Seg and Adam find that Krypton has changed more than they had expected in their absence. The Resistance, buoyed by their success, plan a large scale offensive to take control of the Space Elevator once and for all. Kem struggles to survive.

Last week, it felt a little like the writers had somewhat failed to balance all the various elements of the plot, so I’m pleased to report that this instalment feels much more focused and flows a lot better as a result.

Seg, who was sustained in all his previous trials by the thought of Lyta, wants nothing more than to see her again. But their reunion won’t necessarily be a happy one, as Seg begins to discover that which the show has hinted to us for a while – Lyta is no longer the person he knew, and her blind obedience to her son isn’t necessarily entirely by choice.

The Jayna and Dev subplot which seemed so incidental last time out now gains some real meat as Dev shares with his former commander the reasons why he is no longer among the ranks of the Sagitari. Yes, it’s a little bit cliched, but this backstory reinforces two important elements of the narrative. First, that Dru Zod is every bit as ruthless as we expected, and secondly that Dev is a better man than his rank and commitments previously allowed for him to be. The bond which exists between these two, formerly commander and subordinate and now more like equals, is an interesting one, and something which I hope the writers explore more as the show moves forward.

Meanwhile, on Wegthor the Resistance are planning a major assault. But Jax has something else up her sleeve that she isn’t sharing with anyone except those she trusts most. This would be the same thing that Nyssa discovered last week, and it’s something which perhaps isn’t surprising but certainly serves to illustrate that the ruthlessness doesn’t exist entirely on one side in this war. Nyssa having this information actually serves to make her character and position even more murky – it seems that her reluctance at betraying Val and her other former friends is genuine, but the genius of the writing (and Wallis Day’s performance) is that you can never quite be sure of her or her motivations.

As things barrel towards a quite brutal conclusion, poor Kem finds himself desperately trying to just survive all sides of a war he never asked for. It’s great to have Rasmus Hardiker back with this character, who unlike Adam Strange is a genuinely reluctant hero but a solid one nevertheless. Here’s hoping he makes it to the end of the season.

Verdict: Tightens its focus brilliantly from last episode and delivers plenty of drama, shocks and surprises along the way. There’s the show I remember. 9/10

Greg D.Smith