In the near future, a teenage boy and his mother wait to be evacuated off world. All they need is time. And the money to pay the fees.

Another episode, another stylistic turn and this one is arguably the strongest in the show to date. Tyson Wade Johnston uses environment to tell the story here, especially in the early scenes where Evan O’Toole’s restless teen goes outside. He does the same things all children do: hangs around, throws rocks, watches the spaceships evacuating the planet lift off, checks his gas mask. The universality of a bored kid shines through and is focused by the subtle changes to the world.

But the heart of this story is what shines through. Wade Johnston builds this like a song, starting and finishing with similar lines, in similar places from very similar people. It’s a deeply clever piece of writing but not a showy one. Rather, this explores the horrors of travel bureaucracy, the collapse of the environment and adolescence through a profoundly science fictional lens. ‘Off world’ here is a metaphor, a promised land, an escape. One that will arrive when it arrives despite your best, desperate efforts. It’s a story that resonates with anyone who’s ever been on a waiting list, anyone who’s ever been young, or sad, or desperate or bored and the ending is a gut punch as earned as it is merciless.

Verdict: Poignant, clever, grounded storytelling that hits you hard and uses every second of its screentime. Brilliantly done. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart