As Bedlam’s second series draws to a close, it’s all about tying up loose ends and gluing together important plot points from the first series and from earlier episodes in this year’s run. But as another day dawns in Brightmoor, Max (Jack Roth) awakens to see the spirit of his dead father (Steven Elder) sitting on the end of his bed, and Ellie attempting to sneak out of the flat, with the intention of never coming back.

As Ellie and Max discover the truth about her first few years of life at the hospital, aided by flashbacks and the spirit of her younger self, Eve (keep up!), Max’s quest to find his Dad put them both in danger.

Following Warren’s (Hugo Speer) discovery of Kate’s body, he moves through a number of emotions, from grief, to anger, to acceptance. Warren’s mood switches from suicidal to vengeful in seconds, however, when his son, Dan (Nikesh Patel), informs him that Ellie is in danger, and it’s all down to Joseph Bale (Tam Dean Burn). A feeling of revenge only intensifies when it emerges that Warren was the one that helped Eve (now Ellie) escape from Joseph 20 years previously by murdering the evil hospital worker.

Meanwhile Dan and the sadly underused Keira (Gemma Chan) use their time in this episode running around trying to figure out what the hell to do, which for Keira, involves crying out of one eye and insisting on calling the police. But as they panic and weep, deep down in the deadly bowels of Bedlam Height’s tunnels, Ellie is reunited with Joseph, only to find out that not only was Jed her brother (called it, oh yes), but Joseph is her father.

But this family reunion is marred by violence and before long Joseph is once again lying in a pool of blood. That said, appearances can be deceptive, and the episode ends with Warren’s lifeless body being wheeled out of the basement. But what of Joseph? As some CGI reliably informs us, he’s taken residency in Ellie’s womb, as a baby with dead, black eyes and the Bedlam emblem emblazoned on his skull. Blimey.

So, with such an obvious teaser for a third series being sandwiched into the final episode, it’s also revealed that Joseph is the serial killer that featured in Series 1 – you know, the serial killer that no one has mentioned in this series? So while resolutions to some dangling plot threads are shoe-horned in, others, such as Ellie’s pregnancy, are less clear – did she lie about her abortion? Or is this immaculate conception?

While this could be left to lure viewers back for another series, it’s hard to be sure what’s a plot hole and what’s part of an ongoing storyline (especially with a natural sense of wariness regarding Series 3 even bringing back the same cast). Ellie’s pregnancy storyline wasn’t well-handled in the episodes leading up to this – does this mean it’s going to be more sensitively handled next year?

Finally, what is Joseph? He’s definitely dead, having been murdered by Warren, but he possesses many skills – shapeshifting, omnipresence, and he bleeds like living beings?

What’s next for Bedlam? Only time will tell…

Aired at 10pm on Wednesday 11th July 2012 on Sky Living.

> Buy the Series 1 DVD on Amazon.

> Order Series 2 on DVD on Amazon.

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