Welcome Back The Ark fans,
The sixth episode completes the first half of The Ark season two establishing the adventures viewers will be looking forward to in the second half of the season.
Viewers have witnessed wonderful writing of superb stories in the first five episodes. Beginning with “Failed Experiment” the crew decides the best way forward after a number of Ark-15 crew members decide to join Ark-1.
The first episode effectively sets up “Kill of Be Killed”, when Ark-15’s new crew members present questions of who can be trusted and what Ark-1 should do with them.
This leads to episode three “Anomaly” when a deep space electrical creature nearly destroys Ark-1’s electrical system as they are traveling to Ark-3 to salvage desperately needed parts for Ark-1 to be able to make the journey to a planet where they can reestablish humanity.
Upon arrival at Ark-3 in episode four “The Other You” finds our heroes quantum entangled with an alternate version of Ark-1 trapping them in a deep space void with two characters swapping universes until our heroes in both realities figure out how to escape.
In episode five, “Museum of Death”, the viewers learn secrets about several crew members that eloquently sets up episode six “Really Big Deal” when the crew of Ark-1 receives a distress call from Ark-8 that crash landed on a planet that was discovered a year after Ark-1 left Earth.
The scenario and costumes on the planet are similar to a desolate planet in Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan in that the Ark-8 crash survivor’s are motivated by obsessive compulsive emotions that Khan (Ricardo Montaban) exhibited towards Captain Kirk (William Shatner) during the classic 1982 science fiction film that saved the Star Trek franchise.
What our Ark-1 heroes learn is nonetheless shocking when it is revealed that advanced technologies are part of the Ark-8 survivors on a planet named “Raynick-J” that was discovered a year after Ark-1 left Earth. What our heroes experience is a turn of events that may adversely affect their journey to join the other Arks headed towards Trappist-1D!
Really Big Deal:
This exquisite episode was written by John-Paul Nickel and directed by Milan Konjevic focuses on several story arcs that have been percolating over the first five episodes of season two. “Really Big Deal” begins with Captain Sharon Garnet (Christie Burke) directing Eva Markovic (Tiana Upcheva) to complete retrieving parts needed from Ark-3 including Lt. James Brice (Richard Fleeshman) piloting an Eastern Federation shuttle from Ark-3 to dock with Ark-1.
Captain Garnet directs Security Chief Felix Strickland (Pavle Jerinic) to inspect the cargo and spare parts taken from Ark-3 while Alicia Nevins (Stacey Read) notes that the nose of the ship still says Ark-3 after it replaced the damaged section of Ark-1 during the previous episode. Captain Garnet tells Alicia not to worry since Lt. Spencer Lane (Reece Ritchie) is taking care of that detail as they speak, rebranding the Ark-3 nosecone to reflect that it is now part of Ark-1. The bridge crew claps in unison when the cargo, shuttle and rebranding are complete.
We move to the Ark-1 cargo areas where the crew, including Kimi Joma (Díana Bermudez) from Ark-15, Felix’s new security adjutant, as well as Alicia, Spencer, and Sharon open a time capsule like box recovered from Ark-3.
The crew are pleasantly surprised when they discover that it contains beloved memorabilia from Earth including a guitar, baseball equipment, children’s toys, yarn and knitting needles and other items that none of them thought they would ever see again.
Captain Garnet informs the Ark-1 Council that the newly attached Ark-3 nosecone has new private rooms for each of them when she calls for a staff meeting that includes Dr. Sanjivni Kabir (Shalini Peiris), Eva, Felix, Kimi Alicia, Lt Brice and Lt Lane.
Captain Garnet also invited Dr. Marsh (Jadran Malkovich) who joined Ark-1 from Ark-15 to discuss a pressing problem; Kelly Fowler (Samantha Glassner) who has been found to have explosives placed in the skull of her enhanced body by evil Evelyn Maddox (Jelena Stupljanin).
