4-01. "New Terra"
Written by Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
Directed by Breck Eisner
First aired 12 December 2019
SYNOPSIS
After a battle at the Ring where a number of Belter refugee ships storm a blockade, Avasarala orders the blockade be reinforced, against the objections of Nancy Gao, a member of her UN officials. One of the Belter ships that made it through is the Barbapiccola, which arrives at a planet named "Ilus." Avasarala sends Holden there to evaluate the risks to the settlers after they discover alien structures suspected of being Protomolecule in origin. Determined to join the landing party, Naomi begins a drug treatment to withstand the gravity of an Earth-sized planet.
Now a dock worker dismantling old Martian spaceships, Bobbie is uneasily settling into her new life after having been dishonorably discharged from the Marines, and is staying with relatives on Mars.
With a truce between Earth, Mars and the Belt in effect, Ashford is now an OPA peacekeeper responsible for hunting down pirates (ironically). Drummer is in command of Medina Station, formerly the Behemoth, which controls the Ring Space. The Edward Israel, an Earth ship carrying a Royal Charter Energy (RCE) expedition to Ilus, loses a shuttle on its descent to the surface. The arrival of the Rocinante crew heightens tensions between the Belters and the shuttle survivors. Just as weapons are drawn, the settlement is overrun by a swarm of locust-like alien bugs.
ANALYSIS
"It's good to be home."
Season 4 gets off to a rollicking start with a space battle, then reintroduces us to our family of regulars. Holden's mom makes a cameo appearance in a pleasant fireside chat that later features Miller. Avasarala is as extravagantly-dressed and foul-mouthed as ever. Ashford's run-in with a renegade makes it clear that a great many Belters oppose the new treaty, setting up loads of potential conflict. And two key new characters are introduced during the Edward Israel's shuttle descent: Elvi Okoye, an excited RCE scientist, and stern-jawed Adolphus Murtry, the RCE security chief.
Amos' conversation with Melba/Clarissa, now serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison on Earth, continues to reveal his philosophical perspective on life, which he articulates in his characteristically blunt style: "You breathe in, you breathe out. Eat, shit, sleep. Take whatever they give you, and you give nothing in return." At the other end of the emotional spectrum is this exchange he has with Holden after his meeting with Avasarala: Amos asks, "How'd she look?" Holden answers, "Fine." With a big, expectant smile, Amos says, "No, I mean, what was she wearing?"
The views of Ilus are remarkable: despite being relatively ordinary and Earth-like (as one would expect of a planet chosen for human colonization), Ilus still possesses an otherworldly feel, making a refreshing change from the green skies and purple vegetation usually employed to represent an alien planet. Kudos.
Best Scene: It's a tie. The destruction of the RCE shuttle over Ilus is thrilling, while the Roci's landing is truly awe-inspiring. The crew emerging from the ship is a beautiful, visually poetic sequence, the music cue being a perfect expression of wonder. And the effects are flawless, worthy of a big-budget feature film.
Best Line: In response to the shuttle crash, Avasarala advises Holden, "Do not put your dick in it. It's fucked enough already."
Hard Media "After Show": Steven Strait; Executive Producer Naren Shankar; Co-Executive Producer/Writer Ty Franck; Dominique Tipper (Naomi Nagata); Burn Gorman (Adolphus Murtry).
SCORE: 