2-05. "Home"
Written by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
Directed by David Grossman
First aired 22 February 2017
SYNOPSIS
After the Nauvoo misses Eros Station, the crew of the Rocinante determine the Nauvoo was on the right course; instead, Eros—which has no human-made propulsion system—moved to avoid the collision. Naomi suggests Miller plant the malfunctioning bomb inside Eros to blow up the Protomolecule, and Miller agrees. Eros then begins speeding up, its course now set for Earth.
On Earth, the UN elects to launch half of its nuclear arsenal at Eros to destroy it. However, in response to the missile launch, Eros goes stealth, rendering the missiles useless. Fred Johnson contacts the UN and offers to have the Roci paint a laser target on Eros, a move that would require Johnson to take control of the missiles; the UN reluctantly agrees. In response to this, Eros accelerates even more, forcing the Roci to endure life-threatening G-forces.
On Eros, Miller begins to suspect the Protomolecule may be under Julie's control, and convinces Holden to break off his pursuit. Miller reaches the Blue Falcon, where he finds Julie physically integrated with the Protomolecule infestation. Miller eventually convinces her to redirect Eros toward Venus, and agrees to stay with her to the end.
The UN orders the missiles to self-destruct, but some of them fail to do so, and Fred Johnson retrieves them.
ANALYSIS
"I think that's the best bad idea I've heard all day."
It's been described by some as the finest hour of science fiction ever aired, and I would not dismiss that as an exaggeration (although for me "The Monster and the Rocket" ranks right up there). Yes, we all know that Earth won't be destroyed, but the means by which its destruction is averted is so engrossing that we're totally invested in every second that passes. In one particularly gripping scene, when Avasarala is informed that the Roci is accelerating to potentially lethal speeds, her eyes grow wide and moist as she remarks, "They're going to stay with Eros, even if it kills them." Just one of many scenes that gets me choked up.
The episode contains a surfeit of payoffs involving almost every episode up to now. A wonderful example of a wee little one: when Fred Johnson is granted control of Earth's missiles, he tells Drummer to get him a cup of coffee, and she flashes him a rude hand gesture. You think nothing of it, until the final sequence, as Eros is hurtling toward Venus: Drummer is seen bringing him a cup of coffee. These are the hallmarks of outstanding writers.
You also have to admire how the plans our heroes make, particularly those made in moments of desperation, prove to be ill-conceived as we witness how most of them are either abandoned, or morph along the way, or fail spectacularly: it's a very messy process that mirrors how things often play out in real life. "Tap the brakes, asshole!" It's also interesting to watch Miller's second character arc, transforming from a ruthless ex-cop into rational, sensitive, selfless hero resigned to the fact that he must forfeit his life in order to save a planet he's never visited.
There are some wonderful, subtle little emotional touches here and there, too. As Miller arrives at the Blue Falcon, he and Holden have a brief heart-to-heart, wherein Miller thanks Holden for inviting him into Holden's "little family." As Miller turns to move on, we hear Holden say, "Hey Miller..." and Miller kills his radio. We never get to find out what Holden was about to say—a bittersweet mystery. And Naomi's whole "Don't get all 'Holden' on me" routine is just priceless. "He's got lots of layers." Miller: "So does a rock tunnel."
Best Scene: It's a tie. After all of the other UN officials have evacuated, Avasarala tells her husband Arjun, now safely on Luna, that she's staying on Earth. It's a heartbreaking exchange, and the commentary track offers insight into why it works so well. It's also worth noting they brought in Nick Tarabay to play Cotyar in that scene for about 15 seconds. Then, as Eros is headed for Venus, a montage of life going back to normal plays out with no dialog, just gentle, moving music—a brilliant aesthetic choice. And the toast to Miller—OMFG. I turn into a weepy blob Every. Single. Time.
Best Line: There are plenty, but the one that scores the biggest impact is when Alex objects to Naomi's plan to "swoop in" and get Miller, and Naomi snaps back, "He's risking his ass down there! How about we do the same up here?" Dayam!
Picking Nits: I'm not exactly thrilled by the music under the Julie/Miller scene—it's just a tad sappy—but that's a seriously trivial nit. Far worse, and nothing to do with the episode itself: following the respectful, totally silent end credits, the NBCUniversal Television jingle at the very end, which rudely blasts out, ruining the mood. Horrible! Every time I watch the episode, I have to remember to stop playback before that jingle comes on—assuming I can see the remote buttons through tear-filled eyes...
Technobabble Alert: Despite the whole impossible thing of Eros moving on its own and, still more incredibly, being "piloted" by a dead Julie Mao, the technobabble fails to put even the slightest dent in this episode's Best of the Best status. It demonstrates just how a combination of great writing and great performance can hold a great show together through thick and thin. It also helps that the characters seem just as baffled by what the hell is going on as we are. "I just got some crackpot report..."
Hard Media Commentary: Executive Producer/Writer Mark Fergus; Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Bob Munroe.
SCORE: 
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Best of the Best