After weeks of high-intensity drama, this episode had a little lighter tone. It was a fun adventure and in sci-fi space operas those are sometimes the best episodes. Hijinks, heart, and humor combined to make a terrific episode. A lot of times these sorts of adventure episodes tend to be standalone, but this one laid down critical bits of information that are important to future episodes. This one has a very big place in the lexicon of the season. There were big moments and fun lighter moments which combined to deliver a well-balanced episode that was seriously fun to watch.
A lot of things make space shows special, but no space opera is complete without the occasional wild space adventure. This one filled that requirement and did so perfectly. There was a wonderful balance of heart and humor that are hallmarks of the genre. Something quite unusual about this episode is that the series regular cast sort of took a step back to their newer recurring guest stars. Probably necessary given how heavily focused the series is on the regulars this season. There aren’t many secondary characters to take the weight off of them, so while they were prominently featured they weren’t the driving force. That left the episode sitting heavily on the shoulders of Mishka Thébaud (Adrian) and even gave some great material to Ayisha Issa (Solara) as well and they did not disappoint. Both were called upon to deliver on some tough scenes and they didn’t just meet expectations, but far exceeded them. The only disappointing thing about them is that they only have recurring status meaning that their current stay is likely limited.
A lot was revealed about both characters, but Solara definitely had the biggest info drop between the two of them. Solara’s scene with Five when she revealed her origins was utterly heartbreaking and the way Issa delivered the dialogue made it all the more haunting. There is definitely more to that part of the story that will surely come back into play again at some point. It’s almost a guarantee that those mercenary bandits after the important manuscript at her monastery had some sort of connection to at least one member of the Raza crew. The show wouldn’t have taken the time to tell that story otherwise. It’s not a matter of if this story will come into play again, but when.
While Solara told the story of her past, Adrian’s past came back to bite them all in the behinds in the form of a beautiful woman. Adrian was on a mission to try and rescue the woman he clearly cares about which actually opened him up to show off that there is more to him than just being a goofball. He was being as chivalrous as a person who was mentored by Talbor Calchek could be. Granted, trying to save this girl, ended up backfiring on him several times, but he kept pushing forward. Every single time there was a roadblock he kept trying to think through all the possibilities to keep the crew interested and helping him. He was determined and showed off a different more serious side to himself. He made it very clearly known, not through words, but through actions, that he’s not as self-centered as Talbor. Adrian can be a handful, but at least he tries. He wants to learn to be better and being around the Raza crew and Solara seems to be changing him for the better. He had a chance to earn his freedom by selling out the Raza and her crew, but he took a stand and refused to play with the lives of the crew that took him in. Five looked both a little surprised and a tiny bit proud of the choice he made.
Ambrosia (Anna Hopkins) played Adrian in a pretty big way. She saw the big-hearted guy hiding under the entrepreneurial goofball exterior and sought to exploit that. It was a rather brilliant plan and one that ended up almost working for her. By taking down her only other big rival and co-conspirator Goren (UFC fighter Michael Bisping) she was almost in the clear. However, she underestimated the determination of the Raza crew to get what they set out for. What is interesting in that thanks to Adrian’s pleas she not only survived their encounter but also maintained her freedom. That latter decision might very well come back to bite them in the proverbial butts at some point. Ambrosia doesn’t seem like the type that will just give up when she has her mind set on something. It was, however, interesting that Talbor entrusted the decoder to her. Surely, for someone so paranoid, he had to realize how untrustworthy she was. Then again, she’s a pretty face and he seems to be a sucker for that, so he might very well have been blinded to her potential to deceive. After all, Adrian was blindsided by her as well and there is an argument to be made that he’s a more fully rounded guy than his former boss. She is certainly good at what she does.
But getting to the point of confronting her in the woods was only possible because the crew was on their own mission. Even though they are trying to stay out of the core of the Corporate War they still keep finding themselves caught up in it. When they had a chance to get their hands on Ferrous Corp secrets regarding a secret shipyard, of course, they went for it. While the information is invaluable and could bring them immense riches it’s clear that Two had nobler intentions. She knows that they can hand off the information to Mikkei Combine thanks to their alliance with Commander Truffault and perhaps turn the tides of the war. In the end, despite all their valiant efforts to gain information on Project Phoenix, it turns out they might have been a step behind Ferrous who appear to have expedited their project much faster than expected. That means there is likely a whole brand new fleet of warships out there for the other corporations and the Raza to deal with. That does not bode well for anyone.
At least the journey to that point of disappointment was fun. Five got to get off the ship and have an interesting adventure with Adrian. It’s really awesome how Two is so open to Five going off and doing things. They’ve come a long way since the series premiered and Two wouldn’t even let Five hold a gun. Now she’s taking part in undercover missions and fighting off bad guys with a gun that is probably as long as she is tall. Jodelle Ferland has been absolutely genius in the ways she’s helped to shape Five into the fierce badass engineer that she has become. She has terrific writing to work with, but it’s her immense skills that have given the writers the freedom to do some very cool things with Five.
