tbs-2-2A derelict space station appears to be haunted…

The CGI is definitely the star of this second episode of the new season, with some impressive visuals representing the GDF ship Eden as investigated by Captain Ridley O’Bannon (er… who’s the big Alien fan?!). It’s very much an episode of two different halves: the first part is quite creepy, as John, O’Bannon and Alan investigate the ship, but then it descends into very broad comedy with the appearance of two pirates. There’s still some tension as they all try to escape from the station and its maintenance bots (which look like giant spiders) and again, some very well put together scenes as the ship breaks up around them.

Rosamund Pike gets a chance to play a different character, abandoning Lady Penelope’s cultured tones as O’Bannon, while Thomas Brodie-Sangster does double duty as John and one of the pirates, alongside Vas Blackwood. It’s unusual in that there’s no appearance of either Thunderbirds 1 or 2, so the standard launch sequence doesn’t appear – although we get shortened versions for both John’s departure from Thunderbird 5 and Thunderbird 3’s launch.

Verdict: A slightly odd tonal shift halfway through slightly takes the edge off an otherwise good episode. 7/10

Paul Simpson