It seems to be changing direction mid-stream for our Spotless pals, let’s see what the penultimate episode of the season has to offer.

We left Jean (Marc-Andre Grondin) and Martin (Denis Menochet) bro-ing it up after dropping the murderous Nelson Clay (Brendan Coyle) back at his house with his adulterous wife Sonny (Kate Magowan) and Julie (Miranda Raison) mortified after her attempted makeout sesh with the psychopathic Victor Clay (Liam Garrigan). We haven’t seen Claire (Tanya Fear) in awhile, but Julie now knows about her I’m sure it will be right cozy when HER adulterous hubs skins his adorable arse back home. Oh and Maddy (Jemma Donovan) / Casey stole a bunch of heroin from her uncle / crush ages ago and is meeting up with some random internet stranger who looks nothing like his “foto” ( I didn’t remember this until the preview, my bad). Hey, whatever happened to the crazy guy Romain (Maxime LaFrancois) and Nico (Damein Taranto) worked for? Will that be in play again before the season ends? Let’s see!

Maddy is at Steven’s (Bailey Hayden) mate’s Nutmeg’s party (that was an awful sentence, sorry!) drinking and she’s been roofied. She stumbles and Steven helpfully guides her to a bed in the back. Oh.mein.gott.

Thank you for not keeping me in suspense, Maddy apparently made it home by midnight, sweet mother of Bob, and Jean and Julie STILL aren’t talking about anything of note. Jean figures he has this parenting bit down pat, he’ll just treat his thirteen year old daughter like an adult! No way this plan will fail!

He chastises Maddy at the breakfast table while she lies to him and gets several texts of herself nekkid while passed out. Why do people suck so much? Jean smiles patronizingly at Julie, who is able to recognize a con-job when she hears one and laughs inside.

Martin and Jean head to work while Joey (Doug Allen) brings Nelson back his immaculate ride. The thugs that jacked it tried to make amends by having it serviced, washed and filled up (like they CanadianStole it!), but seeing as they also left him to die in the woods, Nelson makes this face:

Instead of killing them, he wants to give them a job, because that makes sense. Sonny comes in and compliments Nelson on the jacket he’s wearing (that she picked out) and tries to tempt him into getting away from it all. Victor calls. Sonny hangs on every single word, trying to figure out what Victor is talking to Nelson about, but it’s about some kind of review, maybe politics? Ah commercial license for Buckingham Gate is in for final planning approval: Victor is there to make sure all the wheels stay greased and directly on track. He’s “always f*cking charming.”

Nelson says they’ll be part of the establishment now, and that “they” can never get rid of him after that and the music takes the mood dark in an instant. Does anyone else feel immediately that this will not go through and Nelson’s legitimacy will be gone before felt?

Jean wants to only work legit jobs now, since that was doing so well for him before. How much were those two mortgages you have on the house, Jean? 1 million pounds or somefing? At any rate: Maureen (Naomi Radcliffe) raises her eyebrows and suuuure.

Martin is bored working Jean’s regular work, blah blah blah dead people and their shite. Martin wants to talk about Sonny, he says he met a girl and there are feelings and Jean advises him to stick it out. Martin brings up her being married, Jean suggests maybe that’s a good thing, no commitment? And then, oh, she’s married to Nelson and you can almost hear the record scratch. Jean’s mad again and tells Martin he’s on his own and what else is new? Problems only run one way in Jean’s world.

He takes a minute to snap at Rosie (Izabella Urbanowicz) and Padraig (Jake Curran) for being unprofessional, would that be like when you fall asleep watching a dead person’s home movies?

Maddy is getting more taunting texts from the unknown nekkid pics sender; and Steven sold those drugs of Martin’s for 300 quid. She’s finally found someone to talk to about it, and for a 12 year old, her friend has pretty good advice. She says everyone is naked on the internet these days (even fat people *gasp*) and to not let this yerkoff manipulate her into worrying like crazy. Can they do geography now?

Sonny and Martin are meeting to discuss their Victor-knowing Problem, and for once, they have clothes on. She tells him of her plan to squirrel Nelson away; Martin is confused. Was she planning to kill Nelson? Classic example of being on completely different pages: he has feelings, she’s trying to keep her house from falling down. Isn’t it over with Nelson, though? Once you’ve gotten what you need elsewhere, especially if you didn’t know you need it: is there really any going back? He’s hurt. But will take care of Victor, since he’s the only person who knows right now. She says they have to finish, as she moves towards him and tries to kiss him. He does not allow.

