Norton ensures Andy and Gideon are safe while he prepares to deal with the spores…

There’s a wonderful moment about halfway through this episode when Andy realises exactly what it is that Norton has done with him and Gideon Lyme – you’ll know it when you hear it. There’s quite a lot of exposition in this episode, as we learn more about Belle and her pub but it’s neatly parcelled around the characters.

Norton meanwhile is having encounters with the police, and doing what needs to be done. There’s a definite Quatermass Xperiment feel about this episode, as we realise exactly who the creatures are, and why they’re such a menace.

Once again, Steve Foxon’s sound design has to do a lot of storytelling, and it’ll be very tempting to return to this box set once the nights have drawn in, and allow the sound to envelope you.

Towards the end of the episode, we get the left turns in the plot that seem likely to drive the final two parts of this tale – one that I was expecting (involving Norton); one that I wasn’t.

Verdict: James Goss moves the pieces confidently around, ready for the final act. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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