While NASA prepares a relief mission, Karen awaits devastating news in the hospital.
This episode provides examples of:
- Cassandra Truth: Gordo's wife assumes his seeing a shrink is just an excuse for an affair.
- Death of a Child: Shane is rendered brain-dead from the accident and soon dies.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Ed does this after learning that Shane has died.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Karen is filled with guilt that her last encounter with her son was to slap him in the face and yell at him.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Ed thinks the condolences sent to him by the Soviets are some kind of trick or mind game (which, in all fairness, it may have been).
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The commander of the Soviet base sends a fax to Ed about the news of his son out of (possibly) genuine sympathy.
- Token Minority: A pair of astronauts clearly sum up the feelings of many in the public on how Harry and Ellen were chosen simply to check off "boxes" with the public.
