Tuesday, April 4, 2023

The Ark, “The Painful Way”, Review!

The Ark is in danger with the potential conflict of Ark-15 and even more the scheming of the Trusts! William Trust using a computer screen notes that the negative energy used during their FTL jump refueled the ship for another jump! This is a fascinating energy source for a sci fi vessel. The bridge crew claps, but Lt. James Brice wants Eva to check the new drive. Lt. Sharon Garnet agrees with him. Alicia Nevins runs in and says she knows the location of Ark-15 that attacked Ark-3. From the Ark-3 data, she plotted its trajectory and also noted Ark-1’s position. Alicia follows its path and Brice notes that it is headed towards Proxima B!  I love seeing a graphic of Proxima B, we really don’t have an idea about the planet at this point. So they will have to encounter the Ark-15 when reaching Proxima B! I wonder if they can make that proposed shield to block the weapon?  It looks the show’s opening has changed now that we have the FTL drive ready! At the conference room, Felix Strickland notes the hostility of the Ark-15 ship, Alicia that they have to defend against the “Aliciainium weapon”, she says she has given up trying to fight it!  I love this show! Garnet says they will have to change course. Alicia says the other habitable planet is Ross 128B. 


Eva Markovic is opposed to the idea that will take years and with the ship’s condition. William states that it is not acceptable, to be honest he’s not part of the crew, and not a commander. Garnet tells the Trusts that they are at the meeting as a courtesy and can’t make decisions for the ship. Helena Trust tells her husband to show the crew his plan. Dr. Sanjivni Kabir can’t tell what is the plan. Eva says it looks like a shield. William explains that the FTL’s “space distortion bubble” forms the shield. Alicia notes that it will form after arrival. Markovic says it could work. Garnet is uncertain. William says he will risk his life on his plan. Brice brings up he risked the lives of the North Euro District to attempt decarbonization. I like that the Earth’s sectors are identified in part here. William angrily says he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Helena says the Klampkins disease was unforeseen by anyone. Brice sides with Garnet and then Strickland, both of whom have issues with William Trust. Helena says this is all a popularity contest and William agrees, they should be confined to quarters, at least sent from the conference room. William uses his tablet to enter codes. Dr. Kabir wonders what he has done. Trust has locked the FTL drive with a security protocol. Again, they should have been sent out well before that point. 


THE ARK -- “The Painful Way” --  STACEY READ, PAUL LEONARD MURRAY, MERCEDES DE LA CRUZ, TIANA UPCHEVA -- Photo: Aleksander Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY


The Trusts walk out and William says he will unlock it once they travel to Proxima B. Brice asks Garnet permission to give William a thrashing! Maybe Strickland will join him! Markovic says the FTL drive still has to fully recharge. Garnet says she has a job for Alicia. At the dome, Angus is trying to impress Kelly with watering a pumpkin. She asks if his plants will work on Proxima B and he says it is uncertain. Kelly notes that his agriculture knowledge is the most important on the planet to survive. Brice joins Eva at the mess hall.  It is his attempt to kind of apologize to her about being angry of her attempt to find his Klompkins cure. A lover’s quarrel and this is the make up. He says they can just be friends, um, with benefits? William Trust returns to the bridge thinking Garnet made a mistake. She shows him the Ross 128B course. Garnet also corrects him that it is not his Ark, it’s their Ark, I like her asserting her authority. No comprimise. So Garnet calls in Alicia!, she broke his code to stop the Ark-3 self-destruct and found out how to hack the lock out from his usual pattern. The person Trust called a child just schooled him! Garnet then sends him out of the bridge for good! Another great scene! William vents back in his room and Lt. Spencer Lane says that Garnet wasn’t humilating him, no he did it to himself. 


William says that more crew will die in the two years it will take to reach Ross128B. His wife supports him, says he did it the nice way, and instead it is time for her to use the “painful way.” Lane should stop them right there, maybe he will get back the friendship he lost keeping the Trust secret, but again this could be a lie of omission that could compromise the ship! By the way, Strickland is in charge of security, and the greatest threat is the Trusts which he knows by experience. They should always be guarded for their safety, kinda, but also what William already did locking the FTL drive. At the bridge, Brice reassures Garnet on changing course, she makes a shipwide announcement explaining the situation. This is heard by Kelly who looks like she has sinister plans of her own. Garnet notes that they will make a FTL jump. She tells Eva to make the jump, but the engineer is hesitant. Eva starts the FTL, love the perspective of the bridge screen, Brice leaves and Eva follows him. In a corridor, Brice tells her is worried that he will never reach Ross128 even though he agrees with Garnet. 


