Eros is on course for Earth. Miller and the crew decide that Miller will bring the bomb into the heart of Eros to destroy it and then escape back to the Rocinante. On Earth, the United Nations decides to fire its planetary defense nuclear missiles at the incoming Eros, but the asteroid evades them by ceasing to appear on RADAR. The Rocinante crew uses their proximity to the asteroid to provide a target lock to Fred Johnson, who will guide the missiles to Eros. Eros reacts to this by accelerating still faster; to maintain visual contact, the Rocinante accelerates at the limits of human endurance and finally gives up the chase. Miller arrives with the bomb at the heart of Eros and discovers a transformed Julie Mao. While the protomolecule has infected her and Eros, she has in some way infected it back, and can influence Eros' flight. With a combination of words and affection, and after removing his protective spacesuit, Miller convinces her to redirect Eros away from Earth toward Venus, where it crashes in a planetary-scale event.
This episode contains the following tropes:
- Attack Backfire: Miller realises that Eros is simply responding to their moves, and the missile strike could well lead to something worse. He convinces Holden to give up the chase and let him try an "I Know You Are in There Somewhere" Fight.
- Bystander Syndrome: Mars agrees not to respond to Earth launching its nuclear arsenal, but they pointedly don't offer any assistance either.
- Call-Back: Miller finds himself going over familiar ground from Season One, including encountering several dead bodies (untouched by the protomolecule) and a trolley he uses to carry the bomb.
- Colony Drop: Even without the risk of the protomolecule infection, the impact of Eros alone would kill billions.
- Dead Man's Switch: This time for real, given that Miller is carrying a bomb right into the middle of the protomolecule infestation which could easily assimilate him if his suit got punctured. This leads to some tense moments when Miller almost doesn't hit the reset button in time.
- Fatal Family Phone Call: Avasarala to her husband on Luna, when she makes the decision not to evacuate. He knows full well that she wouldn't choose anything else. Fortunately, it turns out not to be fatal after all.
- Floorboard Failure: Miller nearly loses hold of the bomb when the floor gives way beneath him.
- Funny Background Event: The machines in the game parlour are still working, including one whose screen says Everyone's a winner on Eros.
- Godzilla Threshold: The UN is willing to first risk war with Mars, then hand over its missiles to the OPA, in order to stop Eros from reaching Earth.
- Hazmat Suit: Miller's spacesuit serves as this; he deliberately removes it to infect himself and join with Julie.
- Hearing Voices: When Miller hears Julie's voice and realises it's not a hallucination, he has a "Eureka!" Moment that her consciousness is still alive inside the protomolecule.
- Heroic Sacrifice:
- Miller deliberately merges with the protomolecule in order to convince it to go somewhere other than Earth.
- Holden's plan to keep the Rocinante on course with Eros even at the cost of the crew's life is a failed attempt at one. Likewise, Avasarala chooses to stay on Earth while the rest of the administration evacuates the planet—in her case it's just to set an example, not because she can affect the course of events.
- I Kiss Your Hand: Miller to Julie, followed by a Big Damn Kiss.
- Not What It Looks Like: Fred Johnson is furious when Holden turns off his laser spotter, so the missiles won't lock on, as now it looks like he was lying to everyone just to get his hands on a nuclear arsenal.
- Outside-Context Problem: The protomolecule has somehow turned Eros into a Planet Spaceship that can accelerate to a speed that the Rocinante can barely keep up with, with Inertial Dampening and stealth mode. Nobody has the faintest idea how this is possible.
- Person as Verb: Miller tells them not to get Holden on him.
- Removing the Earpiece: After thanking Holden for inviting him into their Family of Choice, Miller than cuts the radio connection before going to talk with Julie.
- Spaceship Girl: Julie has unwittingly become one; the reason Eros is heading for Earth is not to infect the human race, but because Julie wants to go home. Miller has to explain You Can't Go Home Again, but You Are Not Alone.
- Stealth in Space: Everyone has a This Cannot Be! reaction when Eros disappears from radar, so the missiles lose target lock. The Rocinante offers to serve as Target Spotter, though it means going to 15G's to catch up with Eros.
- That Came Out Wrong: Miller says he's getting near Naomi's hot spot (the area where she detected the most thermal activity from the protomolecule) much to Holden's confusion.
- To Absent Friends: At the end, the crew of the Rocinante are shown drinking a toast to Miller with a bottle of Ganymede gin.
- Two-Keyed Lock: One in the form of a laptop is brought to the UN leadership to authorize the launch of nuclear missiles towards Eros. In lieu of actual keys, it requires the thumbprints of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General.
- You, Get Me Coffee: Jokingly lampshaded by Fred Johnson when Drummer points out that having been given direct control of Earth's nuclear missiles, he's now the most powerful man in the solar system. She responds by Flipping the Bird Belter-style.
