Talon and Zed are granted ominous visions beneath The Outpost. Garret wants answers about his relationship with Talon. An old relic stolen by Luna from Dred’s repository might prove the key to giving the forces of humanity and Blackbloods a fighting chance against the ‘Gods’.

The King is dead. Long life for his successor seems unlikely in the realms of The Outpost. Jokes aside, at least Tobin had a noble (if slightly contrived) ending, and now the rest of the people running the show at The Outpost have a problem – can they afford to let the people know their king is dead when so much is already at stake, or would it be the fatal blow to morale that would hand victory to the ‘Gods’?

Of course, keeping a secret like the death of the monarch isn’t easy, especially when one of your crew is the slightly dim but completely devoted manservant and ‘best friend’ of said monarch, but then that’s just one of the many issues facing our heroes right now.

Talon and Zed experience disturbing visions which seem to relate to the history of the ‘Gods’ and in particular to the source of conflict between the majority of them and Ester, whose soul resides in Talon’s Kinj. Is it possible that this member of the group – referred to by the others as ‘the traitor’ – might offer some hope?

Janzo continues to persist in his work trying to rehabilitate 313. He really is just trying to be a father figure to the slightly lost creature, but whereas 313 might not be actively evil, he is a product of his own conditioning. All he really wants is to fulfil his purpose and be with his brothers and sisters again, hearing the ‘pleasing voice of the masters’, and that might make him more dangerous than he might otherwise appear.

Luna’s random acquisition of Dragman powers proves useful once again when one of the valuable looking relics she swiped from Dred’s stash starts talking to her just like the Scevicor key did. But what is this relic? Might it provide an answer that can help in the fight to come?

Amidst all this, Garret still wants some answers from Talon about exactly where he stands. He’s ready to make a commitment, but is Talon? Zed similarly tries to mend fences with Nedra, and I’m not convinced it’s only friendship he’s after.

What’s perhaps most striking is not just the uptick in quality that this season seems to be providing now, but also how the characters are really starting to evolve and come into their own. Zed is almost likeable now, but not because he’s become a better person – he’s still capable of being obnoxious just for a laugh – but he’s also starting to let his guard down somewhat, now that the end of not just his people but the whole world may be upon them. Talon’s hesitancy at her relationship with Garrett makes sense on a number of levels, not the least that she has a lot going on right now. Luna continues to grow episode by episode, while being in no danger of ever becoming sensible. It’s all developing into a cast of genuinely likeable characters you want to see get the wins, and I for one couldn’t be happier to see it.

Verdict: Strong again – this is turning into a habit. 8/10

Greg D. Smith