Naomi continues her training with Dee. The class goes on a week-long camping trip at the Shadow Ridge camp. Dee finds an unlikely ally.

I promise I don’t enjoy not enjoying Naomi. I don’t ever set out to dump on a show and I am always rooting for the writers, directors and cast to do better. The same holds true with Naomi, but yet again I am sorry to report that I am disappointed.

My main issue, structurally with this episode is that it ultimately feels contrived. The Scooby Gang (because come on, let’s be honest here) are off on a week-long leadership skills-building camp at the painfully on the nose Shadow Ridge, but oh no there’s shenanigans afoot, relating to an old story of a ‘Ghost’ haunting the woods, and so, jinkies, the kids just have to go meddling.

Honestly if this was being used more constructively as a framing device I wouldn’t mind, but aside from some stuff between Naomi and Nathan which could have been sorted out literally anywhere in a tenth of the time, it’s just wheel-spinning filler whose main purpose is to keep the titular character occupied away from the grown ups while they do their own things.

On that point, Naomi’s parents become alarmed when the army reveals a new artefact it has found. Are they getting closer to the truth about their extra terrestrial daughter? Only one thing for it then – a hare-brained scheme that feels more like the kids should have been doing it than an experienced senior military officer and his linguist wife. Guess how well that’s all looking like it’ll pan out?

Meanwhile Dee ends up in a rather unexpected alliance as he tracks down the Bounty Hunter who he ran in with last time out. Apparently it’s terribly important that he get hold of a thingumajig from the hunter so that plot exposition can happen. Is it time to stop yet?

On and on it stumbles – oh look, a plan didn’t work. Oh jeez, a supernatural phenomenon has a slightly different supernatural explanation. Oh zoinks, a revelation about the Bounty Hunter’s mission with dire implications. Oh drat, Naomi may have accidentally revealed more than she should to someone who can’t know.

It just doesn’t feel like it knows what it wants to do. It’s the very definition of a filler episode and I’ve said it before and will repeat here – this cast and these characters just deserve better. Here’s hoping they get it.

Verdict: By the numbers, dull and predictable. 4/10

Greg D. Smith