Star City delivered an episode filled with marital issues and espionage that showcased the Soviet paranoia on full display. The Apple TV show picked up from the threat introduced in Episode 2, dropping a bombshell reveal of why the Lunar mission went wrong.

In a tense final few minutes in the episode, we find out that the Americans are interfering with the transmission during the lunar base operation. Forced to reboot the systems to thwart the American frequency, things go haywire for cosmonaut Sasha and his crew. In an Interstellar-like sequence, Sasha has to dock the ship manually as a direct result of Col. Raskova’s directives. Despite a successful dock, the hab that was prematurely opened has blown up, and we see the tragic demise of Arseni. The mission has failed due to a cascading chain of events starting from Raskova’s decisions.

It comes as no surprise that the Colonel prioritizes the Soviets’ security over the safety of the cosmonauts. With the bombshell reveal that the American interference was planted by the Soviets’ own Valya, someone believed to be completely loyal, what does this mean for Season 1 of Star City?

Star City’s Lunar Base Subterfuge Comes From Within

Valya has been an integral part of the lunar missions launched by the USSR in the space race to dominate the field. With the first woman on the moon, Anastasia, being grounded after her marriage, her husband, Sasha, is thrown into the mission. Make no mistake, this is what Sasha has wanted all along: to prove himself worthy of the more important work in the Soviet Union.

The Chief Designer and Raskova constantly butt heads over matters of security and preparations necessary for successful missions. The former even invites Valya to his secret Venus plan, using a submarine that can withstand the atmosphere of the planet. Valya does not want to be a spy for the Americans, but the big reveal at the end of Episode 3 shows that he has no choice but to continue his double agent status.

Valya actor Adam Nagitis spoke to SyFy about the shocking twist in the episode:

Nagitis stressed the importance of knowing this beforehand so he could make the betrayal more unbelievable for audiences. Turns out he was the only actor who knew of this, as Valya’s wife, Tanya, played by Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, only found out in real time.

Valya was portrayed as being extremely stressed during this mission, more so than usual. Now that we know why, this adds a new dimension to the strain that his marriage with Tanya is going through.

Episode 3: Martial Issues and the Cost of Secrecy

The first half of Star City Episode 3 was a character study of the main characters’ struggles in the USSR. With Valya and Tanya bickering constantly, we see that Tanya is extremely dissatisfied with their marriage. She just wants to listen to music and be surrounded by it. Valya takes her to a Moscow concert, seemingly out of nowhere, and the agenda leads to the big reveal. With Tanya following him and seeing his interaction with the American, will she think he’s cheating on her?

Valya will have to find a way to rationalize this interaction without revealing a secret that could not only destroy his marriage but also his life. Col. Raskova is the biggest proprietor of Soviet loyalty, using her army of invasive listeners to discern the spies among them. This brings us to Irina, caught in a battle of doing what she thinks is right or

With a quiver of her fingers, Irina appears to be having internal conflicts when writing reports. She wants the people she’s listening to to have autonomy in their lives, but this is in direct contradiction to the enhanced security rules laid by Raskova. In another twist of events, Irina is invited to Tanya’s apartment.

We see Irina’s mental state unfurl as her worlds merge. The cost of secrecy means that she will have to maintain the illusion that she is just a “glorified secretary,” but how will she continue to do so when her daughter is getting piano lessons from Tanya? We got a glimpse of the answer when Irina decides to wipe a personal conversation from the recorded tapes, sending her down a path that will not end well if Raskova has someone else to spy on her.

Honestly, we can’t put it past the Colonel. There is a high chance that her spies have spies, giving the KGB their reputation of being ultra-paranoid about state secrets. The groundwork has been laid for this, with Raskova capable of torture and murder to keep secrets buried.

What do you think comes next for Star City? Let us know in the comments.