The astronauts continue to fall victim… but to what?

When I last reported, the two season openers were cheesy, but hugely enjoyable deserted-lunar-research-station fare. I’m happy to report that as The Silent Sea progresses it becomes altogether more engrossing, and while it wears its antecedents (Alien, Aliens, The Abyss) proudly on its trope-adorned sleeves it does become very much its own story.

Yes, we have hapless astronauts being picked off one-by-one; yes we have a mysterious bio-entity beeping up to them unseen; yes we have stooges and spies and conspiracies and a gaggle of compromising back stories; yes, we have a labyrinthine base with impractical bulkheads, ventilation ducts, secret storage facilities, and mysterious hidden tunnels; we’ve got someone being lowered into a seemingly bottomless crevasse; and we’ve even got quasi-organic super-water. A little bit of this and a little bit of that from the larder of your favourite Ridley Scott and James Cameron ingredients.

But… it works. It’s all played out with great conviction – and this reviewer is very much looking forward to unravelling the mystery in the concluding three eps.  I predict it’s Gong Yoo in the Data Bank with the Lead Piping! Or perhaps it’s Bae Doona in the Ventilation Shaft with the Candlestick…?

Verdict: File under ‘Definitely Binge-Worthy’. 8/10

Martin Jameson