"The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill Did" is a very strong episode, with no real flaws—just one or two areas where the potential wasn’t fully realized.

Katherine Kelly is brilliant as ever in the role of Miss Quill. This story gives her a chance to show more layers of her character, all without breaking with what we already know about her. The writing and direction support her arc well, allowing Kelly to bring out not only Quill’s pain and sharp wit, but also the softer aspects of her character.

A big shout-out to Chiké Okonkwo as Ballon, a new character introduced in this episode. The strong script, combined with his excellent performance, made me care about his fate in a surprisingly short amount of time. The chemistry between Ballon and Quill adds real depth to the story.

Pooky Quesnel also delivers a solid performance as Dorothea Ames. However, her character’s motivations remain unclear. While ambiguity can be intriguing, in this case it didn’t spark much curiosity about her or the organization she represents—making this one of the episode’s missed opportunities.

The titular “metaphysical” aspect was handled well. Still, I couldn’t help but feel there was room for even more weirdness—and more reaction from the deeply pragmatic Miss Quill to all that strangeness. To be clear, this is a minor complaint, but the potential for something even more memorable was definitely there.

All that said, this is a very strong story. I loved it.