The Ark, “Kill or be Killed”, Review!

The second episode of The Ark centers on bringing Kelly and the new crew members and  it is a test of loyalities! Re:cap - “Failed Expeiment”; The Ark-1 is heavily damaged, the captain of the Ark-15, Maddox, doesn’t want any more crew to be moved to her ship. Maddox’s daughter, Kelly, is secured and Joma takes the co-pilot seat. Captain Garnet pilots the shuttle out. Maddox says Dr. Marsh is her “oldest friend.” Then, she asks Kelly to take the shuttle, but she says she will kill her mother! Maddox activates a security override that knocks out Kelly. Marsh says that she has plastic gel, Nevins says it is a explosive, he starts to extract it from Kelly’s neck. A fail safe like Suicide Squad! Garnet sends Joma to eject her. Marsh says Kelly has “other talents.” A key to colonization? Ark-1, Lt. Brice brings in a wounded Sasha to the engineering room, Eva hugs Sasha. 

She tells him to help restore the ship’s power and kisses Brice. Marsh works on extracting the plastic gel, Alicia is angry, but is held back by Angus. The shuttle moves between the Arks and Garnet says Maddox owes her. Marsh has disamed the explosive. Maddox says she doesn’t want Garnet to bring her daughter. Brice reports in making a shipwide announcement, he says that the systems are operational. The wounded crew looks up. He has a message of hope for all of them. He has the reports of all of the crew come in, this is unexpected hope like the end of Day After Tomorrow (2004). Ark-15 then leaps in FTL! We haven't seen the last of Ark-15! “Kill or be Killed” is directed by Milan Todorovic. The writers are John-Paul Nickel and Jonathan Glassner. 

Angus is being taken in a gurney through the halls with emergency lights. Dr. Kabir is taken in by Dr. Marsh. Garnet walks out of the shuttle hatch, she gives Kimi permission to board, Garnet tells Brice that they have requested asylum. Brice escorts away the engineers. Kimi tries to introduce herself to Felix, but he is curt with her. Jelena brings in Trust who wants to help. Garnet has a senior officer watch over him as he helps to restore Ark-1. Garnet shows Kelly to Lane. Trust moves towards Kelly who had killed his wife. Eva updates Garnet with Trust who says the navigation is damaged needed for FTL. Eva says there are spare parts, but the room was hit, no parts! Angus is laid down on a medical bed. Kabir painfully reaches a medical bed and refuses care. Marsh injects a needle into Angus. Kelly is taken in and Lane has Kelly restained. Marsh takes Lane and Alicia to tell that Kelly is a post-human called Upgrades by Maddox! The movie, Upgrade (2018), had a horror spin on augmented humans like the genetically engineered Khan in Star Trek. 

THE ARK -- “Kill or Be Killed “ - -  SAMANTHA GLASSNER -- Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY

Lane updates Garnet on the ship with Felix and Alicia. At the mess hall, Brice wonders about trusting the Ark-15 crew. Felix says his husband had died on Ark-3. Kimi says she is blameless with Maddox’s loyalists. Maddox’s order was to take over the shuttle, but no one followed that order. She has it is engineers, scientists, and medical personnel, Alicia adds civilians. Garnet puts it to a vote, Garnet, Eva, and Alicia raise their hands, then Lane!, Felix and Brice are opposed. The vote goes against Kelly. Felix wants to put her on trial, Garnet will act as judge, and Felix acts as prosecutor. Kimi volunteers Marsh as the defense counsel for Kelly. I like how Kimi is rational, another favorite character? Marsh still tries to examine Kabir. He has repaired her liver and spleen. Two doctors and two heads of security? I hope we don't lose our regulars! Dr. Kabir is a favorite character, but the show is not safe with characters, look at Cat. 

Kelly wonders why Marsh experimented on her, he apologizes, and then says that her post-human implants are working. It would have been helpful to have a ship's counselor like Cat at this time. At the mess hall, Kimi is placed on the council to represent the new crew, she calls Brice "handsome" and adds that pretty men aren't smart, funny! Lane brings up Ark-3 that they left behind has spare parts. Trust says that a remaining, rear navgational DOTE can help them use FTL. They can make one jump. Garnet has Trust volunteer, he has the technical knowledge, to spacewalk. Garnet meets with Marsh who says he will defend Kelly. She says it will happen after the EVA. In compression suits they reach the outside of the ship, Trust looks disoriented, she has him breathe in and out and not focus on space. He is still upset at his wife’s murder, he is about to float off, but Garnet pulls him back. Then, off screen, he vomits in his helmet! Space sickness! 

