Naomi and Lucia have made it back to the Rocinante but Lucia is not out of the woods yet. Meanwhile, the camp below is in lockdown and Holden is struggling with two sides that refuse to back down in his attempts to protect both from the protomolecule. Avasarala continues in her campaign, participating in a head to head debate with her political rival.

The Roci is back where it belongs, in space, and Naomi is clearly relieved at being away from the planet’s gravity. We also now have a better idea of the events that led to the explosion that caused the shuttle crash in the first episode, and it looks like Murtry has been right to suspect Lucia (Rosa Gilmore) all along. Back on Earth, Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) enters into a head-to-head debate with her political rival Nancy Gao (Lilly Gao). Gao seems just as competent as Avasarala and is able to make a convincing argument about pushing forward with colonising the world beyond the rings.

Lucia’s actions led to the catastrophic crash of the shuttle and the deaths of many people, and the grim fall-out comes to a head in an emotional discussion between Lucia and Jakob (Steven McCarthy). With their daughter missing and Jakob laying the blame on Lucia, the argument revolves around whether violent actions can ever justify the end result. The acting on both sides is great, and when you witness Lucia’s attempts to end her own life by allowing herself to bleed out rather than call for help, you can really feel the guilt and shame that lie behind it.

This then leads to a very powerful scene where Alex (Cas Anvar), having found her unconscious, begs Lucia for advice on how to save her from bleeding to death. An excellent moment for Anvar as an actor to shine, it also demonstrates and deepens our understanding of the strength of Alex’s character.

In many ways, this moment stands in direct contrast to the earlier conversation between Holden and Naomi that concerned responsibility and whether people should be allowed to make their own decisions, even if you strongly believe it will lead to their deaths. The themes of this episode – responsibility for others and whether that should dictate your actions – come to a head in a final scene between Naomi and Lucia after the attempted suicide. Here the last piece of the puzzle with regards to Naomi’s background slots into place, something that has been alluded to from the start of the series, but never before stated. This scene is executed perfectly on all sides and brings a thoughtful weight to the whole episode.

Verdict: Some interesting themes are explored, which leads to some excellent character moments and sensitive acting on all sides. The story doesn’t let up, with a catastrophic event on the horizon for the Roci crew, and continued difficult choices that Avasarala has to make. 8/10

Emily Day