Alex Rider - Serpent

In order to follow the lead given him by the mysterious hacker, Alex (Otto Farrant) takes the place of the world's best players of the Feathered Serpent video game, the only one of the world's best players who hasn't RSVP'd for  Damian Cray's (Toby Stephens) release party of the sequel. What Alex doesn't realize is just how crazy Cray is and whose identity he's assuming (which turns out to be that of an old friend). The episode is most notable for Alex playing the game in VR environment with the madman constantly raising the stakes and danger as the cocky teenager continues to out-perform his expectations. While somewhat goofy on-screen, the segment works and allows Alex to get close enough for what he's come for.

The plot of "Serpent" not only allows for Alex to get his hands on a copy of the game (and begin searching for answers as to what Cray is really up to), but it also allows for the return of Kyra (Marli Siu) who not only rescues Alex from Cray's men but also provides a resource he can use to make sense of what is happening deep inside the game's code. When it becomes clear to Mrs. Jones (Vicky McClure) that Alex may actually be onto something, she allows Smithers (Nyasha Hatendi) to keep helping him off the books providing yet another resource for our teenage spy which will come in handy as the adventure continues.