Alicia says she wants to spend time for Angus, he raises up to kiss her, and falls unconscious. Kelly stares at him! Back at the panel with a clean helmet, Trust again slips off, and then starts to work.

He falls away and Garnet has lost him to space! Trust spins into space, Garnet uses her booster to grab hold of him and then uses thrusters to move them back. Felix has reassigned Jelena to Marsh. He has her watch Marsh taking away her security i.d. and baton. Marsh gives Jelena a bucket as Trust retches! I like how EVA is not simply getting into a suit and operating in outer space! Garnet scans Cat’s bunk, laughs at Cat’s Cat Call poster, this was her show. She takes it down and then looks at he laptop with The Juno heading. Garnet checks with Marsh about Trust. He enters the code on the laptop. Trust explains the Juno Project shows the genetic match of the crew. Lane is disgusted at the thought of the project. They open the door looking at Cat’s ruined room. He shows her the bottle and he asks if Garnet has fallen in love. 

THE ARK -- “Kill or Be Killed “ - - JADRAN MALKOVICH -- Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY

She says she dated a few times at the academy. Sparks? Felix contacts her about the trial. Garnet brings the charges of the death of Helena Trust and the crew of Ark-3. Marsh wants Kelly to change her plea. Kimi is questioned. She says that Maddox told them that the Eastern Federation took over the ship. Interesting to get more of the Earth groups. In the Robotech anime show, it was the Greater Northeast Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Kimi says the landing party was unusual with Kelly and two bodyguards. Marsh asks about the landing party and Kimi says they didn't return which made her suspicious. It also makes me suspicious, has Maddox put in sleeper agents on Ark-1?, still I trust the captain's decisions. Garnet dismisses Kimi. Kelly is bought up to testify. Felix addesses Kelly Maddox, but Kelly says her father is named Fowler. What happened to her father? She says she was sent to Ark-3 to find Trust. 

Flashback, they were attacked by crew members. Dimitri (Miroslav Borkovic) was killed. Ross (Aleksandar Stoimnovski) takes Kelly away. The two hide in the mess hall. They are attacked, Kelly says “then”, but then doesn’t remember. Felix says that’s convenient. She only remembers when Lane found her. She says she didn’t kill Felix’s husband. Kelly corrects herself that she hopes she didn’t kill him. The show doesn't redeem the action of characters, but the question of running the ship, and really how it applies to everyone the viewers included, is every life has value. Marsh offers a solution. He says he can turn on Kelly’s brain implant, but has to do with all of the implants on! Marsh says to double shackle her! Kelly is restained at the seat, Garnet then has Marsh turn on the implant, he uses his wrist device. Marsh asks Kelly about what she remembers. She thinks back to stabbing a man. Ross tells Kelly to kill the crew. She snaps a man’s neck. 

Marsh says her right arm is strong like the Bionic Woman! Kelly pleads with Marsh to turn off the implant. A tear falls. A difficult part for Glassner, good work! She is activated to follow orders, but doesn’t remember them like the Winter Soldier. If her blood was injected into Angus, Kelly has post-human implants, I think the scrawny Angus will be transformed into Captain America!, half-serious. She admits she didn’t kill Felix’s husband. Brice checks on the laptop of a female engineer. Eva wonders what he is doing. Felix says she is a killer and Marsh says it was self defense. Garnet ends the trial. Later, she re-enters and orders Kelly to stand. She says Kelly is guilty of murder. Garnet says that Maddox is responsible for her actions. She says that she is like her sister. Garnet has Kelly confined to the brig and orders Marsh to study her. A few characters just have moments, Kabir, Alicia and Angus, but the drama is great. "Kill or be Killed" has courtroom drama, a de facto military court, the questions of loyalty, and the Kelly question of genetic manipulation!  

Five Compression Suits out of Five!

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