It somehow feels appropriate that a reality TV show called The Traitors has become the sleeper hit to round off 2022.
For the knives have been out at many key moments in this whirlwind of a political year, particularly in the halls of power at Westminster.
Boris Johnson fell on his sword as Prime Minister after his once faithful fellow Conservative MPs turned against him, finally fed up with his mishandling of a raft of controversies from Partygate to Pinchergate.
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The show of unity for his successor Liz Truss was shortlived, prompting a resignation after just 45 chaotic days as colleagues revolted over her botched economic policies.
Third time lucky with Rishi Sunak? He appears to have settled the Tory turmoil for now, but it feels like at any moment, daggers could be redrawn.
Efforts to stave off Labour's lead in opinion polls before the next Westminster election seem to be the only thing holding back another Conservative Party meltdown.
Betrayal also remains a watchword for unionist parties in Northern Ireland, still contorting over the outworkings of the Brexit vote six years on.
The Protocol they oppose remains firmly in place without any sign of a deal that would convince the DUP to end its Stormont boycott. Meanwhile, the Protocol Bill they support has predictably fallen off the government's radar.
Unionist mutiny saw the DUP face a potential electoral disaster in May, but the party managed to minimise losses and polls suggest it has since reclaimed support that shifted to TUV.
Jim Allister's stauncher party proved transfer-toxic, meaning gains did not translate into seats. For the UUP, a muddled position on the Protocol led to its hopes of a 'Beattie bounce' falling flat.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson appears to have steadied the DUP after last year's leadership turmoil brought the back-to-back ousting of Arlene Foster and Edwin Poots.
But 2023 could finally be the year Sir Jeffrey will face a crucial decision: Sell a compromise on the Protocol or ditch power-sharing. His choice could set the future course of his party and unionism for a generation.
Unionism's problems have been Sinn Féin's opportunity, overtaking the DUP to become the largest party at Stormont for the first time.
A positive campaign, downplaying border poll ambitions and pitching Michelle O'Neill as a "First Minister for all" proved to be a winning formula.
The folly of unionist leaders refusing to say if they would accept the Deputy First Minister post if Sinn Féin became the largest party also helped nationalists make their choice at the polls.
On the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Sinn Féin's cordial and respectful approach - which would have seemed unthinkable for the republican party 10 years ago - will earn further plaudits from middle-ground voters.
The Alliance Party has also had a good year, more than doubling its number of MLAs as it hollowed out the middle ground at the expense of the Greens, UUP and SDLP.
The parties face going to the polls at least once next year with the council election scheduled for May, but if Stormont remains in limbo they could be back on the doorsteps yet again.
Will devolution be restored in time for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement? A new Prime Minister and a new Taoiseach give hope of a resetting of relationships.
However, the key negotiation on the Protocol is between London and Brussels. With Russia's war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis dominating global politics, there is every possibility a resolution to the Irish Sea trade deal will be allowed to drift.
The Collins Dictionary word of the year is "permacrisis" - the feeling of living through a period of war, inflation, and political instability. It sums how many are feeling as wilted as the lettuce that outlasted Liz Truss.
But on the plus side, after emerging from two years of Covid and witnessing the upheaval of the past year - 2023 surely can't be any worse.
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