DISCLAIMER: This recap of Beacon 23 Season 2 Episode 4, “Berth,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Episode four, “Berth,” moves at a crawl, but at least there are more weird, inexplicable substances. Oh, and rogue AIs. This show sure loves both those things. While last week’s outing was a solid introduction for Iris, a character I like, I hoped for more narrative movement in “Berth.” That said, despite the inconsistent, choppy pacing (and editing), the moments that do move seem to point us toward Aleph and The Artifact again. My guess is the man Iris and Halan pulled out of the swirling vortex was Beacon Keeper 174. I assume said vortex is related to The Artifact.
However, the real twist might be something less obvious. I’m trying to give this show the benefit of the doubt, but each week, it’s getting progressively worse.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Beacon 23 episode, “Iris”
Berth
We open where we left off last week: Harmony (Natasha Mumba) informs Halan (Stephan James) and Iris (Ellen Wong) about an “anomaly” on the vessel that just docked. Harmony detects no life signs even though it’s Beacon Keeper 174’s ship. After gaining access to the formerly locked airbridge, they find the ship badly damaged. Then, Iris and Halan enter the cockpit to discover an empty chair. It’s like B174 simply vanished.
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 4, “Berth.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.
While Halan grabs the flight recorder, Iris sees a strange swirling substance in the pilot’s seat. Naturally, as anyone should do upon seeing something potentially alienlike, she touches it. Once back in the beacon, Iris picks apart the flight recorder so they can analyze B174’s flight path. Harmony reports on a temperature change in the beacon that accompanied the ship’s arrival. She can’t change it.
Halan gives Iris potassium iodide to combat whatever ill effects arise from touching the swirly thingy. Halan asks Iris to contact ISA about what they saw. However, Iris believes ISA might be compromised after QTA hacked its message system to distract from the Beacon 23 mess.
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Anomaly
Iris gives Halan her security ring so he can fly her ship out of there. She can take B174’s vessel. With the weird substance? Sure… Meanwhile, Harmony runs into Dev (Noah Lamanna), who’s not dead even though Harmony seemingly killed him. I guess it’s that whole “being AI” thing. Harmony assumes Dev gained access to the beacon because he’s the cause of the anomaly.
Elsewhere, Halan replays footage from when Aleph (Eric Lange) forever condemned him to the beacon. After that, he stands in front of the docking bay with Iris’s security ring. We see ice crystals forming on the beacon’s pillars. The temperature has dropped significantly now. Harmony appears, asking him where he plans to go. She reveals she imprinted on him along with Aster. While Halan considers Harmony a friend, he doesn’t need a personal AI.
Staying Put
Next, Halan attempts to leave the beacon on Iris’s ship. Unfortunately, it doesn’t start. Meanwhile, Harmony helps Iris examine B174’s flight path. They notice something strange happened in the vicinity of Nebula AH76. It’s a possibility that the nebula spilled into the FTL path before B174’s vessel, Kimallus, arrived. Harmony plays B174’s last message, where he sends a mayday signal before claiming “it’s over.”
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Realizing he’s stuck on the beacon, Halan examines a fragment of The Artifact, which he keeps in a tin. He believes this is one of Aleph’s tricks to keep him here—ensuring Iris’s ship won’t run. Then, Harmony reunites with Dev. He accuses her of not playing the entire message from B174. Here it is: “This is it. I can see it now. It wants me to sail on through.” What’s that about?
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 4, “Berth.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.
Harmony determines that Dev is hiding from Aleph. Why? We don’t know yet. Regardless, he doesn’t think it’s fair Harmony imprinted on two humans while some have none. He’s hoping to imprint on Iris.
Complicated Feelings
Next, Halan sees Iris crying as she continues her work. He tells her that her ship won’t start. He’ll help her contain the anomaly before it inevitably spreads off the beacon. The pair also get on the subject of Iris’s feelings for B174. Sure, they never met in person, but they talked every day. Iris insists that Beacon Keepers can’t have relationships. It’s against their code of conduct. Halan reminds her that she’s a human being with human needs.
Suddenly, the power goes out. Iris sends Halan to one of the lower levels and instructs him to look for a yellow cable that will take him to the breaker. After finding it, Iris tells him all three switches should be off. However, they already are. Then, Halan spots the same peculiar swirling vortex from B174’s vessel. But this time, it’s significantly bigger.
