TV episode review
UK airdate 26 January 2010 (BBC One)

The search for Abby is complicated by Tom's actions while Whitaker's wife becomes suspicious...

Whereas a number of the stories told in the first series of the show were loosely adapted from the 1970s incarnation of Survivors, this episode is very much a product of the new characters and situations created by Adrian Hodges.

Of necessity, there's a certain amount of movement of characters around the chessboard to get them where they need to be for the rest of the series (it's a given that Abby will find the rest of the Family, for instance) but along the way there are some interesting twists.

There seems to have been a bit of rethinking of the Lab and its purpose between seasons. Whereas the first series gave the distinct impression that the technicians were studying the plague, now they do seem to be looking for a cure – no matter what it takes. Nicholas Gleaves adds further dimension to Whitaker, the driven lab scientist, with Alisa Arnah adding a necessary note of sanity as his wife Jill.

There's an underplayed subplot between Najjid and a young girl he meets, which would be good to revisit should the show get a further year, which is counterpointed by a strong, almost whispered scene between Al and Sarah.

A few missed directorial opportunities marks this down, but it's still a good solid episode. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 6/10