D’Branin is determined to find the source of the ship’s malfunctions, and goes to extreme lengths to do so. Rowan begins working more closely with Thale to prepare him for first contact with the Volcryn.

Much as it’s getting (slightly) more interesting, there’s still something missing at the heart of Nightflyers. It feels like it wants to be so many more things than it is, but like it’s being constantly restrained – one can’t help but wonder if it’s on the right channel for what it is. It has elements of horror and other adult themes, but it shies away from ever fully committing on a visual level, and that’s the least of its many issues.

This time out, D’Branin is fed up of Eris not telling him exactly what’s going on with all the mysterious malfunctions onboard, and decides to find out for himself. Having identified a source of constant malfunction in the mechanics of the engines, D’Branin persuades Eris to let Mel go into the engine bay to fix the issue, saying Eris must accompany her to ensure the job is done swiftly. This leave the way clear for D’Branin to go poking around.

Meanwhile, Rowan decides to try to get to know Thale better, reasoning that as the L-1 is a part of the mission he should be treated as such, rather than locked away as a prisoner. How genuine this desire of Rowan’s is isn’t really clear, but there’s a nice bit of interaction between the two of them which serves to illustrate the layers of Thale’s talent, and how maybe even he himself isn’t fully aware of all his capabilities.

There’s some more revelation on D’Branin’s wife and the lengths to which she’s willing to go to rid herself of the pain of the loss of their child. This storyline is intriguing in and of itself, and feels like it could solely be the focus of an entire show or film. Someone choosing to remove their own memories to rid themselves of pain, how far that might mean they have to go, what other associated memories might have to be sacrificed – these are all legitimate questions for a genre show, but of course here it’s just another subplot that gets minimal attention.

By the time D’Branin gets to the truth – or at least the version of it the show is willing to share with us at this point – it’s both a little obvious and a little silly by comparison to what the show had hinted at.

The issue here is that between the derivative nature of much of the show, and the scattergun approach of concepts, nothing ever really lands or feels satisfying. It also fails to feel like a coherent or believable setting. People behave in ways that make little or no sense, and it’s because the show has so many different subplots and fails to commit to any one of them. It at least feels slightly less dull than the opening episode suggested, but ultimately still unsatisfying.

Verdict: If it ever actually committed to any one of its numerous ideas, this could stand a chance of being an interesting bit of pulpy sci-fi. Instead it just flits from idea to idea, leaving this viewer a little cold. 5/10

Greg D. Smith