The Fades, Episode Four - An Episode Review

Sorry for this being so late, but holidays happen. Deal with it.

So, The Fades returns for its fourth episode. I have to say, this episode is my favourite of the series so far. It's just plain awesome!

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In the aftermath of Paul's accident, his mother, twin sister and best friend Mac are gathered around a hospital bed containing his body. Meanwhile, a very confused Paul is wandering around trying to figure out what's just happened to him.

Turns out that he's become a Fade himself.

Needless to say, Neil and the other Angelics are suitably horrified at this turn of events, but they have other fish to fry. They have captured a 'smaller and weaker' Fade in an attempt to find out how strong they are.

As this is going on, our good friend Mister Psycho Zombie Fade has metamorphosed into something completely new. Now he is no longer Mister Psycho Zombie Fade, just Mister Psycho Fade. Scrub out the 'Zombie' bit. He's become flesh.

It soon becomes clear to Paul, in his Fade-adised state that Mister Psycho Fade, aka John, isn't as bad as he seems. At the same time, the Angelics are suddenly cast into shadow, no longer seeming like they're the good guys in the war.

As things escalate, Neil must make a terrible choice, and Paul must make his, too. As the line between good and bad thins and fades, can Paul make the right choice before he passes on?

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I've said it once, and I'll say it again: This episode is possibly the best in the series so far. Why? One word: Atmosphere.

The atmosphere in this episode is so tense that the TV screen seems to be radiating static electricity, which it probably is anyway, but what the hell. The reason for this is that you have no idea where it's going. This is due to the fact that the writers and producers have already made it quite clear that they're willing to kill off anyone they think needs to go, as long as the story is made better. Which means that Paul isn't safe.

Actually, having Paul dead is in many ways the best idea that the writers have come up with yet. It allows Paul to be given a different perspective while ranking up the tension. It also opens his (and our) eyes to the problems faced by Fades, showing us why the Fades do what they do.

Besides the atmosphere, there are many other very interesting things transpire in this episode that haven't even been hinted at in the others. Such as the fact that maybe Mister Psycho Fade isn't actually as bad as he seems, and why The Fades kill.

Other things to look out for in this episode are the origins of John, the Pyscho Fade. He has a very interesting past, despite it being shamefully sad.

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So, to the verdict. This episode is the best so far, with the tension ranked up to the max and different avenues and posiibilties being opened and explored, rather thoroughly in my opinion. Throw in the blurring of the line between the good and the bad, and you've got yourself a right good mix that makes you crave to see the next episode. Only things I didn't like were the clothes that Paul was wearing, and maybe how Paul's mother treated Mac.

For this, I am going to give it an eight out of ten.

Below, I enclose the iPlayer link. I know that those of you who read this and aren't living in the UK can't actually view it, but for those that can, here it is.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b015v0nh/The_Fades_Episode_4/

Just a word of warning: Watch out for the butterflies...