was being dismantled on air – wouldn't the line about being in the spotlight that Freddie fed Kiki have applied to him too? Why didn't Mr Lyon didn't just slip out the back of the cinema with Miss Delaine without Mr Pike spotting them? Was this a story worth dying for? Would exposing it change the nuclear future for Britain? And is Freddie actually dead, or is there just enough life left in him for a third series should one be granted?

This was a heartbreaking episode for Bel, an oddly celebratory one for Hector and Marnie, and an astonishing one for Randall and Lix. Having been very publicly dumped by Bill in the corridor of the show she produces – not so smooth now, are we Mr Uncovered? – Bel fell into Freddie's arms just in time for him to take off and play the hero, with disastrous consequences. I loved Freddie's line: "We talk too much. Instead we have to do something," which basically echoed what we've all been thinking since launched. I was less sure about Bel's letter voiceover as she ran down the stairs to find Freddie – I had always presumed that was the case; that she hadn't replied because she was unable to be honest about her emotions with him. I'm not sure I needed it literally reading out to me.

The smearing of Hector by Westminster was a clever attempt to bring the whole series together, but one I found slightly confusing given that we already knew he had been cleared – as Angus advised, he should have been in touch with his lawyer. But we did, at least, get to find out why Hector suddenly dropped into conversation last week that he couldn't give Marnie a baby: it turned out he didn't need to; Alastair at ITV has presumably provided where Mr Madden didn't. Most interesting was Hector's response to Marnie's announcement, and the pair's decision to put past dalliances behind them. There was some lovely acting from both parties on show here. Oona Chaplin has been magnificent this series, as has the writing in some of her scenes. The way she slapped down the ITV bosses was brilliant.

This episode's other standout moment came courtesy of Mr Brown and his manic, compulsive ordering as he attempted to control his emotions, and those wrenching sobs as he grieved for the child he had never known, killed in an air-raid with her adoptive parents. I could happily watch a whole series about Randall and Lix and the backstory that makes their characters so rich; so spellbinding. After all the will-they/won't-they of Bel and Freddie, the quiet sadness shared between the more senior members of the newsroom is all the more poignant – Anna Chancellor and Peter Capaldi have been a joy to watch.

? Capital punishment was still in place for murder at this time. Given that Cilenti had handed the murder of Rosa over to Pike, it seemed odd that he would risk such a punishment over Freddie – unless of course he's murdered so many, he might as well swing for a dozen as 11.

? For me, that suffocating scene between Kiki and Cilenti in the dressing room actually had more tension and menace than Freddie's beating. It was chilling.

? Freddie quotes Abraham Lincoln from 1864: "I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country … Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavour to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

,buy dvd online? Once more, McCain emerges intact – handling Miss Delaine's press inquiries and establishing his press management business while not actually offering The Hour a great deal in return, despite his conscience.

? Commander Stern's suicide, once he realised he was being frozen out and undermined by superiors also in Cilenti's pocket came as little surprise, although largely because it felt as if he had been trapped down a cul-de-sac with no escape for weeks.

? Freddie managed to raise a smile referring to Norman and Trevor. What names! Although that was before they started showing them they meant business.

? "There's that tick."

? What do we think about a third series? The team behind the show seem willing, but the BBC, has yet to be convinced. Viewing figures for the show have been poor – much poorer than it deserves. Despite its sometimes frustrating quirks, I'd argue this series has been an improvement on last, and on a great deal of other British drama on offer. Any thoughts?

,cheap disney dvd s? And finally, thanks for joining me on the blog. It's been a pleasure to read your comments, and share the joys and irritations of the show with you.