The Ark, “Cycle of Violence“, Review!

 “Cycle of Violence” has the crew of the Ark-1 face the feared Eastern Federation! Re:cap - “We Don’t Kill Our Own”; The clones led by Milos have taken over the ship using a ricin gas. Alicia has locked out the command codes from the bridge. Dr. Kabir and Dr. Marsh work to get an antidote to revive the crew. Kelly who was defending Alicia from clones has collapsed. Her implants overheated from long use. Interesting that her run time is only on her controller and can’t be detected by herself. On the bridge, Milos says to Captain Garnet that he will kill Lane unless she enters the command codes. Garnet agrees, but instead puts the ship on lockdown! Felix pulls Angus away from the closing door. 

Milos says she is trapped in the bridge with them. Garnet defies him saying that Milos has more in common with the Gen-3 clones! He has his clones tie Garnet to a chair. Sasha has the engines of the shuttle ready with Lt. Brice ready to throw the ship from any FTL jump. This is detected on the bridge. Garnet smiles. Ian takes out a knife saying that she had him locked up. Milos has him back off. Ian locks his knife and then drops it behind Garnet’s back. He’s a double agent! Dr. Kabir uses her emergency med code to check on Angus and Felix. She realizes that the captain has overriden any codes and contacts Alicia. She thinks she can open the path from Felix to the med lab. Alicia adds to Dr. Marsh that Kelly doesn’t look good. 

Marsh prepares his med kit to help Kelly. Angus and Felix rush in with the earth needed for the antidote. At the shuttle, Brice asks Sasha about Eva and the engineer notes that he can’t believe Eva is Eastern Federation. The others reach sub-engineering, Alicia hugs Angus, and then goes to help deliver the antidote. It is poured into the air filtration system. Marsh isn’t able to revive Kelly. Lane opens his eyes. Milos notices the gas antidote and not happy that the crew is waking up. The crew members strike the bulkhead door as Garnet frees herself. She stands with the knife and Milos realizes that Ian helped her! A clone attacks Ian and Garnet kills him with the thrown knife. They both fight the clones, Garnet back in action!, and Milos pins down Ian. He reaches for the knife.

THE ARK -- “Cycle of Violence” -- REECE RITCHIE, CHRISTIE BURKE -- Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY.

He raises the knife, but falls from the machete buried in his back from Garnet! They make apologies to each other and Garnet opens the bulkheads. Alicia and Garnet ask Marsh at med lab about Kelly. He tells them that the implants were on too long and that her nanites are not healing her. Brice enters Eva’s quarters, he holds her, she says she never felt so alone. He says he will always be there for her. Garnet sees Trust and makes him head of engineering to replace Eva. His bathtub request is rejected, he has to wash with the rest of the crew! Sasha again has to repair the cell door control. At the ready room, all of the crew is assembled to drink for a toast to Ark-1, Lane looks out of the window, and they see the ship of the Eastern Federation. We finally see the group feared for many eps! 

The director of “Cycle of Violence” is Hannah Espia-Farbova. James DeLorean is the writer of the episode. Garnet and Lane enter the bridge. Brice says the FTL is not fully charged, but Garnet orders them into FTL. It malfuncations. Trust is angry. Garnet wonders how the Eastern Federation found them. Lane suspects Eva. This angers Brice ready to start something. Garnet asks Felix to bring Eva to the ready room. Marsh checks on Kelly. Kabir wonders why her nanites have not healed her. At the ready room, Eva says Harris changed their records to get on the Ark-1. Garnet tells her about the Eastern Federation ship. Eva pleads innocence. Lane questions her loyalty. She says there is a reason to hate the GSA. The GSA was developing a biological weapon on the lunar colony. I like that the world government is not so clean cut, there are shades to the post apocalyptic Earth. 

She doesn’t know about the Eastern Federation ships. She says the fighters used. Reports that the ship has come out of FTL. Brice says it will take time for the FTL to charge. The Eastern Federation ship appears and a cannon strikes the Ark-1 with a pulse. Trust says it is an  EMP pulse! They ship is dead in space! Alicia has gotten a commuincation. It is the bearded Captain Avega (Daniel Fathers). The actor played Lord Humfrey Lefford in House of the Dragon. He says he wants his soldier back, Bojan Markovic. They have his shuttle. Garnet tells him that Bojan is dead. He comes back on screen and realizes that Eva is Boyan’s sister and wants her to confirm what happened to him. He wants the shuttle and Eva or the ship will be destroyed. Garnet sends Alicia to check on the engines with Trust. Angus runs into Kelly. He panics and then realizes that it is Jelena. 

