Hello, my fellow Debris fans,
I hope you enjoyed the episode as much as I have. With each episode we are getting more and more pieces of the puzzle as well as pieces of the debris. We are starting to also get a glimpse more into the lives of the Orbital team and that means questions will arise about them. The name of this episode is very telling as well.
The definition of Earthshine is “earthshine will brighten the dark portion of the moon”. The meaning is that we will see portions of the characters, the secrets, the debris that is half in shadow in a brighter whole new light. Use that metaphor anyway you please,
The episode, directed by Rebecca Rodriguez, opens with a harmless bus ride in New Jersey, but as we have learned from the previous episodes nothing in Debris starts out harmless. The passengers then notice they cannot hear any sound, like they have gone temporarily deaf. The next thing we see is the bus crashed…in Boston.
How did it get from New Jersey to Boston in mere seconds? The answer is a wormhole, but how did the wormhole happen and why did it appear?
Every passenger except one has died in the crash. The sole survivor crawls to safety to be hopefully helped by the figure he sees standing before them. The passenger asks where am I, but the figure does not answer, does not say a single word to the man. What happens will be revealed later in the episode.
For your enjoyment, before continuing our analysis in case you missed it, we include the recent WonderCon at Home panel moderated by Damian Holbrook below where the cast and Joel Wyman discussed this weeks episode in specific, and the series in general.
Earthshine:
We come to find out that there has been a bit of a fracture in the Finola/Bryan partnership. She is angry at him that he kept the knowledge of her father being alive from her and how the last case was handled. He makes small talk about her not being a morning person and you can tell that Finola Jones (Riann Steele) practically brushes Bryan Beneventi (Jonathan Tucker) off and focuses more on the task of the debris than his conversation. I do not blame her for being angry and hurt by his actions, partners are supposed to trust each other and be transparent, not withhold and deceive. What Bryan did was a breach of trust not only amongst partners but amongst friends. He probably had good intentions for withholding in his mind, but Finola had a right to know. Finola reassures him that all is good, but the fracture is there. It is palpable to the viewer.
Bryan mentions to Finola that the debris in question that could possible open the wormhole was stolen from a German lab and knows it eventually made it out here to the States. Bryan recalls an incident in China where that debris was used to open a wormhole but the consequences were quite different and the area that it was used it was remote. Why here and now? Why a city bus and what could possibly be next.
When Bryan receives a call from the team in New Jersey the intel about the incident is that civilians heard a high-pitched whine that happened two hours before the event. It seems that there are changes happening with the debris, that sound was not there before, the debris is changing to the environment, changing to its needs. With Bryan in possession of surveillance video from Jersey side, Finola notices a suspicious looking man lurking around seconds before the bus disappears. She informs Agent Mackie (Donald Sales) of the coffee cup left behind and tells the team to bag the cup and dust for fingerprints to try and determine who this person was and if they have anything to do with the incident.
The surviving passenger was eventually found shot with his blood taken and a sample of his hair and skin removed for biopsy. Why? Possibly to study the effects the wormhole had on the humans that passed through it. Maybe the tissues and blood held some answers to what Influx, the company that maybe behind the incident, could be looking for. What better subjects to use as guinea pigs than humans? Is the debris that was stolen meant to be used as a weapon of sorts? I guess only time will tell. The people behind the stolen debris are getting bolder and bolder when it comes to the manipulation of its powers.
The debris was brought to the states by a man who was ex paramilitary named Peter Joseph Eickmann (Adam Kirschner) who is apparently extremely popular since he is on a whole lot of watch lists from the NSA to Interpol and everything in between. Once he arrives in New York City with the debris he meets up with a group of men lead by Anson Ash (Scroobius Pip). We know that Anson is the leader of the teleporters and will stop at nothing to make sure that no one from Orbital stops them from their plans.
Meanwhile Finola is on the phone to Priya Ferris (Anjali Jay) back in London, Finola asks Priya to help her get the answers to the questions about her father and the China file that she can no longer find because the Americans took it down apparently. Finola’s frustration and confusion are justified. Who else but her father would know how to use the debris in this way? She knows her father is dead; she saw his body. Her frustration makes this assignment even more difficult especially when Priya tells Finola to be patient, she has some “intel” on her father. Priya’s access is denied as well and Finola gets angry at the pointless matter. She questions why the UK and America are in this alliance if the Americans are keeping secrets from the UK. Priya kindly reminds her that the Brits are keeping secrets too. I mean what is a little espionage amongst friends.
There is a breach of trust between both agencies, MI-6, and the CIA, each seem to be hiding info from each other. Finola and Bryan are essentially stuck in the middle and become pawns in whatever the end game is for both agencies.
Bryan and Finola hear the high-pitched whine when they are tracking down the debris in New York, the frequency has not reached the height it needs to activate yet, so it is a race against time to stop the wormhole from opening again. The larger the wormhole the larger the object that will disappear, maybe a whole city block or more.
