S02.E04: Godspeed

[catray]

Quote

Miller devises a dangerous plan to eradicate what's left of the protomolecule on Eros.

[Nukester]

And it failed

[mjc570]

WHat a wonderful episode - i was mesmerized, not just by the whole Eros part, but also with what's going on with the UN/Earth.  Shohreh Aghdashloo is perfect, as is everybody else, really.

This shows how good tv can be, when you have good source material and writers, an excellent cast and good production values.  I am amazed at how realistic everything looks, especially the Mormom ship.     

Wow, I suppose it was inevitable that Miller would end up with Julie - although that's getting what you want in the worst way possible.  I guess technically he was still alive at the end of the episode (I don't watch previews, so don't know what happens next week). 

Given the lack of comments so far, I'm afraid not many people are watching in real time (this is one of the very few shows that I do), but I hope it has a large enough audience to be renewed for at least several years. 

[sjohnson]

Marasmus as the name of a ship, especially one supposedly on a medical mission? About the only names that could have been more on the nose were "Cancer" or "Virus" or possibly "Contagion." The dramatic irony in "We all have our orders," I thought was particularly acute. 

Miller's decision to commit suicide, as he thought, seemed to relieve his mind greatly. 

Alien mind over matter? The great efforts of verisimilitude paid off in the sense that it really made Eros' sudden flight amazing yet believable in the moment. But now we have a week to think about how alien barnacles can move an asteroid without an engine. People have compared this show to BattleStar Galactica for no good reason, since these characters are much more believable than anything BSG ever did. But the Cylons who could upload memories into a base ship without a transmitter are genuinely comparable. 

Edited February 16, 2017 by sjohnson

[Triskan]

This show is so good ! 

A bit afraid of coming to the forums because of potential book-spoilers (already had a few... I really should read the books !) but damn ! That and Black Sails are just the best TV out there these years !

[Danny Franks]

"The Nauvoo didn't move.... Eros did." 

Amazing moment (and I'm pretty sure I heard a human scream in the Eros static, just as it moved out of the Nauvoo's way). Even more amazing than the Nauvoo launch sequence, which was some incredible CGI and spaceship porn. I love the way this show depicts space flight. The flip and burn of the Roci and the Guy Molinari, to slow down when they reached Eros... brilliant detail. They don't have brakes, they can't 'reverse thrusters', they have to use their main engines to counter acceleration.

Miller trolling Holden about his naivety was nice.  His plan was pretty solid, and I loved "the stars are better off without us." Man, does that line completely capture Miller's cynicism and humanity's capacity to massively fuck things up, perfectly.  And man, those Mormons are going to sue Fred Johnson's arse off if they don't get their temple back.

But Holden finally had to make a tough call, that goes against everything he holds dear. He had to kill innocent people to hide the truth. And it didn't feel compromising, it felt right. Yeah, he'll feel hideously guilty about it for a long time, perhaps forever, but he had to do it.

Diogo continues to be awesome, and a great foil for Miller. His energy and unbounded positivity work so well against Miller's age-old weariness. Speaking of, though, it did really seem like Miller was at peace with everything, while waiting to die.

I like Avasarala's spy. He's a good sounding board for her to verbalise her inner monologue. But I worry that he's going to come to a sticky end (I don't remember if he was in the books or not). She's finally catching up, which is nice. But holy shit, this storyline is starting to bring up some uncomfortable parallels with the real world. Corporations and government insiders working to their own agenda, at the expense of the public good.

Anyway, this second season is absolutely gripping, so far. That ending left me really, really wanting the next episode. Like, right now.

[jhlipton]

22 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Diogo continues to be awesome, and a great foil for Miller.

Anyway, this second season is absolutely gripping, so far. That ending left me really, really wanting the next episode. Like, right now.

I was wondering, with their naming of ships, what the meaning behind Guy Molinari was...  So off to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Molinari  He's a former Representative from Staten Island, but more to the point, "a class of ferries in the Staten Island Ferry system is named for him".  LOL

I fear for Diogo -- he's the kind of character who comes to a "sticky end", so I really hope they subvert that trope.

Yes, please, bring on the next episode!

[marinw]

Amazing episode. Feel terrible for the Mormans, although maybe they will get thier big beutiful ship back now.

I like how understated all the actors are, with the exception of the initially annoying Diogo, who has now won we over.