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The substance transports him to a flashback from when he went AWOL as a shoulder. We see him and Gashade (Bo Martynowska) running across a rocky landscape. After the vision abruptly ends, Halan reunites with Iris, telling her that the antenna is off and he saw the substance from the ship.
He reveals his suspicions to Harmony that Aleph is behind all this—the arriving ship they couldn’t detect, Iris’s vessel not starting, the temperature drop and the substance. Halan drops his Artifact fragment on his bed, claiming that Aleph is probably looking for it.
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 4, “Berth.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.
Cosmic Strings
Dev reappears and states his intention of imprinting on Iris. He’s going to ensure her life depends on him to do it. Harmony insists she never put any humans in danger. Iris returns and reveals her discovery: B174 displaced a patch of frozen light. She adds that he hit a cosmic string and could still be out there. Harmony tries to dissuade Iris from this course of action, insisting that it’s dangerous.
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Instead, Harmony urges Iris to focus on “getting through” to Halan. He’s been more closed off than ever since Aster died. He needs Iris as the latter needs him. Iris reunites with Halan. Both now boast white parkas, as it’s too cold on the beacon not to wear outerwear. Halan slowly moves as he holds a gun aloft. He tells Iris that he saw something.
Then, Iris whips out The Artifact fragment, demanding to know what Aleph wants with it. Halan tries to evade answering the question, but Iris won’t cease blocking his path until he’s honest with her. Suddenly, the substance materializes behind her. It almost sucks her in; thankfully, Halan pulls her out. However, she’s now unconscious.
Schemes and Plans
Meanwhile, we flashback to a scene with Halan and Gashade, as the latter informs him that all their missions are a load of bull. The higher-ups are messing with Halan, and he can’t fall for their schemes. Halan urges Gashade to remain focused on staying alive, and he’ll get them off this planet.
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Then, Iris wakes after Halan constructs a tent to shield them from the cold. She tells him that, upon contact with the substance, she was transported to a club. We see her in a sparkling dress as she takes to the stage with her clarinet. Only Dev sits in the audience. She claims she didn’t bring her sheet music. Her first few notes are out of tune. Dev states he can help her; however, she rejects him.
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 4, “Berth.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.
Halan discloses his punishment from Aleph and his concerns about the omnipotent (and possibly ubiquitous) AI putting these stumbling blocks in their way to ensure he doesn’t leave the beacon. Unfortunately, Iris is now caught up in Aleph’s machinations. No good deed goes unpunished.
Severing Ties
Later, Halan and Iris implement the former’s idea of severing B174’s ship from the beacon. Suddenly, we see Halan’s cable is still attached to the vessel. As it floats further away from the beacon, it starts yanking Halan off the airbridge. Thankfully, Iris takes an axe to said cable, ensuring Halan stays put.
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Meanwhile, Dev tells Harmony that Iris didn’t want his help. Harmony replies that Halan didn’t want hers either. Dev claims that without an imprint, he’s “nowhere.” Harmony believes they can figure it out. Later, we see everything is back to normal on the beacon. The ice crystals have vanished, and Harmony has stabilized the temperature. Of course, removing B174’s ship and the substance helped tremendously.
Next, Iris states that if she’s going to stay, they must lay ground rules. She also gives Halan advice regarding his long-held grief and trauma. He needs a routine to ground him—meditation, exercise, a clean diet and lots of sleep. Girl, don’t we all? She starts playing her clarinet as Halan lies on the couch.
BEACON 23 Season 2 Episode 4, “Berth.” Photo courtesy of MGM+.
A New Arrival
Elsewhere, Harmony prepares an upload of Dev for the next ship that passes them. He can imprint on someone out there. Dev counters that he might not want to leave Beacon 23. He can find someone here. Then, he turns on the three switches in the breaker to send his signal. It’s like a weird mating call. This turns off the power again. Suddenly, the substance reappears, but a person tries to emerge from it this time. Iris and Halan grab his hands and pull them out.
Could this be B174?
RELATED: Catch up on the sci-fi mystery and mayhem with our Beacon 23 recaps!
Beacon 23 drops new episodes every Sunday at 9/8c on MGM+.
What I Learned From the Women of THE EXPANSE
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
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