Spoilers were sent to bed without supper.

Psychological mystery thrillers are the kind of films that can be a joy to watch. I know it’s a long description, but it’s a particularly potent mix in the right combination. I’m sure I’ve written about this subgenre before, maybe in this same fashion. Memory is kinda tricky sometimes, you think you’ve seen before and then you have that deja vu feeling. And yes, this is leading somewhere. So, this show is pretty good if you’re willing to invest the time. There’s a hint of something happening that is out of the ordinary, but it works better when you don’t know what to expect. If this sounds like your thing, stop reading, go watch and come back.

The Devil’s Hour (2022) is created by Tom Moran. Lucy Chambers (Jessica Rain) has her hands full with her job as a social services case worker. On top of that, her personal life is devoted to raising her son, Isaac (Benjamin Chivers), a boy who appears to have mental issues. Isaac does not appear to exhibit emotions and he talks to people we can’t see. Notice I didn’t say people that aren’t there. Meanwhile, brilliant young detective inspector Ravi Dhillon (Nikesh Patel) and his more senior partner Nick Holness (Alex Ferns) are on the trail of a suspected serial killer. So who is Gideon Shepherd (Peter Capaldi) and why is arrested?

This is a slow burn series, so explanations will take a while to come. So will realizations, so there will be times in which you’re either waiting for the show to catch up or going back because you missed something. Now, this works a bit like a magic act. The show has to make you believe something else is happening so you don’t see what’s really going on, except for cryptic clues. Most of them are shown as either flashes that Lucy imagines or dreams. We are slowly let in to a glimpse of what’s going on. But even as the show keeps all its cards close to the vest, at some point before the big reveal you might just be a step ahead.

It works. It has decent execution almost throughout. Except it does feel like it waits too long for the reveal and at the same time it sort of an unsatisfying finale. Going for the strange and unusual works fine, but once the cat is out of the bag the tension relaxes. The ending is a bit non-climatic. You almost wish it wouldn’t end there. I can’t discuss it, but it doesn’t quite feel like it should work that way… Then again, after the big reveal almost any ending is supposed to fit, but it doesn’t resolve things to its organic conclusion. I get why, given the premise behind the overall plot once revealed, but it’s a bit forced.

Recommended with reservations. I think it works as rather strange mystery thriller well executed with a bit of a flat ending. The ending works within the premise kept hidden until the end, but it doesn’t wrap the storyline in a completely satisfying manner. It doesn’t negate the entire thing, I just felt that with that reveal we could have had an extra episode to build up a more organically developed finale. Worth a watch, even if just one.

That will do for now.