TV episode review
UK airdate 2 February 2010 (BBC One)

Tom is put on trial for murder...

Returning to the community set up by Nikki Amulka-Bird's junior minister Samantha, this week's episode deals with the numerous consequences of actions taken during the first year. Newcomers don't need to steer clear though – there's a short but highly effective "Previously on" sequence at the start of the episode, while the dialogue adds the nuances.

The script relies on a number of scenes where the viewer needs to be able to work out the characters' inner thoughts, and neither Amulka-Bird nor Max Beesley as Tom Price disappoints. It also contains one of the most brutal fights the show has broadcast, with none of the stylized violence of a Hollywood movie, just raw kill-or-be-killed.

The episode marks a turning point for a number of the characters as they have to decide which side of the fence they're on, and there's a definite sense that the "Family" is beginning to gel despite their many differences. That's helped by a couple of comic relief scenes deriving from the burgeoning romance between Al and Sarah that prevent the episode from being totally overwhelmed by darkness.

With a controlled turn from guest star Roger Lloyd-Pack, this is probably the best episode of the series to date. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 8/10