Whereas the second episode was certainly less shocking and more low-key than the first, it’s true to say that Episode 3 of Channel 4’s new drama, Utopia, is gonna have people talking/complaining due to numerous scenes of jaw-dropping brutality and teeth-grinding cruelty.

Not that that’s a bad thing, of course.

The opening scene, for example, finds killer Arby and his distinctive yellow bag in a school, unleashing hell on teachers and pupils. It’s disturbing, partly due to the eerie soundtrack but mainly down to the excruciatingly raw portrayal from actor Neil Maskell.

The third instalment of this fascinating show belongs to the mumbling monosyllabic murderer. His nerve is uncharacteristically tested and, whilst there’s not a turnaround or remorse, there’s certainly a shift change. Emotion is seeping in as he begins to ask questions about his own origin.

But he’s a killer, a bona fide killer, and there’s a showdown scene featuring him towards the end of the episode that is one of the most electric of its type shown on the small screen for some time. Maskell’s performance in these moments will have you gaping in awe and disgust; his face is a work of art to be appreciated and admired as he discovers that the much sought-after manuscript is within his grasp.

If killings in a school weren’t enough to get certain newspapers upset, then the use of the “C” word in a church, followed by several bloody shots to the head, very well might. Again, like the school scenes though, it is anything but gratuitous.

Our “heroes” have fled into the countryside and break into a deserted house only to discover that their young boy Grant has been framed for the aforementioned school murders. The gang, somewhat, take a back-seat as the story continues apace -though we now begin to understand a little more about them, and find suspicion in every word from certain characters.

Elsewhere, the side-plot of Michael Dugdale and the Russian flu becomes more intense as he is drawn deeper into saving himself from the mess he created. The civil servant travels to the disease-stricken island to obtain a sample of the flu only to return to find his minister at home with his wife; with an odious threat below even the tactics of cold killer Arby.

It should be said that however grim Utopia is in parts, there are moments of delightful humour peppered throughout, saving it from being a humourless dirge. We’re at the halfway point and the series shows no signs of relenting, and only demonstrates an admirable ability to grow, intrigue and shock.

Aired at 10pm on Tuesday 29 January 2013 on Channel 4.

> Order Series 1 on DVD on Amazon.

What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…