Rubicon

Episode Summary & Review

Summary

The Antares and the crew approach their Rubicon – the point of no return at which they can longer return to Earth without first going all the way to Venus. Donner is tasked with ensuring all systems are nominal but is having difficulty with one particular system. He finds the problem, but it leaves Ted wondering just how he did it. Ted tells the crew that they are all to put an item of personal value into a time capsule and several have difficulty parting with the items they have selected. In flashbacks we continue to follow the crew through training and they receive their first performance report. Zoe still hasn’t decided what to do about her pregnancy but is considering her options. An unexpected visit from her mother doesn’t make her life any less complicated.

Our Take

A middling hour that leans hard on the time capsule gimmick to squeeze out some feelings, with mixed results. The mystery of how Donner fixed the ship adds a little intrigue, but the flashbacks still do more heavy lifting than they should. Watchable enough if you’re already invested, though the pacing drags in the middle stretch.