"IFF" is the second episode of the third season of The Expanse. Overall, it is the twenty-fifth episode. It aired on April 18, 2018.
Contents
- 1 Synopsis
- 2 Recap
- 3 Cast
- 4 Transcript
- 4.1 Newcomers to IO
- 4.2 Bobbie and Avasarala flee
- 4.3 The Roci's crew look for ways to make improvements
- 4.4 Anna arrives
- 4.5 The crew of the Roci debate about the distress signal
- 4.6 Errinwright and Jules bicker about their deal
- 4.7 The UNN engages the Razorback
- 4.8 The Roci gets ready for a fight
- 4.9 Anna speaks her mind
- 4.10 Dr. Strickland shares his findings with Jules-Pierre Mao
- 4.11 Amos talks sense into Prax
- 5 Media
- 6 Notes
- 7 Cast credits on-screen
- 8 References
Synopsis[edit | edit source]
The Rocinante[2] answers an unexpected distress signal; Bobbie and Avasarala find themselves being hunted by a mysterious captor; UN Secretary-General Sorrento-Gillis brings in a colleague from his past to lend an ear during this crucial time of war.[3]
Recap[edit | edit source]
Amidst protests on Earth, Anna Volovodov is escorted into the UN Building. Anna, Methodist Preacher, has been invited into Sec. Gen. Esteban Sorrento-Gillis’s inner circle to help write speeches for him. It is shown that Anna and Esteban have an open candor which is why she has been invited. Anna, who despite having grievances with Esteban, agrees to join his staff in exchange for a year of financial backing for her undocumented resident free clinic. Anna contacts her wife, Nono, to share with her the unpleasant situation she is in and reveal the rage for Esteban which she struggles to release. Anna sends love to her wife and their daughter through hugs and kisses to a pillow serving as stand-in. In open conversation between Esteban, Anna, and Errinwright, Anna warns them against the war crimes of collective punishment which Errinwright disputes.
Returning to Bobbie and Avasarala who left just left Guanshiyin aboard the Razorback find themselves in a situation where must evade then escape the pursuing UN ship which destroyed the Guanshiyin. At first, they are undetected and remain in radio blackout to avoid detection but soon enough they are target-locked and fired upon. Immediately, they are in a race with the UN ship to remain ahead of the UN ship’s kill range. To remain ahead the Razorback accelerates at a high-g, bringing Avasarala close to a stroke.
On the Contorta[2], Naomi discusses the modifying the drive parameters to burn the reaction mass they have left in a more efficient way, for the new trip to Io. Amos and Prax convince Holden that a plant-based air recycling system would be consumable materials conserving measure. Soon though, Alex receives an IFF distress signal from the fleeing Razorback being transmitted by Bobbie's suit. Alex and Naomi want to rescue Bobbie, while Amos and Holden was to continue onto Io. Holden gives the tie-breaking vote to Prax.
Soon the pursuing UN ship passes the theoretical kill range and fires its missiles. In a surprising defensive move the Contorta[2] fires missiles counter/destroy the missiles tracking the Razorback. It soon becomes a battle of attrition with the Contorta[2] heavily outmatched. In the meantime, during some high-g maneuvers, the latch on a storage locker which should have been tightened securely by Prax becomes unhinged releasing a set of tools to wreak havoc in the Contorta’s[2] machine shop causing Prax’s own air hose to be dislocated from the Contorta's[2] air supply when a flying tool hits the hose at the base connection point. Amos, takes a great risk, amid high-g maneuvers, shuffling across the shifting Contorta[2] reconnecting the hose and saving Prax.
In a last ditch effort to save the Razorback and survive outright, the Contorta[2] fires a salvo of missiles at the UN ship. The missiles blowing up before reaching the UN ship provide EM cover for the Rocinante. The Contorta[2] makes a sharp turn towards the UN ship, once the Contorta[2] passes through the blown up missile’s provided cover, the Contorta[2] quickly targets the ship's main Epstein drive with two missiles and disables the UN ship without destroying it.
In the last scene in this sequence of events, the Razorback and the Contorta[2] connect by a docking bridge. Bobbie carries a stiff and motionless, or possibly stroked out, Avasarala to the Contorta[2] and implores the stunned rescuers to help the deputy undersecretary.
On Io, Mei is awoken and placed in another local care facility and receives medicine from a new nurse. Later, Jules-Pierre Mao arrives at the Io facility. Under pressure from Errinwright, Jules suggest destroying the whole project stating the hybrids can't be controlled. Dr. Strickland insists his next generation of hybrid, using children suffering from a lack of a immune system, known as Myers-Skelton Premature Immunosenescence, will be controllable. Jules then suggests the program should continue under this pretense. After receiving a mysterious medicine from the nurse, Mei recognizes Katoa Merton. Katoa is shown to be infected with the protomolecule with a blue glowing arm but not showing some of the greater side affects of the protomolecule at the moment.Cast[edit | edit source]
Main[edit | edit source]
- Steven Strait as James Holden
- Cas Anvar as Alex Kamal
- Dominique Tipper as Naomi Nagata
- Wes Chatham as Amos Burton
- Frankie Adams as Bobbie Draper
- Shawn Doyle as Sadavir Errinwright
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as Chrisjen Avasarala
Guest Starring[edit | edit source]
- Terry Chen as Praxideke Meng
- François Chau as Jules-Pierre Mao
- Ted Atherton as Lawrence Strickland
- Raven Dauda as Namono "Nono"
- Jaeden Noel as Katoa Merton
- Elizabeth Mitchell as Anna Volovodov
Co-Starring[edit | edit source]
- Colin McClean as UN Assembly Delegate
- Emma Laishram as UN Aide
- Ish Morris as UN Deputy
- Jonathan Whittaker as Esteban Sorrento-Gillis
- Leah Jung as Mei
- Loreva Joy as Namono "Nami"
- Nicole Stamp as Medical Tech
- Paul Almeida as UN Marine
- Rehan Suleman as Colin
- Samora Smallwood as UN Naval Attaché Kosove
- Sean Connolly Affleck as Riot MP
- Tyler Blake Smith as Mao Bodyguard
Transcript[edit source]
Newcomers to IO[edit | edit source]
Bobbie and Avasarala flee[edit | edit source]
The Roci's crew look for ways to make improvements[edit | edit source]
Anna arrives[edit | edit source]
The crew of the Roci debate about the distress signal[edit | edit source]
Errinwright and Jules bicker about their deal[edit | edit source]
The UNN engages the Razorback[edit | edit source]
The Roci gets ready for a fight[edit | edit source]
Anna speaks her mind[edit | edit source]
[edit | edit source]
Amos talks sense into Prax[edit | edit source]
Media[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- IFF is a term meaning "Identify Friend/Foe" which refers usually to an intrinsic system for designating friendly vs hostile targets.
- Ty Franck revealed in the "Churn" podcast that he and Daniel Abraham originally titled the episode "Hammerlock" however Naren Shankar renamed it to IFF.
- When Anna is walking in front of the demonstration there is a holographic sign that says "Timothy 4:1". This may be a reference to 1 Timothy 4:1, which states "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."
Cast credits on-screen[edit | edit source]
References
"Fight or Flight" • "IFF" • "Assured Destruction" • "Reload" • "Triple Point" • "Immolation" • "Delta-V" • "It Reaches Out" • "Intransigence" • "Dandelion Sky" • "Fallen World" • "Congregation" • "Abaddon's Gate" |
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