As Mariner and her mom, Captain Freeman, navigate the tentative truce that permits Mariner to go off mission under the Captain’s supervision while Ransom is exposed to strange energies that make him a near omnipotent god. Meanwhile, Tendi fears that Rutherford suffers from Synthetic Memory Degradation.
1. Line between Captain and Mother is Blurry
Mariner ended last season with an informal agreement between her and her mother, Captain Freeman about her off the books missions being tacitly approved. When we begin this season, this agreement is beginning to put a different sort of strain on their relationship. Mariner laments to a hostile hologram that the line between Captain and Mother is fuzzy.
Mariner, in her frustration, has shown tremendous growth from last season as she now puts a lot more value in her relationship with her mom. While Mariner no longer has the rebellious streak of a adolescent teenager, running every off the book mission she does with her captain, allows for more micro-managing and insubordination from each of them instead of them being the powerful duo they both envisioned they’d be at the end of last season.
2. Still Mad At Boimler
Something that is more consistent from the last episode of season one and first episode of season two is Mariner being angry at Boimler. Mariner elaborates to a hologram of Boimler that he just walked off in the middle of her shift without saying goodbye. There is also, of course, a sense of abandonment as Mariner misses her best friend.
Adding to this, all three Ensigns assume that he’s having an amazing time on Captain Rieker’s ship with his larger room and cooler ship. This ends up being what makes Mariner forgive Boimler as she realises it was everything he wanted and too good an opportunity to miss out on.
3. The Will The/Won’t They Dynamic is Reversed
Because Rutherford’s memory is wiped, Tendi feels her friendship with him is somewhat one-sided. Of course, Rutherford has done nothing to validate this but his opinions on certain things have changed. Most worrying to Tendi is Rutherford’s rekindled interest in Ensign Barns who he went on a date with in the first episode of season one.
The fact that this is the catalyst for Tendi’s attempt to do radical brain surgery on Rutherford strongly implies that she is romantically interested in Rutherford, even if she won’t admit it to herself. This will be a very interesting arc to explore, as it’s a reverse of the will they/ won’t they dynamic of last season with Rutherford slowly building up the nerve to ask out his best friend Tendi from last season. It’s unclear how far they will push this aspect of their relationship but it will likely be a fun way to create personal conflict between the two characters that were too agreeable last season.
4. Special Treatment
The main plot of this episode revolves around Jack Ransom feeling under-appreciated by the Captain as Mariner gleefully undermines him and flaunts her special treatment from the Captain. Like so many high ranking officers, Ransom puts a lot of value in rank and praise from his superiors.
Despite Mariner’s dissatisfaction with her new dynamic with her mother/captain, she still revels in undermining Ransom at every opportunity she gets flaunting her special treatment over his higher rank. As unbearably conceited as Ransom can be, one can’t help but sympathise with his frustration with the situation as Mariner’s disrespect for authority is being so blatantly encouraged due to her personal relationship with the Captain.
5. Freeman feels the same as Mariner
Unbeknownst to Mariner, Captain Freeman feels the exact same way as she does. The volume of side missions Mariner requests makes Freeman feel as if she is catering to her every whim. This is somewhat true and adds a layer of complexity to the situation. On one hand, Mariner is clearly at her best working independently and thinking on her feet but Freeman is responsible for Mariner’s actions as her captain.
Adding to this is the fact that they are two of the most stubborn characters in the show. Every order Freeman issues is second guessed by Mariner and every action Mariner tries to take is undermined by Freeman. By the end of the episode, they both agree to terminate their current professional arrangement in order to build on their positive mother/daughter relationship.
