Jo is trying to keep out of Agent Brookes’ way, but just how long can she avoid him finding out the truth? Ed receives an offer of a pioneering new treatment which could cure his cancer for good, but the price is a high one.

For a show that started out seeming so very humdrum and predictable, Emergence doesn’t half manage to pack an awful lot of surprises in week after week, and this episode is no exception. Last week, we saw a mysterious woman apparently in pursuit of Piper murder Wilkis. This week, she blatantly comes out of the shadows and speaks directly with Ed, offering him a cure for his cancer in return for Piper herself, which causes all sorts of tension within the Evans household.

Of course, that’s on top of the fact that last time out everyone learned the truth about who and what Piper is – including Piper herself – and that’s just another level of intrigue for everyone, especially as the dreaded ‘Fatal Exception’ didn’t occur. It’s a relief for Jo, obviously, but it rather begs the question of exactly how much she – or anyone for that matter – knows about Piper, and what she might actually be capable of.

And then there’s Agent Brookes, who turns out to be an awful lot smarter than he appeared last week and also not nearly as sinister as I had pegged him to be. Jo and Chris do their best to evade him, reasoning that he’s a problem they could do without right now, but with Emily in his custody it’s only a matter of time before he becomes an issue Jo can no longer ignore.

Everything barrels along, multiple plates spinning and all sorts of surprises being thrown up, until we get to the very end of the episode and an absolute doozy of a twist which I have to say I never saw coming but I’m equally impressed and intrigued by. Every time you think you know where this show is going, it surprises you.

Verdict: With so many twists and surprises, the show could run the risk of falling into Heroes season 2 territory, but so far it’s crushing it. Excellent stuff. 10/10

Greg D. Smith