I gave it an average. Again, not belittling the show, it's just the episode was up there with what I've come to expect. Nothing knocking my socks off but nothing making me turn it off, either.
I really thought we were going to get a reveal about Beta. With all the crew hallucinating, and they all know each other is hallucinating, then this was a good time in the story for the big reveal. Too bad it didn't happen. I don't watch Lost so I have no frame of reference really to this dragging the mystery out but it does seem a bit of a cliche thing to do.
I thought it was interesting that the flashbacks are almost EXACTLY (if not exactly) 5 years in the past. Saying something happened "5 years ago" still leaves a lot of wiggle room when it comes down to the particular month. However, it was Halloween in both the present and the past.
I do hope the flashbacks come to an end. At some point I would think they have to. We will end up seeing every event from the training. Of course 5 years offers a lot of opportunities for flashbacks.
Yes, I thought the $10 billion was steep but you do have to account for inflation. We really don't know what kind of governmental system is in place in 2052, nor what kind of financial system exists. We're living an economic crisis now and that affects monetary values. We had a previous crisis in 1987 so that's 2 meltdowns in 22 years. With this series set 42 years in our future, there is room for another major crisis or two.
Plus, as stated, $10 billion for WORLDWIDE broadcasting. We're talking more than an ad on the Super Bowl.
I don't get any previews for the next week. They show a Grey's Anatomy preview then my DVR ends the recording.
They also flip-flopped on Mars again. First they had to abandon their crewmates, then it was Gross panicking (even though it was Donner who launched), and now we're back to "it had to be done because they never would have made it". And two of those come from Mrs. Shaw, who apparently had seen all the data tapes five years ago that proved they never would have made it before she saw the launch video in the last episode which proved they could have.
I think you're missing the point. To me they've never flip flopped on the Mars story. It's all layers within layers.
1. What Happened - Goss panicked (or something) and commanded Donner and Shaw to launch and abandon their comrads.
2. The Cover Up - We can't tell the people back home the truth. We need a convenient cover story.
2a. - Maybe Goss is even lying to himself about this. Maybe he genuinely believes they wouldn't have made it. I don't know. More of the reason why he made this decision needs to be revealed.
3. The Lie - Future Mrs. Shaw looked Ted in the eye and lied without blinking. She's helping with the cover-up for some reason.
3a. - So the astronauts on scene (Donner and Shaw) don't even know the Truth. Perhaps the reason they are plagued is their subconscious is telling them they could have waited. Maybe part of their brain does know it's a lie.
3b. - Why did Eve lie to Ted? Is she using her knowledge of the truth for her own power and position?
Question - Where did Beta come from? Did they find Beta on Mars? If so, how did they get it back without Donner and Shaw knowing anything about it? Did Beta influence the decision to launch and abandon the two other astronauts on Mars? Are the two other astronauts really dead or are they still alive and living with whatever culture/civilization/lifeform(s) created Beta?
