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Episode Recap: The Seventh Man
War hinges on one Martian’s choice between honesty and loyalty and a rogue Belter’s power play.
As bloody snowflakes fall, with everyone around her dead, Bobbie Draper is rescued from the massacre on Ganymede by Martian forces.
On Earth, the UN is getting choppy reports of the attack. With UN and MCRN forces both having fired, it's all being treated as a humanitarian crisis. Naturally, the UN council thinks it was a Mars attack, though Avasarala argues for communication and de-escalation. The Secretary General asks her why she never ran for office. Avasarala: "I like getting shit done, and I like having my head attached to my neck."
On Tycho station, where they're taking in refugees from Ganymede, Naomi and Holden look on as Anderson Dawes shows up, loudly proclaiming that all refugees are welcome on Ceres. Holden and Naomi appear to disagree on whether Dawes is a good guy or not.
Draper has been picked up by the MCRN ship Sirocco, under the command of a man named Thorsen. He wants to know what happened on Ganymede. Draper recalls the six UN soldiers running towards them … and then there was a seventh. Draper gets too upset as she recalls the attack and needs to be sedated.
While handing out relief supplies, Amos gets shoved by a kid protecting his mom, and he's thrown for a loop. He visits Cortazar and asks about the brain procedure that removed his empathy. Cortazar thinks Amos should do it; stamp out that last bit of vulnerability (and humanity).
On Tycho, Fred Johnson convenes an OPA conclave. He says Belters must unify in the face of the Earth/Mars conflict. They can finally have a seat at the table if they make themselves instrumental in the peace process. He suggests Anderson Dawes, a born Belter, as their representative. But when Dawes speaks, he pivots away from Fred's ideas. He says Inners will always subjugate Belters in peace.
During the meeting, Holden spoke out in support of Fred. Later, Naomi tells him he should've stayed quiet. She says the sight of Holden and Fred, two Earthers, trying to lead the Belt is a bad look.
Draper's out of sick bay, but she's still being questioned by Thorsen about what she saw. She can't make sense of that seventh man, running behind the other six. She then remembers the drone that flew overhead before the attack. Thorsen clearly wants Draper to say that Earth initiated the attack, and Draper is definitely willing to lay this on Earth's doorstep.
Dawes meets with Naomi and Holden. He tells them that Belters will never unite under Fred Johnson; his days on Tycho are numbered. Dawes also tries to appeal to Naomi's Belter nature to get her on his side.
Draper is visited by a Captain Martens, the ship chaplain. He tells Bobbie he served with her father, then tries to get her to talk about what she saw. She mentions the drone again, but Martens says there is no evidence of any drone.
Dawes continues his sweet-talking tour of Tycho's Belters by sidling up to Drummer, with whom he appears to share a romantic past. He's trying to get her to tell him about this secret weapon that he thinks Fred has.
One more attempt to get Draper to remember. She's hooked up to brain sensors as Thorsen questions her again. This time, Martins observes unseen from another room. Now, Draper remembers that the seventh man was chasing the other six. They were shooting at him. She says the seventh man wasn't wearing a space suit.
Fred comes to Holden and tells him that Cortazar is getting new data streams, meaning that there is more protomolecule out there. Fred wants to get his hands on it so he can hold it as an advantage.
Dawes meets with Diogo in his little dorm room. He flatters Diogo and his Belter nature, so Diogo eagerly spills about the scientist they captured on the research station. Dawes is more than intrigued.
Draper is awarded a purple heart for her bravery, but there's more: Thorsen tells her she needs to go to Earth to testify at the Earth/Mars summit. And he instructs her to say that Mars fired first. And no more talk about that seventh creature either.
Holden investigates a strange noise and sees that Cortazar has been dragged away by Dawes's delegation (including Diogo). Dawes' ship takes off, and Alex and Naomi, who are already on the Roci, give chase.
Alex skillfully shoots out Dawes' thrusters, but Naomi is reluctant to attack a fellow Belter as they prepare to board the ship. Only Dawes isn't there. Diogo walks out as a decoy. Dawes is gone, with Cortazar in tow.
