A flashback episode recounts events on board the research ship Maginot prior to its crash landing on Earth, and the escape of its alien cargo.

It’s always a risky strategy for a series to abandon the central characters in order to fill in its backstory blanks; however Noah Hawley once again proves that he knows exactly what he’s doing. Aware that he risks losing the audience, who suddenly have no idea who they’re supposed to be caring about, he deftly frames the episode as a direct homage to Ridley Scott’s original movie, by naming it, ‘In Space, No One…’.

It is an unapologetic retelling of the Nostromo story (helpless humans fall foul of a deadly alien foe, facilitated by crew members with dubious motives) but with added bells, whistles and aliens. To complement the Xenomorph, the crew now have to contend with a killer slug (along with its killer tadpoles) and a malign goggly-eyed thing. If I seem to be making light of these new monsters, we’ve already seen them at work in earlier episodes – and it wasn’t nice – so it only adds to the dread as we learn how easily they broke out of confinement.

Giving the episode an emotional spine, is cyborg security officer Morrow, played with a delicately nuanced mixture of ruthless cool, sadness and loss by the excellent Babou Ceesay. As we learn more about his backstory so there are more and more intriguing questions as to his true motives.

Hawley also directs, and does so with a sure touch, giving the episode big screen, no-expense-spared sensibilities, aside from the ill-judged moments where the Xenomorph is shown running around on two legs, which always destroys the illusion, reminding us rather obviously that it’s a stunt artiste in a suit. When it comes to the Alien, less is always more.

Verdict: Nevertheless, In Space, No One… is a thrilling, nerve shredding episode that would easily warrant a ten paddle if they hadn’t gone down the Xenomorph cosplay route. My advice? Just shut your eyes during that bit and it’s a near perfect hour of nail biting sci-fi horror. 9/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com