Shooting down the medical rescue ship was awful. No good deed goes unpunished  and all that.

[Haleth]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

I fear for Diogo -- he's the kind of character who comes to a "sticky end", so I really hope they subvert that trope.

I know!  I thought for sure he'd be killed by a piece of the debris. 

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Amazing episode. Feel terrible for the Mormans, although maybe they will get thier big beutiful ship back now.

I was hoping we'd see the Mormon leader looking out the window slack jawed as his ship flew away. 

Heh, one little detail I noticed. When the Marasmus crew mistook the Roci for a Martian ship Holden responded in a (bad) Martian/Texas accent. 

Edited February 17, 2017 by Haleth

[thuganomics85]

They actually had me there with Miller, because this is totally a show (and book series, I guess.  Only just started the first one) that I can see taking out one of its leads (and first billed star), and easily continue on.  So, I was totally prepped for Miller to bite it.  Instead, the Eros.... moved?!  Man, that is one hell of a cliffhanger!

Was kind of worried about Diogo too.  He's a fun character and I love his interactions with Miller.  Which makes me worry that he is an easy side character to kill off, and mess up Miller more then he already is.

Holden having to blow up the ship full of doctors in order to hide the truth was brutal.  He always wants to do the right thing, but this clearly going to keep being harder and harder for him to do, the more this show goes on.

Fred and the rest "commandeering" the Mormon ship is so going to backfire on them.  They don't seem dangerous now, but I can totally see the Mormons fucking shit up.

Getting a bit more interested in Chrisjen's stuff and how she quietly dicking around Sadavir and Mao's plan. Love that Sadavir is so egotistical that he doesn't even see the danger in front of him, despite Mao's warnings.

The launch sequence sure was pretty.  Show is doing a great job with their CGI budget!

Favorite line goes to Amos' "Med bay on pirate ships are usually just open airlocks."

Edited February 17, 2017 by thuganomics85

[Andrew Wiggin]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Holden having to blow up the ship full of doctors in order to hide the truth was brutal.  He always wants to do the right thing, but this clearly going to keep being harder and harder for him to do, the more this show goes on.

It was not only to hide the Truth ,the Crewmember in the Airlock was Infected .

It was quit Possible others of them are too,with a Deadly/Infecteous/Alien Lifeform you cant take Chances.

Edited February 17, 2017 by Andrew Wiggin

[Clanstarling]

On 2/15/2017 at 9:15 PM, mjc570 said:

Wow, I suppose it was inevitable that Miller would end up with Julie - although that's getting what you want in the worst way possible.  I guess technically he was still alive at the end of the episode (I don't watch previews, so don't know what happens next week). 

I was wondering how they would get him out of that spot (and totally no spoilers here - I'm reading Leviathan Wakes (enjoying the heck out of it), but just got to them finding Julie - which was last season). Anyway, in regards to Miller's possible survival, IIRC Naomi said that if she had the transponder code she could override - but Miller said there wasn't enough time. Now that the potato moved, there's enough time.

12 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Getting a bit more interested in Chrisjen's stuff and how she quietly dicking around Sadavir and Mao's plan. Love that Sadavir is so egotistical that he doesn't even see the danger in front of him, despite Mao's warnings.

Favorite line goes to Amos' "Med bay on pirate ships are usually just open airlocks."

I loved that - his arrogance (probably with a little misogyny and ageism thrown in) will be his undoing. Mao being older, can see Chrisjen for the devious person she is. Amos line made me laugh.

17 hours ago, Haleth said:

I know!  I thought for sure he'd be killed by a piece of the debris. 

Me too. I'm glad he wasn't. He and Amos provide most of the (very little) levity in the show.

[johntfs]

3 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I loved that - his arrogance (probably with a little misogyny and ageism thrown in) will be his undoing. Mao being older, can see Chrisjen for the devious person she is. Amos line made me laugh.

I loved that too.  I remember Shohreh Aghdashloo as the loving but utterly murderous Dina Araz in 24.  Anyone stupid enough to take a character she's playing lightly deserves the almighty shitstorm that will inevitably ensue.

[sking24450]

So since the Mormon ship didn't hit Eros does that mean the Mormon's will able to get their ship back or is ship on a course to the sun as well? 

[jhlipton]

21 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Fred and the rest "commandeering" the Mormon ship is so going to backfire on them.  They don't seem dangerous now, but I can totally see the Mormons fucking shit up.

