Reviewed by Mark McCullough.

After the highly entertaining Pilot episode last time out, this week’s offering of The Tomorrow People has a lot to live up to.

The episode uses a dramatic scene as an opening, leaving Stephen in a troublesome situation, only to go down the 3 days earlier route. The episode features narration from Stephen which works very well as it allows the viewer to empathise with him and reinforces the idea that we are learning about this strange new world along with him. The introduction of humour to the narrative is a welcome one too as it brings an element of realism to the episode. This impacted further by the use of New York as a setting.

Last week’s resolution of Stephen deciding to work for Ultra becomes a major factor and has a significant bearing on his relationship with his new friends. We are offered some expansion into what Ultra do and how they plan on dealing with the threat posed by the Tomorrow People. They are presented as a fundamentally evil group, who will readily kill to achieve their objective. This allows for Stephen’s morals to be brought to the fore.  This is touched on again in the end of the episode when the price of failure within the organisation is revealed. Jedikiah’s character is a delightful villain; he is authoritative, intelligent and motivated. In short a very dislikeable character whom you love to hate.

It is interesting to see how Stephen’s powers have affected his life and relationships. There are several comic scenes where he uses his abilities to make life easier. His newfound attitude to life does not go unnoticed by those who love him, treating us to a wonderfully poignant scene between him and his mother. This is expanded upon again later in the episode and leaves the viewer feeling extremely sorry for Stephen’s mother. It also results in Stephen making a promise that he may not be able to keep. We also see how he has affected the relationships of other characters and is pretty telling towards the dynamics of John and Cara’s romance.

We are introduced to the character of Kurt, the boy Stephen was fighting in the opening scene. He is a teenage boy who, like Stephen, is experiencing the breakout of his powers. The contrast being that Kurt uses his abilities on the wrong side of the law. Kurt becomes the central focus of the episode with both Ultra and the Tomorrow People racing to reach him first. In the end it is Stephen who is able to find him, using their shared experiences and what he would have done in his shoes. This ultimately brings us back to where we started the episode on the rooftop.

The resolution is very smart using something from earlier in the episode as a way to get one Stephen out of a difficult situation. It ends with Stephen making a resolution as to how he is going to live his life which sets up the remainder of the series well. The dynamic between Stephen and Jedikiah certainly looks to be an interesting one. They both aim to be one step ahead of the other, with neither of them trusting the other.

Verdict 9/10

The episode picks up straight form where the last left off. It is just as enjoyable and shares some of the strengths of the Pilot. The impressive characters are established further and developed well. Some character mysteries are hinted at raising anticipation, especially as to Cara’s past which is alluded to throughout. The plotline is entertaining and coherent. The direction, setting and score are superb. All in all a very solid and enjoyable episode.