Ep 2. Joy of Grief

The episode begins with the crew of Sealab 2021 mourning the loss of Marco, their robotic dolphin friend who died in a previous episode due to a malfunction. The crew is seen moping around the base, struggling to come to terms with Marco's death. Captain Murphy, who is particularly devastated, refuses to leave his room and spend time with the crew.

Meanwhile, Sparks, the team's resident engineer, is tasked with fixing Marco's malfunctioning AI. Sparks believes that with enough work, he can bring Marco back to life. Although the other crew members are initially sceptical and warn him not to get his hopes up, Sparks remains optimistic and persists with his efforts.

As the episode progresses, each member of the crew deals with their grief in their own way. Debbie, the team's medic, becomes obsessed with death and starts carrying around a "death book" where she writes down quotes and observations about mortality. Quinn, the base's cook, becomes emotional and starts baking cakes to cheer up the crew (although they end up being more depressing than comforting).

Meanwhile, Captain Murphy becomes increasingly erratic and unstable. He starts seeing hallucinations of Marco and even goes as far as to build a shrine to him in his room. The other crew members become worried about Murphy's mental state and decide to intervene, but he refuses to listen to them and isolates himself even further.

As the episode reaches its climax, Sparks finally succeeds in reviving Marco's AI. However, when he presents Marco to the crew, they are all initially hesitant to interact with him. It is only when they see the joy on Sparks' face and the happiness that Marco brings him that they start to come around.

The episode ends on a bittersweet note, with the crew still grieving Marco's death but also finding solace in his "return". They all gather around Marco, sharing stories and memories, and finally start to heal from their loss.

Overall, "Joy of Grief" is a poignant and introspective episode of Sealab 2021 that explores the complex emotions surrounding death and mourning. While it does have its trademark zany humor and irreverence, it also has moments of genuine emotion and heart. Fans of the show will not be disappointed by this thought-provoking installment.