There is nothing to fear, but fear itself
It was All Hallow’s Eve aboard the Antares. Having a $10 million carrot hanging over them if the crew put on their space suits and held up a large banner advertising a candy-bar, there was major incentive to make the Comet Candy Company’s dreams of being the first in-space advertiser come true.
Alas, Beta had other plans. Apparently to Beta, this is its mission and no one else’s. It does not want to share the limelight and Beta had a field day wreaking havoc by preying on the crew’s worst fears. For Donner (Ron Livingston), that meant sprinkling some more red dust on his space suit, some rust-colored footprints and yet another vision of Sharon. For Ted (Malik Yoba), it was a vision of the red whirling sandstorm on Mars. That was enough to paralyze him in place unable to move or function. For Zoe (Laura Harris), it was that haunting sound of a baby crying as a continuing reminder that she will never be a mother. For Paula (Paula Garces), it was a hallucination of her dog lying bleeding on the floor. Then for Evram (Eyal Podell), it was yet again a vision of the young girl lying crushed in the bombed-out school.
It was interesting that Wass (Dylan Taylor) and Jen (Christina Cox) were the only crew members not to experience any hallucinations. Is that because they do not have any fears? That cannot be true for we have seen how being alone utterly terrifies Jen. All Beta had to do was isolate her in a way that she felt abandoned and alone and she too would have been a sobbing mess. As for Wass, he looked pretty upset at the thought of losing Paula last week. I would hazard to say that no one is utterly without fear. Beta is perhaps just waiting to spring their fears upon them at another point in time.
One could also say that Beta is either manipulating them by using their fears against them, or that Beta is making them face their fears to teach them something. Donner’s voiceover provided some insight on why it may be necessary to teach them a thing or two. At the beginning of the episode, Donner shared, “One of the first things you learn in training does not come from a manual. It’s instinctual Darwin-type stuff. Never show weakness. . . doesn’t matter that you’re frightened or hurt or having a bad day, no one cares what you’re going through — only if you can get the job done.” It was practically instilled from day one that to show weakness or fear was not acceptable, as “every astronaut knows the rules: limping antelopes don’t go into space, they stay on earth where they are killed and eaten.” It is truly survival of the fittest and, as they were all desperate to be selected as the ones to go into space, they buried their fears and denied any
weaknesses.
Yet the lesson to be learned from Beta is a bit more enlightening. At the end of the episode, Donner further refined the Rule of Darwinism as it applied to them, “There’s a reason no one likes to show fear, it’s taken as a sign of weakness, a festering wound. Being vulnerable leads to being dinner in a Darwinian world. But there is also a risk of hubris — of not knowing your own limits and that may be the biggest danger of all.” Perhaps that is what Beta needs to teach them: that they are not impervious to pain, fear or weakness and that in order for them to be the best team possible, they have to know their limits. Donner again said it best with, “There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. If you want the bag of candy, sometimes it makes sense to show a little weakness and ask for help.”
A team is only as strong as its weakest link. Thus, the crew needs to know their limits and share their fears so that they can help each other. This is perhaps what Beta needed to teach them.
What Worked
It is again good to see the crew growing closer and more supportive of one another. It is also good to see them finally opening up and talking about the hallucinations and dreams they have been having. Such as when Zoe finally decided to talk to Donner about her recurring nightmare and found out he had been having the same one. It was eerie to hear her ask, “What happened today, it has nothing to do with the halos, does it?” and Donner’s quiet reply, “no.”
In a classic understatement, Wass said it best when he voiced what everyone had been thinking, “This is one screwed up Halloween.”
What Didn’t Work
Coming off last week’s traumatic dual events of Paula losing a thumb and Zoe’s complications from taking the abortion pill, this week’s Halloween episode felt a little tame in comparison. While there were plenty of ghosts and supposed psychotropic hallucinations, the fear-factor was seriously lacking.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
‘Fear’ was written by Chris Provenzano and directed by Jeff Woolnough. ‘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 10 p.m. on ABC.