The poignancy of that scene showed everything Martin is now, which is everything that he was not.

Oh my. Julie not only knows about Claire, she knows WHO she is, and she’s at Claire’s place of work, the Cartier shop. She stares in dismay at Claire’s arse and asks to try on a necklace…a little treat, since she has a couple of kids and a husband who works all hours. There’s a cruel moment where Claire and Julie’s faces are reflected in the same mirror and they’ve done something (or not done something) to Julie’s face so she looks older and Claire’s reflects the tyranny of youth and good genes. Julie hands over her credit card, and as Claire looks at the name

Julie thought they ought to meet. They go for coffee and Julie is very calm while Claire is braced for a storm of hurled invective. I’ve been in this position before, and like Julie, I didn’t bear any ill-will towards the other woman, I just wanted to ask her WHY? What? It’s strange thing, to ask someone else their opinion of your partner and your relationship, but I understand why Julie asks: Claire is indeed “uniquely positioned.”

Claire says Jean has been under a great deal of stress, what with the likely death by mobster and Julie pffts: we’re all under stress. And she doesn’t even know the half of it! Actually, she didn’t know any of it, not really, so when Claire talks about Jean being frightened because they’ve killed people in front of him, she says the understatement of the century “my husband doesn’t confide in me.” Oy.

So, at least NOW Julie is aware of the danger she and her family are in, and it took Claire for her to find out.

Maddy looks exactly like what a hungover 13-year-old being blackmailed for sex looks like; her taunter wants to meet her at 3 at the park. She tries to ask Martin for help, but he’s bizzay, doncha know, and blows her off. Which is a shame, because this area (dealing with psychopaths connected to the drug trade) actually is right up his alley. Instead he grabs a knife and goes to stake out Victor’s movements in Nelson’s pub.

Side note: the scoring this episode is AWESOME.

Joey and Denny (Sam Mackay) are discussing politics while Nelson’s lawyer is going over the terms of his Buckingham Gate plan; the lawyer is quite put out by the requirement that Nelson set aside 15% of the development for low-income housing, but Nelson isn’t. As Victor explains, Nelson was raised in the north, and he has a “how many dinners can you eat” mentality. He thinks not being greedy will allow them to fly under the radar and we’ll see.

Jean’s come to visit Julie at work (HOW DOES HE STILL HAVE HIS HEAD AND WOBBLY BITS ATTACHED???) all friendly-like, so I guess Claire hasn’t called him. He’s brought sushi and starts to talk about the danger they’re all in, but not exactly. She breaks in with “that killed people in front of you” and he says …it was Nelson Clay and she’s been in his house. He calls Nelson honourable, in a way, and I understand what he means, but if it weren’t for a couple of really stupid carjackers, Jean would be fertilizing a tree in a quiet glenn right now.

She finally loses it, she wants to know if the problem is that he doesn’t trust her? Or that he doesn’t respect her? He says he loves and respects her more than anyone he’s ever met and all of a sudden she understands the real crux of the matter: are she and the children safe? He lies to her again, of course, blah blah and she knows then that she has to test him. She asks him if there are any more secrets, and if he’s told her everything; when he affirms she says “well you didn’t even blink. Oh, I met Claire today.” She tells him to pick up his stuff from home and then leave. People are funny, hey? Oh, we’re going to be murdered in our beds and you’ve borrowed a million pounds against our shared domicile? Okay, anything else? ? Sleeping with someone else? GET THE FCUK OUT!

Nelson and Victor are visiting Buckingham Gate; Nelson tells him he’s taking Sonny to Portugal as a surprise to restore a mansion and live differently, plant some olives.

He tells Victor to live right, be smart and he can have this Buckingham Gate and they hug and that would be when Sonny cheating comes up, right? Or not. I missed the importance of this conversation the first time I watched it; this complicated visionary of a mob-boss is going, baby, gone, he’s taking a flyer out of the business and his happiness awaits. Also: Nelson hugs just as I thought he would, it looks like being mauled by a friendly bear.

