Seems like an eternity since we saw the command crew of Ark 1 staring at its uncertain fate across the blackness of space towards Ark 15 and the conniving mind of Evelyn Maddox. Season 1 of “The Ark” ended with plenty of uncertainty. Fortunately, after a long wait, season 2 has returned on SYFY (and a day later on Peacock) and we got plenty of what we might have expected, as well as some very interesting surprises.

In short, The Ark opened its second season (“Failed Experiment”) with a nice “wow” factor by clearing space for some alternatives that probably didn’t look likely as the opening minutes of the first episode unfolded. Ark 1 is damaged and suffered plenty of casualties in the season 1 finale. As it floats in space, seemingly helpless, it seemed highly likely that some combination of Ark 1 and Ark 15 is going to be forced to join forces.

SPOILER ALERT: I’ll be talking mostly in generalities about the season-opener, but there will be some specifics dialed into it, so if you haven’t seen the episode yet, this is your warning.

THE ARK — “Failed Experiment” Episode 201 — Pictured: Jelena Stupljanin as Evelyn Maddox — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)

Let me just come out and say this first – I love Evelyn Maddox. She is a cold, heartless, empathy-deprived, queen of her little Ark 15 domain and when you see those cold, uncaring eyes staring back at you, it’s a thing of malevolent beauty. When I watch her (and Jelena Stupljanin is soooo good in this role), I’m reminded of a line in a Star Trek episode when talking about Romulan – “So predictably treacherous.” And that’s her. For every word of “friendship” and “I owe you” there’s a equal measure of cold calculation and manipulation.

Episode 1 of season 2 is no different as she demonstrates repeatedly. She’s willing to take Garnet, Nevins, Brice, and Lane aboard Ark 15, but due to oxygen use limits, she’s perfectly content to let the rest of the survivors, and she knows there are survivors, perish in the icy cold of space. And she does it so nonchalantly as to make you wonder if the seed of humanity is anywhere within her.

During the  first episode, she betrays the rest of the Ark 1 crew, laments that her daughter is a “failed experiment,” keeps her doctor from the blood bank to save Angus, sees part of her crew willing to defect to the crippled Ark 1 just to get out from under her thumb, “activates” her daughter (who just happens to be a human bomb), and assorted other little items of pithy pugnacity. She’s a piece of work and every time she’s on the screen, reading between the lines of what she says is almost a game unto itself. And I’m here for it.

THE ARK — “Failed Experiment” Episode 201 — Pictured: (l-r) Jelena Stupljanin as Evelyn Maddox, Jadran Malkovich as Dr. Marsh — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)

The Ark is one of those shows that has found that niche that all of us sci-fi/fantasy/thriller nerds hope will come along more often. It’s an interesting look at the battle for life, the desire to exist in some type of family, and how those bonds create loyalty and passion for one another. Garnet says as much just before the Ark 15 shuttle picks them up from their damaged bridge. When all your leadership has been stripped away in a disaster, and people who never expected to be in any type of real command position are suddenly thrust into it, there’s an interesting dynamic at play as they grow into the job, make mistakes, celebrate small victories, and generally learn as much about themselves as they do their jobs.

The Ark has done a fantastic job of growing its characters. Lane, Brice, Garnet, Nevins, Angus, Felix and the others spent season 1 trying to find out not only what their jobs were to help Ark 1 to survive, but find out the depth of their ability to adapt to a new reality. It has been a fun ride. Sadly, it’s one that Cat apparently won’t finish as she died of her injuries. What that does to William Trust, who was by her side in sick bay when she passed, should be interesting to see.

THE ARK — “Failed Experiment” Episode 201 — Pictured: Diana Bermudez as Kimi — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)

So, while Ark 1 lies lifeless in space like a sperm whale on the beach, dissatisfied crew from Ark 15 hatch a plan to get Garnet, Nevins and themselves to Ark 1 and away from Evelyn Maddox, who is described by one crewmember as “a monster.” You think?

They make a successful getaway (well done with the doors, Alicia), head to Ark 1 with hopes of fixing everything, including the FTL drive, when Evelyn “activates” her daughter. She’s ticking away, our new doctor (Dr. Marsh played by Jadran Malkovich) from Ark 15 is trying to deactivate it, Evelyn is counting the extra oxygen her ship will have, and Garnet pulls the old “You owe me one” card. It is interesting to me that Evelyn Maddox, for all her ruthless coldness, seems to have an aversion to owing anything to anyone. But if you go back through season 1, you realize that is definitely a trait she has. She pays her debts. I find that fascinating, although you need to be very clear about what is owed and who it applies to. She has a very focused sense of what and how much is owed.

All this is a segue to a new mission – head for the Trappist System. It’s about eight months away by FTL and it looks like Ark 1’s FTL is fixable. So as Ark 15 powers up and heads out, Ark 1 is left to drift in space, hopefully complete repairs, and integrate some new resources into its world. And if they are successful, no doubt they will meet Evelyn Maddox once again. Given Kelly has sworn to kill her mother after being proclaimed “dead to me” by mommy dearest, that should be interesting.

THE ARK — “Failed Experiment” Episode 201 — Pictured: (l-r) Jadran Malkovich as Dr. Marsh, Christie Burke as Lt. Sharon Garnet, Stacey Read as Alicia Nevins — (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)

TALK AT THE COMET WATER TANK

All About Kelly

Speaking of Kelly, it’s clear that a small explosive device within her that her mom can activate isn’t all she’s carrying in that small, yet lethal body. Obviously, Kelly was developed using who-knows-what kinds of technology. Her blood transfusion that saved Angus certainly came with some interesting developments. The doctor certainly noticed it and added that, while trying to diffuse the bomb in Kelly, that they couldn’t just space her because she had a very diverse skill set that would be valuable. Kelly is starting to feel like much more than a homicidal lovelorn young lady. We’ll see what happens with her moving forward.

I Love You Guys

Garnet calls Brice, Lane and Nevins together for a kumbaya moment before the Ark 15 folks arrive. She tells them of the family she feels has developed amongst them during their time together and we end with a big hug. My feeling here is she knows Evelyn Maddox is not to be trusted, but like the good leader she’s developed into, she plays for time and opportunity for survival. That’s what a leader does, keep running out rope in hopes of finding something to grab onto. And she did with the mini mutiny aboard Ark 15. It was a touching moment, but also one that reminded us that family is often where you develop it.

New Dynamics Coming

I’m curious to see how newcomers Dr. Marsh and Kimi will blend and interact with Dr. Kabir and Felix, respectively. As we know, Dr. Kabir has dealt with insecurity and drug dependency since she was thrust into her role as the primary doctor aboard Ark 1. With Dr. Marsh now aboard, and clearly and experienced physician, how will this impact her. I can’t believe, in the dark confines of the writer’s room, there hasn’t been some turmoil cooked up regarding these two. Just having two doctors doing mundane doctoring seems a waste. We’ll see. As for Kimi, she seems like a pretty strong security presence, so one wonders how she will integrate with Felix? I’m curious to see their dynamic, too.

While walking the hallways of social media the last few months, I’ve been pretty impressed how excited folks were for the return of The Ark. It’s a show that certainly has a place in the pantheon of this genre and I have to compliment the writers for an interesting and engaging story in season 1, and a season 2 opener that plugged right into where season 1 left off. Yeah, i’d missed The Ark and watching its return and jumping back into the issues and relationships of the show made me realize how much. Glad to have you back, folks (PS: I do love it when Felix gets to unsheath the Katana).

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