Brooklynn, Darius, Yaz and Ben make it to Biosyn HQ. And so do Kenji and Sammy…

Things hit the ground running for what’s now been confirmed as the final season of this excellent show. In the lead helicopter, we get some nice character beats as the adrenalin fades after the events of last season. Brooklynn is very comfortable in the shadowy grey areas she’s had to move through and none of the others are. For Darius especially, that feels like it’s about to be a problem. For now, though, it leads to two surprising, and very fun, beats. The first is a wonderfully unnerving cameo from the Quetzlcoatlus. In Dominion we saw it rip a plane apart and while that has yet to happen when these events unfold, we know it’s coming. That means the moment the ‘plane’ following the helicopter flaps its wings is a real ‘Oh NO’ beat that reminds us of how much danger everyone is in. It’s also a nice touch that the flight plan we see, over the glacier, is pretty much exactly the one Kayla flies in on in the movie. But, here, with an expected arrival and (Biosyn think) a client aboard, the journey is very smooth. So smooth in fact that it leads to the second moment. Our heroes frantically busk a cover story as their helicopter lands in the middle of the campus and… no one notices or cares. The Six finally learning ‘if you look like you know what you’re doing, no one will bother you’ is a lovely beat, very well timed and sets something up for the next episode. Smart work.

Smart work over in the other plot too. Kenji and Sammy have always been two of the show’s go-to for comic relief and putting them together gives both a surprising, and welcome, warmth. For Sammy, it’s a chance to re-define herself now her relationship with Yaz is at least paused. For Kenji, without the constant push-me-pull-you of his relationships with Brooklynn and Darius, it’s a chance to focus on who he really is. When they meet back up with Dodson, the genius of that becomes clear. Dodson just sees a rival’s idiot son. Kenji uses that, exploring both what he is and what he’s seen as to get them where they need to be. It’s smart and nuanced storytelling, not to mention thinking.

Verdict: Rounded out with some nicely handled action this is an excellent opener to the show’s final run. I’m gutted these folks won’t get to meet Zora from Rebirth, but if this is their last bow, it’s off to a great start. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart