Spektr
The Water Problem
Episode 9 of Away begins with with the Mars mission going forward as planned. The crew are 2 weeks away from landing on Mars. Only, unfortunately their water supply is dire. They have less than 24 ounces and less than 72 hours to try and figure out how to salvage what they’ve got. Down in Mission Command, Matt takes control of the situation and rallies the team to try and come up with ideas. While he does, Lex and Isaac patch up their differences too. Lex admits that she’s been tested for CCM and should get her results back soon. As they walk and talk, the duo end up in church together discussing their parents. Back on the ship, the crew discuss what could happen if the walls are breached. On the back of this (and a Russian ghost story about Spektr) the group collect up their treasured belongings just incase things go wrong. It’s a tense moment, as the group work together to lift a panel off the wall and measure precisely the right point to drill. Unfortunately things go horribly wrong and they drill through to space. As the air sucks out, the astronauts scramble out the crew quarters and close the airlock behind them.
The Last Gasp
Down on Earth, Matt comes up with a plan to save the astronauts. This involves using the water supply bags on the exterior of the ship. Feeding what he has planned back to the crew, he leaves a special message for Emma and wishes them all luck. Misha and Lu stay behind, writing out their last words on an email, while Ram and Emma head out on a spacewalk. Together, they collect up the particles of water (which mysteriously seem to be diverted straight at them) and head back inside. As they sit in decompression, the duo realize they’ve just saved themselves from certain doom.
The Episode Review
There’s a lot of drama going on between Isaac and Lex which spreads out across the episode. If I’m honest, this just feels distracting compared to the more interesting stuff on Atlas. The mission itself is a risky one and it’s definitely good to see everyone getting a fair crack at the challenge rather than relying on one person. Mission Control is still full of squabbling though but thankfully Matt manages to come up with the solution to save Atlas. The spacewalk itself is definitely the highlight of the episode though. On the back of this, it leaves the door wide open for the finale.
