Bill chooses the worst time in history to take a walk, Catherine is rescued, for now and Richard and Juliet make contact.

Every now and then a show has to roll the dice on whether you’ll buy something.  This season of War of the Worlds has done that about once an episode and for a lot of people this episode will go too far. It’s not the idea of consciousness transferral between timelines or a black hole in Earth orbit that will break them. Rather, it’s the most wanted fugitive in London stepping out on his balcony for a coffee. Is it understandable? Human? Yep. Does it feel like a means of adding a little action? Yep also. Although Tom’s gag about old people being obsessed with coffee is almost worth the price of admission.

That aside there’s some more really good stuff this episode. Bill figures out the aliens are working on creating a second black hole, that will build on the effects of the first in the original timeline, in the one he’s currently in. He also has no idea how to stop it which is a refreshing change.

Meanwhile in space, Richard and Juliet continue to have no fun at all. After risking his life to align the antennae on the ISS so they can pick up signals from the black hole, Richard again has visions of their deaths. This time he shares them with Juliet and the weird, quiet little romance the two have becomes the surprising heart of the episode. It’s sweet and odd and muted, much like the timeline they’re poised over. They feel fragile and that matters for a show with this scope. Lukas Haas and Lizzie Brocheré have done great work all season but this is a standout episode for them.

Back in the original timeline, that fragility is reflected in Catherine’s situation. Realizing the aliens need the blood of their creator, or their bloodline, she bargains for her life and that of Sam and takes them to where she thinks Tom will be. It’s a nicely played beat, echoing Tom’s emotional importance in the previous episode and also casts some smart ambiguity on Catherine. There’s never any doubt she’s changed sides but her plan is cleverly ambiguous: just keep talking, keep moving, trust in others. That seems to pay off too, as she’s saved and reunited with her sister. Until, the aliens send reinforcements.

The episode ends on a neat, actual cliffhanger. Catherine, communicating in real time with Richard one timeline over as the aliens storm her hideout. All we know is what Richard knows as the episode closes: gunfire, chaos and silence. It’s a hell of a lead in to the next episode, especially given how much information she’s able to pass along.

Verdict: This is the first episode this season that feels clunky. It’s still good, but there’s a sense of parts being moved around the show doesn’t normally have. Still fun, as I say but it’s been better than this and will be again. 6/10

Alasdair Stuart