Nightmares, prophecies and a mysterious entity known only as Beta
Now that the show has revealed that Donner and Ted have been selected to replace Rollie and Ajay simply because the mysterious “it” deems it necessary, we are all wondering what or who “it” is. Eve Shaw refers to it as Beta. However, whatever or whoever Beta is remains a mystery. We simply learn that Beta is calling the shots. It is the one who convinced them to do the 6 year mission and it has been directing them from the start: which of the astronauts were selected not only into the program, which passed their testing, and which were ultimately selected for the space mission – or rejected from it, in the case of Rollie and Ajay.
Additionally, now that Beta’s dream team is assembled, it seems to want to test them to see what they are made of. As if 5 years of intense space training were not enough, it arranges to have Zoe flung out of an airlock in a defective space suit to see: (1) how she reacts and (2) how everyone else responds to her precarious predicament.
Even if we learn who Beta is, the resounding question of “why?” still looms ever present on the horizon.
“Defying Gravity” is doing a fine job setting up the questions on which the series will hopefully answer, such as: Why were these 8 people chosen? What were they chosen for? Why is Beta testing them? Why did Beta wait until the mission was underway to replace Rollie and Ajay? What role will Rollie and Ajay play back-seated at headquarters? Who the heck is Claire Dereaux and how does she figure into all this? Why was Donner lead to believe he had undergone a vasectomy, when clearly he hadn’t? And what did they really do to him?
All of these questions are sure to be tickling the back of our brains for awhile and I am intrigued to see which of them will be answered.
Some of Donner’s voiceover narrations may hold a clue. For as Donner said at the end, “Who or what is it that is picking the teams? All I know is if they pick you first, you’d better come through . . . and you never, ever, ever pull the damn eject lever!”
What Worked
It was great to see Dylan, who had up until this point been a geek with a porn fetish, step up and provide a creative solution to save Zoe; which was, albeit a bit unorthodox, but extremely effective. It was a nice nod to a character that has taken a bit of a beating in character development. It was also interesting that he could not swim, yet was still allowed to continue with his space training. Was it just for this moment? Or was it because he can think “outside the box”?
I also loved Ted’s reaction upon being summoned to appear before Beta and his horrifying nightmare reaction. Apparently, dreams are very prophetic for each character and I am curious if there are clues being embedded in each one; as the dream sequences seem very Easter-egg laden.
Donner continued to stand-out as the “hero” and further exploration of his and Zoe’s history was enlightening as to how they met, got involved and broke apart – and why. We were able to see Zoe struggle with the realization that she was pregnant just as she was on the verge of achieving her life-long dream of traveling in space and the ramifications a pregnancy would have on those dreams. Additionally, in 2052, abortion is not legal and Zoe was forced to make some difficult decisions — to not only disobey the law, but also conceal the fact she got pregnant at all from her superiors and Donner.
One a lighter note, I especially enjoyed Donner’s one line about encountering Zoe in the hallway as they both exited their quarters, “don’t worry, I have my HALO on,” which was hilarious. It was a nice comedic touch to an otherwise awkward encounter.
There were also small reveals in the flashbacks to Evran’s past, such as he has a drinking problem, he and Claire are involved, and he has some pretty scary scars on his back which were speculated to have been the result of being in a war. While not totally illuminating, it is glimpses into an otherwise pretty stoic individual’s personal life. Evran is also turning out to be an intriguing character to watch unfold.
Last but not least, there was another fun cameo by Peter Howitt, who directed this episode as the BBC journalist Trevor Williams. His character asks all the hard-hitting questions that the audience is wondering about. Makes us feel like we have an inside man working on our side.
What Didn’t Work
We still barely know Paula, Nadia, and Claire. It would be nice to have them showcased a bit more so we can recognize these characters and what they may be able to contribute towards this vital space mission. For only in developing these characters will the audience be able to understand the inter-personal dynamics a bit better; such as, Donner and Nadia clearly have a history and that should be more fully revealed in order to understand the undercurrents between Donner, Zoe and Nadia. Otherwise, it feels like half the joke is missing.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
‘Defying Gravity’ – Natural Selection written by James D. Parriott and directed by Peter Howitt. “Defying Gravity” stars Ron Livingston, Laura Harris, Christina Cox, Ty Olsson, Malik Yoba, Karen LeBlanc, Andrew Airlie, Maxim Roy, Paula Garces, Florentine Lahme, Zahf Paroo, Eyal Podell, Dylan Taylor and Peter Howitt. “Defying Gravity” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on ABC.