"Make it so, XO!"
I see what you did there, David and Bradley.
Woof, this was a gut puncher of an episode. While the classism themes were heavy handed, they were nonetheless quite effective. Even though I expected the development, it was still difficult to watch Miles discover the investment on his new career turn completely upside down and being told to lump it simply because he's on a hostile planet that wants to kill him. Little scenes like feeling invisible while repairing a crewmember's HVAC and then being offhandedly told to do something that's not even in Miles' purview hit hard for me, because that divide reminded me a lot of what I experienced as an enlisted service member in the Navy (while also realizing I had never thought of that divide specifically as classism until now).
Unsurprisingly, Ed doesn't see the problem and that these people should simply appreciate the fact that they're on a planet instead of trying to earn money. Of course he's completely blind to that aspect of society and expects everyone to follow his worldview from his own life experiences regardless of completely different backgrounds and upbringings. And while I appreciate what Dani did with the comms and actually sensing there's a real problem brewing, I don't think even she can truly see what's really going on. A revolution is on the horizon and it's not just in the Soviet Union.
We barely checked in with Margo this time around but it's enough to make me worry for her. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm not surprised that she was quickly swept into it as an innocent bystander. It's probably going to put her in the position to move forward with her le Carré plotline far sooner than anticipated.
How is it we've gone this long without Aleida and Kelly formally meeting? Well, it was well worth the wait and I love that they're both splitting from NASA after their respective bitter roadblocks. Mind you, Aleida's more personal and she's not dealing with the real issue, a theme that I hope that's properly explored as the season progresses. I'm very curious to see where their newfound joint venture will lead them...and I imagine their paths are about to cross Dev Ayesa's.
I just happened to see that book in my local bookstore last week and I was curious about it, even though its basic premise of "Maybe we shouldn't be doing this" put me off. I'm curious to know your larger thoughts on it, both now and when you finish it.
You know, i could save my time and just hit the like button under your posts because it's exactly what i was going to say now that i've seen the episode
Ed is an awesome mission commander but a shit people manager, that was not hard to see in this episode. He simply doesn't understand that not everyone shares his idealism and drive to push boundaries, some people really are only in it for the paycheck - something he never had to wonder about being a driven high achiever with the skills and intelligence to match. It will get worse on Happy Valley as people have nowhere to run away or transfer to - if leadership in a particular team is that bad people jump that team and join another one, possibly even relocate but this is not possible here and this is a pressure cooker currently building steam. Danielle had the right idea and pushed forward but it may be too little and too late, especially since she didn't follow through completely and made the effort for all personnell at Happy Valley.
So yeah, the Soviet Union is crashing. It had to happen since their system was simply unsustainable, just like in our reality. It will be interesting how soon mystery pigeon lady will come to bail Margo out and what the price will be for that help.
Aleida and Kelly teaming up is an awesome pairing, i expect much and am waiting for the ticking time bomb that is Aleida to finally go off but i hope she recovers once the dust settles.
