Season 1

A science fiction show, part noir and part political suspense, set in interplanetary scale. The show depicts a possible future of space colonization: the life as ordinary persons in the midst of tense cold war and resource exploitation. The show puts class struggle in front and center, as humans living in Asteroid Belts (Belters) trying to survive as the work blue-collar jobs serving the elites in Earth and Mars. The Earthers and Martians, meanwhile, are playing dangerous political games in a race of claiming the riches of the asteroids. We follow the story of a hard-boiled detective, a crew of haulers, and an Earther politician, whose lives are entangled in the emerging conflict that ensues.

The series is not a cyberpunk one, but as we get to traverse the marginalized lives of the Belters, I can't shake the feeling cyberpunk films usually gives me. Thematically it deals with issues of class/discrimination - though sometimes a bit on the face - corruption, and corporate control. Our hard-boiled detective pieces the puzzle slowly. Visually, the neon lights of the Belts, the slums and sewers, and even the food stalls where people eat noodles, seem like paying homage to cyberpunk genres.

For science fiction fans, The Expanse puts the science back in science fiction. Earthers, Martians, and Belters have different physiological forms because of years living in different gravity. Once a while the show takes on a more gimmicky sci-fi like coriolis gravity effect when pouring water, at other times it becomes a plot device that turns the story upside-down. The smaller scale of the setting - interplanetary instead of intergalactic in the vein of sci-fi e.g. Star Wars / Star Trek - makes me appreciate the more realistic touch on sci-fi side much better. There is no jump drive, no hyperspace travel. Ships are propelled with rockets. Space battles don't have that bombastic lasers and explosion, but still intense and perhaps, in effect, much more gripping and consequential. For a TV series, The Expanse has the convincing visuals and excellent set design theatrical films usually have, though like most sci-fi it still excuses itself on having sounds reverberate in a vacuum.

The show spends most of its early episodes (Eps. 1-3) to world-building. The pace is a bit slow and the piecing of the puzzles may make the story feel a bit convoluted. Characters are introduced, but most don't really make a strong impression, except for perhaps Detective Miller (played by Thomas Jane), who despite the cliched trope, manage to be a leading figure in driving the plot forward, thanks perhaps to the impressive acting by Jane.

However, unlike most shows nowadays that get a strong start but becoming weaker as it end on season finale, The Expanse becomes much better exactly in the second half. The pace gets steady, character gets more developed as they interact more like persons, and in a couple of episodes it hits the suspense notes just perfect. Eps. 4 has one of the better shootout and political suspense I've seen in series. Eps. 8 has a brooding pressure Alien series gives as the crew investigates the mysteries. The season ends with all pieces of puzzle being pulled together, but still asks more questions further for the next season.

The Expanse Season 1 is one of the most satisfying show I've watched this recent years. Binged-watched it only in 2 days. I'm eagerly waiting for the chance to watch the next season.

Very muddled and obtuse storytelling along with a cast that don't quite seem to fit make this a challenging watch, at least for the first half. It's a shame, because so many other elements are here to make a really great sci-fi show. And good sci-fi TV was seriously lacking at the time this premiered. I'm glad the show elects to use on-screen text each time we shifted to a new location, but more really was needed. I've read the book and I struggled to follow a lot of the events happening here.

Things do improve, the cast especially become easier to watch. Thomas Jane stands above everyone despite playing a very clichéd role as the burnt-out detective who drinks a lot, and he seems to be the only character who reacts to things like a person should. The crew of the Canterbury/Rocinante are a much bigger issue, not only do they not seem to gel well together, they don't really seem to inhabit their roles. It's mostly in their interactions and reactions to things, they act peculiarly without any explanations. These people certainly aren't meant to like each other all that much, but it can feel like they each are acting in completely different stories. But again, this improves as the the episodes go by. Unfortunately, Shohreh Aghdashloo is never really convincing and her scenes slow down an already complex narrative (despite her fantastic voice).

Just about everything else does work. The universe of the show is well developed and fascinating, if not all that pleasant to see. The special effects are mostly of a high quality and when the story gets going it all becomes quite gripping. I've heard the show continues to improve and I'm eager to continue.