Cat is talking with Lane who says they have been traveling a week at light speed. She brings up the shield which is information out of her pay grade. Plus, she says she knows William Trust designed it, which should set off alarm bells. Garnet did say they didn’t have a “reliable defense” in her announcement. Cat and Lane sowing mutiny on the Ark!  The episode’s lesson: never trust an over privileged influencer! The strange thing is that the crew members immediately believe gossip. Kelly is working on a device, a WD?, and Angus says she can just get another one. She says it is from Ark-3, and tries flatter him, but he admits only an engineer could fix it. By the way, he wasn’t at the conference room, and didn’t work with Alicia on breaking Trust’s lock out. Negligent with his duties, focusing on your crops is not really being part of the crew, plant boy! Eva is at the engine room when William enters, a high security area!, is Strickland on a break? He tries to flatter her, but then boasts that he is “the best engineer in the galaxy.” William tries to plant seeds of doubt that the ship will last the trip to Ross128. This is not reported to Garnet? 


THE ARK -- “The Painful Way” -- RICHARD FLEESHMAN, TIANA UPCHEVA -- Photo: Aleksander Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY

At the mess hall, Helena is having lunch with Griff who is starstruck, even though Helena warned her husband about having an affair with her. She is testing Griff’s loyalty. Then, Helena asks about Strickland. Griff told her not to mention him to Helena, but… Helena brings up his family including his daughter, Katheryn. She says Strickland is making “emotional decisions.” If Griff takes part of the mutiny, she should join the others in the airlock. The suspicous crew members ask Brice and Garnet about the shield. One tries to confront her and Brice is backing her up. The ensign says the crew doesn’t want to head to Ross128, but Garnet says she is making the best possible decision. Great that she is bringing up this officer’s low rank. His bully colleague slams Garnet into a bulkhead! They are both knocked out by Garnet and Brice! She calls and security and remarks that they can’t reach the planet with a mutinous crew. Her head wound is checked by Dr. Kabir in med bay. I think the priority is to lock out the bridge with codes known only to the current personnel, also the engine room, and sensitive areas. Dr. Kabir is about to sew up the wound, but Garnet notes that instead she can rest, shaky hands! So Sharon Garnet sews the wound herself in a mirror! This woman is tough. 


Dr. Kabir notes that Cat is helping by holding her pills. Lane joins his former friend in a corridor. He tries to convince Brice about William Trust’s plan. Not the way to go rebuilding a friendship. Brice questions why Lane has “blind faith” in Trust. True, this takes away a person’s decision making. Lane admits that he only got to the academy through a scholarship from Trust Industries. He says Trust is why he is in the GSA and Brice counters with Trust is why he is now a civilan. Blind faith wouldn’t see that reality. Lane is alone in the corridor as the door closes before him. Great shot! Almost alone in the mess hall, Griff tells Strickland about talking with Helena, and brings up her comment about him and emotional decisions. Stickland replies unemotionally to the assessment. He says the first weeks will be difficult and then loses focus. Griff drugged him! He notices that the mess hall emptied out, she tries to apologize, and Strickland passes out! Brice and Eva are in his bunk again, I wonder what she means by last time?, he drinks a bottle of water, and she tries to apologize! Another drugged! He passes out and Eva says drugging him was the only way to protect him. I don’t know who the crew recovers from betrayals all in the Trusts desperation to get to Proxima B. The senior members don’t have a council with Brice and Garnet. The Ark is on a dangerous course to get to Proxima B and face the Ark-15!    


Five Compression Suits out of Five! 


#TheArk, #ThePainfulWay, #ChristieBurke, #RichardFleeshman, #TianaUpcheva, #ReeceRitchie, #StaceyRead, #ShaliniPeiris, #PavleJerinic, #PaulLeonardMurray, #MercedesDeLaCruz, #ChristinaWolfe, #TamaraRadovanovic, #SamanthaGlassner

No comments:

Post a Comment