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Episode Recap
Tribes
The episode opens on Luna. A visibly distraught Avasarala is desperately trying to reach her husband Arjun who is missing after the attack on Earth. when David Paster, the Minister of Transportation arrives and uneasily announces that he’s the new acting Secretary General.
He inadvertently mentioned the devastation on the planet, embarrassingly oblivious to the fate of Chirstjen’s family. She tells him her daughter and grandchildren are safe but she hasn’t heard anything about her husband. He offers to pull whatever strings he can to help locate him.
The acting Secretary General confides in her that the only reason he got into politics is because he thought his local politician was an idiot and figured he could do a better job. He never aspired for a higher position and now he’s in over his head.
He knows that Avasarala is responsible for averting additional attacks on Earth and asks her to be part of his provisional cabinet.
She graciously agrees, composes herself and steps out to begin her new role.
————
On Tycho station, Holden and his makeshift crew are in the process of starting up the now no longer sabotaged Rocinante, when Monica Stuart shows up.
Bull and Holden tell her they’re going on a military operation and she shouldn’t be there. But she won’t take no for an answer. The only reason they have a target to go after is because of her and she has a story to write.
She’s already been kidnapped once, and for all they know Marco has more people on Tycho station so she’d rather take her chances on the Roci. She reminds Bull that this isn’t her first rodeo. She was on the Rocinante when it was the first ship to go through the ring gate and survive.
Holden escorts their new passenger to her quarters and orders the ship to give her guest access only to the onboard systems.
Once underway, Holden discovers an unread message from Naomi with the subject line: IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, that was sent while she was on the Chetzemoka. We however, do not see Holden play the message.
————-
Drifting in space, the Razorback is approached by another ship. Three belters attempt to board her, but when they open the hatch they’re met by Bobbie who’s wearing the Martian Marine Goliath suit she acquired on the black market. She opens fire with the suits machine gun and easily dispatches two of them before the third retreats back inside his ship as it tries to make its escape.
While this is going on, Alex who was hiding on the back side of the Razorback leaps through space to the attacking vessel. He makes his way to the ships thruster section and plants a grenade, while Bobbie attempts to hold the two ships together with her suits enhanced strength.
The strain is too much for her suit and she loses her grip. As the two ships drift apart Alex makes a desperate leap and manages to collide with the Razorback quickly engaging his boot and glove magnets.
Bobbie pulls him in as they desperately try to get out of there knowing what’s to come.
As soon as he’s inside he activates the ships emergency startup, putting them under way. As the enemy ship powers up to pursue, their thrusters ignite the grenade which causes a catastrophic explosion destroying the vessel.
———-
Meanwhile, on board the Free Navy flag ship the Pella, Marco is infuriated because the Rocinante didn’t blow up taking out half of Tycho station as expected.
He blames Naomi’s presence for the failure. When Filp apologizes for bring her on board Marco orders his son to space her.
Filip, Cyn and Marco get into an argument and Cyn finally loses his temper and stands up to Marco, telling him if he wants space her he can to do it himself. He won’t let Filip be a part of it.
Marco calmly asks Filip to make the choice for himself and the boy pleads to spare his mother. Marco dismisses the situation saying he has more important things to do.
Once Cyn and Filip are gone, Karal tells Marco, that if he really wants Naomi spaced, the next time ask her.
When Filip confronts him mother telling her she deserves to die for what she did, Naomi feels relieved, knowing she succeeded in saving her people.
Filip accuses her of no longer thinking of him and those she once knew as family anymore.
She agrees, she doesn’t and she feels bad about it. She also knows that if she had attacked Marco she would have been killed. It would have been the last thing she ever did but worth it. Because it’s the only thing left she can do to help her son.
Marco made Filip a murderer. He ended millions of ordinary lives and one day he’ll feel the pressure of what he did.
She also tells him that Marco would expect Filip to die for him, but he would give up his life for the boy.
—
Later Drummer and her armada arrive for their meeting with Marco surprised that his free navy includes Martian warships. Oksana and Josep are worried about Drummer’s state of mind. Her losses are still fresh. They need to make sure she doesn’t do anything rash.
On the Pella, they notice Marco’s crew include members of Golden Bough and Black Sky factions, there as tributes in exchange for Marco people on their ships.
They’re concerned that if Marco already has Golden Bough and Black Sky with him, half the OPA will rally to his banner as well.
After some witty banter sizing each other up Oksana brings everyone back on topic before Drummer and Marco come to blows. They’re there to talk about the future, not the past.
With the inners now the enemy, how are belters going to get food? Earth is the only source of live soil.
