Six months ago, Emily Gresham stepped onto an invader ship and vanished. Now, as the Resistance, working under Bill Ward, make one last push, everything is going to change. Just not in the way they think.

This is a show that has learned. After the glacial pace of the first season, which did end up setting up the whole board, this episode hits the ground running and never stops. Jonathan Gresham (Stephen Campbell Moore) and co walk from France and arrive in the middle of the attack. Bill (Gabriel Byrne) is driven to kill the things that killed his wife and now they know their enemy; humanity.

Where, and when, the invaders are from is still unclear but my own personal suspicions are:

–           From the future (witness the visions Emily is shown).

–           The lead invader is actually Emily from the future.

–           Bill’s bio-weapon is going to cause the genetic weakness that inspires the war.

All of which could of course be bunkum but it’s fun to speculate. Especially as this cast have, mostly, moved off the dour train. Daisy Edgar-Jones’ Emily is driven but unsure, terrified but resolute. You genuinely don’t know whose side she’s on but I do know finding out is going to be fun.

Verdict: This is tight, driven (the entire plot of the first season is recapped in under two minutes)  bleak, urgent SF. It’s still pulling no punches and I wouldn’t want it any other way. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart