With Pat distracted by secrets from the past, a surprise visit from familiar faces is the last thing he needs. Cindy continues to work towards establishing a new ISA. The Shade’s motivations continue to baffle.

If the previous episode of the show was intriguing, this one just goes even further. Remember how I mentioned the genius of season 1 and villains who were compelling because they were understandable, even if not sympathetic? Well, here Pat and Barb get an up close and personal lesson in exactly that when a couple of very familiar faces come crashing back into their lives not with mischief or violence on their minds but simply wanting the chance to support their most beloved person.

At first it seems like this must be a trick, but it plays out absolutely genuinely. These are not good people. They are villains, bad people who do and have done bad things. But they’re also human beings, who can love and care as fiercely as they can hate and destroy. Watching them tentatively find elements of common ground with Pat and Barb is genuinely fascinating, turning what could have been a comedic gimmick in another show into a genuinely compelling drama.

This plays out against the backdrop of the impending danger of Calipso. Pat clearly knows more than he’s letting on about the villain named by Beth’s goggles, but he’s not telling. The Shade also clearly knows an awful lot because the very artefact he’s pursuing is the one directly related to this apparently most evil of villains. But where is the Black Diamond if not among the late William Zarick’s possessions? Well, who have we seen wielding a mysterious rock recently?

Yes, Cindy is still very much on her recruitment drive, though in all honesty it’s not entirely clear how much of her newfound lust for vengeance and power is coming from her and how much from the stone. What’s absolutely clear is that the new ISA is not far from starting some serious trouble.

Perhaps the most difficult thing of all for Courtney is not fighting a man who can literally disappear at will into the shadows, but the lack of trust she starts to have in the one man she trusts to always have her back. What exactly does Pat know about Calipso and Doctor Mid-Nite? And why can’t he trust Courtney enough to share that information with her?

Verdict: Tense, heartwarming and even managing to occasionally be funny. Perfectly pitched. 9/10

Greg D. Smith