In the wake of Mildred’s televised performance, both the 4400 and their government ‘protectors’ try to work out what to do next.

An interesting choice of format opens this episode as the show does a few rewinds to present us with different points of view of the moments leading up to Mildred throwing Bill Greene out of a window on live television. This gives us a bit of a closer look at exactly what some folks were up to in those crucial seconds, and informs a fair bot of what we see next.

Of course, the televised nature of Mildred’s outburst has somewhat altered the rules of the game – now the government can go ahead and activate those conservatorships they had inserted into the contracts signed by so many of the 4400. Effectively trapping them at the hotel and stripping them of what little rights they have.

This causes a lot of pain for Isaiah, who can now see that he was duped. But it isn’t the only thing bothering him, after his run in with Mildred just before she fled. Has his power revealed itself? And what can that sort of power mean for the man who saw himself as the leader of this new ‘flock’?

Shanice manages to avoid saying ‘I told you so’ to Isaiah (just about) and this might actually be the beginning of a decent friendship. That said, the Rev has layers and given his apparent reaction to learning of his son’s sexuality, it remains to be seen how he might react if/when he finds out the full truth behind Shanice and Andre’s blossoming relationship.

Speaking of the star-crossed pair, they go on one of their regular sneaky outings, made all the more dangerous by the introduction of a new ‘tips line’ for people to call in suspicions about 4400ers. When Andre acts in the only way Andre knows how, it causes some problems, but not in the immediately obvious way.

Jharrell meanwhile finds himself at the sharp end of Jessica’s anger, even as he’s trying to work out the meaning behind apparent obscure messages sent by his brother Manny. And as the episode closes, there’s a big, nasty surprise that I really hope is a red herring, relating a sit does to a character of whom I’d grown quite fond.

Overall, the most consistent thing about the show is how it keeps using its narrative conceit to comment on contemporary issues. From the serendipitously timed importance of conservatorships to the story to references to some of the less talked-about impacts of Covid, the show rarely misses an opportunity to tie political observation into its story. Occasionally, this can be slightly clumsy, seeing a character spend a minute or two on exposition dialogue sometimes breaking the flow, but for the most part it works well, and makes the show feel more relevant than you’d expect from a story of time-travelling strangers dropping from the sky.

Verdict: On good form and really starting to show some insidious awfulness in the antagonists. 8/10

Greg D. Smith