This is my favourite episode this series, and my second favourite of the RTD2 era (after Wild Blue Yonder). Wild to say because I had this exact thought with Lux! Are we 3/3 for this series so far!?

I absolutely adored the building tension throughout this episode, and while I'm not one for jump scares they really worked for me too once we reached them. I do admit that the throwing across the room stuff got a little silly by the 4th or 5th person with how over the top it was, but it didn't seriously affect my enjoyment.But genuinely the horror stuff worked so well for me. Fear of the unknown is such a common thing to have, and I loooove when DW explores it so much!!!

All the performances were great, and the side cast were fantastic! It's nice having an RTD2 side cast that I care about and feel invested in. Obviously, Ayling-Ellis steals the show with an incredible performance as Allis, who's such an amazing character in her own right. And Shaya's character development from the start (where she was pragmatic and uncaring) to the end (where she remembered she got into this job to bring hope to the people, and was optimistic about saving folks) was so great! With an amazing performance too! I also love that the Slow Horses guy continues to only play smug assholes lol

Gatwa and Sethu continue to be outstanding, and this is a contender for my favourite Gatwa performance as 15 yet. He nails both the gravitas of stepping into a scene and taking control, and the sheer fear and terror perfectly. Plus the empathy he shows Aliss, while still not fully trusting her. Just such a great nuanced performance!

I also absolutely adored the world building and the fact that they explicitly say that the world is more accessible to deaf people, and how that's been taken into account. But then on top of that, the squadron still often forget/choose not to turn on their communicators. Even when directly addressing Allis! Even with all the accessibility options in the world, and the law being made for more accessible people, that sadly doesn't mean people will always take advantage of that to help those that need it. It's a good dose of very depressing realism in what's otherwise optimistic worldbuilding. 

Oh, and no long paragraph about this; but I thought the episode was gorgeous! I love how great the visual direction consistently has been this era.

Only reason this is a 4.5-4.75 star story and not a full 5 is because I really don't think it needed to be a sequel to Midnight. While it tackles similar themes, and thankfully doesn't actually show us the entity, I don't think I gained anything from it being a sequel? It's very much standalone as is and works well enough being so. But this really doesn't majorly take away from my enjoyment.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.