- As Christmas approaches, the crew prepares to make their final calls home before communication grows spotty. Matt and Lex adjust to their new normal.
- Christmas approaches, and the crew make peace with their loved ones before the Atlas loses near-instant audio/visual contact with Earth. From then on all communication will be via text, emails and recorded messages. Emma thinks Ram was hitting on her and shuts him out. Ram speaks to Emma and clears the air that he was just trying to connect with her and has no romantic feelings towards her.
For his last video call with his family, Misha creates puppets for a show he puts on for his grandchildren and estranged daughter, Natalya, which he uses as an allegory to explain his calling as a cosmonaut (Once Misha got to space it was difficult for him to come back). Natalya is angry with Misha since Misha promised to be with her when her mom died. But then Misha got called up for the space program and Misha sent his family away (to Uncle Lev and Aunt Masha) to serve the country. Later Misha admits to Natalya that he sent her away as he felt suicidal and depressed after the death of her mom.. Natalya still wont forgive him..
Misha rides the crew hard (specifically Kwesi, who turns into a nervous wreck) to prepare for the show and they start avoiding him. Misha tells Kwesi that this is the most important thing he will ever do in his entire life, which makes Kwesi very nervous. Kwesi meets Ram and shows him his entire skin covering the heel and come out. Ram says its normal in space for some parts of the body to come off in atrophy.
Misha's eyesight deteriorates (left eye goes from 20/40 to 20/70), and Ram prescribes (He thinks Misha is having a case of space blindness) (Emma orders Misha to complete his eye exam, so Ram can figure out how to fix it) that he spend as much time as possible in his quarters in the ship's artificial gravity field. Space blindness typically cures itself when the astronauts return to Earth and hence Ram speculates that a gravity environment simulating the Earth might be the cure.
Matt returns home from the hospital. Alexis feels Issac is the only person she can connect with and truly open up to. Matt struggles with living in a wheelchair and being reduced to a consultancy role for the Mars mission. The whole house smells like the inside of a hospital. There are ramps everywhere. Matt tries hard to have a normal Christmas, but the more he tries, the more it is clear to Alexis that things are not normal. Matt wants Alexis not to bottle up her anger at Emma and have it all out in their last call with her. Alexis wants to spend Christmas eve with Issac and lies to Matt that her girlfriends are throwing a party. Matt refuses since they don't know when the last call with Emma is going to be. Alexis sneaks out to spend midnight mass with Isaac and his family in church, but is caught returning home by Matt. Emma had called while Alexis was away and Matt & Emma had some quality time alone. Matt plays the piano for her, but seems to be distant and lonely.
The next day Alexis speaks to Emma and yells at her for going away and leaving her alone for 2 yrs. EMma tells Alexis that she is strong and tells her to be explicit with boys about what she wants and what she doesn't want.
Emma is distraught and speaks to Lu, who tells her to look to the future and not at the past.. They are going to be the first humans on Mars and the sacrifices are worth it. Kwesi grows the first batch of vegetables on the ship.
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