The Ark 2×04 Review: “The Other You”

The Ark takes a fun trip to a parallel universe in “The Other You.”

James’ (Richard Fleeshman) disappearance at the end of “Anomaly” isn’t the only concerning thing that the crew of Ark-1 has to deal with in “The Other You.” Cat (Christina Wolfe) has returned, with a British accent and going by the name of Catrina. This version of Cat is married to Trust (Paul Leonard Murray), and he and the rest of the crew are understandably stunned by her sudden reappearance. Despite this version being different than the Cat that we are familiar with, it’s nice to see the character one last time.

Meanwhile, James has ended up in another version of Ark-1. In this parallel universe, he died years ago and the characters that we know and love are very different. Angus (Ryan Adams) is Felix’s (Pavle Jerinic) right-hand man, and a jerk. Alicia (Stacey Read) is working in waste management, as she never got the chance to earn her degrees. Spencer’s (Reece Ritchie) father (Howard Saddler) is alive and captain of Ark-1 but has a deep disapproval of his nerdy son. Getting to see the other versions of the characters is fun, even if the fun is contained solely in one episode.

James’ trip to the parallel universe starts off awkwardly, as Eva (Tiana Upcheva) doesn’t know who he is and freaks out about his nakedness. She assumes that he is trying to assault her and ends up running from Felix and Angus as they chase him around the ship. The awkward situations James finds himself in as he ends up trying to find the other crew members to help him, make the trip to the parallel universe a humorous one on this side.

The most interesting twist of this parallel universe is Sharon (Christie Burke) and her relationship to that universe’s James. The two were engaged, and Sharon has been grieving her fiancé as she works in Ark-1’s cafeteria. Though the series seems to be leading towards Sharon and Spencer getting together, this twist could shake up those assumptions. Another interesting detail is that Dr. Kabir (Shalini Peiris) doesn’t seem to exist in this universe, raising questions about what happened to her.

Back on our version of Ark-1, the crew tries to figure out how to return James to their universe. Kelly (Samantha Glassner) provides some clarity to what is going on, as her augmentations allow her to hear James in the parallel universe. The parallel universe’s Catrina, who specializes in augmentations, assists Dr. Marsh (Jadran Malkovich) with Kelly and leaves her a control panel with a message indicating that she sees good in Kelly. Though there is likely another twist coming, Kelly seems genuine about the path to redemption.

In the parallel universe, James finds their version of Trust, who is much kinder. Trust helps James figure out that he is in a parallel universe and realizes they need to pull the two versions of the Ark apart to separate both universes. Parallel Trust sends a message to the other universe, and the crew of our Ark-1 manages to fix the issue despite some issues in communication.

As Eva embraces James after his return to our version of the universe, Trust breaks down at losing Cat once again. Though this version of Trust isn’t as likable, it’s hard not to feel bad for him. As James reacclimates to this universe, he teases Sharon about being a good kisser, Kimi (Diana Bermudez) questions James about his role in his previous mission, and Felix bumps into the man he was seeing in the parallel universe. It will be interesting to see where those minor moments lead.

“The Other You” provides some much-appreciated fun and humor into the numerous crises of Ark-1. It’s always enjoyable when a series gets an episode that really allows itself to have fun with its characters and premise, and this episode proves to be no exception. It looks like there will be a return to more tough crises ahead, as the episode ends with the crew of Ark-1 finding out that someone else is visiting Ark-3, potentially halting their plans to gather supplies from the abandoned ship.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

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