The second episode of the second season of “The Lazarus Project” was leaps and bounds better than the first. We finally got some science added to the human drama.

The acquisition of Dr. Samson (Sam Troughton), who was working on the Time Break Initiative, ended up being key to opening up some interesting flashbacks. I loved the set with the linear time-travel rocket. I couldn’t help but think of the spaceship on its launching ramp from “When Worlds Collide.”

But the best part of this whole episode was when we saw Sarah (Charly Clive) going through different time loops. Her romantic encounters with Cormac (Lorne MacFayden) were actually interesting. The insights which she obtained from these experiences added a human touch that has so often been missing from this series. I felt great empathy for her losses and what could have been.

This is juxtaposed, though, with the bizarre coupling with George (Paapa Essiedu) in an alleyway. I will say that the sex was much more graphic than I was used to on network TV. But I don’t watch cable TV networks often enough to realize that they are not subjected to the old Standards and Practices routines of the old broadcast channels of my youth.

At first I thought that this startling event meant that Sarah wanted to have a child by George without having to deal with him. But as the episode progressed and she talked to him, I could see how, after experiencing all of the time loop romances, she wanted to see if she felt anything for him in a physical way.

Of course the narcissistic George read much more into that fling than Sarah intended. His obsession with her always is tedious to endure.

Predictably this buffoonish character sets off controls at the Time Break Initiative complex that bode ill for everyone else. I did not find it surprising when another character toward the end of the episode indicates that he is responsible for destroying the world.

Clearly we are seeing drawbacks in general by having too many characters in the mix. Our ability to get to know each of them individually is lessened when their screen time is so limited. This episode saw the introduction of more new characters.

For example, Zhang (Elaine Tan) and Archie (Anjli Mohindra) exchange a kiss at the abandoned Time Break Initiative building. It is a moment that may pan out but Archie has been relegated to the background during George’s maniacal quest to re-set the world to bring Sarah back. Zhang’s character is practically a cipher. I doubt that there is enough screen time to explore this engaging development.

The intrigue as to Wes’ (Caroline Quentin) involvement with Dr. Gray (Zoe Telford) seems to me to be a thread that is not getting enough attention. We do discover that Ross (Brian Gleeson), the former now-deceased lover of Archie, may have been involved with the destruction of Dr. Gray’s lab. I wanted to go back and see if the burn he sustained was visible in previous episodes. Archie’s nonchalance at seeing this major scar suddenly appear seemed unbelievable.

I also am concerned by having a new character, Older Becky (Safia Oakley-Green), who seems to have co-existed at some points in time with another younger version of herself. I am convinced that this series already jumped the shark with the 3-week time loop. So I cannot claim this as that moment. But I feel that it is not a promising addition.

I have to admit that I enjoyed Dr. Samson’s ignorance of time-travel movies. What I appreciated the most about this is getting to reminisce about each title as it was mentioned. This is especially true of ones that I love like Looper.

So there are plenty of threads and characters to focus on in upcoming episodes. But I wonder if all of these time jumps will be obfuscating. Will we get closure when the final episode of Season 2 ends?

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In the new season, resolute Lazarus agent George has been left in disgrace after betraying the organization in the name of love. He is determined to redeem himself and win back the trust of his friends, colleagues, and the love of his life. But when he discovers that the cause he is fighting for is more sinister than it appears, George suspects that the only person he can really trust is himself.