So far this series we’ve had numerous glimpses of the strange South African tribal-looking creature flitting in and out of an abandoned house and then terrorising poor Rick last week in the hospital. Here we discover it’s called a “Dwarf Zombie” and it’s not a good omen for the boys – and I guess we’re going to see a lot more of it in next week’s finale.

Bad omens and torturous luck follow the foursome around everywhere, as we’ve become more than accustomed to over the three series. The joyous denouement of the previous episode, where the gang were reunited after two years apart, is somewhat flattened when the men start bickering once more. As they investigate the possibility of returning home, they are tracked down due to an electronic tag, carried by Rick, and once more accusations fly.

And then, just to top it all off, a visit to the British Consulate (where they think they’ll be safe) leads to a chase and the realisation that there are people in powerful positions that want them removed. A chance encounter with Mercedes (played by Dead Set‘s Jaime Winstone in a slightly less than convincing role), who the men met in a prison camp at the start of Series 3, leads them into the wilderness and a night in a village where certain doom is upon them.

There’s much familiarity present in this episode. Old ground is covered and the constant arguing between Quinn, Woody, Rick and Baxter is wearing slightly thin. We’ve seen them at each other’s throats many times, there’s nothing new being addressed whilst deja vu is felt in spades.

However, the fact that Quinn and Woody seem reluctant to return to Blighty does offer a glimmer of freshness and there are good number of chucklesome moments thrown in (the guys joining a gay march or Rick’s “masturbation” scene, for example). And, by the end, we are all wondering what hell they will land in next as the series goes from the frying pan into the fire and then into an oven in the depths of hades.

Oh, and nice to see Max Beesley Snr. getting some telly work these days!

Aired at 9pm on Tuesday 18 June 2013 on Sky1.

> Buy the Series 1-2 boxset on Amazon.

> Order Series 3 on DVD on Amazon.

Watch the trailer…

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