Eugene and Stephanie are happy and about to move in together. Then, one day, Stephanie disappears and the rabbit hole Eugene disappears down trying to find her will change the Commonwealth, and his life, forever, Elsewhere, Connie and Kelly discover that freedom of the press only goes so far and start to get an idea of just things work.

Josh McDermott, everybody!. Eugene has come so far from the single joke character he initially was, through his confession, his apparent defection, his weirdly Shakespearean pseudo friendship with Dwight and his new role as one of the show’s moral centres. McDermott has shown us everything, and in doing so shown Eugene not just come out of his shell but grow into his armour. He’s a unique man with a unique way of speaking who feels very, very deeply and his struggle to make peace with that is deeply endearing. That makes this episode all the harder to watch as Eugene just comes apart at the seams. Crucially, that’s what makes it work, and Princess (Paola Lázaro who is a strong candidate for best new arrival in years) expresses everything we do when she tries to steer her friend to the realization that he’s wrong and there’s nothing here.

He’s not wrong.

It doesn’t help.

In one of the standouts of the season, Eugene confirms ‘Stephanie’ is alive and well and part of an apparent unit of spies of some sort. He rants at Lance, absolutely uncorks as only Eugene can and the raw anger and betrayal and sadness is incredibly well delivered. At least as good is Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby, who takes Alexandria’s finest’s rage and simply shrugs it off. The moment where he admits he lied, but points out they did too, is such a knockout blow you wince. Eugene is absolutely in the right, Lance is absolutely in the wrong but you understand utterly why he did it even though its hateful. The Commonwealth’s worst excesses expressed in this instance, for something approaching good and the only damage is Eugene’s shattered heart. It’s electrifying stuff, all character focused but all shining a profoundly disturbing spotlight on the world. The fact it’s directed by former castmember Michael Cudlitz, who worked closely with McDermott as the much missed Abe, is just the icing on the cake.

And speaking of disturbing spotlights! It’s really nice to see Connie and Kelly because Lauren Ridloff and Angel Theory are great. The journalism plot here is really good fun. It also recontextualizes trooper Tyler Davis and the attack on the governor in a way that harmonizes with the Eugene plot. The Commonwealth will do anything it has to in order to protect itself and what the two journalists and Eugene find dovetails together: people are only safe as long as they’re an asset. And no one is an asset forever. A lesson I suspect Lance and Pamela will learn later this season.

Verdict: A fantastically well handled spotlight for three of the show’s best characters, a doomed(?) love story and the opening act of the political thriller that will dominate this mini-season’s arc…  This is great stuff. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart