Eve 2.122 (2)Secrets and Lies – Eve-style…

And so we reach the end of this season of Eve with an action-packed episode that doesn’t for a second ignore the many emotional beats that have driven this series. I have to declare a small interest here, as I was on set during the prep and filming of this, so it’s harder to disconnect what I saw planned and shot from the finished product, but it’s one of the finest episodes of the show, with unexpected bravery and self-sacrifice from characters you might not have thought capable of it, and a strong sense of family pervading it all.

Yes, there are some of the standard SF show clichés (the visible EMP pulse that just manages to die out at the right moment being the most noticeable, and the invisible spider robots!), but it’s the character work that sets it apart – not just between the younger cast members, but with the adults, particularly in the scenes in Calimov and then in Mary Douglas’ “lair”. It’s a bit of a shame that a number of the participants in those may not be in a position to return to the series (although given certain parameters established in this episode, I do wonder…)

EVe 2.121This second series of Eve has moved away to an extent from the SF homages that characterised much of its first season, in the same way that Primeval did a decade ago. There’s been far more interaction between the two central groups (teenagers/adults) which has benefitted the show, although it would have been good to bring Lord Hoffman in more than he was. Here’s hoping for a third year!

Verdict: An appropriately explosive finale – both in the literal and emotional sense. 9/10

Paul Simpson