Marco assures them plans are in motion, and within a decade the belt will have more agricultural sources than Earth.
Once freed from colonial control, the Belt will have no limit.
He invites Drummer and her crew to join his Free Navy. They are free to leave if they don’t want to, but don’t expect his protection.
Camina reminds him that the only reason they need protection is because of what he did. His actions have committed the entire Belt to war with the Inners and made peace impossible.
Marco explains that they were always at war. All he did was alter the terms.
Back on her ship, Drummer tells her crew what’s going on. There is much debate on whether or not they should join him with both sides sharing valid points.
Until Bertold tells them they have no choice. Marco may have said they have a choice but they don’t. Earth will go to war with the Belt, and their only chance to survive is to stand together.
Like it or not, Inaros is going to do what centuries of leaders, including Anderson Dawes and Fred Johnson couldn’t.
He’s going to combine hundred of factions into one nation and their only choice is to join him or die.
—
The decision made, Marco and Drummer exchange crew members. Serge will stay on the Pella as Karal joins Drummer’s ship.
When Drummer mentions that Serge is family to her, Marco introduces his son Filip to her, stating that Camina is a good friend of his mother. He tells his son how Naomi was with Drummer on the Behemoth before leaving to rejoin her inners.
Drummer reminds him that by rejoining her crew, Naomi helped save every soul in their system. Filip is curious to hear more but there’s no time.
Marco tells Drummer to mention to Naomi what a fine young man her son has become.
And when Drummer asks Filip if he has anything he wishes her to tell Naomi, the boy let slip by saying that there’s no need, he can tell… before Marco abruptly cuts him off.
Suspicious, Drummer returns to her ship and everyone parts ways.
Back at her cell, Filip sits down next to his mother and asks her to tell him about the Behemoth, while Marco watches from the bridge while setting up an intercept with the Rocinante.
————-
On Earth, Amos and Clarissa come across a refugee aid station. Not wanting to be identified by the authorities and Clarissa being sent back to prison, they decide to take their chances on reaching Baltimore. Teaming up with people like Erik in times like these will increase their chance of survival.
It’s a long trip, and Clarissa isn’t in the best of shape, the withdrawal from the mod blockers is making her muscles cramp, but she says she’ll make it.
They come across a dead body in the woods which Amos strips for provisions. They briefly discuss their parents, or lack thereof. When Amos brings up Lydia Clarissa says she sounds like she was a good person. But Amos tells her there are ways someone can live a good life without actually being a good person.
As it’s getting dark they come across a lone traveller sitting by a campfire and they join him to warm up.
Amos questions him about Baltimore but the man tells them they’d be crazy to go there. It’s chaos with people killing each other over simple provisions.
There’s something about the man Amos doesn’t trust so he and Clarissa leave. The man warns them about a man to the east, and end of times guy, who’s holed up in a compound and will shoot anyone who comes too close.
Once they’ve put some distance between them, Amos stops to make sure the man isn’t following them. He says the problem with civilization is it keeps people civil. If you take the one away, you can’t have the other.
He grew up looking over his shoulder and now everyone else is going to have to learn to do the same.
Satisfied that they’re not being followed, Amos changes direction towards the protected compound.
Telling Clarissa to stay hidden, Amos jumps the front gate, calling out with his hands up.
He just wants to talk trade. Amos claims to have a water recycler he’s willing to exchange for a hinting riffle.
The man tells Amos strip to make sure he’s unarmed. But once he does the man intends to shoot Amos and retrieve the water recycler for himself.
Before he can pull the trigger, Clarissa, with her mods fully engaged attacks and kills the man before collapsing from exhaustion deliriously whispering about monsters and not being afraid.
Amos carries her into the house by the fire as she recuperates from her ordeal.
When she regains consciousness he shows her their haul. They have weapons, food and transportation.
Then he asks her about her mods. She explains to him how they help her for a short time but take a heavy toll on her.
He tells her not to worry, he won’t let anything happen to her. He heard her talking in her sleep about monsters and being afraid.
She explains that that was a poem she wrote that she uses as a prayer.
I have killed, but I am not a killer,
because a killer is a monster
and monsters aren’t afraid.
She then tells him she’s afraid all the time. of the things she did and how right it felt while doing them.
She then question why they came there. Does it bother him that they killed a guy just to get supplies they need?
They went out of their way to murder someone and take his stuff just because they needed it. That’s not the kind of thing good people do. Not even bad people trying to live like good ones.
Amos realizes that Holden never would have approved his actions, and he has to get back to his crew before he loses himself even more.
And that was the episode.
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