BEACON 23 Season Finale Recap: (S02E08) Disintegration

Melody McCune

Halan, Aleph and Aster stand in a lighthouse in space while looking puzzled on Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 8, "Disintegration."

DISCLAIMER: This recap of Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 8, “Disintegration,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril. 

It’s season finale time for Beacon 23. If you feel like that GIF of David Tennant from Doctor Who when he repeatedly says, “What?” you’re not alone. It’s a bewildering, head-scratching affair. Lena Headey‘s return is a welcome and, admittedly, the best part of the outing. Eric Lange‘s return is also a bright spot. He would’ve been such an incredible villain if he had more consistent material. 

Season 1 showed potential, but Season 2 tries to do way too much and falls short. It also attempts to say everything while simultaneously saying, well, nothing. The Artifact storyline is promptly disposed of until the end. Harmony becomes a transcendent being. The series doesn’t know what to do with Halan until the penultimate episode, where it introduces an intriguing plot for him with his father. However, it’s too little, too late, and now he’s seemingly dead. 

Ellen Wong does a solid job this season, even though Iris is just there for the ride. If there is a Season 3, the series needs a major narrative overhaul. 

RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Beacon 23 episode, “Free”

Implant Time 

We begin with the doors on Beacon 23 opening and closing seemingly randomly. Harmony (Natasha Mumba) relives past moments from the series as we hear exclamations from Halan (Stephan James), Aster (Headey) and Aleph (Lange). We return to a space that purportedly exists in Halan’s mind. Halan reunites with Aleph on the beacon, but everything looks fuzzy. Halan wonders why he’s here with Aleph. Aleph believes it’s a side effect of the implant entering Halan’s brain. 

Halan wears a long-sleeved gray shirt while standing in a brightly lit lighthouse in space on Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 8, "Disintegration."
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 8, “Disintegration.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.

Sure enough, we return to the beacon in the tangible world, where a doctor installs the implant in Halan’s brain. Harmony reports her findings to Iris (Wong). The surgery is still underway. This implant will cure Halan of his PTSD. Meanwhile, the Sybarrans, who I assumed were dead at this point, are still floating without life support in the Druta Fyx. Iris decides to save the Sybarrans. She dons her EVA suit and creates a door in the beacon to jump into space.

Druta Fyx 

Once outside, Harmony reassures Iris that the beacon’s gravity field will hold her. She also explains that the plasma contractors convert plasma to static every six minutes. The Druta Fyx has been drifting for hours. Thus, it’s accumulated a charge that’s shorted the ship’s drives. Iris releasing the charge in the plasma contractors will give the Sybarrans a jumpstart. 

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Meanwhile, K-Cin (Jeananne Goossen) reports to Kadir Nielsen (Ben Cain), Halan’s father, that Lt. Endu is en route to the convoy. Endu will collect them once Halan’s surgery is complete. Kadir asks for an update on Halan’s condition every 10 minutes. After K-Cin departs, Harmony arrives, calling Kadir out for not being by his son’s side. 

Next, Iris climbs and leaps over the beacon, getting closer to the Druta Fyx. She contacts Xalterrica (Tenika Davis), while the other Sybarrans tend to Tajiriki (Myrthin Stagg). Iris reveals she’s on her way. She’ll help jumpstart their vessel and provide plenty of dermas for Tajiriki. 

Halan and Aleph 

Later, in Halan’s imagined space, Aleph insists he didn’t orchestrate their reunion. This is all Halan’s doing. He reminds Halan of a painful memory featuring his father. In the brief scene, Kadir informs Halan of his deployment and the strings he pulled to ensure the latter got it. 

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Then, Harmony notices something peculiar about Halan’s procedure. She apprises Kadir of the real reason for the surgery, not to install an implant but to extract The Artifact fragments from his brain. Uhh … since when was this a thing? K-Cin insists that Harmony is a rogue AI who lies. Everything is in hand. Kadir believes Harmony, ordering the doctor to depart. The doctor leaves, claiming they got what they needed anyway. He works for Aleph. 

Harmony helps Kadir stabilize Halan. Next, she states they’ll have to wait. Meanwhile, the Sybarrans protest as Xalterrica leaves the ship. Saghée (Prince Amponsah) instructs Iris about her tether, but there is a comms glitch. Suddenly, Iris receives a shock after attaching her tether, sending her careening outward before returning to the beacon. 

Harmony wears a black leather short-sleeved dress with a silver geometric pattern. She stands in a dimly lit, bluish-tinted room aboard a lighthouse in space on Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 8, "Disintegration."
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 8, “Disintegration.” Photo courtesy of EPIX Press.

Checking the Vitals 

Elsewhere, Harmony and Kadir monitor Halan’s vitals. Kadir tells her a story about Halan’s childhood and his night terrors. She pops into his imagined space, shocked to find he’s okay. Aleph remarks that Harmony “caused a ruckus” at headquarters. The AI there tried to override her imprinting. Harmony insists she defended herself. Oh, and Dev? He’s deader than disco. 

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Next, Bart (Wade Bogert-O’Brien) inexplicably returns. I guess it’s because this is all in Halan’s head. In the real world, Kadir orders K-Cin to cancel the convoy. He needs to get Halan somewhere safe. After all, Aleph and QTA were dishonest regarding their intentions. K-Cin insists she can’t allow that — Halan is her prisoner. She gets her orders from Aleph. Then, she kills the doctor. He’s served his purpose. 

Meanwhile, Iris reunites with Xalterrica. Iris gives her the dermas while Xalterrica hands her a hammer to smack the plasma contractors. Iris notices a hole in Xalterrica’s suit and patches it with some tape. A Beacon Keeper is always prepared. Xalterrica returns to the Druta Fyx and ensures Tajiriki gets the dermas. 

