The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the "Separated" episode of "The House Between."

"There are infinite Arlos." ? Bill "Jesus, my worst nightmare." ? Travis

This second episode starts right up where we left off, with Arlo being "lost" and the others trying to figure out a way to get him back.

Jim Blanton, the actor who plays Arlo, came up with the concept: an Arlo-centered episode where he is lost in another alternate universe and must fight an Outdweller (who some call ... Mr. Pasty) to return home.

What Worked

First off, I love alternate universe stories. I?m semi-obsessed with the topic really. I read nonfiction books about it all the time and some of my favorite episodes of TV shows are the alternate universe ones. So, I was thrilled to hear all the alternate universe technobabble being bantered about.

John Kenneth Muir did something very wise with this episode. Instead of being lazy and falling into clich?s like where everyone who is good is bad and vice versa scenario, he used the alternate universe genre in the correct way. After all, the concept is about how a different choice creates a new timeline with the rippling effect changing historic events and people in unexpected ways.

That is just what JKM delivered in this episode. We see alternate versions of the cast: an Astrid who was forced into a Christian cult by her father as a child, a Bill that gets all evil science guy (to match his goatee) after the 3/15 event, a Travis who is ...Travis, and a more sensitive but beaten down Theresa.

We have more strong writing from JKM with this episode. Plus, some well-chosen camera work. I especially like the Dutch and low angle use with Bill.

The acting was particularly strong this time, especially with Tony Mercer and Kim Breeding. Tony is really impressing me so far this season. The man has some acting chops.

The acting is even more impressive considering this was the first episode of the season they filmed. So, they come back after a long break expecting to be consistent with their characters, but they are asked to play alternate versions instead. And Father-Bill and Mother-Astrid are very different takes, indeed.

This was a good episode for letting us understand Arlo more. I hope there are more episodes in the future that focus on particular characters. I also like this relationship that is developing between Arlo and Theresa.

I think one of the more surprising twists was that Arlo didn?t try to escape, although honestly, I?m not sure how he could even think of a way to do so. Instead he just deals with it and tries to find a way to survive this new home and its "parents."

Wait, what was this in the opening credits, new cast member? This was a nice sneaky way for them to show a new character. I thought he was going to pop up in this episode, but it looks like we are meant to stew a bit until we find out who Craig Eckrich?s character is.

What Didn?t Work

Okay, I have to pick on one thing that felt wrong to me. As a martial artist and a wanna-be fight choreographer, I had a real problem with the neck break moment. I have a hard time believing that Arlo, someone who has never showed any fighting skills in the past, would do something like that. I had actually thought we would see a glimpse of his telekinesis kick in at the last moment.

I can?t really pick on much else. The sound has improved a lot this season, but I still had trouble making out some of the dialog. But, like I said in a previous review, sound and lighting are the two things that suffer most with a lower budget. The lighting is way better this season, but the sound could still use a touch more work in post.

Overall, this was a strong episode. It was definitely the strangest and darkest episode yet. I?m looking forward to finding out what happened to them during their memory gap and what this new cast member is all about. Oh, and another alternate universe jaunt would be cool, too.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Separated" is a story by Jim Blanton, written and directed by John Kenneth Muir. "The House Between" can be found online at http://www.thehousebetween.com/. The series stars Kim Breeding, Jim Blanton, Tony Mercer, Lee Hansen, Alicia A. Wood and Craig Eckrich.

Marx Pyle is a staff writer for Airlock Alpha, writing out of Vancouver, B.C. He can be reached at mpyle@airlockalpha.com.

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