THE ARK -- “Cycle of Violence” -- REECE RITCHIE, CHRISTIE BURKE, DIANA BERMUDEZ -- Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY.

At her room, Garnet tells Eva about the demand, she agrees, but she says she doesn’t want to leave Brice. At engineering, Garnet sees Trust and asks about a weapon he can rig. Lane sends away the crew from the observation deck. Ian is casually reading a book. He says he has been under threat every day. He asks Lane to see a picture of his family. The officer in the window who could have been in charge. He was taken from the facility. Lane says his mother couldn’t have children. At the bridge, Captain Avega is back on screen, Eva walks up. She says she wants to stay on the ship. Garnet agrees to return the shuttle. Captain Avega says, “Then, you dug your own grave.” Garnet has Trust activate his weapon. A pulse goes out and shuts down the Eastern Federation ship. Captain Avega threatens the ship. 

Trust wants another attack to take out their life support! Garnet opens communication again for “peace talks.” Garnet gives the order for the EM cannon, Brice pretends to follow it, Captain Avega says he will go with his second in command and wants two of their people on their ship. Felix wants Kimi to go, then asks for Jelena. At the observation deck, Angus sets a tray of water, and then is startled by Kelly, he turns and runs into another Kelly. The crew is all Kelly. He runs. Garnet wants Eva to tell about the Eastern Federation. Trust says that the lunar colony was developing a bio weapon to kill billions. Alicia says it is the Trolley Problem, she says a trolley would divert to kill one or ten. Lane can’t believe it was his father’s program. Eva says it is the GSA chose who lived and who died. Lane leaves. 

Garnet says, “If what you say is true, then this means… we’re the bad guys.” It doesn’t matter if they are GSA, on mission, they are independent of what happened on Earth. Lane looks out his window. Brice looks in on him. He says his dad was good. Lane says Brice having the colony destoryed saved people. Garnet check on Kimi. She says Ark-15 left and what happened on Earth when it left. Ian says they both did bad things. Garnet says he is a neutral party. The EF shuttle arrives, Captain Avega arrives, Felix checks him while Jelena checks his lieutenant, Ristic (Luka Jovanovic Dzivdzanovski). Strom in The Outpost was played by Dzivdzanovski. He can’t believe that there were so many people from Serbia. She introduces Garnet and Ian. Ian tells the liteutant if he tried potato vodka. At the table, he stops the arguments, Garnet talks to Avega. He says he is going to Trappist. Garnet tells him that there is a GSA colony already there. She offers an alliance if his ship disarms.

THE ARK -- “Cycle of Violence” -- JADRAN MALKOVICH, SHALINI PEIRIS -- Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY.

Avega refuses and wants to fight at Trappist ending the negotiation. Garnet stops Avega, he ends up with his hands on her throat, and tells him to kill her! She says he will kill them and they will kill him. Garnet reasons to him about the endless cycle. I really like that Garnet will put her life on the line to break the cycle. She says he wanted to save the human race. Then, she tells him to kill her first, he brings up the disarmament. She says they will arrive at Trappist and negotiate while they stay back. Avega says to his lieutenant that it is their last hope. A peace negotiation with a threatening rival? This was Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). Ristic still argues and stopped by the captain. Angus runs into the medlab and sees Kelly unconscious. She looks at him. He says he can’t stop thinking about her. Kelly thanks him. He kisses her and some nanites slip from his mouth into Kelly. A Nanite Kiss? Is Kelly Sleeping Beauty? Marsh pushes him away and Kabir says that her vitals are stabilizing. The penultimate ep of The Ark deals with the risk sides have to take for peace, something greater than space ships, and the relationships of the crew! 

Four Compression Suits out of Five! 

#TheArk, #CycleOfViolence, #HannahEspiaFarbova, #JamesDeLorean, #ChristieBurke, #ReeceRitchie, #RichardFleeshman, #StaceyRead, #RyanAdams, #SamanthaGlassner, #DianaBermudez, #TianaUpcheva, #ShaliniPeiris, #JadranMalkovich, #PavleJerinic, #DanielFathers, #LukaJovanovicDzivdzanovski