This is England '90, episode three review: Series finale is unlikely to be pretty

This Is England ’90 has turned the gloom and despair up to 11

Lol and Woody in This is England '90, which concludes next week (Channel 4)

Over on Channel 4 hope was in increasingly short supply as, after two relatively cheery opening episodes, This Is England ’90 turned the gloom and despair up to 11. With pressure building in the gang following news of Combo’s early release from prison, Lol and Woody decided that the best way to tell the truth about her father’s death was to hold the world’s most depressing dinner party featuring a catastrophic combination of secrets unveiled and beliefs shattered – all helped down with plates of Brussels sprouts. By the episode’s end a devastated Kelly was nodding out on heroin while Combo struggled to adjust to civilian life and a furious Milky prepared for vengeance.

Next week’s finale is unlikely to be pretty.