Jordan, Bellamy, and Clarke have awakened other characters, who listen to Monty's final message. They decide to send an exploratory group consisting of Murphy, Emori, Miller, Jackson, Shaw, Bellamy, and Clarke down to the planet; however, the ship loses radio contact with Eligius when they enter the planet's atmosphere. Although the new planet is beautiful, the structures they find appear to be recently abandoned, and the environment soon turns on them — when they are attacked by a violent swarm of bugs, they run into a radiation shield which kills Shaw. While exploring a village the next day, they figure out that something related to the two suns eclipsing causes psychosis just as Emori attacks Murphy.
Meanwhile, back on the Eligius ship, Raven clashes with Abby, who is trying to revive Kane.
Tropes:
- At Least I Admit It: Octavia lashes out at Abby and Kane for their hypocrisy in their behaviour towards her, given their own life choices.Octavia: Am I a monster? Yes, I am. Just like both of you: the cannibal doctor and the man she loves, even after he floated her husband... the man who caused 300 of his own people to die on the Ark when the ground was survivable. You think you're better than me, Kane? That you've learned from your mistakes?
- Blood from the Mouth: Kane starts coughing up blood and his condition deteriorates rapidly afterwards. Abby and Jordan put him back in cryo to save his life.
- Chekhov's Gunman: When Clarke explores the school, she finds a book about something called the "red sun," and the camera lingers on the cover so it can be known the author is Josephine Lightbourne, who will become important a few episodes later.
- Continuity Nod:
- When the team lands on Alpha, Clarke suggests that Bellamy take the first step this time but he instead suggests they all do it together. Miller also snarks that their first words on Alpha should be something other than "We're back, bitches!".
- Death by Disfigurement: Shaw is horribly disfigured by the electrocution from the radiation fence, which shortly kills him.
- Lost Colony: It is revealed that the Eligius III mission was intended to establish five colonies outside the Solar System, with Alpha being merely the first of them. All of these colonies became lost by default when the first apocalypse destroyed human civilization on Earth.
- Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: Shaw dies by electrocution in the first half of the season premiere.
- The Swarm: A malevolent swarm of bugs attacks the scouting team.
- Trailers Always Spoil: The trailers for season 6 spoil this episode's reveal that Alpha is not a planet, but the moon of a gas giant.
