Photo;: Ben Mark Holzberg/CBS
Well, it took three other episodes to get here , but this week on Salvation viewers got some payoff for hanging in with the series. Yes, “The Human Strain” was an exciting episode! If you haven’t been watching it, now would be the time to catch up. Seriously, this show just got really good!
“The Human Strain” title of Salvation episode 4 is an interesting double entente. It is about the difficulties the various characters are challenged with. Yet it’s also asking viewers to think about about what it is that makes us human.
This Week on Salvation
Where We Left Off
The Salvation episode, “Truth or Darius” left us with two cliffhangers! That’s why this this week we got two episodes back to back. Well. that, and they really needed 2 hours to play out the truth about what Darius Tanis (Santiago Cabrera) – the superstar “tech pioneer” who says he came save the world – is up to.
When we last saw Darius he appeared to be sending a text before taking off in a helicopter. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s press secretary, Grace Barrows (Jennifer Finnigan) was sitting in the war room with various higher ups and technical personnel. That group included: her boss/boyfriend Harris Edwards (Ian Anthony Dale), Dr. Garrett Strauss (Derek Webster), and Advisor to The President, Claire Rayburn (Erica Luttrell).
These people were all together because Darius’s attempt to build an EM drive had failed – spectacularly. Now the plan was to break up the giant meteorite “Samson.” This plan would save earth but end up killing over a billion people on the other side of the world.
While they were all gathered to watch this, Grace had received a text for Darius saying he, “had one move left.” She got this right before the IO probe that NASU was steering towards Samson got taken over by someone who was sending it off of the planned trajectory. If you need more of a refresher on the details of “Truth or Darius” – click here.
This Week on Salvation: Part 1 – “The Human Strain”
It seems that Darius’s helicopter ride was to take him to an auction. He’s bidding on “George Washington’s personal copy of Bill of Rights.” Meanwhile, the MIT student now working for Darius, Liam Cole (Charlie Rowe) spent the night with his girlfriend Jillian Hayes (Jacqueline Byers).
The Morning After
That morning Liam gives Jillian a romantic pep talk about her first day working for Darius at Tanis Industries. After this we get to see the fallout from the hack. Grace can’t get in touch with Darius to ask about his crypt text, so she shows it to Harris. Of course, he, Claire, and everyone else, is furious about the hack. Even Grace, who didn’t want them to do this this, is upset. It’s all hands on deck to figure out who is responsible. Between the text and the fact that Darius had the means to hack the probe, makes him the number one suspect.
The Pentagon gang heads over to Tanis Industries. They get there just before Liam has sent Gillian off to her think tank group with a second, more romantic pep talk. (He compares her to the rare crystals found in Darius’s meteorite collection.) Later on we learn what Gillian’s job is. She’s supposed to help pick 160 real people to colonize Mars.
Everyone else in this think-tank has gone to Ivy League schools and everyone – especially the leader – is looking down on her. However, it doesn’t take long for the audience to figure out why Darius picked her. The think-tank is using the ideas of her grandfather – that famous sci-fi writer whom she absolutely disagrees with. Obviously, Darius must as well….
When Grace learns from Liam that uranium isn’t even used in the EM drive, it really tanks her confidence in him. Especially since Liam’s doubts about Darius are apparent by his non-response to her question about trust in Darius. (He’s been wondering if this entire project was a “misdirect” to cover “his real plan.”)
As Darius is leaving the auction – he won the bid – he’s brought in and interrogated by Harris. Claire and Grace watch. Darius swears it wasn’t him. When confronted with the text Darius, knowing Grace is watching, basically says it’s amazing how quickly it is “for people to believe the worst of us. Claire has her own theories about Darius and why he did this.
Narcissist – first they fail, first they deny it, then they make sure that no one else succeeds.
A Luxury Problem and…
More bad news for Darius occurs after this. Dr. Strauss and his assistant/analyst Dexter (Vas Saranga) have traced the signal that hijacked the probe to Darius’s company headquarters! Grimly, Harris points out there are only 9 hours left to salvage this mission. Once Claire hears this she tells Harris it’s time to bring in a specialist – aka a torturer! While she goes to handle that Grace and Harris square off.
Grace is appalled by the idea of using torture. Harris says Darius is clearly guilty and questions why she’s protecting him.
Grace: It’s not him I’m protecting, Harris. It’s our sense of decency.
Harris is having none of it.
” In a few hours we may lose our last chance for survival.
Losing my humanity is a high-class problem.”
Yikes! Is that statement smart, scary, or both? This is one of those…”what would you do” moments for the audience. Of course, last week started us out with the question of would you kill a billion people to save yourself. At the very least, would you do everything possible before taking that final option….
Before this argument between Harris and Grace can continue Claire comes back with the news that Darius has agreed to talk – but only to Grace.
… A Possible Solution – Find Salvation
The talk between Grace and Darius doesn’t go well. Grace says he’s a traitor. Darius says she’s afraid of who she is. Grace retorts the only thing she’s afraid of is the end of world – yada, yada, yada. What’s really important? The entire time Darius has been picking at and chewing on his hand – to the point of drawing blood.
Darius tells Grace if the signal came from his company he needs her to go there and find the mole. At the last minute he grabs and hugs Grace. While whispering in her ear to that she “find salvation” he surreptitiously puts something in her pocket. That thing turns out to be an electronic tag out of his hand – similar to what we use on pets to identify them if they get lost.
The EM Drive
Meanwhile, back at Tanis Enterprises the billion dollar question is this: all of what screwed up the EM drive? Dr. Malcolm Croft (Dennis Boutsikaris) Liam’s former professor that’s been working on the EM drive for Tanis Industries with Liam has figured that out. He tells Liam that it wasn’t because Darius told him to turn up the power. Instead, there’s some “some kind of electrical turbulence” inside the structure that caused it not to work like it did in simulation. Eventually they conclude that the lining inside the EM drive needs to be stronger and more reflective.
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