We left last episode with some major developments – Evil!fade that eats Angelics has gone and got himself a new body. Meanwhile Paul was hit by a truck and has gone all dead. Which is why we start now with Paul as a ghost in the hospital looking at his grieving family and comatose body. His family and friends have to deal with him on life support, and deal with whether to turn the machines off or not – and deal with him being dead. And Paul learning how to be a ghost with all the restrictions and limits there are on a Fade.
Neil and the Angelics continue to leap over the deep end – and with Paul’s death, Neil goes even further. Superman is dead, their hope, their saviour is dead. Without outside hope they aim for more extreme measures – including torturing information out of Natalie. Something 2 of the other Angelics cannot stand for – nor can Paul’s ghost.
Meanwhile Evil!Fade has hatched from his cocoon and is running around naked in his new body and seems to be trying to figure it out. And killing and eating people as well of course – and a new name, John. And then Ghost!Paul and Evil Fade!John meet up – John being the man from Paul’s apocalyptic ash dreams. And John has a problem –(beyond being nostalgic for Pontefract cakes. You can still get them round here, they’re horrible liquorice things) he can’t kill Paul now because he’s a Fade – and he wants
We also learn the true horror of being a Fade. John was one of the first – killed in the Second World War (when Fades first started to be trapped). He was trapped in the world – but his ghost body kept aging and rotting. We learn the story of how he came to be – and how he was able to touch the real world.
And we learn exactly what the Angelics have been doing with the Fades. And what they considered their remit. And why it's not quite as black and white as we'd expect
Learning the truth Paul leads John to Natalie where Neil is discovering her becoming flesh. I can’t say I can see this part over much. No matter what John says, Paul doesn’t have a huge reason to trust him – and even while I can see disgust about what’s being done to Natalie, I question whether he’d betray the Angelics to a being he has so little reason to trust.
Rather predictably, things do not go to plan. In the end people are dead – and Neil both loses his hope and his confidence. But Ghost!Sarah has a plan – they need their own flesh eating immortal Fade and she needs a change of diet. Mac meets up with the surviving Angelics – and reveals Paul has a twin, Anna. And this brings new hope - but not in the way expected.
And we have Mark and his ghost wife Sarah, Mark is being questioned for the murders (by Mac’s dad) and his ghostly wife – one of the victims – is screaming in rage at the police. Eventually they have to let him go. While a powerful scene I’m still not sure exactly what the point is. This plot line doesn’t seem to add a whole lot of anything to the storyline.
I have to say this series is really well acted and this episode really showed it. There are a lot of very heavy emotions and states here and they’re all extremely balanced and believable. Paul in the hospital – and his friends and family. The doppleganger Fade’s anger and confusion. The interrogation of Mark. All of them are really well done to the extent that it’s painful to watch. Some very well done scenes here, and some very painful ones. Kudos to the director and actors.
This series continues to be extremely powerful – and this episode especially. A lot of lows, a lot of pain, a lot of truly emotionally gripping scenes all topped off with a big shiny lump of epic.
