Isobel and Kyle work together to save a life. Liz and Heath work on the formula that can save Max and banish Jones. Michael has a very personal confrontation with his father.

How do you solve a problem like Jones? Especially when he’s apparently not only way more powerful than all of you combined but also exponentially more ruthless. Well, you get smart. Unfortunately, that’s not the first route that the siblings take this week, as we open on them in the cursed brunch of Jones’ mind, trapped by his will. Michael is his usual defiant self, which is to be expected and causes a certain amount of tension. But it’s the actions of Isobel which cause real issues, putting the whole gang in general and one in particular in even greater danger.

Still, they have to keep going with what they have, which for the majority of the episode isn’t Michael, who gets the joy of some special alone time with his dear old pops. Turns out it isn’t just the formula to restore his powers that Jones is after, and he thinks he can get what it is out of his errant son. The question is, is Michael a lot stronger than even he might realise?

Isobel ends up teaming up with Kyle when he desperately needs a steady second pair of hands to prevent someone from dying, which is kinda awkward for Kyle because… yeah. In perhaps the most out of left field development of the show so far, it turns out that our resident doctor might be carrying a little torch. Bit of a change of pace for him, he’s seemed to prefer brunettes to this point but also it of course makes things super awkward for him, especially as Isobel remains oddly oblivious (I guess her newfound powers aren’t all that good yet).

As everyone works away at their own tasks, it can’t help but feel like the episode gets a little perfunctory, and not just because of suddenly revealed crushes from out of nowhere. There’s a heart to heart between Max and Heath which honestly feels like just giving the two of them something to do, there’s a bit of a scene between Alex and Max that just didn’t really need to be there, and there’s lots of ever more complex gobbledygook about the formula Liz is trying to produce, what it will do and why and how. It starts to feel a little unfocused, to the point where you end up almost happy to see Jones again, even if it is for another dramatic flourish before the credits roll. Of a strong season, this is easily the filler episode.

Verdict: Nothing essentially bad, but very little that feels necessary or new. A rare misfire. 6/10

Greg D. Smith