The Ark 2×02 & 2×03 Review: “Kill or Be Killed” and “Anomaly”

A decision must be made about Ark-1’s newest additions and a mysterious entity wreaks havoc in “Kill or Be Killed” and “Anomaly.”

After escaping Ark-15 with the addition of several defected crew members in the season premiere “Failed Experiment,” Sharon (Christie Burke) and the crew of Ark-1 must decide what to do with the new passengers while also assessing the damage to their ship. True to form, “Kill or Be Killed” and “Anomaly” present new challenges as the crew of Ark-1 disagree on how to address them.

When Sharon returns, not everyone is thrilled about their new additions. James (Richard Fleeshman) and Felix (Pavle Jerinic) are immediately distrusting of Kimi (Diana Bermudez) and Dr. Marsh (Jadran Malkovich), while Sharon and Eva (Tiana Upcheva) argue that they need all the medical and engineering support that they can get. Though it’s hard not to fault James and Felix for their distrust, the others have a good point as well and ultimately outvote the others to give most newcomers access to the ship.

The debate around what to do with Kelly (Samantha Glassner) is understandably even more contentious. Trust (Paul Leonard Murray) is among those furious to see her aboard, pointing out that she killed his wife. Sharon ultimately decides to have a court trial to determine Kelly’s fate with herself acting as the judge, Felix as the prosecutor, and an initially reluctant Dr. Marsh as her defense attorney. Despite Kelly’s previous actions, it’s surprising yet admirable that Sharon is still willing to give her a chance to defend herself.

In the medical bay, Dr. Marsh reveals that Maddox had him experiment on Kelly to make her the ultimate soldier. Though Dr. Marsh argues that Maddox would have had somebody else do the experiments if he refused, Kelly is angry upon finding out the truth and Dr. Marsh decides to help her in her trial to try to make it up to her. Though Kelly seems to be at the beginning of a potential redemption arc, her murderous glare at Alicia (Stacey Read) and Angus (Ryan Adams) as they nearly kiss puts some doubts in that.

On the other hand, Kelly initially pleads guilty and shows remorse at her trial. During questioning, Kelly admits that she doesn’t remember everything that happened on Ark-3. Dr. Marsh activates her augmentations to allow her to access her full memories. A flashback reveals that an Ark-15 member activated her augmentations, turning her into a killing machine against her will. Sharon ultimately declares Kelly guilty but decides to imprison her rather than kill her due to her sympathy towards Maddox’s cruel treatment of her.

Elsewhere, Eva assesses that the ship’s warp drive is broken and recruits the newest engineering experts to fix it. Sharon orders Trust to help fix a panel outside, complicated by the fact that Trust has never had field training. Sharon’s humorous teasing of Trust is overshadowed by Trust throwing up in his suit and needing to be rescued after being disconnected from the wire. Though the crew reboots the warp drive, a strange electrical phenomenon that seems to be alive ends up working its way into the ship’s electrical systems. The surge breaks Kelly out of her makeshift prison not long after her sentence and nearly electrocutes Naomi (Jessica Yemi) and Alicia.

The others don’t believe Alicia’s insistence that the surge has a mind of its own, but Angus helps her figure out that the surge is drawn to electricity as a food source. Despite the surge being an unknown entity, it’s frustrating that the others so quickly discount Alicia’s recounting of her experience, insisting that she’s hysterical. Thankfully, Angus believing and helping Alicia figure out a solution is sweet.

While taking a moment to grieve in Cat’s quarters, Sharon finds a mysterious tablet. After Trust unlocks it, he reveals that it’s for The Juno Project, an algorithm to pair crew members together with their ideal match for the purposes of repopulation. Sharon is initially disgusted by the idea, but ultimately is unable to resist looking at her own match. The results aren’t shown but it’s likely to be Spencer (Reece Ritchie) as the two begin to have cute banter with each other, and even James comments on their increased closeness.

As Sharon and Spencer begin to grow closer, the show’s other main couples move forward in their own relationships. Alicia and Angus kiss briefly for the first time after he helps her figure out the anomaly, while James and Eva confess their love for each other. Those moments, along with Sharon’s continued grieving of Cat as well as the other dynamics between the crew continue to provide the show with a satisfying dose of heart and humor.

The strongest emotional arc of the two episodes belongs to Felix, as he struggles the most with trusting the new Ark-15 members. Though he initially refuses to allow Kimi to join his crew and wants to kill Kelly for her possible role in his husband’s death, he ultimately comes around. He stops Kelly from killing herself when she is freed from her cell, and ultimately provides Kimi full access to the ship. The possibility of Felix’s daughter still being alive provides a bit of hope for the tragic nature of his storyline.

Ultimately, Felix’s decision to trust Kimi seems like it might backfire as Kimi is plotting something with another crew member. There might be more to the story, but it’s not that surprising that someone from Ark-15 might have some ulterior motives. Even more concerning in the aftermath of capturing and disposing of the anomaly, James disappears into thin air, leaving his clothes behind at the end of “Anomaly.” What happened to him, and how the crew will resolve it provides an interesting cliffhanger to end the episode.

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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