The Box

My first observation - at least one of them has had a wash. Things are already looking up.

The ground opens up, Hank tumbles down, and the accident unearths a mysterious box that once belonged to Xandora, a great sorceress. Dungeon Master appears and instructs them to take the box to Skull Mountain - but warns them never to open it.

Every time Dungeon Master appears, there's the obligatory bellow of "Dungeon Master!" - half exasperation, half relief. It's the sound of six teenagers realising their day just got more complicated.

Did Pandora know what was going on here? Was she consulted? Does she know her box has been tampered with? We learn that Dungeon Master once had a friend - the aforementioned Xandora - which gives the episode an unusually personal angle. It's rare to see his past hinted at, and it adds a touch of mystery to his usually cryptic character.

I love the visuals of the world below the box - it's wonderfully surreal, a dreamlike landscape that feels almost out of place in a children's show. Salvador Dalí would absolutely approve.

Venger really is a cad in this one, trying to trick the kids while berating poor Shadow Demon for his failures. He's at his most theatrical here - half dark sorcerer, half overworked boss.

This is the closest the kids have come to going home so far, but with two series to go, it was never really on the cards. Once again, our hero Hank does the right thing.

8/10.