Ep 3. The Hive
- TV-14
- August 10, 2014
- 45 min
-
7.8 (261)
In the third episode of the first season of Manhattan, entitled "The Hive," tensions continue to rise among the scientists working on the Manhattan Project. With Colonel Darrow breathing down their necks and the stakes higher than ever, everyone is feeling the pressure in their own way.
One of the primary storylines of "The Hive" revolves around Frank Winter, who is dealing with the fallout from his confrontation with Darrow in the previous episode. Winter is narratively positioned as something of a genius who is both deeply committed to the project and deeply dissatisfied with the way things are being handled. In "The Hive," this dissatisfaction comes to a head as Winter becomes increasingly convinced that the current approach to creating the bomb is flawed.
At the same time, the show continues to explore the complex emotions and relationships among the various characters on the project. Charlie Isaacs, for example, is dealing with guilt over his affair with Abby (a married woman) while also trying to protect his own reputation and position on the team. Meanwhile, Abby herself is grappling with the compromises she's had to make in order to be part of the project.
One of the most interesting aspects of "The Hive" is the way in which it portrays the various scientists as being at war with their own consciences. Almost everyone on the team is grappling with the fact that they are working on something that could have catastrophic consequences, and the show does an excellent job of exploring the moral and emotional complexities of that.
Overall, "The Hive" is a tense and compelling episode of Manhattan that does an excellent job of advancing the show's many plot threads while also fleshing out its characters and themes. The episode is filled with moments of high drama and deeply felt emotions, and it keeps the viewer hooked from start to finish.