Talon and Luna go to a place Talon has been before. Zed, Nedra and Munt play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the ‘Gods’. Wren and Janzo are confronted by a quite different side of 313.

Quite a contrast this week, as we see the different quests of Luna and Talon and Zed, Nedra and Munt. While the former have a mostly peaceful (if urgent) trek through the wilderness towards their gal, interrupted only by an encounter with an unwelcome familiar face, the latter find themselves properly up against it.

The ‘Gods’ are after Zed’s kinj first, content to leave Aster, the ‘betrayer’ to last. That means that although the trio reach their goal fairly quickly (thanks to insight from Nedra) they then find themselves equally quickly confronted by powerful enemies and forced to flee. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse that lasts the episode’s length, full of heroism, sacrifice and the glacially slow comprehension of Zed that he and Nedra might be more than just friends (seriously, even Munt has cottoned on to this one already!).

Meanwhile back at The Outpost, Wren and Janzo have to deal with a very different version of 313 than they are used to. His apparent murderous intent masks a deeper motivation though – one which, when revealed, sheds a new light both on his kind in general and on his actions in particular. Importantly, the revelation may give him depth as a character but it doesn’t make him any less immediately dangerous.

As for Talon and Luna, it’s quite sweet watching them do the whole sisterly companionship thing. It’s clear that Luna looks up to Talon, and that Talon in her turn is fond of the former apprentice Dragman, but this episode (and indeed this season) have shown that the writers are in no way afraid to kill their darlings. As the series barrels towards the end of not just this season but the show as a whole, it’s clear that there is no character, however beloved, who is safe.

Verdict: Tense, thoughtful and occasionally a little sappy. 8/10

Greg D. Smith