Flora Diaz, a translunar shuttle passenger, vanishes. For the Star Cops, it’s a case. For Devis, it’s a pattern.

Una McCormack’s scripts are always great and this is no exception. We get an exploration of climate repair adjacent technology, some subtle worldbuilding, a major payoff for Devis and an investigation that takes in pretty much the entire team. Alice is slightly under-served in a manner that leads me to suspect some big Alice stuff is coming but everyone else is either on the front line or near it. Nathan and Kenzie get to do some fantastic Thin Man-esque investigation; Paul gets to be (slightly) exploded and Devis’s long dark night of the soul continues. Trevor Cooper is relishing the chance to play the big man with some emotional depth. He also gets to do some wonderfully snippy interactions with a group of anarchists and shares some really nice moments with Newton’s Kenzie. At this point in the series’ life it’s easy to forget that the ISPF is the last resort for both of them. That crumpled, hard travelled bond really comes to the fore here and Newton and Cooper do great work as the Star Cops’ two least likely success stories.

Helen Goldwyn’s direction is always as impressive as McCormack’s scripts and they work perfectly here. The big cast include Leon Parris as Doctor Luis Rivera, the scientist whose moral ambiguity drivers the story and Luke R Francis is great as Dara, a journalist caught up in the political unrest at the core of events. But in the guest cast, the breakout is Norah Lopez Holden as Flora. She’s the mirror image of Devis, a woman working towards the edge of her organisation and prepared to do whatever she thinks is right to make up for what she’s seen. Whether she’s right or not is up to you and Holden’s understanding of the character is visceral and complex. This isn’t a story with clear cut sides or easy answers, despite the ISPF’s best efforts.

Verdict: Rounding out the first act of this story with ambition, precision and wit this is another strong entry in the strongest series of Star Cops to date. I have no idea where this goes next. Neither does Devis. It’s going to be fun watching him find out. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart

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