Graceless IV: Dancing at the End of Time

Despite having reached an apparent conclusion in the previous release, Graceless returns for a fourth and final volume here. It consists of four hour-long episodes, instead of the usual three. I found to be rather more mixed than the earlier volumes, but it's worth it for the last episode in particular (which ties together the other three, which otherwise appear to be disparate).

• The Bomb – The story starts up again over three centuries after the end of Vol. 3, with the sisters' adoptive world once again in peril. What's happened in the interim is only vaguely sketched in, but the sisters have aged considerably, and the story is notable for the fact that they are played by different, older, actors. This gives a different tone to things, but the plot itself is unremarkable. In particular, it's obvious from early on how the problem is going to be resolved, and there aren't any surprises along the way. 3.5 stars.

• The Room – We're back into more familiar territory for the series here, as the sisters, with their near-god-like powers restored, try to stop a war and run into the limitations of their own human fallibility. They have learned lessons from their previous attempt to do much the same thing, and the story plays out very differently, albeit with a similarly bleak setting. Speaking of which, this takes the unusual step of employing an all-female cast (except, I think, for one short line spoken by a guard) despite the majority of the characters being in the military. 4 stars.

• The Ward - The sisters are working in a hospital at a distant spaceport in the far future, and it's obvious from the beginning that they have an ulterior motive, but not what it might be. That's all explained in the final scene, of course, and fits beautifully with the way that we've seen they operate. But the journey getting there is rather slow and more interesting in retrospect than on a first listening. It's a change of pace, and relevant to the overall arc, but taken on its own not one of the stronger episodes. 3.5 stars.

• The Dance - Arguably, not too much happens in the final episode, either, but it works far better than the previous one. That's partly because of the off-kilter setting and the mysterious entities with which the Graceless are interacting, but more importantly because it's a commentary on the series as a whole. The sisters, at least since the end of the first season, have been travelling the universe trying to make it a better place. But have they really succeeded, and have the sacrifices they have made been worth it? There are no easy answers, and Guerrier isn't pretending to offer any in this thought-provoking finale. 5 stars.