Maddy is being lured from the park to what looks like a school, being scared by Steven. He tells her the fotos and drugging her are just business; if she’s not at the Mason Arms at 6 to meet a bloke, they’re going online.

Jean has come to see Claire and apologize, she won’t let him see her naked and it’s all over. Her mom died the week before and of course he didn’t know, because their visits were all about him and his needs and they will probably not see each other again.

Sonny is horseback riding while Victor lurks and Martin hovers. Victor tells Sonny Nelson would like her to wear the black dress as she asks repeatedly: has he told Nelson? He says Nelson adores her, and he does, but I think he’s more worldly than that maybe?

Maddy has come to see her mom at work as well, let’s hope she is honest about what’s going on. She does try, but Julie has had just enough of people lying to her today and takes it personally. Off Maddy goes; I may have snort-laughed when she calls furniture design and writing “not real jobs.” I have it on good authority that there are jobs that fall within that spectrum that pay money, you know, like unicorns and rainbows exist at the same time!

Martin finally sees his chance with Victor, Denny leaves Victor alone and off Victor pops…to Bastiere Design where Julie is waiting. Julie has finished Victor’s pieces, so they shake hands…and it gets weird. He asks her to dinner and a phone call from Martin blocks that particular Clay. I’d forgotten that of course she doesn’t know he’s Victor, she thinks he’s Michael and An Important Client and there it is.

She manages to keep a good poker face when Martin tells her the true identity of her client, but then, we know how good she is at that. After a tense staredown, Victor leaves with a promise of a date later and Martin snags her in the alley. At least HE’S looking out for her, although she’s too terrified and angry to see.

Jean slowly packs his things, staring at their wedding pictures and laying in the kids’ rooms, which is where he finds the 300 quid under Maddy’s pillow.

Maddy has exhausted all her options and not found any support anywhere, so she has no other choice but to go to the Mason Arms to meet Steven’s “friend” Jerry. She hasn’t got a hope in hell of getting away but finally calls her dad and asks for help; that was the sole smart thing she did, take her phone into the washroom.

Jean tracks down Maddy’s sensible young friend and gets the 411 on what’s going down: I have no idea what I just said there.

Sonny is getting ready for the night, looking miserable the whole time. She doesn’t know if Victor told Nelson or not.

There’s an ocean of fear and self-loathing in those eyes. She’s terrified when he blindfolds her from behind, saying “trust me.”

Always a card, our Nelson. Although

might have fit as well

Maddy is stalling at the pub when Jean comes rolling in mad as hell. He scares off the john, sacks Steven in the balls and breaks his phone. Maddy has the presence of mind to grab the memory card, I bet there are more girls on there. And the cloud, see. Anyway, yay Jean! And yay Maddy for trusting him.

A very nervous Sonny is asking Nelson where they’re going; his petting her is like acid on her skin.

Jean drives Maddy home and when asked if they can keep the pictures between themselves, says no, they can’t. No more lies, no matter how uncomfortable. And he can’t come in right now. I do wish parents were honest, in an age-appropriate way. I had to explain breastfeeding to my six year old today and I don’t think either one of us is over it yet.

Julie calls Victor to cancel their date; she knows who he is. He says it’s a shame, and when she asks why he did that, he said he enjoyed being someone else. And isn’t that the truth? Wouldn’t it be so nice to slip on another persona for a bit and in his case, not be a necrophiliac murderer for a few minutes at a time? She says she won’t see him again and he corrects her: he will see her. And thanks to Martin, she is fully aware of the danger to herself and her children: he’s been to her home, remember.

Sonny and Nelson finally arrive at their evening’s destination; her hands shake as she takes off her blindfold to see…a beautiful house with dinner set for two.

He can’t figure out why she’s so scared and just peed, but she can’t speak just yet to explain. He really does adore her.

Martin and Jean are drinking and talking about their prematurely-ended relationships; Jean is offended that Martin compares his “humping in a cupboard” to his marriage, but then we find out that Victor took a bunch of selfies that day of the expected serial killer masturbation scene. He sent them to Jean, to turn the knife, but Jean says that he and Martin don’t have to kill Victor: Nelson will.

And I’m not quite sure where he’s got that from but now I really wanna watch the last episode!

Ahhhhh!! Season finale next! I’m not sure I am ready to give up my Spotless just yet, you know? See you next time, for the last time this season.