Hey, it's their own fault for calling it the Nauvoo -- "This will be our new paradise!!!!"  "Well, maybe we have to look elsewhere..."

2 hours ago, sking24450 said:

So since the Mormon ship didn't hit Eros does that mean the Mormon's will able to get their ship back or is ship on a course to the sun as well? 

I would hope than they can turn the Nauvoo (albeit verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry sloooooooooooooooooooooowly) and try again once they figure out how to stop Eros from moving.

My theory is that the virus takes in oxygen and expels carbon dioxide -- giving it some Mylanta will stop the proto-farts!

[redpencil]

Quote

Hey, it's their own fault for calling it the Nauvoo -- "This will be our new paradise!!!!"  "Well, maybe we have to look elsewhere..."

As a Mormon, I have to admit this made me laugh. There were worse name they could have chosen, I guess. At least in Illinois nobody gave an extermination order!

Also, I can't see them getting violent. Heck, I think if they were let in on what was going on, they'd probably conclude it was God's purpose for their ship all along.

[johntfs]

I think the whole situation with the Nauvoo sums up humanity pretty well - a constant willingness to sacrifice the future to preserve the status quo.

[Danny Franks]

6 hours ago, redpencil said:

As a Mormon, I have to admit this made me laugh. There were worse name they could have chosen, I guess. At least in Illinois nobody gave an extermination order!

Also, I can't see them getting violent. Heck, I think if they were let in on what was going on, they'd probably conclude it was God's purpose for their ship all along.

The Mormons seem to be pretty above board and transparent, on the show. They were honest with Fred about wanting him replaced on the project, they've been honest about their aims and unflinching in their faith to just fly off out of the solar system. I imagine that if they take any action against Fred, Tycho and anyone else, it'll be a good, old fashioned breach of contract lawsuit.

18 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I was wondering how they would get him out of that spot (and totally no spoilers here - I'm reading Leviathan Wakes (enjoying the heck out of it), but just got to them finding Julie - which was last season). Anyway, in regards to Miller's possible survival, IIRC Naomi said that if she had the transponder code she could override - but Miller said there wasn't enough time. Now that the potato moved, there's enough time.

Glad you're reading the books. They're a lot of fun, and the pacing is almost as fast as on the show. The last few chapters of Leviathan Wakes are absolutely frantic. 

The problem for Miller is, he seemed to make peace with dying. He's not had much to live for for a while, and Julie was really the only thing keeping him going. So will he even want to be rescued? Especially when the Eros problem isn't solved. It changed course, but we don't know where it changed course to.

[Clanstarling]

57 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Glad you're reading the books. They're a lot of fun, and the pacing is almost as fast as on the show. The last few chapters of Leviathan Wakes are absolutely frantic. 

The problem for Miller is, he seemed to make peace with dying. He's not had much to live for for a while, and Julie was really the only thing keeping him going. So will he even want to be rescued? Especially when the Eros problem isn't solved. It changed course, but we don't know where it changed course to.

Yes, the book I'm reading is keeping me up later than I intend (just one more chapter - nope, got to see how this goes...)

Miller did indeed make peace with dying - but I think the circumstance, sacrificing himself to make sure no one can get to Eros and use whatever's there, is also a factor. If he dies now, there's not as much point since the threat hasn't been eliminated. And now there's a mystery - Eros moved on its own. Who wants to die with a mystery unsolved?

Edited February 18, 2017 by Clanstarling

[call me ishmael]

I'm sure they will get Miller.  He thought there wasn't time because the Navoo was so close.  Now no problem.

[johntfs]

15 hours ago, redpencil said:

As a Mormon, I have to admit this made me laugh. There were worse name they could have chosen, I guess. At least in Illinois nobody gave an extermination order!

I don't know.  It seems like a fitting name.  The original Nauvoo was a temporary sanctuary until a permanent one could be found in Utah.  The Nauvoo on the show will be a temporary (100 years or so) shelter until a new home can be found under a new sun.

[marinw]

When Miller tells Diogo to leave him, we don't get the  speech that usually goes along the lines of: "I'm not leaving you, we die together!" Nope, Diogo obeys the older man and leaves. The subversion of the usual trope is another thing about this show I love.

Edited February 20, 2017 by marinw

[jhlipton]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

When Miller tells Diogo to leave him, we don't get the  speech that usually goes along the lines of: "I'm not leaving you, we die together!" Nope, Diogo obeys the older man and leaves. The subversion of the usual trope another thing about this show I love.

