Complications with Max’s pod force the timetable of his resurrection forward. With the very real possibility that he may not survive, everyone is forced to confront the likelihood of having to say goodbye.

In the wake of last episode’s little electrical incident, turns out that Max’s pod is blown, meaning that he has mere hours left before he finally expires – and confronting Liz and co with the choice of accepting this and moving on with their lives, or attempting an incredibly risky procedure involving a heart that’s not nearly ready on the off chance that maybe they at least wake him up long enough that they get to say goodbye to him. Prizes will not be issued for anyone who correctly guesses which option gets picked.

What this allows the show to do though, is the sort of housekeeping that might have been boring any other way. Liz’s feelings on the matter may well be predictable (she is nothing if not consistent) but what about Michael? Is he likely to just accept and move on? Will he break the habit of a lifetime and exhibit some form of recognisable emotion? And exactly why is he so eternally pissed off at the world all the time? These and more questions are addressed as we watch flashbacks of Michael at various stages in his life and present day Michael’s various ways of coping with/addressing the situation. It’s a nice exploration of the character and the show does right by focusing so much time on it.

It also gives us the chance for Rosa to finally come clean to everyone about exactly what it was that ghost Max was saying to her in her nightmares, which in turn lets the increasingly powerful Isobel have her own shot at digging into exactly what’s going on.

And what’s going on – if I’m honest – is kind of the weakest part of proceedings. Max’s big reason for not waning to come back feels like something the writers pulled out of a hat on a tight deadline – it’s simplistic, makes no real sense and actually serves to make the character feel a little more selfish if anything. The episode ends on a bit of an explosive cliffhanger, but given the inherent weakness underpinning that climax, it has an uphill struggle in making us really care next time out.

Verdict: Great character work undermined slightly by an oddly undercooked narrative. 7/10

Greg D. Smith