A routine accident on the Sharman One platform leads to Kenzy and Alice investigating. As Devis struggles with adjusting to life as a dad and Sophie struggles with what she had to do to get to the Moon, something terrible blooms on Sharman One. And, in the future, Alice takes her turn at the enquiry into whatever happened to Devis…

Nicola Baldwin’s script is a pleasingly chunky, full cast detective story that drives along with tremendous urgency and provides some subtle hints as to just what happened to Devis. Alice’s turn in the hot seat makes it clear this is the arc for the season and some of Sophie’s actions here suggest that there’s much more to her than we first thought. Lynsey Murrell and Rosa Coduri are both great here, breaths of fresh air that provide different perspectives on the world. Murrell’s focused, precise newcomer is a fun character and is arguably the only cast member underserved here. Coduri’s wily teenager is much more front and centre and pretty clearly has an agenda of her own. She’s fun, and maybe dangerous and I’m very invested in how she changes the situation and what happens to the Moon’s Best Colin.

Baldwin gives everyone something meaningful and practical to do and ramps the tension up gradually until the story finishes at a dead sprint. It also, and Helen Goldwyn’s typically impressive direction is a big part of this, changes tone pretty significantly. This is a snowball of a case, one that starts small and ends up massive and the implications of it drag everyone in. It also gives the clear impression that this case is one step away from going very south indeed, which suggests that’s going to happen next time. Oh Colin.

The original cast are as impressive as ever and Trevor Cooper in particular does some great work here as Devis realizes his life is bigger, and more meaningful, than he ever thought it was. There’s a fragility to him here and you find yourself genuinely worried for Colin, which is exactly the plan. David Calder and Linda Newton excel too and Calder’s Spring as the last grown up left in space is tremendous fun and the ending here is one of his best moments to date. Only Philip Olivier is slightly badly served by the nature of the plot but that’s one of  the trade-offs for a story like this and his time in the spotlight will come.

Verdict: This is another tightly plotted, increasingly tense entry in a series that’s always impressed but seems to be breaking through to a new level. This is intense, precision storytelling and I’m really excited to see where it goes next. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart

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