TV episode review
US airdate 4 March 2008 (CBS)

Deceptions and manipulation abound as various truths start to come to light...

Halfway through the season and events are heating up rapidly, with another core character reaching the end, and others learning information which makes them rethink where they stand.

There isn't the feel this year that the producers are making up some of the plotlines on the fly: they've established new characters clearly in the first few instalments, and are now testing them. As an audience we can understand why Heather trusts Major Beck, but also why Hawkins finds it necessary to manipulate him into discovering information. Beck could well prove to be the town's ace in the hole, particularly as Ravenwood agent Goetz seems to be totally out of control by the end of the episode.

The shoot out in the farmhouse in the final act is shot with Jericho's usual panache. The soundtrack demonstrating the hearing-impaired Bonnie's "viewpoint" emphasises exactly why she makes the tragic mistake that she does in the closing minutes. Although two major characters dying in the space of five episodes seems extreme, both this and the imprisonment without trial of smuggler Dale reiterate the ease with which the country could descend into lawlessness and vigilantism. Another gripping episode. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 8/10