‘The Ark’ Recap: ‘Museum of Death’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE ARK -- "Museum of Death" Episode 205 -- Pictured: (l-r) Richard Fleeshman as Lt. James Brice, Tiana Upcheva as Eva Markovic, Vasilije Batricevic as Bojan -- (Photo by: Aleksandar Letic/Ark TV Holdings, Inc./SYFY)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘The Ark’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say that science fiction is one of the smartest genres out there. Courtesy of the fact that it often showcases a future where humanity has conquered its prejudices and, in the process, embraced science, so that an enlightened and unified humanity can traverse the stars searching for meaning and enrichment. Wherein those stories tend to explore real-world problems that are out there amongst the stars and how we can potentially overcome them, to find a similar future. But what’s fascinating about science fiction and that particular structure for it… is that it assumes that humanity will also conquer the many, many internal fears and quirks we’ve harbored for as long as we have existed.

For we are emotional beings that suffer through traumas, the kind that require emotional repair, but somehow… that’s rarely seen in science fiction. As though enlightenment heals such matters. Which is why the SYFY series, The Ark, is of note. For it is that rare outlier that understands that line of thinking is incorrect. For our imperfections would tail us into the stars, and they would have a grand impact upon us if the moment caused enough emotional damage, as evidenced by this week’s story. For ‘Museum of Death’ saw the crew of Ark 1 cautiously return to Ark 3 after discovering that people were moving aboard the ship and that an Eastern Federation shuttle had docked with the vessel, and well… that caution was warranted because what lie ahead on the ship, was terrifying to say the least.

Simply because, the away team came to discover that the ship wasn’t populated, it was merely the museum of death that the title spoke of. Because someone had removed all the bodies buried aboard the ship from cold storage and placed them and arranged them as though they were alive and well, and it turned out… that it was Eva’s brother, Bojan, who did this. For he slipped away from Earth aboard an EF-Ark and eventually escaped that ship in the hopes of finding his sister aboard Ark 3, with his family no less. For he found love and friendship aboard his original ship and wanted to reunite all. But his wife and those he called brothers and sisters… perished along the way and that broke him and prompted him to make one poor call after another, and act out to try and heal, and all that eventually cost him his life.

Which brought forth, a powerful exploration regarding the power of trauma, and how it could manifest in deep space without the support network present in our modern world and what a tragedy that would turn out to be. Because truly, Bojan was a broken and lost soul here, one so shattered by loss and the devastation of leaving a burning home, and so filled with pain over a lack of support and love, that there was no hope of recovery, and well… that was simply incredible to see on display here, and of course… offered a lesson to us as this show is wont to do. In that, we should always support one another and do our best to help those down so they don’t become Bojan, for one cannot help but wonder how his path would have turned out with love and support. The kind that Eva will receive for certain, regardless of what we learn about her shady past.

However, this episode wasn’t completely bleak, since we did see a bridge module swap. Which brought about more living space and comfort, and the return of a bridge for the captain and her senior staff to work with, and we saw Kelly work to heal, and Angus was back into the world and starting a new journey since life has changed a bit. But joy aside, make no mistake about it, this was a bold tale, one that went where science fiction rarely does, and it featured some wild moments that really did speak to the power of trauma on a level we don’t see that often in television. But we should expect nothing less from this series. Because trailblazing is where it thrives, and it will be interesting to see what other unique ideas and explorations await us… as season two of this brilliant series continues along. Until next time.

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