Intruders: Review: Series 1 Episode 3: Time Has Come Today

Jack returns home to find that Amy doesn’t seem to be herself; Madison takes an unwanted pit stop as Shepherd starts to catch up with her…

After spending much of the last two episodes trailing around after Amy, John Simms’ Jack Whelan finally tries to get some answers this episode, allowing the audience both to see the strengths that he perceives in his marriage (with a flashback showing a critical event that bonded the pair), and the weaknesses that Amy’s current situation will exploit. It’s not just that he loves her and wants to be with her – he’s frightened of who he will become without her; the problem is that she isn’t who he thinks he is. We don’t actually need the close-up of Mira Sorvino’s widening eyeballs to see when the alternate persona takes over – her body language and behaviour change in subtle ways that give it away (although I understand why for storytelling purposes we need that, and Jack’s flashbacks during his journey home).

This episode reveals more about the past of other characters too: the “deal” between Marcus and Shepherd allows us to understand how things reached the point they were at in the first episode, and why Madison has such an attitude on her. We also realise that whatever comes back in these bodies has a number of interesting hobbies, including playing in an orchestra for the first performance of a Mozart piece – and killing. Millie Brown once again nails the many different aspects of the two characters, with the scene at the rest stop positively chilling.

Intruders is doling out its answers sparingly and for every one we get, ten more questions arise. Let’s hope the producers are true to their word about explanations by the end of the run!

Verdict: Some much-needed background starts to be revealed. 7/10

Paul Simpson

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