Serial box

THIS series of (Netflix) ended on a tragic note. Weird suspense is built in to the show. It’s a forensic study of moral decline, and not just in the character of Jimmy (aka Saul), who tries — in vain — to repair some of the damage he has done to others while trying to scam his way towards a more secure future.

The finale was all about Jimmy’s brother Chuck, whose internal damage came to be symbolised by a fear of electricity, which developed into an allergic reaction to the modern world. As a parable of sibling rivalry, it was epic.

In Jimmy McGovern’s Sean Bean’s troubled priest went the full Frank Capra in his efforts to save Roz (Paula Malcomson). Capra might have summoned the angels. McGovern chose, instead, to interrogate faith.