Critics Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
3.5
Home is where the ship is, and there’s no place like home! At least not where you might run into your copy from time to time.
There are some basic elements that are almost impossible to avoid when creating science fiction. One of these elements is that there must be a science fiction object.
There are many ways to do this, but The Ark has settled on an innovative method that works perfectly with the show’s themes and focal points.
You can’t go wrong with cloning.
Whether it’s a long-lost twin or a genetic experiment, introducing alternate personalities for a single actor is an easy and effective way to update any story.
The Ark adds a refreshing plot twist by keeping the clones close to home.
As we saw in “The Other You,” alternate versions can offer a fun new perspective on fan-favorite characters.
It’s possible that the writers wanted to test the waters by giving more characters the chance to be clones.
That would have been an interesting plot if it hadn’t already been done. I think The Ark is taking advantage of all the copies it can get at the moment.
Not to mention, Lane is likely about to spend multiple episodes thinking and questioning his entire life.
Why was he the only clone with a family? Why did his father never tell him the truth? I should have known that Spencer’s issues with his father weren’t over yet.
However, my previous prediction that Lin was Garnet’s rival in the Juno project now seems more likely.
And if she’s supposed to mate with Lin, the same might apply to his non-brother. I sense a clone love triangle coming!
The idea had already been planted in season one about the clone case of Captain Garnett (Christie Burke).
It seems like the writers aren’t done with Sharon’s story yet. Especially considering that she could collapse and kill everyone at any moment.
Here, everyone was worried about Kelly when they had an order to activate a time bomb.
Wasn’t there a killer on the plane that everyone was worried about? What was her name again?
It’s like the writers have no idea what to do with Kelly compared to the Ark One crew. They have no idea at all.
This character has been so successful in the first few episodes that it’s been frustrating to see him somewhat sidelined.
What I want to know is why Garnet and her crew allowed her to keep the device that allows her to regulate her implants.
Shouldn’t they want the potential mass killing to be carried out as unarmed as possible?
It’s a strange choice and a weakness at best. Is there no way to keep the implants closed indefinitely?
Kelly is very anxious about having them removed, but she can treat them like her appendix. They’re there if she needs them, but they’re not important.
March, played by Ted Lasso’s Jadran Malkovich, and Kabir managed to get her brain bomb out, which seemed like a top priority.
However, it was uninteresting that the characters spent so much time staring at each other due to the dangers of removing Kelly’s brain bomb.
And then what happened? We cut to Marsh removing explosives from a small wound on Kelly’s neck.
Either the surgery was cut short for time, or the writers just didn’t feel like writing it.
In all, they could have covered this part by having Dr. Marsh alert the captain that the deed had been done.
It would have left more room for Kimmy to continue her spying.
Call to Kimi to the bridge. You were as stealthy as a gun.
As the former head of security at Ark Fifteen, Kimmy isn’t exactly meticulous when it comes to gathering intelligence.
Sure, it’s been a long time since Kimi and the Fifteeners joined Ark One with plenty of disasters leading up to the team building to bond everyone over.
But is that enough? Has the original Ark One crew decided to let their guard down?
At least we now know that the lieutenant you’re watching is not Captain Garnett but a rather handsome young Scotsman who has been making his way around the ship.
If I had to hypothesize, I’d say that Kimmy is investigating Bryce’s (Richard Fleischman) mission that went wrong and resulted in the death of Lynn’s father.
However, it all comes down to the Eastern Union, which could mean anything to Kimi.
We still don’t know if she was working independently or gathering information for Maddox.
Any of this will ruin the whole romance between Eva and Bryce.
The ship maintains a balance between its characters, so when one falls, another thrives.
Bryce and Eva had it easy in the first three episodes of The Ark’s second season.
They slept with each other when they weren’t hanging around the ship, and they were ridiculously attractive.
However, ever since Bryce went to that parallel universe, it seems like these two can’t catch a break.
Eva faced particularly difficult circumstances. At first, she was skeptical, then she watched her brother literally get lost in space.
Finally the writers gave the character a reason to always look like someone just surprised her.
Given the way things are going, maybe it’s time for circumstances to drive Eva and Bryce apart.
TV couples can’t live happily ever after before it gets boring. I don’t make the rules.
But don’t worry, because to maintain balance, another couple must flourish. There must be some hope and light amidst all this chaos and madness.
Which brings us to the most adorable couple ever to grace The Ark, Angus (Ryan Adams) and Alicia (Stacey Reed).
These two freaks have been making weird eyes and stealing soft kisses for long enough.
It’s time for them to hold hands in that dreary cafeteria and declare that they’re going to repopulate the planet with super genius kids.
No, seriously, it’s time for “will they or won’t they” to get more “they’re better.”
If nothing else, Angus needs to do something because Adams’ character has done nothing but lie in a hospital bed and walk around the ship.
The producers and writers of The Ark are definitely trying some new things in Season 2. And for the most part, it’s all worked out.
From electrical probes to parallel universes and Mad Max-like trips to planets, The Ark is a series that loves to mix things up while staying true to itself.
No matter what the crew is thrown at, The Ark keeps things close to home. Something the heroes didn’t realize they’d already found.
Do you think Bryce or Eva are Eastern Union spies?
Could Spencer’s clone brother be heading down the “evil twin” path?
Leave a comment below to let us know, and join me again when I review the next episode of The Ark!
