This episode does a good job of providing background information on the characters as well as advance the plot. And in doing so, keeps the viewer engaged and hungering for more.
The show opens with Ye Wenjie discussing an idea of beaming the transmission to the Sun to use as an amplifier to get deeper into space. Her idea is stolen by someone working near to her and presented to the commisar. It is summarily rejected however Ye Wenjie sneakily points the dish to the sun while others are distracted and the signal is sent. Auggie decides to shut down her company despite its success and is informed by Officer Clarence Shi that there are people all over the world who have stopped working as she did whether by willfully shutting down their businesses or by somehow ending up dead.
Jin Cheng decides to use the helmet again and meets the Count of the West and his Follower of Civilization 137. They then go to the pyramid to meet Emperor Zhou. The helmet is interesting and it is revealed that the game is being monitored by a person in a central room.
The story gives another flashback to 1966 China where Ye Wenjie receives the "wow message" from space that says "do not answer this message or we will come and conquer you." She decides to write back "Come. We can not save ourselves. I will help you conquer this world." And the story ends ominously.
Trivia
- The Fermi Paradox, posited by Enrico Fermi at Los Alamos where he states if life exists in the universe why has there not been any contact?
- we learned that Mike Evans lived in China in 1977 as an avid conservationist and met Ye Wingjie.
Characters of Interest
- Ye Wenjie - mother of Vera Ye, daughter of Ye Zhetai (Physics Professor), likely had a major part of designing whatever communications device exists at Red Coast Base. Messages to the aliens to come conquer us.
- Jin Cheng - plays the helmet game, advances to level 2 where they learn that science triumphs over mysticism
- Augustina "Auggie" Salazar - stops the research on nanofibers in her company. Learns this has been happening to scientists all over the world.
- Will Downing - has a crush on Jin. Apparently is a physics professor and learns he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer with metastasis all over to liver and lungs.
- Jack Rooney - Harvard dropout, hangs out with the physicists, runs "Jack's Snacks" Sort of the jokester of the group. Tries to help Will live and press on.
- Thomas Wade - The rich boss of Clarence, however seems to be important and powerful, maybe more so than depicted.
- Clarence Shi (Officer) - has been fired from Scotland Yard, MI5, OSCT, is the lead officer on the case and surreptitiously keeping track on the scientists. He is visited by the villain woman while in the cemetary visiting the tombstone of his late wife.
- Mike Evans - leader of Evans Energy, conservationist,
Lingering questions...
- What is the involvement of Evans Energy?
- What is the deal with the virtual reality helmet and why does Mike Evans want it so badly?
- How does Mike Evans know about the helmet?
- There are a lot of dead physicists, why and what is the connection? Is this part of a pre-invasion preparation to prevent Earth from having good enough technology to defend itself?
- The mystery behind communications and with whom remains... Is the communications between the past Chinese and current Londoners or is it between the Chinese, Aliens and Londoners?