Luna
Episode 7 of The Silent Sea begins with Dr Hong letting the team know about the missing water samples and E2’s dead body. She also notices the vents open outside the room too. Meanwhile, Jian puts Luna to sleep and finds the missing data files she’s been looking for. Specifically, files referencing a Water Response Test. Through flashbacks, these tests show the Lunar Water reacting with a fish and filling a fish-tank. This is absolutely the salvation Earth needs but Taesuk could well disrupt everything. Taesuk is still in possession of the sample and unfortunately gets the better of Heesun. When he shows in the main hub, determined to check the 3D map, he notices that Taesuk’s dot is registering in the same room. As the pair fight it out, Heesun grabs the sample and tries to bargain with him but it’s no good. Taesuk nonchalantly shoots him and eventually lets the virus infect him, watching as he vomits up water again. Taesuk next turns to the filtration system but there’s a problem. A warning sounds, linking back to the flooded storage room we saw during episode 5. As the filtration system opens up, the room continues to flood, with the water growing every-higher. There’s no chance of opening it now. Meanwhile, Jian watches all the logs involving her sister and her team. They were responsible for testing the Lunar Water on human subjects – namely human clones. Okay I guess that’s a thing now? Anyway, they worked on a number of different “Luna” subjects, all the way through to 73, which is the one we’ve seen who has survived. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Jian, especially knowing that Won-Kyung was front and center of this horror show. I’m guessing they also experimented with the superhuman strength and agility too, but it’s not particularly clear if I’m honest. While Taesuk is busy with the filtrations, Captain Han and Dr Hong sneak down from the vents. They notice Heesun dead and quickly power up the console, opening every single gate. That also allows Soohyuk to head over to Luna’s cabin, intent on killing her. Jian stops this though, shielding her from a potential bullet, and joining her as they’re taken to Han – alive. Han figures out that Taeseuk is the mole and blindsides him on his way out of Luna’s cabin a little later on. He begins choking the guy out but water starts to drip from the ceiling. The filtration system completely malfunctions and spouts of water out of the vents and into space. They also begin to dribble through into the hallways too, and as Taesuk and Han square off, a watery wall separates them both. Taesuk scarpers away after rasping to Han that he knows nothing about what happened, leaving uncertainty over the future of this mission.
The Episode Review
So episode 7 just completely jumped the gun didn’t it? We’re led to believe that there are just human clones, after 7 episodes of never mentioning it once. That was dropped so nonchalantly into the storyline with absolutely no explanation or challenge from any other character. Given the earlier episodes actually dived into the virus and discussed bacteria and the human body at length, this feels like a massive oversight. It also remains to be seen what part Luna actually has to play in all this. We’re also no closer to working out what Taesuk’s motivations actually are either, which makes him feel like a bit of a cartoon villain. That’s a shame to be honest because the series does have some redeeming features. The setting is fantastic and certain parts of this – like the water spouting directly out of the vents into space – really nail the right aesthetic and believability. Other times, the show swings wildly the other way with perfect phone calls to earth and human clones. Either way, The Silent Sea has been an imaginative experiment but one that’s just starting to fall apart at the seams.
