The Burning (1)

Dempsey pretends to be dead and goes into deep cover. A message reaches him that Coltrane, his old adversary, knows where he is, and the only safe place is a new identity: Johnny 'the Wolf' Lupino, a name that does not exactly whisper. Makepeace is his contact, holding the lifeline at the London end and watching her partner disappear into a role she cannot reach, and the operation takes him into a gang with links running between the London underworld and the New York police department.

Ranald Graham wrote it, Baz Taylor directed, and the casting of the American side is a proper treat. Jill St. John, a Bond girl a decade and a half earlier, plays the gangster Mara Giardino with the kind of poise that makes you believe Dempsey is in over his head. Michael Shannon's Conrad, Jonathan Linsley's Butch, Alan Hunter's Phil and Doug Robinson's Danny fill out the crew, with Tony Stephens's Masked Man providing the silent menace. Bruce Boa, Andy Bradford, Nick Hobbs, Gareth Milne, Wayne Michaels, Anita Graham and Philip Anthony are among the guests. Ray Smith's Spikings and Tony Osoba's Chas Jarvis hold down the SI10 end, which matters more than usual here because the episode keeps its two leads apart for long stretches.

But the episode's trick is that Dempsey cannot keep his nose out of police business even in hiding. The disguise is meant to let him disappear; his instincts will not let him, and every step he takes towards the gang's secrets is a step towards blowing the cover.

It is a strong start to the season, and the ending does exactly what a first half should: it leaves you wanting the second half immediately. The stakes are set, the trap is laid, and Dempsey is standing in the middle of it. It opened the third series in August 1986, and the show clearly wanted to start the new season at full throttle.