Last episode aside, it felt like a retread, like they'd settled into the mode of old-school US TV where the status quo is always maintained. Throughout the first series Sam and Gene gradually developed a grudging respect for each others strengths and methods, arriving at an uneasy mode of co-operation. The second series seemed to reset that, so we could have the same arguments again every sodding week. There were still some good lines, sure, but no substance anymore.
They saved the day with a stunning finale, for sure, but not in a way which redeemed what had come before.