Kovacs is invited to a grand banquet at Bancroft’s sky palace and arranges some unlikely back-up.

Yet again, it’s the subsidiary characters in Netflix’s adaptation of Richard K Morgan’s cyberpunk classic that continue to provide the moral heart of the story. As often depicted in future dystopian noir, the female characters tend to be sex objects, albeit a ‘tart with a heart’ in this case, so it’s refreshing to see that alongside these subjugated ladies we get some strong females. Martha Higareda is the no-nonsense Spanish detective Kristin Ortega, juggling family life alongside some gruesome cases, and Renée Elise Goldsberry is an inspirational trainer from Kovacs’ past, aiding him in tight spots.

After a violent first encounter, Kovacs forms an alliance with Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), sympathising with the plight of his daughter who has been murdered and apprehended (yes, in that order). He wants backup when visiting Bancroft’s soirée, and this leads to an artillery-heavy scene as the two outlaws try out some serious weaponry. When at the palace, the rich methuselahs (‘meths’ – people who live forever by adopting new ‘sleeves’) witness a barbaric Thunderdome-style weightless arena crossed with Cirque du Soleil, where a married couple are encouraged to attack one another – with only one to walk out alive.

Verdict: A clever ending and a focus on another strata of life within Bay City ensures we’re still hooked into the narrative – but things are looking bad for Kovacs.  7/10

Nick Joy