The closing half of the Mars season really drills down on the idea that everything is different on this, the highest of frontiers. The end result is a trilogy of stories as serialized as it is surprising.

Andrew Smith’s Bodies of Evidence sets the tone and turns the clock back as a mysterious crash on the Moon changes everything for the Star Cops. A firm whose legacy is built on the promise of Mars’ future wants them to go away and so, Nathan does.

To Mars.

The idea of sending Priya and Paul undercover is inspired and Smith plays with it to get the maximum possible drama out. He also supremely cleverly ties this into the previous adventures. Devis’ nightmarish journey across the planet last set is especially recontextualized and all the cast involved have top fun getting a chance to work off each other again. Plus, with the opposing sides set, the time is right for the endgame…

Human Kind by Helen Goldwyn, who also directs here with equal grace and wit, is the final piece of the puzzle. The Star Cops get a dream witness with a horrific testimony. At the same time Byron Lachman, head of the company they’ve been investigating arrives on Mars…

There’s a lot to enjoy not the least of which is Mark Elstob’s splendidly dynamic and smug Lachman. He’s a worthy foil to Nathan and a genuine threat. Likewise Issy Van Randwyk is exceptional as Barbara Holmberg, the Barack Obama Base administrator torn between her loyalties. This is as complex, as morally ambiguous, as it possibly could be. Mars really is different; from a certain point of view Lachman really does have a point. It’s a fascinating, complex world and Goldwyn gives her cast, especially Calder and Thackrar plenty to do, leading to a genuinely shocking revelation.

The Highest Ground, with Smith returning on script duties, is essentially part 2 of this story. The discovery of Lachman’s genetic engineering project raises the stakes for absolutely everyone. Sides are chosen, risks taken and at long last, frontier justice comes to the high frontier.

This is both tremendous fun and achieves the near impossible: it gives you a real sense of jeopardy. There are moments where everyone, even Nathan, are in clear mortal danger. Moments where you have no idea how they’re going to get out of it. They do and each solution is earned and contextualised but getting there is no dull trudge through a boss fight. This is the Star Cops operating at the bare edge of their abilities, as lucky as they are good. And they know it.

Verdict: ‘Mars’ Part 2 ends in a manner that both demands a sequel and feels like a passing of the torch. Or rather, a sharing of the torch. Nathan and his group of eccentric misfits have expanded in both number and reach. The solar system is a big place, and needs a lot of protecting. It’s also, as this set shows, in excellent hands. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart