They come into the middle of a big awesome bay with lots of science all over the place, and John stupidly exclaims about what if the Peacekeepers used their science and technology to do good instead of evil, and Aeryn, feeling more Sebacean than she has in a long, long time, and who could blame her, gets right up in his face. "To do what? To fulfill your vision of who we should be? We are Peacekeepers. Other cultures hire us to keep order. To keep harmony." Honey, "we" are not doing any of those things. Just because it smells like home doesn't mean you're twenty again. Also: context, like with the PK stuff last week, is everything. Art shouldn't imitate life if it's in the future; it's too sad. I do love her in her pride here though, showing us what a real live Peacekeeper, one of them that really believed, would say. She's the only one. Put her in this environment, burned out and horrible just like her life, and she'll backflip away from John's corrupting influence so fast. Back from science to war, back across the line to less. But also and finally, I like how this triangle has three sides: instead of telling John not to talk to Gilina, she's siding with Gilina, obliquely, against him. Which is like AP Mean Girl shit and takes a fine and detailed hand because it's easy to fuck up. I'm proud of her for trying, but also for being so fucking scary this whole episode that nobody's going to call her on it.

Rygel enters with more of that real-life parallel stuff I don't like right now, about how "keeping order and harmony" is flytastic but also: "...Assassinations, torture, kidnappings..." He coughs and spits a huge wad onto Gilina's face and wishes it were last week. John grabs him and calls him "Weasel" and tells him to knock it off. "I've barely got used to sharing my accommodation with one of these abominations. Dispel the thought of two!" Only one of them is an abomination; which one depends on where you're standing. He knows that. On the other hand, put him in this environment -- burned out and horrible, just like when his life as a Dominar ended, here on this ship -- and he'll backflip away from Zhaan's calming influence so fast. Back from pride to shame, back across the line to less. And he's not got a lot of ground to spare on the more v. less front.