‘Do any of you even know your own children?’ The parents are pulled into the latest apocalypse, as the piranha petals munch through humankind, April goes up against the Shadow Kin’s King and Ames comes a step closer to unleashing the power of the Cabinet of Souls.

For a chunk of its run time, I was dubious whether this really works as a two-parter rather than two separate episodes focusing on April’s issues, and Charlie’s choice. In the end, I think Ness pulls them together quite neatly, and the Charlie plot probably lacks the substance to stand alone. Thematically, it sort of works – it’s all about unhealthy connections (between Charlie and Quill, April and the King, April and her father), and about being able to let go of old grudges – the Shadow Kin believe they have been banished to the Underneath and despise the rest of the universe for it; April has never forgiven her father; Quill has never forgiven the Shadow Kin, and it drives their bad actions (in contrast to the good actions Ram discusses in his Sikhism 101 lesson).

When it’s on the move, the episode is good. It’s less convincing in the chatty interludes, with a particularly toe-curling scene of Tanya confronting the Class-mates’ parents as they all stand about. The ending is a bit of a mess – it’s not entirely obvious what is supposed to be happening when the deposed King severs his connection (except he’s still connected to April, not her mother, but her mother is still healed – eh?). Ames and Quill circling each other warily is the best thing about this.

Next Time: Detained