Beacon 23 – Season 2 Episode 4 “Berth” Recap & Review

Berth

Episode 4 of Beacon 23 Season 2 picks up straight from where Episode 3 ended. Halan and Iris access the hitherto locked airbridge to enter the ship. There are no signs of B174. The ship has already been marked as dangerous by Harmony. Her configurations have a glitch wherein the “anomaly” on the beacon is undetectable. The spaceship was piloted by an AI in all likelihood.

The duo navigate the badly damaged ship to find more clues as to what happened. Halan gets his hands on the flight recorder as Iris comes across an alien-like floating creature. 

They head back to B23 and tear apart the recorder to analyze the events before the ship docked. Harmony detects a temperature change in the ship after it docked, which has also gone unexplained. Halan gives Iris some potassium iodide to combat the effects of the creature after she touches it.

While going through the recorder, Iris remarks that she believes the ISA has been compromised. In his bid to play God, Aleph’s QTA has taken on the role of a dictatorial institute that wields all the power in the universe. 

They make a strange plan where Halan flies out in Iris’ ship and she takes the damaged B174. It is unclear why they have made this decision since they know about the alien’s presence in it. In a strange occurrence, Harmony sees Dev in her configurations. Harmony killed her in the previous episode but she has still managed to come back…in a formless form. In all probability, she is the cause of the anomaly. Harmony seems to think so.

In a weird phenomenon, Halan uses Iris’ security ring at the point where Aleph condemned him to remain imprisoned on the beacon forever. The temperature has dropped significantly on the beacon, so much so that we can see the pillars of the vessel being crystallized. In a tender moment, Harmony reveals that while with Aster, she also imprinted on Halan, meaning she will be her AI guardian and advisor. However, Halan maintains he doesn’t need any more AI interference in his life. 

Harmony also works together with Iris to help her decipher what really happened with B174’s vessel. During the checking of records, the buck falls at a nebula called AH76. It is near this body that the path of the vessel deviated from the norm. Not much is revealed other than the name of the nebula and that it interfered with the vessel’s directions. Harmony plays B174’s last message, where he sends a mayday signal before claiming “it’s over.”

Despite Halan’s best attempts and anticipation, he isn’t able to leave the beacon using Iris’ ship. Aleph’s command stands to imprison him there. When Harmony returns to her mind state, Dev once again surfaces and accuses her of being selective. She replays the entire conversation from B174’s expedition: “This is it. I can see it now. It wants me to sail on through.” While working through the vessel, Iris begins crying. Suddenly, her feelings for B174 surface, ensuring her heartbreak is truly felt.  

Halan reminds her that she’s a human being with human needs. This is a continuation of the previous episode’s discussion on the life of a beacon keeper and the conflict between following rules and human instincts. When the power cuts off and Halan goes out to a lower level to inspect, he spots the same creature, which is now significantly bigger. A flashback reveals that it might have something to do with what happened to Gashade – Halan’s friend at the asteroid when he went missing. 

During her investigation, Iris finds the cause of B174’s disappearance. She believes that he hit a frozen patch of light and might still be out there, in need of help.

In another strange event, we see the power of the Artefact’s fragment. Iris holds it in her hands and demands to know Aleph’s plan from Halan. He tries to persuade her to drop her concerns but suddenly, the fragment starts glowing and almost absorbs Iris in its capacity. Halan saves her life but there seems to be some damage to her. 

Another flashback builds upon Halan and Gashade’s friendship. The two looked out for one other, protecting each other from scheming and military plans. When we cut back to the present, we see Iris has regained consciousness. She begins to explain what actually happened when she touched the creature. Iris was transported to a club where she was the lead singer, dressed in a shining gown. Only Dev sat in the audience and helped her regain her rhythm and synchronization. But she ultimately rejected her.

Both are now in agreement that Aleph wants to control them. They decide to remove the vessel from B23. It is not until later that they discover Halan’s cable is still tethered to the ship. Iris acts quickly and cuts it off to save Halan’s life. Iris decides to stay back at the beacon as it returns to its normal shape. She is encouraged by Harmony’s advice to focus on Halan rather than go off into space to look for B174.

The thrilling final scene reveals that B174 might just be inside the creature, which reappears when Harmony tries to pass off Dev onto another ship. 

The Episode Review

Beacon 23’s love-hate relationship with its viewers continues. After the previous week’s stellar introduction for Iris, Episode 4 falls short of creating the same impact. The narrative certainly falters on occasions owing to some lethargic editing and framing. The creature’s introduction threatened to take the show in a new direction. But the conversation has fallen toward Aleph and his big plans for the Artefact. The makers sure like to veer off into different directions every now and then.

I am not sure how long MGM will have the patience to allow this constant chopping and changing. But having said all that, Beacon 23’s Season 2 is close to becoming a watchable show.