John and Maureen walk back to the settlement, and John claims that he memorized the topography. They kiss and he says that the Dhars' Jupiter is over the next rise. They hear the Jupiter start up, and realize that the Dhars are taking off. Maureen radios Victor and asks what's going on, and he tells her that Judy lost nearly all of the fuel trying to save Evan's life. Prisha says that they'll send back help, but Maureen warns that they're too heavy and will burn up all of their fuel before they reach escape velocity.
John leaps onto the Jupiter hatch as it closes and rolls into the ship. Vijay suggests that they should listen to Maureen, but Victor isn't interested. . She explains that their computers aren't calibrated for the planet, and Victor dismisses her, saying that he didn't trust her because she held back the information that the planet was dying. Meanwhile, the interior door just before John gets to the bridge. He short-circuits the controls, but Peter attacks him with a crowbar and John knocks him out. He then uses the crowbar to cut the wiring, gets onto the bridge, and hits the emergency shutdown. John says that they're in charge now as Maureen runs in, radios the other Jupiters, and tells the settlers to come there so that they can explain what happened.
Later, Will tells Maureen that the colonists are gathering outside. He brings her her whiteboard and she explains that she's trying to calculate the weight they need to reach to get to escape velocity. Maureen suggests that they remove the cockpit and notices Will's t-shirt with a picture of a lunar module.
John tells the colonists that the planet is approaching the sun and eventually it will be too hot to survive. Hiroki speaks up, saying that the planet is reaching a phase malignant to human life, and that's why the seismic activity is increasing. Meanwhile, Penny asks Smith if she saw Jud. Smith says that she last saw her with Evan's family. Meanwhile, Maureen comes out and says that they have long enough to send one Jupiter to the Resolute and get help. However, they're going to need to lose the navigation module. They can navigate from outside the Jupiter and explains that originally NASA capsules were handled from Mission Control. She says that they'll launch off the planet the old-fashioned way.
Later, the Robinsons and the Watanabe gather to discuss the plan. Maureen tells Nakao that she's the best pilot there, and also the lightest. Penny and Will watch through the window, and Will explains that someone will need to fly the Jupiter. Meanwhile, Naoko tells Hiroki that she trusts Maureen's judgment.
The colonists remove everything possible from the Jupiter. Penny approaches Vijay and says that they should talk. They get into a Chariot and Penny reminds him that he promised not to tell. She understands why he told his parents but did it because she was scared. Vijay tells her that they shouldn't hang out anymore, and points out that they weren't really together so they're not breaking up. Disgusted, Penny tells him that he's a bad kisser as he walks off.
John approaches Will, who explains that he's working on the radio transmitter to link their Jupiter to Naoko's. John joins him and offers to help, but his son jokingly says that it will take longer if he does. John explains that Peter attacked him and will be sore in the morning. Will asks him to show him how to defend himself, and John agrees.
Smith sneaks into one of the Chariots to avoid Don seeing her.
Will tells Maureen that he's being prompted to provide the Dhars' security codes and needs a ride to their Jupiter. Smith is listening and offers to take him. Meanwhile, Maureen asks Victor for his security codes. He writes them down and says that he wants everyone to survive, and she tells him that he put her family at risk. Maureen accuses him of giving Angela the gun, and Victor tells her that he had nothing to do with it and she walks away. Judy comes over and Maureen hugs her, and asks where Smith is.
John is moving equipment and Don eats and watches. Don says that the math doesn't add up and the leftover redundant systems that Maureen thinks will work won't. He insists that they need the whole system and there's nothing left to remove except the life support system. John points out that they need it.
Maureen and Judy drive to their Jupiter where Smith took Will, and Maureen goes inside. They come out and Smith says that they were bringing supplies back for everyone to eat. Maureen sends Will to get the security codes from her laptop, and Smith asks Maureen if she needs to talk. The woman says that she's fine and tells Smith that there's some equipment in the garage that she needs. They go there and Maureen says that fear makes people do strange things. Smith enters a closet looking for things to be stripped out, and Maureen seals the door and demands to know who she really is. The prisoner finally claims that when the Resolute was evacuated, her path was cut off and she begged anyone to take her in. Then she found the real Dr. Smith, injured, and took his access tag. Smith apologizes for not telling Maureen earlier but denies giving Angela the gun. Maureen doesn't believe her and says that she needs to protect her family. As she walks away, Smith claims that her name is Jessica Harris, a physicist. She tells Maureen to consider how long she was on the Jupiter they're going to launch, and says that if Maureen lets her out then they can go their separate ways and it's up to Maureen whether her family gets burned. After a moment, Maureen walks out.
Maureen tells John what said, and that there was a Jessica Harris listed in the Resolute's manifest. She figures that Smith is bluffing about sabotaging the Jupiter, and John tells her that Don thinks the Jupiter is still too heavy. Maureen insists that the Jupiter can still launch, but Naoko will black out when they launch. She wonders if Naoko will wake up in time to pilot the ship out of the atmosphere. They check Naoko's physical report and confirm that she can wake up in 54 seconds, and it will take 70 seconds for the Jupiter to leave the atmosphere. Maureen figures that Naoko will have enough time, and determines that John can recover in 19 seconds. John refuses to leave his family again, and Maureen tells him to keep his promise by coming back safely. He says that the decision can't be just theirs.
