The Devil’s Whore has been devilling and whoring at a cracking pace after the relative calm of the first episode (which, lest we forget, still managed to feature wholesale murder, hallucinations, and the devastating loss of a childhood sweetheart), and last night’s episode was truly brilliant. But I’m worried about Angelica, I really am. Everywhere she turns someone either wants to shag her, kill her or manipulate her. The woman must be cursed.

Last night’s episode had just so much stuff in it. So much stuff. I want to watch it again – I will watch it again – so I can fully digest all the comings, goings and bloody shenanigans.

What I can tell you about last night’s stunning 80 minutes is that it was, again, beautifully shot. Lingering, almost photographic close-ups and an attention to the little details (there was one scene where Angelica’s dress was being tied up from the back, and the whole shot was bathed in sunshine. Every pull of a string provoked a burst of dust captured in the rays. Amazing) just give The Devil’s Whore beauty, grace and a real other worldliness.

But back to the story. Let’s not forget the story. Angelica was due to be hanged, but in Newgate prison she gave birth to a stillborn baby. Nice preparation for a hanging – losing a baby sired by the man she truly loved, who happened to murdered horribly by Cromwell and his goons in last week’s episode. This woman is truly cursed.

She rode out to the hanging place (gallows would be too fancy a term for it) and Joliffe was goading her from his carriage. He was almost gleaning sexual pleasure as she dangled from the noose. He buggered off to see the King get his head chopped off (bloody sadist) and, sure enough, good old Sexby saved her bacon by posing as the hangman and taking her down as soon Joliffe left the scene. Hurrah for Sexby!

Angelica’s hanging was dovetailed with scenes from the courtroom, and then the actual beheading ‘ceremony’, as the King met his end.

These court scenes were really mesmerising. Peter Capaldi played King Charles with a sort of shivery, almost camp, frailty and as he was resigned to his fate, especially on the ramparts awaiting death, his performance was stunning.

Angelica, meanwhile, decided to go back to Fanshawe House to join the diggers (a commune of religious types working and living off the land) who now lived in the once great but now knackered and ransacked house. Sexby, almost bursting with noble pride and chivalry, asked Angelica to marry him, so he could fulfil his oath to the late Rainsborough to protect and look after her.

Angelica and Sexby have had a will-they-won’t-they relationship ever since this show started (you can’t beat a good will-they-won’t-they relationship for unrivalled simmering tension), and I was rooting for them both to get it on. They didn’t. Sexby said the marriage was strictly for honour, while Angelica said fair enough. Sexby went off to Ireland.

Ireland. Cromwell. We all know what atrocities went on there, and watching them brought to life was difficult. By this time, Cromwell had managed to dupe Sexby into signing up for him and help to quash the mutiny inspired by Honest John’s pamphlets and power-to-the-people oratories against the invasion.

There were some awful scenes in Ireland, once again all shot with a garish beauty, as Cromwell razed and slaughtered all and everything that stood in his path.

Sexby was disgusted. Even a man who has seen and done the things he has done was utterly appalled with Cromwell and the course the war had taken. He returned home… to find his wife, Angelica, had been turfed out of the diggers because they saw her noose mark around her neck and her having an intimate conversation with one of young boys of the group called Christian.

She had become quite taken with Christian and his hippy ways (well, he was a 17th century version of a hippy, preaching peace and love to all). Despite all that has happened to her Angelica bought his peace and love to all line hook, line and sinker. She really believed that love was everywhere in the world. I love that about her, so much hope and optimism. Still!

In another mesmerising scene, Sexby, scarred and twisted by what had happened in Ireland, warned her that love only destroys people. Angelica disagreed and said she pitied him.

Sexby pushed her on to the bed, ripped open her dress and prepared to rape her. No! NO! Edward NO! (note that I called him Edward there because I really like him and I didn’t want him to rape Angelica.) Thankfully he pulled away and, in tears, bid his wife to leave.

She did, back to Christian, who, in the last scenes of the episode, sneaked into Joliffe’s carriage and received a purse of moneys, sir, for his excellent deceptions and luring of the lady Angelica back into nasty man’s grasps.

I can’t really tell you how good The Devil’s Whore is. How nuanced but at the same time rip-roaring it is. How riven with politics and revolution it is. How it really involves you emotionally. How amazing it looks. How much of a treat it is to see John Simm, Maxine Peake and Angela Riseborough all in one scene, let alone one programme. I could try to tell you but I might be here all day.