Reviewer Rating: 3.5/5.0
3.5
Home is where the Ark is, and there is no place like home! At least, you won’t run into your clones every now and again.
When you write science fiction, certain staples are almost inevitable. One of them was that there had to be some kind of sci-fi creature.
There are many ways to do this, but “The Ark” chose a clever approach that fit perfectly with the show’s theme and focus.
You can’t go wrong with cloning.
Whether it’s long-lost twins or genetic experiments, introducing alternate characters for a single actor is a simple and effective way to refresh a story.
‘Ark’ Adds Refreshing Plot By Keeping Clones Close to Home
As we saw with Another You, alternate versions can introduce interesting new perspectives on fan-favorite characters.
The writers may want to test the waters by giving more characters the chance to become clones.
This is going to be an exciting episode if it hasn’t been done yet. I’d say Ark has drained all the clones they can currently get their hands on.
Not to mention, Ryan will likely spend multiple episodes spiraling into questioning his entire life.
Why is he the only clone with a family? Why did his father never tell him the truth? I should have known that Spencer’s daddy issues were far from over.
However, my previous prediction that Ryan was a matchup for Garnet’s Juno program is now more likely.
If she is supposed to mate with Lane, then the same goes for Lane’s non-brothers. I smell a clone love triangle on the way!
The idea was already brewing in season one surrounding Captain Garnet’s (Christie Burke) clone identity.
It seems like the writers haven’t finished Sharon’s arc yet. Especially considering she can explode and kill everyone instantly.
And here, when they had a ticking time bomb running the order, everyone was worried about Kelly.
Isn’t there a murderer on the ship that worries everyone? What’s her name again?
The writers seemed to have no idea what to do with Kelly any more than the crew of Ark One. No clue at all.
This character caused such a stir in the first few episodes, it’s a shame to see her more or less sidelined.
What I want to know is why Garnett and staff let her keep this device that would allow her to adjust her implants.
Shouldn’t they hope that a possible massacre would be carried out with as few weapons as possible?
It’s an odd choice and a plot hole at best. Also, is there a way to keep the implant off indefinitely?
Kelly was very worried about having them removed, but she could treat them like her appendix. It’s there if you need it, but it doesn’t matter.
Marsh (played by Ted Russo’s Jadran Malkovich) and Kabir remove her brain bomb, which seems to be a priority.
That said, the characters spend so much time staring at each other as they remove the dangers of Kelly’s brain bomb that it falls a little flat.
What happened then? The scene cuts to Marsh nonchalantly removing explosives from a small wound on Kelly’s neck.
Either the surgery shortened it, or the screenwriter didn’t want to write it.
All in all, they could just have Dr. Marsh remind the captain that it was done.
This would leave Kimi more room to continue her snooping.
Call Kimi to the bridge. You’re as crafty as a shotgun
As the former head of security for Ark Fifteen, Kimi wasn’t exactly crafty when it came to gathering intelligence.
Of course, there have been many episodes since Kimi and Fifteen joined Ark One, and there have been plenty of team-building disasters to unite everyone.
But is this enough? Have the original Ark One crew moved on and let down their guard?
At least we now know that the lieutenant she was spying on was not Captain Garnett, but a rather handsome Scottish lad who made his way around the Ark.
If I had to make a wild assumption, I’d say Kimi is researching Bryce’s (Richard Fleishman) mission that goes awry and results in the death of Ryan’s father.
However, all of this can be traced back to the Eastern Federation and what this could mean for Kimi.
We still don’t know if she’s working independently or gathering information for Maddox.
These would stand in the way of a mature romance between Eva and Bryce.
Ark maintains a balance between its characters, so when one stumbles, the other thrives
Bryce and Eva are having an easy time in the first three episodes of Ark’s second season.
When they weren’t walking around the ark, they were simply sleeping with each other, looking incredibly charming.
However, since Bryce went to that parallel universe, the two of them seemed unable to rest.
Eva’s life was particularly difficult. First, she’s under suspicion, then she watches her brother become lost in space.
The writers finally gave the character a reason to always seem like someone was surprising her.
As things progress, circumstances may make it time for Eva and Bryce to separate.
Couples on TV can only be happy for so long before they get boring. I don’t make the rules.
But don’t worry, because to maintain balance, the other couple must bloom. There must be some hope and light among all the chaos and madness.
This brings us to the cutest couple on Ark, Angus (Ryan Adams) and Alicia (Stacey Reed).
These two nerds have been making doe eyes and stealing tender kisses.
It’s time for them to walk hand in hand through that deserted cafeteria and announce that they’re going to repopulate a planet with super-genius babies.
No, seriously, it’s time for “will they” learn more about “will they be better off”.
If nothing else, Angus needs to do something, since Adams’ character does nothing but lie on a hospital bay bed and walk around the ship.
The producers and writers of “Ark” are definitely trying some new things in season two.
From electric tentacles to parallel universes to Mad Max -esque planets, Ark is a series that likes to mix things up while staying true to itself.
No matter what problem the crew encounters, Ark will keep everything close by. The characters don’t realize they’ve found something.
Do you think Bryce or Eva are spies for the Eastern Confederacy?
Will Spencer’s clone brother go the “evil twin” route?
Let us know in the comments below, and join me again as I review the next episode of Ark!
