2-01. "Safe"
Written by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
Directed by Breck Eisner
First aired 1 February 2017
SYNOPSIS
On Mars, Martian Marine Gunnery Sergeant Bobbie Draper and her team participate in combat training. After a successful exercise, they're informed they'll be shipping out to Phoebe Research Station, reportedly under attack. As they approach Phoebe Station, Draper and her commanding officer, Lieutenant Sutton, discuss their purpose: she asserts they must go to war with Earth in order to realize their dreams; Sutton, however, insists their job is to prevent such a war. Sutton is then informed by Command that Phoebe Station is not to fall into UN control under any circumstances. He fires missiles at Phoebe Station, obliterating the ice moon.
On the Roci, Amos opens the safe they retrieved from the stealth ship Anubis, and finds a glowing blue fluid. After decrypting the Anubis' data cores, Holden and crew learn about the Protomolecule, an extra-Solar substance discovered on the Saturn moon Phoebe that has extraordinary transformational properties when injected into humans. Based on the "lab notes" they watch, Holden argues to destroy the sample they have on the Roci; Naomi insists its value as a potential vaccine makes it too important to destroy, and that they should instead hide it nearby. Holden and Naomi place the sample in a missile and park it in an asteroid field. Holden and Naomi fall in love.
On Earth, Avasarala narrowly escapes an assassination attempt organized by the Black Sky faction of the OPA. Later, the UN discusses an appropriate response to the Martians' destruction of Phoebe. Avasarala lies about knowing the captain of the UN Nathan Hale in order to prevent immediate retaliation, which could trigger all-out war. Avasarala solicits Cotyar Ghazi to be her spy, revealing that she's being set up by Errinwright to be fired and possibly killed.
ANALYSIS
"All I want to do is find the ones responsible, and burn the bastards down."
Narrated by Miller, the opening Season 1 recap is a five-star mini-episode all on its own. And the episode continues in the same solid, confident vein. The show has definitely zeroed in on its target and wastes no time exploiting existing plot lines to best effect, as well as adding colorful new cast members. Frankie Adams as Roberta "Bobbie" Draper, a Gunnery Sergeant in the Martian Marine Corps, has terrific energy, and Nick Tarabay as Cotyar Ghazi, Avasarala's new spy, is just brimming with great character. Meanwhile, the confrontation between Miller and Amos reveals a somewhat unnerving facet of the latter's nature: watch his eyes as he decks Miller with one shot.
Best Scene: There are numerous great little moments in "Safe," but the lasagna dinner scene is magical, and while there's a significant shift in character dynamics brilliantly conveyed without a single word of dialog, it's mostly just amusing banter having nothing to do with anything—a genuinely heartwarming, very real vignette.
Best Line: Miller describes how the Governor of Ceres is giving the Star Helix team an "ass-tearing" over the disappearance of a large lot of stolen cheese. "Meanwhile, the whole room stinks like cheese farts. Teddy the Detector this guy is not."
Hard Media Commentary: Showrunner/Executive Producer/Writer Naren Shankar; Executive Producer/Writer Mark Fergus; Director Breck Eisner; Steven Straight (James Holden); Dominique Tipper (Naomi Nagata).
SCORE: 