5-06. "Tribes"
Written by Hallie Lambert
Directed by Jeff Woolnough
First aired 5 January 2021
SYNOPSIS
Holden and crew make repairs to the Rocinante and take her out in pursuit of the Zmeya, which is suspected of carrying the stolen Protomolecule.
Unprepared to deal with the asteroid crisis, the Acting Secretary General asks Avasarala for assistance.
Bobbie and Alex prevent a Belter boarding party from taking the Razorback.
Drummer and her clan meet Marco aboard his ship, and reluctantly agree to side with him. They exchange crewmembers; Karal, Naomi's now-antagonistic friend from her time with Marco, is selected to go with Drummer.
Using supplies they appropriated from a recluse in the woods, Amos and Clarissa make plans to head for Baltimore.
ANALYSIS
"I need to get back to my crew."
This episode manages to remain afloat despite Amos and Clarissa's long, tedious, talky trek to Baltimore—which is not to suggest it's bad in any way. Worth it, actually, for Amos' occasional philosophical pearls. It's also interesting to watch him caring for Clarissa—to his credit, he might actually make a good spouse; and to her credit, she manages to convince him his moral compass may be faulty.
Best Scene: Marco orders Cyn to space Naomi. Taking everyone by surprise, Cyn roars back, "Do it yourself!" Karal then sidles up to Marco and whispers, "I think if you do want it done, next time ask me." [shudder]
Best Line: Filip confronts Naomi about her attempt to kill Marco. Naomi admits, "It would have been the last thing I ever did, but it would have been worth it."
Picking Nits: Why is it these days almost every television program feels the need to have someone vomit on screen once or twice a season? I suppose it's meant to create an edgy sense of realism, but I think it's unnecessarily gross.
SCORE: 