"Yah, rockman, I'm outie!!!!" or words to that effect.

[cursethedarkness]

If they were going to knock Eros into the sun, why bother blowing up the docks?

[Danny Franks]

24 minutes ago, cursethedarkness said:

If they were going to knock Eros into the sun, why bother blowing up the docks?

To make sure no one could attempt to land and enter the station, while it was en route.

It'd take a while for Eros to reach the sun, and it would have to travel through the orbits of both Mars and Earth to get there. Plenty of time for people to want to find out what happened there, to make someone want to destroy the whole rock.

[cursethedarkness]

6 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

To make sure no one could attempt to land and enter the station, while it was en route.

It'd take a while for Eros to reach the sun, and it would have to travel through the orbits of both Mars and Earth to get there. Plenty of time for people to want to find out what happened there, to make someone want to destroy the whole rock.

I guess that makes sense. I figured it was just a device so Miller could have a "moment" with that kid.

[kassygreene]

To be fair, no one expects an asteroid to just move.  And using the Ark to deflect it is the sort of response we here today would need to deal with an inbound Very Large Rock - hit it hard and change its orbital trajectory.  The only thing that was off (and they frankly acknowledged it in the BTS interviews) was being able to see the Ark zip by - at the relative speed of the two objects, it would have been a don't-blink-and-you'll-still-miss-it event.

If nothing else, the sequence of the launching of the Ark (Nauvoo?) was freaking fantastic.

[Miles]

Why was it so important that the information of what is going on on Eros shouldn't get out that they had to destroy that medical relief ship?

I guess it would be bad for the information to get out without context. Everybody might blame either Earth or Mars and it might lead to war. Which brings up the question, of why our band of misfit heros didn't put out that information, with context, to the entire solar system, days ago. If they had, all of this could have been avoided.

[johntfs]

2 hours ago, Miles said:

Why was it so important that the information of what is going on on Eros shouldn't get out that they had to destroy that medical relief ship?

It wasn't just the information.  They couldn't take the chance that one of the crew of that medical ship had been infected, so they had to destroy it to prevent the possible infection from spreading.

[Holmbo]

Yay! I'm glad the Ark wasn't destroyed. I didn't expect them to succeed because that would have not been a very interesting resolution. Of course there's still that sample they hid so I suppose they could have destroyed Eros and still had that left.

On 2017-02-17 at 0:47 AM, Danny Franks said:

Amazing moment (and I'm pretty sure I heard a human scream in the Eros static, just as it moved out of the Nauvoo's way).

Yes, I heard that too. It was creepy. It makes one wonder what's going on in there. Just a bunch of people walking around as part of the virus.

 

On 2017-09-08 at 8:36 AM, johntfs said:

It wasn't just the information.  They couldn't take the chance that one of the crew of that medical ship had been infected, so they had to destroy it to prevent the possible infection from spreading.

I think it was that but the information was also very important. They can't risk everyone knowing about this. It's to great of a weapon, someone will be tempted to claim it for themselves, or get scared that someone else will claim it and blow it to bits or something, sending pieces everywhere.

I was annoyed with Miller for even telling them he was still on Eros. He should have not said anything so they didn't have to feel bad about letting him die. I was afraid they'd attempt a rescue even though it'd be stupid.

Was it just me or did Amos seem weirder than usual this episode? He had some lines that seemed cut of.

Glad to see Doctors without borders are still around. Too bad they had to die.

[supposebly]

I would think that doctors would be equally worried about quarantine.  That part made no sense other than making it look like Holden had more reason to shoot at them other than containing the information.

I still can't stand Miller or Holden. I was so hoping that would be it. For Miller. For a moment there, I almost liked him sitting there, for once seeming a little less miserable and assholish. 

Edited January 20, 2020 by supposebly

[cleo]

I prefer Miller to Holden. I don't know what it is, but Holden just doesn't resonate with me at all. His whole display and weepiness about shooting the med ship- whatever. 

I don't know if it's the actor or character or what, but he just seems like a stereotype. I can't even articulate what it is. 

But man great episode, I was half holding my breath. I thought someone would try to get into Eros just to see. 

It's a shame the Mormons will (I assume) lose their ship for nothing.

I thought Miller wanted to die regardless of whether they could stop the bomb or not 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2022 by cleo