The Gold episode three review: BBC One, 9pm, Sunday, February 26

From the quiet, music-free opening scene set in Sierra Leone (which will leave most audiences scratching their heads for 20 minutes), it seems that episode three is going to suffer from Middle Part Syndrome. The story’s underway with most of the exciting stuff in the rear view mirror, no new characters are being introduced and it’s not going to reach a conclusion anytime soon.

It’s a tough situation for filmmakers and storytellers to be in and the team behind The Gold can’t quite lift this one out of its middle-episode lull.

That said, the episode uses it’s somewhat settled story to explore the characters a bit more.

Dominic Cooper is particularly stong here as the lawyer Edwyn Cooper, experiencing the sparks of a possible new love interest, while dealing with the crushing lows of his marriage falling apart. He has good onscreen chemistry with Ellora Torchia as Sienna Rose, a woman who seemed like a confident (though slightly cliched) temptress for Edwyn last episode, but is now revealing a more sensitive side.

Dorothy Atkinson also gets a pretty good scene as one of Kenneth Noye’s partners Jeannie Savage. Dropping ten grand on the pavement and not realising for 15 minutes would be very bad for normal people. But when you’re playing a key role in a gold-laundering operation it would become a complete nightmare and Dorothy Atkinson really conveys that sense of panic and bewilderment. Jack Lowden gets to show more of Kenneth Noye’s callous streak here by potentially throwing her to the wolves when the money is handed to a police station and she has to go in and get it.

Hugh Bonneville’s a stand-out once again having gone a bit quiet for episode two. Here, he doesn’t need to say much, but he makes us feel the weight of responsibility coming down on him as the investigation starts getting dangerous. His belief in fairness and doing the right thing does battle with his concern for officer Nikki Jennings when she demands to accompany her partner to an unstable Sierra Leone. It all plays out on his face in some effectively subtle acting.

Charlotte Spencer gets to show a different side to her character too, mostly in her somewhat flirty interrogation of a young gold miner at the fake mine in Sierra Leone. It’s a far cry from her cynical, no-nonsense questioning of that little oik in episode one and comes across as far smarter and effective approach.

Overall though, apart from some pulse-pounding final few minutes, this one feels a bit like it’s re-treading the same ground of the past two episodes. Many of the same conflicts and issues come up but without enough new insight to justify their inclusion.

My feeling is that the best is yet to come and this might just be the calm before the storm. So, if you have a spare 58 minutes this evening, get comfortable and enjoy some top-notch acting and a series of grim and moody scenes. Just don’t expect the story to thrill you until the very end.