Paul and the FBI cyber team try to crack the server they found…

One thing that this show has definitely suffered from is the huge gap between the opening two episodes and the rest of it – a key part of Paul’s illness was established in the opener, not really referred to since but is important when you’re assessing scenes shot effectively from his point of view in this episode. His sickness-induced paranoia means that we can’t be sure whether the phone call he receives about his daughter’s illness is a) a total hallucination because of that, b) an attempt by neXt to disorientate him, or c) actually real.

The series is very much of the moment, in its use of fake news and the attacks on law enforcement – if you didn’t know that it had been filmed ready for a summer run, you’d think it was commenting on the riots in the US over the last few months, and the way in which social media has been manipulated. I do wonder though how the stakes can be escalated beyond this and keep the audience engaged – there’s only so many scenes that are interesting of a building under siege and people running up and down stairwells. That said, the end of the episode is surprising on a number of levels.

Verdict: The performers are giving it their all, but it’s not as engaging as it was. 6/10

Paul Simpson