The Dead Sector is an area of America where nature has returned. Separated from the rest of the country by a man-made artificial trench, it’s home to massive herds of Walkers. Dr Chauncey Everett (Anthony Edwards) lives there alone, studying Homo mortus and noting the behaviours of this new kind of humanity. Until, one day, he meets Amy (Poppy Liu)…

This is quietly the most interesting episode of the show to date. The concept of the ‘Dead Sector’ especially feels like something rife for future exploration. Who created it? How is it maintained? How many Walkers (or ‘Chompers’ as Amy calls them) are there and have they been shipped in? It feels, given what we know about the CRM’s work in World Beyond like something that would be a good fit for them. Regardless it’s a great idea, touching on elements of the Strugatsky Brothers’ Russian classic Roadside Picnic, and later movie versions, as Everett and Amy find themselves in the dark mirror of the Dead Sector.

The direction is the equal of Ahmadu Garba’s script, with Haifaa al-Mansour cleverly blurring the lines between us and the show the same way Everett has blurred the lines between his identity and his work. The way Everett’s drone (and the fact he has one is itself an interesting insight into his backers) is used is especially smart. This feels like a different time, and place, to each episode so far and it’s as interesting, if not more so, because of that.

Finally, the cast are extraordinary, continuing the tradition the show is rapidly setting. Edwards, long one of my favourite performers, is fantastically good as a man of science held together by determination and the human skin coat he may have been ‘gifted’ in a horrifically literal way by a colleague. His calm and focused, grumpy and desperate, tragic and monstrous.

Liu’s determined, cheery Amy cuts through his armour effortlessly. She and Everett are united in ambiguity and unease. Everett presents as a real danger a lot of the time, while Amy is clearly hiding something for much of the episode. The payoff is a fascinating look at the economy of the Dead Sector and shows that much like Evie and Joe, and Gina and Blair, these people need each other. But where the first two pairs let themselves be changed by their new companion, neither one here is as lucky. Much like Alpha’s tragic, horrific choices last week, Amy’s choice, and Everett’s in-action, lead to real consequences and a haunting ending. The Dead Sector lives up to its name, after all.

Verdict: A snapshot of a very different world and a pair of great performances make this another winner in this short, ludicrously strong opening season. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart