With Talon and Zed kidnapped by Falista and Tobin, a rescue party is needed to go after them. Wren and Janzo make an important discovery beneath the Outpost, while navigating some difficult waters domestically.

This is actually the best the show has done in quite some time, possibly because it actually plays around with conflict based in the characters and what we know of them instead of just inventing new threats out of whole cloth for fun. Playing on the minds of the remaining Blackbloods is the fact that there are very few of them left, and if their species is to survive, that means that they will have to… well, you know, do the obvious. That in and of itself isn’t particularly a new or inventive trope for the genre (it’s practically a staple, to be fair) but what the show uses it for is interesting.

As far as Talon goes, it means that despite her dismissing Zed’s thoughts on the matter out of hand, it’s clearly something which bothers her, and that means that her relationship with Garret – which features a wrenching moment which gives the episode its title – is put under more strain all over again. And that’s without the added annoyance of Luna, the endlessly bounding puppy who runs into trouble more often than most people change their pants. Still, she’s at least an interesting character, capable but with an actually believable edge of vulnerability that suggests she’s more brittle than others may perceive.

But where the episode actually got me was with Wren and Janzo. Their child has been a source of tension for various reasons already, but again with the existential worry clouding all of her kind, ad with Wren now having accepted her role as de facto High Priestess of her people, that tension takes on a new angle, which leads to genuinely affecting scenes between Izuka Hoyle and Anand Desai-Barochia as they attempt to navigate this together. While the overall arc may be fairly predictable, both actors deserve credit for the feeling they put into this one.

That also helps offset the budget Indiana Jones antics as they discover (with Luna’s help) another secret beneath the Outpost (ahhh, there’s the show I know). Yes, believe it or not there is even more to discover down there and the latest find may well shed some new light on the identity and history of the new ‘Gods’ currently pulling Falista’s strings.

Speaking of, Tobin is growing increasingly disturbed by his wife’s behaviour, though he sees little recourse but to go along with it and hope that the ‘Gods’ will take her Kinj away and maybe he’ll get his wife back. I have to say that since he arrived in Season 2, Tobin has been one of the more interesting characters in the show and Aaron Fontaine is doing a good job here as the conflicted king, even if Georgia May Foote can’t really match him as she hams it up as Falista.

Overall then, an actual genuinely enjoyable hour of television. Not without its flaws but actually taking the time to do some interesting, character-based stuff.

Verdict: Not stunning but of a much higher standard than we are used to, with several genuinely decent performances. 7/10

Greg D. Smith