“You’re the only one keeping that alien from taking us out. Anything happens to you, everybody on earth is dead.”

That’s Asta’s dad pointing out an uncomfortable truth, Harry hasn’t changed his mind because he’s suddenly nice, he just likes Asta and only Asta. Without her he’ll happily rejoin his people once they arrive to carry out the mission Harry failed to do. In order to protect her, Harry’s come up with a plan he really should have discussed with her first…

There’s something a little inconsistent with the way Harry is portrayed in this series. In season 1 it could be put down to the character learning how to fake being human and hide his true intentions. By the end he’d distinctly softened, not enough to make him dull and sappy but sufficient to distinguish him from a generic monster who wants to kill everyone. This week any softness seems to be gone, he’s even more selfish than usual and any life-lessons previously learned seem to have gone out the window. It’s made very clear there’s just one human he doesn’t consider to be a stupid meat-sack. Asta, somewhat aware of this, tries to get him to connect with others and make new friends. It will come as little surprise that that doesn’t work out. It does give him a chance to scout for a potential butler though.

After last week’s fun and frothy season opener this has a darker tone all round. Thompson and Liv’s investigation is ramping up and they’re closing in on Harry, who they are now sure is their man (as usual some of their stuff is the best material here). Asta gets a reality check not just from her dad, but from someone else regarding her relationship with her daughter, and once again hangs out with D’Arcy, who still hasn’t been integrated into the plot this season. Please don’t drop the ball when it comes to D’Arcy, she deserves better than just being Asta’s quirky friend with indecisive hair choices.

If you think Harry is cold this week it’s not helped by being egged on by the octopus (Firefly’s Nathan Fillion now seemingly properly a cast member after his cameo last year) now safely installed in Harry’s home, and telling it like it is. He’s the little cartoon devil in Harry’s ear to counterpoint Asta’s angel, and he hates us even more than Harry does (fair enough, no one wants to pan-fry Harry).

Despite the more serious tone there’s still plenty of laughs to be had and there’s some nice dark humour on display. A subplot involving a rivalry between Ben and the mayor of another town isn’t in the same league as his comedy BDSM/roleplay antics last week but still amused, and as mentioned the interactions between the sheriff and his deputy delight as always (seriously, spin-off please).

Verdict: Less cuddly than expected, and by the end of the episode we’re in a very different place than we were at the start. 7/10

Andy Smith