Episode #1.5 

After two excellent opening episodes, The Night Manager was struggling to keep the momentum building. The show was still compelling, and it's well performed by all involved, but the story seemed to be getting lost amidst the spectacle. I was left wondering whether show could regain the standard of its opening episodes or whether it would slowly fade away into another disappointing BBC mini-series.

Simply put, episode five has successfully reinvigorated the show in every way possible. In this hour alone a substantial amount of plot was covered both in England and everywhere else, and every cast member gave a series best performance. The episode was dark, it was well paced and it featured a quite literally explosive middle act, followed by a deliriously intense finale. Tom Hiddleston gave his performance of the series this episode; stripped away from the glamour of the Mallorca hotel, he was able to really get a hold of his character in ways that the show's scripting hadn't really allowed him before this episode. He took some already great material, and elevated it to something quite exceptional.

With just one episode to go, The Night Manager needs to keep the explosiveness and the grit of this episode, but it also needs to ensure that the narrative remains focused throughout. It's clear that this show makes use of an enormous budget (for the BBC), and it feels as if they've been carried away by this a few too many times.

As long as the finale keeps the narrative grip of episodes one and two, and combines that with the drama and intensity of episode five, we're in for a treat.