Beacon 23 – Season 1 Episode 5 “Rocky” Recap & Review

Rocky

Episode 5 of Beacon2 3 picks up in the present-day timeline. After the previous episode’s unexpected deviation, we are back to the aftermath of Aster killing Coley. Surprisingly, she isn’t remorseful of what she did. The relationship with Coley was complicated. However, Aster suspected that she had turned against her, somehow. Halan expresses his gratefulness to Aster for saving his life. He offers a supporting hand but Aster wants to deal with it on her own.

Harmony also points out Aster’s problematic lack of expression of her turmoil. She offers Aster an explanation for Coley’s death – self-defence – for the impending QTA enquiry. However, Aster replies that she won’t be going back. When Harmony points out that Coley’s military-grade combat suit records information about all the actions it is involved in, Aster asks her to uncover info about Halan’s previous mission using his suit. Halan doesn’t know this and shows up when he hears Gashade’s voice on the feed.

Halan explains that his memory of the “failed mission” is completely blank. So, to remember exactly what happened, he watches the feed with Aster. It reveals that Halan breathed in the same glowing blue material on DX-133 as is present on B23. That explains his connection to the stone. The trio kicks into action when a message from a QTA transport vessel pops up on the screen. They will be at the beacon in around 14 hours, which in Beacon 23’s world, isn’t much time. Aster takes the bold decision of absconding on Coley’s ship, which Halan claims he can pilot. Harmony isn’t on board with the plan, given the risks it opens the duo to.

They start packing up things, including the rocks. Halan has an extended hallucination where he sees Gashade near the GWB on the beacon. She kisses him and tells him that the last thought she had before dying was that Halan must have had a reason to abandon his team. She tries to tell him something “important.” But all of it is jumbled up and sounds like gibberish. Next, one of the blue rocks starts talking to him. And then he starts hearing multiple voices until he finally jumps back to reality.

What does Aster know about the rocks that she isn’t telling Halan? In trying to find her, Halan finds himself ejected from the beacon. Aster responds to the alarm and once again saves his life by bringing him back in. He tells her about the hallucinations. But Harmony is sceptical. She tells Aster in private that a scan of Halan’s brain shows that there are traces of a virus due to the thing he inhaled. They are triggering the hallucinations…not some greater purpose, as Aster believes. 

As Aster is trying to take away Bart’s control of the beacon, he reiterates that Halan killed Solomon. Bart narrates the incident for Harmony and Aster. This segues into a brief flashback. Solomon had discovered the rocks in the beacon’s vicinity. He worked hard on cataloguing every detail before reaffirming its groundbreaking discovery to the scientific community. However, Halan’s arrival changed it all. It is revealed that Bart let him on since his O2 levels were critical. Solomon didn’t want to. Halan took his ring after an incident where he caught Solomon trying to write to the ISA for help.

Solomon’s timid personality ensured that Halan took charge of the ship. Given Solomon’s constant bickering and interference, Halan chained him. He treated him well, although Solomon didn’t like being a prisoner on his own beacon. When they talk about why Halan came to B23, he claims that he got turned around and that his oxygen levels were low. However, Solomon proves him wrong. Halan remembers everything incorrectly and his expressions change when he learns the truth. Halan actually travelled the entirety of the galactic pathway to reach the beacon.

It is suggested that the rocks attracted him. But for Bart and Solomon, this manoeuvre proves he is deranged. Halan stares at the rocks and faints. Solomon uses the opportunity to unchain himself and tries to escape. When Halan regains consciousness, Solon has already boarded the Amboyna, the ship that Halan came on. However, Halan immediately tries to stop him. He never refilled the ship, which is out of oxygen. Despite Bart’s best attempts, Solomon doesn’t stop, indicating he is dead.

We jump back to the present. It is clear now that Halan did not murder Solomon. He tried to save him. Aster takes all the evidence to Halan and tells him that the QTA will clear him from all charges. Aster is now prepared to leave Halan on the beacon and abscond with the rocks. Harmony tries to put everything into perspective for Aster. Doing this would mean she will lose all inklings of her old life and the work that gives her purpose.

Halan has another hallucination where “Rocky,” the rock, orders him to go to the Antenna Access for a job. Halan opens the hatch and all the rocks in the room are thrown into space. They start inflicting damage to the Beacon, which forces Halan and Aster into action. They reach the copula but it is already too late. Aster thinks it is all over for them, wondering who the QTA will be sending to the beacon. However, both Halan and Aster are in for a surprise when they see the rocks coalescing into a beautiful, dancing pattern. Halan thinks it might be another hallucination. But Aster confirms it is real, having seen it before.

The Episode Review

Episode 5 is surprisingly good. After such a dull start, Beacon 23 is revived with this episode. All the loose ends about Halan’s past and what happened to Solomon are tied up neatly. The execution is much sharper and purposeful. The traces of dry humour in complicated situations are a great combination. Here’s hoping that becomes a regular feature.

Stephan James is fantastic. Despite having such a meaty role, he just couldn’t get into his own in the previous episodes. But he manages to emote Halan’s helplessness with the right impact in Episode 5. Rocky’s introduction and Stephen Root’s cameo are also worthy highlights. The humanization of Bart – an AI interface – is a very smart narrative choice.

It is a continuation of Episode 4 where Bart’s questionable decision-making and deluded sense of responsibility emerged. The “human in machines” perhaps does exist in this show’s universe.

Episode 5 is the kind of package we were expecting from Beacon 23. We still have three more episodes to go and if they are anywhere near to this episode’s quality, it will be quite a ride.