The Ark 1×04 Review: “We Weren’t Supposed to Be Awake”

Sharon’s surprising secret helps solve the Ark’s latest crisis in “We Weren’t Supposed to Be Awake.”

Though the evidence found in “Get Out and Push” seems to implicate Sharon (Christie Burke) in the imposter’s murder, “We Weren’t Supposed to Be Awake” reveals that the truth is much more complicated. The video that Spencer (Reece Ritchie) found shows Sharon murdering a man in a bar, leading him to a seemingly obvious conclusion. However, Sharon surprisingly denies being in the video as Felix (Pavle Jerinic) arrests her.

During an interrogation, Sharon is able to prove to Felix that she has an alibi for the murder in the video. When asked how it’s possible, Sharon admits the truth: she is a clone. Both she and her clone were tested in diverging experiments, and her clone ended up turning violent. It’s a surprising and interesting twist that continues to build on the world of The Ark. Though Sharon claims that her clone is dead, there is potentially much more to explore with the revelation, particularly as more characters learn her secret.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Ark’s crew has a new crisis as everyone begins to hallucinate. Felix sees his husband and hears the cries of his child. Spencer sees a version of James (Richard Fleeshman) that urges him to kill Sharon before she can escape justice for her murders. Many of the hallucinations reveal more interesting character details, such as Alicia’s (Stacey Read) tough relationship with her mother (Ebony Feare) and Angus’ (Ryan Adams) crush on Sharon.

The most intriguing of these hallucinations is Baylor’s (Miles Barrow). While on a date with Alicia, Baylor’s former lover, departed officer Susan (Lisa Brenner) appears to him. She tells him to not spend time with Alicia, as she doesn’t fit in with their objectives. In fact, Lisa wants Baylor to focus his attention on Spencer for their plan. This raises questions about what they were working on, and what their ultimate endgame is.

Though the hallucinations are an initial inconvenience, they become life-threatening as the effects begin to worsen. Angus, through his hallucination of Sharon, realizes that the source of the hallucinations is the water mined from the comet. Sharon suggests to Dr. Kabir (Shalini Peiris) that her clone status has caused her to avoid the hallucination effects. Dr. Kabir reveals that she already knows Sharon’s secret and the two share a sweet moment as they discuss their mutual mentor that Dr. Kabir has been seeing in her hallucination. The conversation spurs Dr. Kabir to invent a cure but collapses from her own hallucinations before she can administer the antidote.

Dr. Kabir’s incapacitation allows Alicia to save the day once again. She manages to decipher Dr. Kabir’s notes and administers the cure through the water supply. It’s enjoyable to see Alicia and Angus continue to shine amongst the ship’s crew. Thankfully, the continued trend of people snapping at Alicia isn’t an issue here and hopefully continues to not be one going forward. Almost everyone is thrilled to dispel the hallucinations, but Eva (Tiana Upcheva) is unwilling to let her hallucination of Harris (Dominik Cicak) go. Cat (Christina Wolfe) once again steps up in another great moment and helps convince Eva that Harris will always be with her even if the hallucination is gone.

Though the hallucinations are cured at the end of “We Weren’t Supposed to Be Awake,” the crew of the Ark barely has time to rest before the next crisis comes forth. At the request of James, Angus investigates the possible cause of the attack on the ship. By episode’s end, he presents his findings to the crew. The element that James encountered is unknown, and likely not human. While not a surprising revelation, it will be interesting to see how The Ark handles these aliens and their encounters with the crew.

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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