It’s been two years since the events of Series 3 and John Luther is still utterly broken. He’s bought a little house on the edge of a cliff in the middle of nowhere and that edge is looking better and better every day. The only things keeping him from taking that final step are the shade of his beloved Ripley, who keeps reminding him that he’s needed, and the promise of a new life with Alice.

John just wants to be left alone until he hears from her but that’s not meant to be and his isolation is broken when Theo and newbie Emma show up with startling news that at first he refuses to believe. When it sinks in however, what’s left of John’s psyche crumbles. Unfortunately that’s only the beginning of John’s problems.

Idris Elba once again gives a commanding performance in the role that made him an international star as John gets pulled back into the field due to a new serial killer being on the loose, while simultaneously going on a revenge driven suicide run that does not go where you think it will.

The killer of the week, while not nearly as complex as previous foes, is frighteningly adept and insidious in his kills. Watching how his mind works and how he picks his prey is like being pulled taut with no release. The way each victim is hunted makes you feel as if you’re next and is utterly terrifying. I can honestly say I jumped each time he appeared.

The other place where the premiere excelled was in putting the band back together with John’s newest long term allies and foes. The new DIs, Theo and Emma, are excellent and feel as if they’ve been with us the whole time. Theo, who’s as by the book as they come, is smart enough to know when he’s in over his head, a nice contrast to previous DIs who felt the need to get into pissing contest with John. Emma, while nothing like Ripley in approach to her job nor temperament, brings out the protectiveness of John and the audience the same way Ripley did and you want her to succeed. Schenk is as no-nonsense as ever while Benny remains his hyper-competent yet easily flustered self.

Then there are Megan and Cornelius. Two halves of the same mysterious coin, each has ties to John that he is unaware of and each prove to be something more than they appear on the surface. It’s because of them that John starts to live again, instead of merely existing, and going forward it will be interesting to see where these new ties take him.

I’m definitely ready to see Episode 2 and just how far down the rabbit hole John goes.

I give this episode 4 out of 5 bags of diamonds.