Sy-Fy’s adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s novella “Nightflyers” continues with episode four, “White Rabbit,” and the shocking realization that Cynthia Eris has uploaded her consciousness to the Nightflyer’s systems and lives on inside, leaving team Earth and Eris’s crew inside the belly of the whale.
NIGHTFLYERS — “White Rabbit” Episode 104 — Pictured: (l-r) Jodie Turner-Smith as Melantha, David Ajala as Roy Eris — (Photo by: Jonathan Hession/Syfy)
Though Roy Eris walks the ship in the flesh now he is distracted by his mother’s voice and feelings. While he struggles to explain this to Mel, Karl and Rowan discover that their volcryn probe sits flashing and soiled in Karl’s quarters though it should be millions of miles away. Could it be? First Contact? Has it been sent by the volcryn? When they show it to Eris his mother goes wild and demands that it be taken off her ship. Team Earth argues that the probe is the first alien artifact in the history of humanity and eventually Eris begrudgingly gives one cycle for study before it has to go, but warns them that Cynthia’s power goes beyond the heating.
NIGHTFLYERS — “White Rabbit” Episode 104 — Pictured: Eoin Macken as Karl D’Branin — (Photo by: Jonathan Hession/Syfy)
Later, Karl and Agatha discuss her work with L1s and his feelings about “invasive” telepathy. It’s unclear why Karl is so interested in the volcryn, whose telepathy is likely the least of their abilities, but finds Thale and other L1 humans so threatening. Agatha goes on the defensive but Rowan interrupts with a discovery. The probe is alive, with guts among its mechanical parts pulsing with blood. Karl starts to suggest that the volcryn can move the probe through the ship’s hull they may be able to control space/time, but then Rowan announces that the organic material living in the probe is Karl’s and other thoughts are put aside while everyone freaks out for awhile.
NIGHTFLYERS — “White Rabbit” Episode 104 — Pictured: Angus Sampson as Rowan — (Photo by: Jonathan Hession/Syfy)
As Thale experiences nightmares brought on by Cynthia, Eris endures her invasion in his quarters. Cynthia appears to Karl as Agatha and reveals a scandalous secret that threatens to tear them apart. Karl leaves her and records a message to his wife to say that she should release her memories of their life so she can start over and be happy, but it seems that he is thinking of releasing himself from her as well. He saves but doesn’t send.
At the episode’s end, Lommie plugs into the probe as it dies. She describes its system as jumbled chaos, beautiful, and organized in a way she had never seen. Karl pushes her for a clearer message and she says that the probe is the message – something made, that he put himself into, sent back with more of him inside. She reveals that the time sensors on the probe hold more than one month’s data and suggests it the probe has been in space for over one thousand years.