John and Maureen tell their children about the situation, and they discuss the pros and cons. Penny points out that everything is a con, and Will asks if John will come back. Maureen can't promise that John will come back, and Will walks away without giving his permission. John goes after him and Will says that he let the Robot die by walking off the cliff. He refuses to do the same for John. John says that he doesn't want to do it, and Will reminds him that he said the same thing before he left three years ago. The boy refuses to say that it's okay for John to go, and John agrees that it's not okay with him, either. The two of them go back to the others and Will agrees, and Maureen says that John will need their help. She tells them not to go anywhere near the garage.
John goes to the garage to get supplies, and Smith claims that the pressure is getting to Maureen. She denies everything that she told Maureen told her earlier, and says that Maureen locked her up because she threatened to say that Maureen wasn't sending Naoko to her death. Smith realizes that John is going now and tells him not to get in the Jupiter. John says that he'd trust Maureen with his life, and Smith reminds him that Maureen wanted to take his kids away and start a life without him. Unimpressed, John tells her to get her stories straight because when they get to the Resolute, Smith's story will have to be more convincing.
John suits up and they prepare for a test flight. They strap him in and Maureen reminds him of what he has to do. They strap him in and fasten a band around his chest to simulate the g-force, and Maureen talks him through the process. Judy increases the suit pressure to knock him out, and 19 seconds later he wakes up. Maureen talks him through the simulation and he fails, and she tells everyone that they'll do it again. They repeat the test with Maureen tossing in curveballs, and John keeps "dying". Judy finally says that he has to take a break because of his stats, and John tells her to get him some water. She does and John sends the kids out. Will listens as John tells Maureen that she's letting Smith get to her. Maureen insists that she would be stressed out regardless, and John says that they should take a couple of extra days to check over the Jupiter.
Judy comes back and says that they should turn on the radio. Radic announces that to avoid the radiation from the black hole, they'll evacuate orbit in 24 hours. Maureen warns that it's not enough time, and John insists that he can be ready. She goes to the launch Jupiter to check the colonists' work, and John tells the kids to get their gear ready because they'll be back on the Resolute soon.
Will goes to the garage and asks Smith what she told his parents. She says that she doesn't want him to get caught up in what's going on, and he asks what. Smith tells him that some people think that kids aren't mature enough to handle the truth about the mission. She says how dangerous it is, and Smith says that John is sacrificing himself to get everyone else off the planet. Smith claims that her father went into the hospital when she was Will's age, and everyone told her that he'd be fine but they were just saying that. She says that sometimes parents think that they have to lie to protect their kids, but friends can be honest with each other and she's the only one telling the truth. Will doesn't believe her, but Smith says that someone else can fly the Jupiter. Maureen calls for Will and he leaves.
Don finds Maureen checking the Jupiter's engine. She recites all the previous space launch accidents and points out that an engineer signed off on all the inspections, but Don tells her that nothing has ever gone wrong for him. Maureen reminds him that the Robot attacked the Resolute, then apologizes and says that she doesn't want to risk Jon's life. Don tells her that she's not the only one who needs it to work.
Maureen and Don go to the hub where John is going over the launch directions. Maureen discusses how John can't wake up and vent the engines in time, and Don suggests that they vent later because the Jupiter can take it. Maureen realizes that Don is lighter than John, but Don insists that he's the wrong guy. Judy comes in and follows Don out, and says that if John can't make it then they all die. She wonders if it's about money, and asks what it will get him to do the right thing. Don points out that doing the right thing has sucked for him so far, and tells Judy that he's not going to do it.
Soon, Don is going through the simulation with John and demands a medal and a parade. John wakes up first, and Don wakes up a few seconds later and vents the engines just in time. They succeed and everyone congratulates John while Don complains that nobody cares about him. Will suggests that they run the test one more time, and Maureen tells him that they're out of time.
John says goodbye to his family and kisses Maureen. Maureen and John kiss, and Don gives Judy his chicken, Debbie, to take care of. Hiroki drives the two men to the launch Jupiter, and Will hangs back as Maureen goes to their Jupiter to coordinate the launch. Will goes to the garage and asks who Smith meant, and Smith shows him the Robot's head in her backpack. She says that the two of them could bring it back, and tells Will that it was only bad because Will told it to be bad. This time Will will tell it to be good, and then the Robot can fly the ship. All Will has to do is open the door, and then John can come home.
As night falls, the three men arrive at the Jupiter and Hiroki wishes John luck. John and Don go to the bridge, and Maureen contacts them. She begins the 60-second countdown to launch, and John tells Maureen that he loves her. She says that she loves him, and John interrupts to say the same. They lift off and head into the atmosphere, and the two men pass out from the g-force.
Smith ties and gags Will and leaves him in the closet after he opens the door.
John wakes up and wakes up Don, and Maureen talks them through what to do. Don says that they need five more seconds before he vents the engines, and then does it. The engine temperature drops, and Don kisses the lucky chicken feather that he brought with him. The Jupiter hits turbulence, and Maureen tells them to hold position. Smith enters the bridge behind Maureen and knocks her out before she can finish her instructions.
Penny and Judy watch as the Jupiter explodes.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 17, 2018