IR TV Review: THE ARK - EPISODE 3 (“Get Out And Push”) [SyFy]

The essence of "The Ark" continues to be problem solving versus a break down in the social culture. With Episode 3: "Get Out And Push", it uses the end point of the previous episode and adds a structural basis onto it. The improving aspect in this episode is that it starts the mechanics of the crew moving in unison when the workload has to move in a couple different ways and directions with the aspect of failure undeniable. In this progression, it ends up working well because the strengths start to come through and the solutions are obvious but not without strife. The wunderkinds have flaws shown here (based in ignorance and some naivete) and while they are not leaned on too heavily in this episode, they still make a contribution.

That said Richard Fleeshman as hot shot James Brice comes into his own with his Tom Paris boisterous maverick show but it works. There is a little bit of a structural approach that reminds the viewer of "Aliens" but like a similar show ("Another Life") but with a smaller budget, the culmination of certain elements so far does seem to show a more cohesive element. That said, this is not a game changer like "Battlestar Galactica". It just doesn't have the breathe or the weight of the actors. The ensemble is getting better here as they gel (though some of the key mysteries remain). While there is still a bit left to go in what the journey might be, "The Ark" has a better view in certain ways of what it is and what it isn't. And this realization will be very crucial moving forward. B

By Tim Wassberg