'Survivors' S01E06 - Part Six

What were they thinking? The Survivors finale was ticking along nicely until the show blew it with a desperately crass final scene featuring the first appearance of Abby's long lost son Peter.

By foregrounding Abby's quest in such a crucial scene, Survivors has relegated a fine ensemble cast into mere suporting players and turned the whole thing into a Julie Graham vehicle. In the penultimate scene, Abby's capture by the scientist swat team - for she is The Special One - was given more focus than the shooting of Greg, or Tom's animalistic urges. The future of humanity is supposedly at stake, yet the last scene suggests that the tedious Find Peter subplot is what we should really be caring about. Madness.

It's a real shame, because 90% of the first season finale is rather good and full of intriguing twists. The return of gun-toting vigilante Dexter raises the tension, with the premise that the remnants of the government are now hiring thugs a fairly plausible one given the circumstances. Similar things have happened in the real world in ravaged countries.

Back for a brief but effective cameo is Sarah's crippled supermarket squeeze Bob, who is trundled out to remind us what a sly little vixen she is. Tom's murder of the suspicious security guard also works as a sturdy pay off to the simmering storyline between the pair.

The visual scope of the episode is also the most expansive since the opening part, as Najid's trip into the city showcases a land in ruins. Like the government scenario, the rise of a probable paedophile amid the desolation, and his preying on orphaned child survivors, is a terrifying concept.

Oddly enough, it's a child that spoils things. The scenario was nicely set for a second season through the largely engaging performances of the cast, but now we're left to wonder whether the pursuit of Peter will drag the entire show down.

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