Some say there is only one story structure, consisting of a goal and an obstacle. There are an infinite number of variations on the basic form. This episode qualifies. It had enough to make me glad I showed up. It teased enough to get me back another time.
The rest of this review is all SPOILER. If you haven’t seen the series yet, and foreknowledge of events is an issue, you might want to read something else now. At the same time, I don’t think knowing a few general details will necessarily spoil the show for you.
One of the opening scenes features Avasarala, the high-ranking Earth official, at a briefing displaying evidence that someone other than Earth and Mars was building a fleet of warships. In her mind, the OPA (Outer Planets Alliance) is the only possible suspect. She leans hard on a man, formerly in intelligence, but now working for corporations, to get intelligence about Tyco Station and Fred “The Butcher” Johnson from the spy planted there.
Since Johnson offered Holden and his crew from the Rocinante refuge at Tycho, there may be more information than Earth expects. Johnson and Holden know one another, by reputation, if not personally. They come to an agreement that Johnson will disguise the Rocinante to make it look like a commercial gas freighter, and that Holden will proceed to Phoebe in an attempt to rescue a survivor of some unknown disaster. This was the Scopuli mission when it was destroyed (according to Johnson).
The episode includes a digression, where two independent space miners are boarded by the Martian Navy. The navy personnel get a kick out of harassing the pair, and declare their load of ore impounded until they pay up. The older man shoves his nephew into a spacesuit and ejects him from the ship. Following that, he puts the fragmented asteroid on a course to intercept the Martian vessel. The Martian vessel destroys the mining ship, but may not survive the pile of rocks coming at it. It all pushes the viewer to the side of the OPA.
The cliffhanger of episode 5, where detective Miller ended up with a bag over his head, and drug off to points unknown, is not pursued for a considerable amount of time. It turns out the local head of the OPA had him snatched. His quest to find Julie Mao has attracted their attention, especially since Mao was one of their own. Miller tries to act tough, but his captors are not shy about using something resembling cattle prods on him. After an extended exchange with the local OPA chief, in which it appears that Miller is in love with Julie Mao without having ever actually seen her, the OPA chief stomps off. His supporters then drag Miller to an airlock and throw him in, close the inner hatch and begin to evacuate the air. An associate of Miller shows up, shoots the two, and saves Miller.
Miller takes information he discovered to his boss at Star Helix, which shows there is an enormous conspiracy going on. After verifying that Miller has not given the information to anybody else, his boss fires him, and has him escorted out of the office. The security people giving him the bum’s rush have OPA tattoos. Miller is quite certain at least his boss has been bought by Star Helix.
Both Holden and Miller are on their own now. As I said at the beginning, I’m hooked for another episode. In the meantime, and with bated breath, I’ll be writing horseback.
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