1-03. "Remember the Cant"
Written by Robin Veith
Directed by Jeff Woolnough
First aired 22 December 2015
SYNOPSIS
Holden's broadcast from the Knight triggers riots on Ceres, as the OPA becomes convinced Mars was responsible for destroying the Canterbury. Searching the debris after the riots, Miller finds the body of the man Julie Mao had contacted through the dating site. Tracking down Anderson Dawes, an OPA bigwig who evidently crewed up the Scopuli, Miller becomes suspicious that Dawes knows the whereabouts of Julie Mao. Meanwhile, Miller's partner, Havelock, is brutally attacked by Belters.
On Earth, Avasarala meets up with an old friend, Franklin DeGraaf, now a UN ambassador to Mars, and invites him to her home for dinner. There, after the other guests leave the room, she reveals to DeGraaf that Mars is selling stealth tech to the OPA. This (false) leak triggers a flurry of urgent communication on Mars that ultimately suggests they were not involved in the destruction of the Canterbury; however, it also reveals a number of previously-unknown stealth tech hubs on Mars. Consequently, DeGraaf is stripped of his credentials and banned from Mars, resulting in a terminal falling-out with Avasarala.
Aboard the Martian battle cruiser Donnager, Holden and crew are detained and interrogated, with Naomi suspected of being a member of a terrorist OPA sleeper cell. Then a group of previously-undetected, unidentified ships appear, bearing down hard on the Donnager.
ANALYSIS
"Hands where I can see them."
The pace, while still relatively swift, eases up in parts just enough for us to begin piecing a few bits of the puzzle together; the multiple plot threads gradually become more complex and intertwined, requiring us to pay close attention to what's going on. It's also satisfying to see some of the characters, most notably Avasarala, getting more fleshed out; her final scene with DeGraaf, evidently a friend since she was a child, is touching. These non-sci-fi scenes don't feel contrived, forced or superfluous; they're an organic part of the narrative, and breathe life into the characters. Performances by all are excellent.
Incidentally, some may claim that Avasarala's mantra, "Earth must come first," is a poke at a certain former President, when in fact the writers coined her phrase long before #45 conceived his.
Best Scene: Havelock's attack, wherein he's pinned against a wall as an air gun drives a piece of rebar through his chest, is a genuine shock that caused me to inhale involuntary.
Best Line: At dinner with Avasarala and her husband Arjun, Frank DeGraaf and his partner are explaining how their grey water system on Mars is being connected to a nearby vineyard. Arjun looks at his glass of wine uneasily. "Please don't tell me that I'm drinking your pee, because it's delicious."
SCORE: 