Bart’s Dream 

Later, Harmony replays a conversation she had with Bart before he took himself offline. In Halan’s imagined space, Bart reveals he started dreaming of the beacon — of Farut, Grisha and Parsim (baby Aster). Then, he could finally see The Artifact. Harmony wonders if The Artifact is trying to reform to communicate with them. What if it brought them all to this space, and that’s why they can’t leave? 

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Halan tells Bart he destroyed The Artifact, to which Aleph counters that the latter got what he deserved. Halan punches Aleph for saying this. Hey, AI in this space is tangible. Harmony pivots, telling Aleph that Halan does have part of The Artifact but not in him. Halan protests, not wanting to give Aleph an inch. However, it might be the only way to save him. So, Harmony discloses the other fragment’s location. 

Next, Iris smacks the plasma contractors with the hammer. We see static release, with each hammer smack discharging more static. It’s enough to jumpstart the Druta Fyx and bring life support back online. The Sybarrans can fly away now. Iris waves goodbye. 

The Artifact 

K-Cin finds The Artifact fragment among Halan’s belongings per Harmony’s intel. She scans it on her wrist device. Then, Harmony confines her to the docking bay before opening the doors, sending her hurtling into space. Bye-bye! Meanwhile, as the Sybarrans fly away, they spot The Artifact in the distance. It seemingly has reformed. Iris sees it, too. 

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In Halan’s imagined space, Harmony and Aleph can finally gaze upon The Artifact as it swirls outside the beacon. Then, because “inexplicable” is a pretty good descriptor for this outing, none other than Aster appears before our group. She has no idea how she wound up here. Aster tries to piece together what happened and how she died. She knows she went inside The Artifact, though. 

Meanwhile, Xalterrica decides to stay behind as the Sybarrans forge ahead. Iris helped her out, so she wanted to return the favor. Iris checks on Halan. Back in the imagined (liminal?) space, Aster reveals The Artifact isn’t communicating with her like it did before. Aleph notes it kept her spirit alive, but she doesn’t know its message. Aster claims the “grand message” that’ll save humanity and AI is bullsh*t. The “real message” is not to trust a man who says he wants to change the world. 

Halan, Aleph and Aster stand in a lighthouse in space while looking puzzled on Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 8, "Disintegration."
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 8, “Disintegration.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.

Aster’s Theory 

Then, to punctuate her points that this particular man — Aleph — has only accomplished “torture,” “genocide” and “execution,” Aster slices off Aleph’s head. Of course, he reappears with his head intact. This is a weird bit. Next, Aster wonders if they’re stuck in that space until Halan decides. If he wants to leave, they’ll leave. 

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In the tangible world, Kadir informs Iris that Halan’s getting worse. However, Iris is delighted when he responds to her talking to him and the touch of her hand. Harmony thinks about Aster’s pendant and how desperately Aleph wanted it before Halan launched Aster’s pod into The Art—lots of reflection from Harmony in this episode.

In Halan’s space, Aleph questions everything he’s ever known. Pursing The Artifact got him nowhere. If it’s not the answer, then what is? Bart tells Harmony he’s found a way out. Now that the last shard (courtesy of Halan) has joined The Artifact, Harmony must also become one with it. 

Manual Override 

Iris pleads with Halan to wake up before leaving him with Kadir. She urges the commander to talk to his son. Iris returns to tending to the beacon, telling Xalterrica that it’s on manual override. Iris can’t see anything outside the beacon. She calls out for Harmony, but Xalterrica sees that her “totem” is dead. Uh-oh. Iris tries desperately to reassemble it. 

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After telling Halan how he feels, Kadir hears Halan flatline. Kadir turns off life support. Halan is dead. Meanwhile, Harmony and Aster get some alone time. Harmony admits she misses Aster. Aster is taken aback when Harmony produces real tears. AI is truly evolving into something more human. 

Then, Iris puts Halan’s body in the docking bay, but she’s not ready to send him off. She leaves him here, shutting the doors. Once Iris walks away, we see the doors open again (the ones going inside the beacon, not out). Inside the imagined space, Halan insists he’s staying with all of them. Does he know he’s dead? Bart asserts they must get to The Artifact. He longs to be part of it. Harmony corrects him, claiming this isn’t what he wants. That’s when Aster declares this is all Harmony’s doing. She brought them all here; their connection is through her. She’s controlling everything because she’s a super duper AI god now!

Iris looks somber as she stands in front of a virtual control board on a lighthouse in space on Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 8, "Disintegration."
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 8, “Disintegration.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.

Harmony and The Artifact 

Harmony touches Bart to calm him down, and he vanishes. She discovers they’re all her imprints — Aster, Halan, Bart and Aleph. Yes, she can imprint on AI, too. After all, Aleph programmed her to evolve. Humans and AI together as one, just like Aleph envisioned. Harmony grabs Aleph as Aster latches onto him and reaches for Halan’s hand. A bright, white light envelops them as we see The Artifact looming above the beacon. 

RELATED: Catch up on the sci-fi mystery and mayhem with our Beacon 23 recaps!

Harmony communicates with The Artifact, which is glad to have achieved synthesis. They tell her she is beyond the singularity and has now “become We.” Oh, and her pesky fear and hatred? Consider that stuff eradicated. Those emotions could have led to The Artifact’s destruction. Now, she’s ready to receive them. Harmony asks if she can see them before returning to Beacon 23, now in crisp white robes. 

Sure enough, a turquoise, tentacled alien descends into the beacon to meet Harmony. 

 Beacon 23 Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on MGM+.

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Melody McCune
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