With a plot that moved at warp speed, diverse and fun characters, and just enough social commentary to make us think, Syfy’s The Ark was one of the biggest surprises of last year. Once The Ark was renewed for another season (now on Peacock), the only question was, could the showrunners maintain a steady course?
When we last saw the crew of Ark 1 things didn’t look so good. Their ship was seriously damaged, and they had yet to find a new home planet. In order to survive, their only choice was transfering to Ark 15, captained by the ruthless and unpredictable Evelyn Maddox (Jelena Stupljanin). Season 2 opens with Captain Sharon Garnet (Christie Burke) gathering her bridge crew in a teary hug and thanking them for being the only family she’s ever had.
Sadly, not everyone survived, and others were seriously injured. It quickly becomes apparent that staying with Maddox isn’t an option, and key members of her crew are ready to escape, preferring to take their chances with Garnet. Ark 1 is salvageable, but bringing on new crew members leads to new revelations and new tension. Thankfully, the formulaic structure used for every episode of the first season is gone, allowing the writers greater freedom in telling more inventive, character-driven stories.
One that really stands out is “The Other You,” where Brice (Richard Fleeshman) and another character I can’t spoil swap places in different realities. We’ve seen mirror universe episodes before, and the other reality tends to be a dark place where everyone has black goatees. This time, the alternate is no better or worse than the original, and leaves everyone wondering what might have been and thankful for what is not. There are also moments played for humor, even as the stakes increase.
Like the first season, cultural and philosophical ideas are introduced, such as posthumanism and the morality of human cloning. Augmenting our minds and bodies with technology might not be far off, and The Ark is starting conversations about the ethics of that now. But it’s all on such a surface level that viewers can engage or ignore these things as they please. In Season 2, the sensuality is slightly more pronounced, and more focus is given to an LGBTQ+ character.
The tagline for this season is “A brighter future is on the horizon.” This should sound familiar to us, as Paul acknowledged that things are difficult in the present while we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee of a third season of The Ark to answer all of our lingering questions. But of that blessed hope we can be sure. (Syfy Original, Peacock)