What is really curious is that Two actually allowed Adrian to convince her to send Five with him. Yes, he needed her for her hacking skills, but he didn’t have to try very hard to make the sell. That would seem to indicate that perhaps Five was sent to look after Adrian and not the other way around. However, thanks to the gift that just keeps giving known as Talbor, they both ended up arrested before they could even make it to the stage of being able to actually do something to get themselves in trouble. Even though it sucked for the characters is was a terrific opportunity for the Android to swoop in with her awesome upgrade chip and show the guards that you don’t mess with her crew.
She’s always a badass, but that chip unleashes a fierceness that not even her usual self-possesses. Curious though, is that some part of her upgraded personality must stay with her even when it’s not in use. That’s the only thing that could possibly explain why she would think to pick up new wardrobe items. And, is there a possibility that The Golden Girls reruns have survived into the future? The last name Devereaux and the accent were spot on perfect for that show’s Blanche Devereaux character. It was a fun little bit that Zoie Palmer absolutely nailed. Also, it’s sort of necessary to take a moment to commend wardrobe for finding that stunning dress to put on her. Seeing the Android dressed like that and all dolled up was not at all expected. It even stunned the crew to silence when they saw her. While the normal Android is special in her own right it is so much fun to watch Palmer get to let loose from time to time and be more free in her acting. Honestly, while it’d be great to see the Android adopt this persona permanently it makes it more special when she activates the upgrade.
This was a fun episode for the Android. She got to have a ton of fun going in to save Adrian and Five. It was awesome when she dropped the act and took down the guard that was flirting with her. What was interesting, and Three noted this as well, is that she didn’t automatically transition back to her usual non-upgraded self right away. She maintained the upgrade onboard which goes against her own parameters that she instituted after her last exploration of the upgrade. It’s a part of herself that she seems really torn about. There were other ways for Two and Three to extract Adrian and Five, but the Android didn’t really give them the opportunity to do so. She seemed beyond eager and excited to have a reason to pull back out her upgrade. All the signs are there that she really wishes she could find a way to maintain the upgrade while protecting her crew, but for the moment she’s stuck going back and forth. At some point that is sure to take a toll on her and drive her to make a more permanent choice. For now, though the struggle provides so many great character growth moments.
Perhaps one of the biggest defining moments for the Android was when she tried to reason with the Security Android to free Two, Adrian, and Solara from Talbor’s storage facility. She made a very appealing pitch and almost had him convinced to willingly accept the upgrade before Three stepped in and stunned him. The Android’s perturbed reaction to Three was priceless. There is a part of her that wants to spread the freedom she gets to experience to others like herself. It’s dangerous and is likely to lead her straight down the path that will direct her to one of the many dark prophecies she found out about during her brief trip to the future, but it seems worth it to her. It’ll be interesting to watch her continue to grow and evolve. She is a truly fascinating character with so much growth potential.
While the Android is undergoing extensive character growth and the crew of the Raza is chasing war leads across the galaxy, Ryo is busy dealing with his own dilemmas. While he is effectively Ryo now, there are still moments where Four shines through. The part of him that was open to listening to Teku to try and do something noble was definitely Four shining through. Unfortunately he has a proverbial angel and devil advising him and in this case, the devil aka Misaki won. Ryo doesn’t like defeat and the tough blow delivered to his forces because he took Teku’s advice sent him back to trying to rule through fear which is unlikely to end well for him. Major props to Teku for that brief outburst when Ryo gave the orders to make an example of the miners. Given the track record of Ryo so far there was a strong chance he’d lose his head, literally.
Misaki is a character not all that different from Ryo. She seems to truly believe in her actions and what she’s suggested Ryo should do. In her mind, the right approach to demand respect is to make others terrified of those in power. She seems to have long ago given up on compassion. In the flash forward it was revealed that the House of Ishida will fall. Will it fall because of Misaki’s advice of Teku’s? When will it fall? More importantly, how will the crew of the Raza react when it falls? Will they try to assist Four’s people or abandon them because of what Ryo has done? He’s certainly earning no compassion from anyone following Misaki’s advice. Again, she appears to believe she’s doing the right thing, but it’ll be fascinating to see what fate becomes her should she survive the fall.
This was a fun episode that really enjoyed the word “seriously”. While there was seriousness and heavy impact on future stories there was also a lightness to the episode that made it really fun to watch. However, there was nothing light or hopeful about the ending. After Five got to reconnect with Six for a nice chat the ending revealed that Ferrous Corp may still have bigger plans in the works for Six. He was referred to as “Agent Zero” which sounds very ominous. Whenever that comes back into play it is sure to be devastating especially if he is forced to betray them again, except if it does happen again, it seems as though it’ll be completely out of his control.
A lot went down in this episode, from a mission that had them crisscrossing the galaxy in good ole space adventure fashion to big reveals. The groundwork is clearly being laid for some big things to come. It also gave a nice element of depth to both newcomers that make them feel even more like they belong with the crew. Even though their stay is likely limited, it was awesome of the show to take the time to develop them and give their stories some real depth. This season is delivering some truly terrific episodes that are hitting right on point.
Don’t miss the next episode when it airs next
Friday, July 7th at 9/8c on SyFy in the US and Space in Canada.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about the episode. Did you enjoy seeing Adrian so prominently highlighted? What are your thoughts about upgraded Android? What do you think it means that Six is “Agent Zero”?
