Lydecker, curious to find out why his X5s are being experimented on until death, enlists the aid of Max and Zack to make a raid on Manticore and hit them where it hurts.

A season finale always has to have plenty of incident, and although there are points of this one where the outcome seems obvious, it pulls enough surprises to keep things interesting. It's good to see a couple more X5s in the shape of Crit and Zif, and the raid shows off their abilities superbly. Lydecker's involvement is the icing on the cake, as, betrayed by his boss, he is forced to side with the escapees to make his presence felt. His untrustworthy status is played up on very well, with everyone a little unsure of him, but knowing that he is their only hope for getting the job done. The tense scenes with him and Logan are particularly effective.

But let's go back to those surprises. The first is Lydecker's special relationship with Max, simultaneously quite touching and also very creepy. Then there's Max's shooting, leading to a happy season-ending reunion with all her friends, including Lydecker. When this turns out to be due to the bullet wound she has sustained, it's a wonderful wrench back to reality, and racks the tension up once again. When she dies in Logan's arms, you wonder how she can get out of this one, and she nearly doesn't. It's a great idea to have Max meet her younger self in the form of an advanced X7 model, and the fight scenes (all of them) are superbly kinetic.

Piling on shock after shock (Max's death, Zack's sacrifice), the season ends on a downbeat note, with Max in Manticore hands, Logan alone and believing her dead, Zack actually dead and the ability to make further X5s destroyed. It's a hollow victory for the Manticore escapees, but it certainly leaves you wanting more next year. Thankfully, it'll be back.

*****

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