Dr Kabir and Dr Marsh with help from Jelena Griff (Tamara Radovanovic) share they plan to deactivate the explosive gel implanted in Kelly’s skull and plan to surgically remove the explosives but it’s a “Pretty Big Deal” so that Kelly will no longer be a threat to herself or others should Evil Evelyn go back on her word that included not activating the human bomb that Kelly.
However, we are left to wonder if Kelly and William Trust (Paul Leonard Murray) who are both still locked up, has learned to control her implants using the alternate reality wrist device that Alt Cat (Christina Wolf) gave her during the fourth episode “The Other You”? We shall learn more about this factor near the end of this episode.
We then move to the Bio Dome Shelter where Lati Meir (Coral Mizrachi) and Kimi are chatting about their own agenda; finding out Lt. Brice’s secrets, and if he or Eva were in any way involved with the Eastern Federation.
Lati, who has been taking care of things in the Bio Dome Shelter while Angus Medford (Ryan Adams) was recovering from his injuries thanks to a blood transfusion from Kelly, says she “hopes they don’t lose the chief engineer (Eva)” if what they suspect is true.
Just when viewers think that all is well with Ark-1, her crew, and the two locked up passengers, as they are about to enter FTL, Angus heads to the Bridge to chat with Alicia who informs him as she is checking communications logs from the Ark-3 computers that contain later information than Ark-1.
The Bridge crew discover that other Ark type ships may have saved more people from Earth. Unfortunately, Alicia reads communications documenting that the Eastern Federation ships are the only ones with weapons! Alicia and Angus hope the Eastern Federation are not headed to Trappist-1D!
We are then in the operating room where Dr. Marsh and Dr. Kabir with Jelena’s help are operating on Kelly to remove the explosive implants from her skull.
The procedure is a success with Kelly asking them to remove more of the artificial implants placed there by Evil Evelyn. Dr. Marsh informs Kelly that unlike the explosives the implants are integrated directly into her body and cannot be removed. This leaves Kelly to think about finding out how she can use the wrist device to control her implants.
Back on the Bridge, we learn that the planet Raynick-J, although with a breathable atmosphere, has high levels of radiation that will be fatal to humans if exposed for longer than a week. Alicia finds an FTL energy signature of the crashed Ark-8. Captain Garnet orders the now repaired Ark-1 to effect a rescue attempt using a shuttle to determine if there are any Ark-8 survivors.
Leading the mission are Captain Garnet that includes Dr. Kabir, Felix, Kimi, Lt. Brice and Lt. Lane. During the trip to land on the planet, Kimi questions Lt. Brice if he knew one of her friends named Maurisa Yi at the pilot GSA academy? Based on the Lt. Brice’s facial expressions the answer is an uncomfortable yes. However, Lt. Brice denies it, setting up a future part of the back story for the series
Once on Raynick-J, the rescue mission team confirms that the conditions are indeed bleak with parts of Ark-8 having broken up prior to landing. Now at the crash site location, a shuttle is observed near where our heroes do find survivors, but with a huge twist: They’re clones with one revealed to be a duplicate of Lt. Spencer Lane named Ian!
Referred to as Gen2 clones, they are apparently the last version of stable clones before humanity escape a doomed Earth. The Gen2 clone named Ian confronts Lt. Spencer Lane that he too is a clone since four were made of each person copied. Although Lt. Lane denies it, viewers will recall that Captain Garnet is one of the clones herself that designed to be able survive under the harsh environmental conditions on other planets and in space.
Does this mean that there is another Captain Garnet? We shall see! Dr. Kabir tends to the injuries that some of the clones suffered when they crash landed, Kabir also relates that cloning was utilized by several corporate factions for their own purposes. The Gen2 clones worked with other abandoned clones to commander Ark-8 that had not been assigned a crew before it left planet Earth.
Later we also learn that other clones, referred to as Gen3’s, have been attacking the Gen2’s since the crash and have a tendency to become violent.
Viewers will recall that Angus has been acting a bit depressed lately.
