‘The War of the Worlds’ recap: What happened in Episode 2?

The BBC’s new The War of the Worlds mini-series continued in the UK tonight.

Based on H. G. Wells’s classic sci-fi novel, the three-part adaptation has been written by Peter Harness (Wallander, Doctor Who).

The cast is led by Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) and Rafe Spall (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), alongside Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) and Rupert Graves (Sherlock).

Here’s a plot recap for the second episode, which aired at 9pm on Sunday 24th November 2019 on BBC One:

George (Rafe Spall) is alive. He races home to look for Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson) but she’s not there.

As George frantically tries to find her he meets a weary Artilleryman (Harry Melling) and is told he must fight for his country.

George finds himself facing off against another capsule in a lake – is there more than one? As more capsules pour down on Earth it becomes clear to George that the scale of the invasion is well beyond his comprehension.

Amy and Frederick (Rupert Graves) are at the Admiralty, looking for George and trying to help organise a response, when a Martian towers over the Admiralty, releasing toxic black smoke on the city.

Amy, Frederick and the Minister for War, Chamberlain (Nicholas Le Prevost), seek refuge in a tunnel, but the black smoke has seeped into Chamberlain’s lungs and kills him.

Amy and Frederick manage to escape and Frederick advises they go to his summer house in Shoeburyness. They head to the beach to try to catch a boat away from Britain.

George meets an elderly lady, Mrs. Elphinstone (Susan Wooldridge), who advises him that any sensible person would head to the beach – could that be where Amy is?

Amy and Frederick arrive at the beach and, despite her protests, Frederick gets Amy on a boat. George finds Frederick, but where’s Amy?

Amy then sees George on the beach and jumps out of the boat to swim to shore, just as a tripod blows it up! As the tripod attacks, George dives in to rescue Amy and also saves a young girl, Lillian (Taliyah Blair).

Amy, George, Frederick, Mrs Elphinstone and Lillian arrive at an abandoned orphanage. However, not long after, another Martian arrives. How much longer can they survive the invasion?

H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds novel is available on Amazon.