As time passes in the wake of Piper’s disappearance, Jo refuses to give up hope, linking up with Brooks to continue the search. Alex and Chris find something mysterious in the local harbour. Ed and Mia try some old-school methods to reach out to Piper.

The cliffhanger we were left with before the break was pretty good – Benny turning out to be one of ‘them’ (whatever Piper and the mysterious woman are) was completely out of left field, doubly so given how much the show had slyly winked at Brooks being something other than he claimed, and so this opener had a lot to live up to. Fortunately it delivers, and it’s quite busy while doing it.

After a brief intro, the episode skips forward four weeks with Jo and Brooks still desperately searching for Piper with no sign. This lets us know this is serious business – not one of those adventure of the week type deals where the girl disappears but then some nifty detective work sees her back home safe and sound. It’s clear that Jo is pushing herself very hard in her quest and neglecting other duties, that Mia is desperately missing her surrogate sister, and that Brooks has pushed his luck with his own superiors as far as it can go.

When it seems like everyone is at the end of their tether on all this, something occurs which reinvigorates the search and sends everyone off on different paths. Jo and Brooks pursue a vague new lead together, which also gives us the chance to see the developing chemistry between the two (kudos to the writers for avoiding the treacly sweet cliché of tragedy drawing the divorced couple back together).

Meanwhile, Ed’s left at home with Mia, and rather than discourage her in her own frantic efforts to reach out to Mia, he dusts off some old school tech of his own to see what they can do. And Chris, acting as Police Chief while Jo is out of town, makes an odd discovery at the docks which he and Alex pursue further leading to even more oddness.

By the end, it’s not really any clearer exactly what direction the show is set on taking, moving forward. Every time you think you might be able to predict where the overarching narrative is going next, it pulls the rug from under you, in the best of ways. Strong acting from all concerned just cements the excellent writing into something really special.

Verdict: Jumps confidently off the pre-season break into bold new territories without skipping a beat. It’s good to have this one back. 9/10

Greg D. Smith