This is because Angus no longer feels that he is needed in the Bio Dome Shelter since Lati has been doing an apparently fabulous job taking care of the Bio Dome Shelter.
In an enjoyable scene while the two are in the Bio Dome Shelter, Lati and Angus strike up a friendship after Angus learns that Lati had made some mistakes.
Lati says “That’s why we need you here”.
In a really fun bit of character interaction, Angus says that Lati has “planted too many potatoes”.
“Not if you want more Vodka” says Lati! “More Vodka?” retorts Angus as they take a few slugs of the alcohol while discussing the romantic pairings on Ark-1!
Back on the planet, the Gen3’s have an agenda of their own, to escape. It then it becomes obvious that the Gen3 clones plan to take control of the Ark-1 shuttle. Several of the Gen3’s attack the survivor’s encampment with two having sabotaging the shuttle and jumping Lt. Brice. Lt. Lane comes to the rescue and they are able to repair the damage caused by the crazed Gen3 clones.
Captain Garnet orders the evacuation of the planet indicating they will return to take the Gen3 clones into protective custody. Instead the Gen2’s and the rescue team are barely able to escape with Gen3 clones hanging off the shuttle.
As the episode winds down, Ian the Spencer clone is observed having a meal with the command team warning Captain Garnet that the Gen3 clones cannot be trusted. Dr. Kabir says that it “could take months to implement, longer to perfect” a gene therapy to fix the Gen3 clones.
While Ian and Spencer are talking about what happened to each of them, Spencer still denies that he is a clone. Ian then shares that all clones have a tattoo on their left heel. We learn at the end of the episode that Spencer does not have a visible tattoo, but does have a scar where the tattoo would have been, indicating that his tattoo was surgically removed.
As the episode concludes, we learn four more story arc important details.
First, we learn that Maurisa Yi was Lt. Brice’s protégé at the SGA academy when Kimi shows Lati a picture of Yi and Brice together. Lati then ties this fact to her hypothesis that Eva, who destroyed her criminal records from Ark-3 in the previous episode, and Lt. Brice must be Eastern Federation spies! We also learn that Eva’s lover, an Eastern Federation Engineer, died mysteriously after coming out of cryogenic sleep on Ark-1 AND that Eva’s record is not only “spotless”, Eva was wearing a different uniform meaning that Kimi and Lati have confirmed that Eva scrubbed her records file!
Second, we find Kelly talking through the damage hole in the cell walls with William Trust who asks her if she has was taught by Alt Cat how to use the wrist device to control her implants?
When Kelly admits that she doesn’t know how to do that, Trust offers to help. Naïve Kelly agrees. We think this could be a mistake on Kelly’s part with Trust either planning revenge against Kelly and/or the crew of Ark-1!
Third, Angus works up some courage and decides to go see Alicia with a flower he harvested with Lati’s help from the Bio Dome Shelter. Obviously nervous, Angus almost doesn’t knock on the door.
Alicia, sensing this is their moment, wastes absolutely no time giving Angus a big kiss officially confirming the two will become romantic lovers!
Fourth, after Felix prepares to bring the first batch of Gen3 clone survivors onboard Ark-1, any thoughts of returning to the planet to salvage FTL parts will be abandoned when an explosion is witnessed on the planet with Lt. Brice and Kimi in the shuttle heading back to the planet to rescue more Gen3’s. Did the Ark-8 FTL drive explode by itself on the surface of the Planet near the crash site? Or did some of the Gen3’s commit suicide to hide something from the crew of Ark-1?
Find out more next week in the exciting seventh episode of season two named “It Can’t Be True” when our heroes face new challenges in deep space!
A suspicious explosion has the crew searching for answers 🔍What secrets will be exposed along the way? Find out in an all-new episode of #TheArk, Wednesday at 10/9c on @syfy! pic.twitter.com/bYxSeqLJTV
— SYFY (@SYFY) August 26, 2024
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