Right then, this is more like it! Ep 6 delivers the tension and psychological complexity this series has been promising from the start, with a genuinely gripping confrontation that justifies the entire journey thus far.
Dave's hospital recovery provides excellent character development. Egerton handles Dave's subsequent psychological unraveling with impressive nuance - the man's desperation to prove himself drives some genuinely compelling detective work.
The episode's masterstroke involves a seemingly innocuous detail from Dave's audiobook that finally provides concrete evidence of his involvement in past crimes. It's precisely the kind of subtle revelation that good psychological thrillers should deliver... inevitable in hindsight yet shocking in the moment.
The climactic confrontation between the two arsonists provides genuine dramatic stakes without resorting to melodrama. Both characters feel authentically damaged rather than cartoonishly villainous, and their face-off carries real psychological weight.
Egerton's performance reaches new heights here, particularly in the final scenes where Dave's heroic facade barely conceals his underlying instability.
Bottom Line: After several episodes of inconsistent quality, "Manhood" demonstrates what this series can achieve when it focuses on character psychology over procedural mechanics. Genuinely gripping television that finally lives up to its potential.