With each episode we get to see a bit more about the Orbital team and their personal lives. We were introduced to Julia Maddox (Jennifer Copping) in earlier episodes and got a little taste of the relationship she has with her husband Craig (Norbert Leo Butz). We got to see how the parents cope with their disabled son Dario (Christian Rose) and the sacrifices that all parents make for their children. This episode shows the couple returning from couples therapy and it helped show us a bit more about their dynamic. Julia insists that the family move to Houston as there is a facility there that can help their son, but Craig vehemently forbids them moving. We as the audience know that it is more than just his job that he will leave it is the secret that he is hiding, the project that Maddox is clearly a part of and cannot under any circumstances abandon. He tells her he loves them both with all his heart and that they will be better off staying put. I am curious to see how much more of this relationship will be revealed to us. It clearly has a part to play in the series as well as in the life of the Maddox character.
One thing that is a constant thread throughout the episodes and the series is family and connections with those we love. In the middle of the investigation Finola’s sister DeeDee (Gabrielle Ryan) calls her to ask about a Spanish song from their childhood that always made them happy. Finola finally coaxes out of her sister why she called, and why she was asking about the song.
The sisters have a strained relationship as one is in the US and the other is still in England. They are both lonely and that is clear, the connection they are trying to establish again over a distance is difficult to say the least. The song we find out about at the end of the episode.
When Peter Joseph Eickmann leaves the hotel, he was at he is immediately surrounded by agents, Peter than pulls a gun as well and says, “You can’t stop it.” Bryan asks him where the sound is coming from, “Even if you stop it, you couldn’t stop it. Another will take my place; this technology will be free” then shoots himself in the head.
Unable to get answers Finola calls Priya to try and get some answers to the baffling questions that are coming up regarding the debris and why these men are willing to die for it. Begging to get her hands on the China file for Finola to find the answers to stop the wormhole from happening, Priya finally admits that she had it the while time but “couldn’t risk sending it over the network”. Priya then instructs her to go to an intersection a block away and wait. We see a white van pull up with Brill (Sebastian Roché, another Fringe alum) handing Finola the file, and a warning about Ferris and her father. It is an oh damn moment for me in the episode.
I love that this series has secrets and deceptions from its characters. That nothing is as it seems, people and truths you thought you knew were not and the betrayal is real. I have a feeling as the series progresses, we will see more and more of the secrets revealing themselves and most definitely having it all culminate into one big mystery solved.
Finola questions Bryan about Maddox and his loyalties, Bryan assures Finola that Maddox tells him everything. We know that is not the truth and I am looking forward to when Bryan finds out that Maddox has been lying to him about things relating to the mission, the debris, his partner all of it.
As the team splits up to find the debris, Anson, and Loeb (Ben Cotton) are confronted by Finola and they run. As they escape, the levels of energy for the debris is still at 90 percent. Anson then tells Loeb he must jump again, but since Loeb has done too many, he does not want to do it, but Anson tells him “once more, think of the cause, it must be done”.
Finola follows Anson as he tries to escape, her team needing assistance, but she ignores them and goes at it alone. Loeb then jumps and lands on the street near Maddox and his team. It is clearly visible the effects the jumps take on the Influx agent. Loeb has signs of physical trauma, I have a feeling that we will find out the side effects and dire consequences of those time jumps.
As the episode ends, the debris is found and disarmed. Finola finally catches up to Anson and asks him about her father, but she is met with silence. Her team finally finds her and tackles Anson and puts him under arrest. As the debris is dismantled and the threat of the wormhole gone, all is right again for the time being in the world.
Or is it? With so many unanswered questions about the debris, Influx, George Jones, the secrets, Maddox, and the reason for everything will we ever know the answer?
Bryan tells Finola he initially had doubts about her ability to do this job from the beginning but has since changed his mind. He does find her capable and beyond. I suspect he was telling her this to try and get back into good graces with her. We would see if that tactic worked in later episodes.
Once Anson is taken into custody, Finola begs Maddox to let her interrogate him so she can find answers. Maddox says she cannot, but he will relay all the info to her. If that is not a clear sign of deception, then I do not know what is!?
As the episode ends, Finola receives a video from her sister from their childhood of them dancing to that song she wanted to know about earlier. The name of the song is Porque Te Vas (Because You Are Leaving). The lyrics are interesting, “you will forget me, you will forget me” it repeats over and over.
I assume that the song will have significance later. Wyman tends to add specific songs that at first you do not quite know what they mean but their context will be revealed later. Anson also knows the song and the lyrics, which I assume he found out from her father. Only time will tell…
Well friends, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I have and remember to stay tuned for more from us as we review the rest of the season.
Thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. Thanks to Kenn for video embedding and adding images for my feature article. I will be back later this season to provide additional analysis about Debris as we learn more about this fabulous new science fiction series on NBC!
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Until next time,
Regards,
Thank you Lori @noz4a2 for a delightful #Debris dive into ep 5 #DebrisNBC 👍
Loved how you delineated where the relationship between Finola & Bryan is going as well as thoughtful analysis of the situation between Julia & Craig Maddox.
My question? Will Anson actually stay captured?
Best Regards
Kenn of #TeamWHR