Transmission
Directed by Deborah Chow
The surviving colonists are reassembled, although mourning the loss of so many of their number. Victor, the colony leader, has concocted a plan to communicate with the Resolute: build a light tower that can shine a beam visible from orbit. Everyone pitches in on the project. Will is still agonizing over telling his father the truth, settling for an intermediate lie: that the Robot wandered off, prompting John to go searching. Meanwhile, Don meets Dr. Smith, and she lies about the reason for leaving him in order to allay his suspicions. Judy and Don share a private moment as she sets his nose, which she accidentally broke when he discovered her snooping around his whiskey stash.
Maureen, being the scientist that she is, has been studying the planet's daylight cycle and noticed an anomaly: the sun is rising sooner than it should with each passing day. She takes the family Chariot on a mission: to get a more direct look at the situation by using a high-altitude balloon designed for stratospheric observations. Victor demands that she remain to help, but she defies him, telling him they aren't on Alpha Centauri yet.
Everyone else is busy working on the light tower. Smith juggles her story between Judy and Don, hoping to set them against each other to keep suspicion off herself. Meanwhile, she worries that restored communications with the Resolute will unmask her anyway. Vijay is criticized by his father, prompting Penny to try to establish a rapport despite the secret hanging between them. Will and John dance around the issues separating them: John thinks Will resents him for leaving, but Will is actually scared to tell him about the Robot. Smith rats him out, prompting a tense confrontation.
Maureen is nearly flung off of a cliff when her balloon is caught by winds, but manages to recover it and lauch successfully. Ascending into the sky, she activates her equipment and learns, to her utter dismay, that the orbital irregularity is caused by something else near the sun, something very massive that emits Hawking radiation. "FU-!"
Meanwhile, the light tower is turned on and it works. The colonists share a moment together as they watch the spectacle, even as the local moth-like insects are attracted to the light show. Smith, however, recognizes her chance, as she witnessed the moths being preyed upon by a massive beast earlier. She disables the security perimeter and the animals attack, tearing down the tower and threatening Penny. She then cajoles Will into summoning the Robot, which he reluctantly does. The Robot distracts the beasts, but is unwilling to fight until Will orders it to "be bad". Cue transformation into its ass-kicking form in full view of the colonists. Will calms it down afterwards, but the secret is out.
