As we head into the second episode of ITV’s new supernatural horror drama, HIM, the bright points of the show are starting to shine through.

However, a few of the glaring missteps in its production are all too evident as well, leading to a mixed bag of an episode.

“He kept doing that fight or flight thing…but what if that threat is inside you?”

First off, the episode has some lovely directorial and production touches. A well constructed score gives the whole episode a gothic feel, with some interesting camera work touches thrown in to keep us paying attention. Once again the supernatural elements are kept to a visual minimum, giving them real punch when they do appear. Paula Milne’s (The Politician’s Husband) script is an intelligent offering with things developing steadily for the characters.

That said however, the episode still adopts a drearily languid pace which threatens any good that the script and the performances can offer. The episode starts off on a high wave, running off the drama of the first episodes last few scenes with Beth (Lucy Liemann) being swept up in the broken water tank.

Things also heat up in the episode’s last quarter, but that leaves a floundering lull in the middle of the story that seems hollow in its execution. I do like that both stepmother Beth and stepfather Victor seem to be more aware of how volatile HIM can be. As is often the case with divorcing parents, sometimes it takes an outside perspective to highlight what’s going on right under the parents nose.

Another major issue is the character of HIM himself, who is so detached that he is now unlikable. An opinion many will agree with by the episode’s closing minutes.

“What’s going on with you? Why can’t you tell me?”

Ffion Whitehead (Dunkirk) does a fine enough job with the character, but having the character remain nameless in the production has created a disconnect between him and the viewer that means we don’t bond with him. The lack of personalization means we find his actions unsympathetic and even psychotic.

This reviewer is certainly still wondering why he has the friendly social circle he has in his college friends, or why step-sister Faith would be romantically interested in him, given his behaviour.

However, Whitehead’s performance is not in question here: he plays the central character with fragility and outbursts typivcal of any teenage boy: a cauldron of uncontrolled rage and emotional fear. His final scenes are some the best examples of this as he realizes what he has done in killing Azfal in the hit and run and confronting his psychologist, Ross, demonstrating his telekinetic abilities.

“Looking back the signs were there, we just never saw them.”

The supernatural elements aside, the episode does a good job of highlighting domestic disharmony. That it is done from the point of view of a struggling teenager is a very unique and specific view point to take: the disconnected relationships between HIM and his parents, the struggles in co-parenting and blended families, the other, newer children taking priority.

This drama builds until a very strong closing section as his power is made public in the wake of a tragic accident.

With only one episode left, HIM still has a lot to prove, mainly because it shows that it can do great things: tense and atmospheric confrontations and wonderfully honest, human interactions, tinged with a hint of the macabre. Whether it can pull it off in the pone episode it has left remains to be seen.

Aired at 9pm on Wednesday 26 October 2016 on ITV.

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What did you think of this week’s episode? Let us know below…