Lesson learned : never watch The Expanse right before (or during) having lunch, it tends to have messy endings.
Slow episode after 2 amazing ones.
The opening monologue by Avasarala (with a golden sun behind her head, framing her the same way we see saints in Medival paintings) is a great setup for the shift in storytelling from the politics of War to the exploration of a new frontier, the Ring. Avasarala is the face of the new union forming between the factions (UN, Mars and the Belters) where humanity must come first. Avasarala who like a phoenix has burned to the ground her olds ways and through trials and tribulations (along with Holden and Drapper) has found new purpose, casting away her old skin, her old self. As Avasarala says, humanity must put aside their thrist for war, and instead choose peace for the survival of all against a new frontier of the unknown.
The Roci crew has found a new focus, being the subject of a documentary in exchange for payment (for a legal fight to keep their Martian salvaged ship). Though the director's pushy approach will get probably get on someone's nerves real quick. This is a new chapter for the Roci, who at every turn seems to find themselves in the middle of the history books. What will this new route have in store for them? Probably something to do with the ring?
Naomi has left the Roci to join Fred Johnson and Tyco station, returning to her roots with The Belters and The OPA. Now that the OPA is full on political parties, there are going to be major ideological battles waiting to turn the OPA back into it's revolutionary/terrorist ways, will it be able to survive infighting long enough to become the major system player it wishes to be?
It's been 187 since the ring formed. What a time jump! Be a necessary reset for the show in order to move away from the politics of season 2 and early season 3. With enough time passed, all the major players have taken new positions to move forward the next stage in the story: the exploration of the Ring. The show now seems to move back to it's premise of pure scifi.
We also have some new players, a mysterious woman on a UNN ship. A woman who is sabottagoing the ship she's on. Why? Does it have something to do with Holden? She seemd to really hate him. Whoever she is, she will do anything to make sure whatever her plan is stays a secret.
Also great story technique in inserting the space racer to help show us the passage of time as part of realtime space travel, and to give us a reference for the time jump this episode needs for the story shift.
Speaking of the Space Racer, was kinda expecting him to try to fly through the Ring. Bit of a space douche trying to win back his girlfriend by showing off... of course he was going to do something stupid, but what I was surprised by was when he actually attempted it and to our shock, his ship doesn't fly through it but kinda stopped and slowly glides into it. And with it, we get a visual of what happend to organic (human) objects when they travel at severely high speeds and then abruptly stop... the go splat. And wow, this the Space Racer go splat.
Holy shit! Why is Holden seeing the Detective? WTF!?
Overall: I give the ep an 7.9, it's a setup episode, need for the story shift with an expanded time jump to move all the players into new positions with realistic scenarios.
Is it possible for people to align themselves by a common goal?
Yeah come on Amazon, this show is too good to die now
Edit: aaaand just two days later the show is officially saved by Amazon. Life is good
This is practically an episode 1 after the midseason finale. It establishes new characters, some serve to drive plot points forward, some others to show how things have since changed since the last finale. My favorite part is on the racer's personal quest: the part where he is shown bored as hell and just want to make a name for himself amidst the development of the Ring that fascinated many people and moved the factions to one singular direction. It makes The Expanse feels grounded: for ordinary men, this is just another thing that passed in their daily lives. The part with Roci's crew documentary is also great, showing how they deal with life after their heroic chapter.
My God, do you ever get the feeling that I don't want it to end XD? The episode is full of preparatory details for the next in action. The series is really really very good to be canceled!
I'm not a big amazon person. But they definitely caught my eye, with picking up my favorite show.
What a start to a new season... in episode 7. Damn. From now on I assuming that midseason is where an actual final happening.
Are we doing Stargate?! That's awesome! That would be one hell of expansion.
After season 1 I thought time shenanigans would be part of the package, but the writers shifted attention from 2 instances of protomolecule knowing what gonna happened before hand. Now it's some sort of a record of a random phrase. Why Holden, through?
I think that premonitions is some kind of form of Arrival plot point. Past/Present/Future all happening simultaneously for people that gonna be infected with protomolecule. So next one gonna be Holden.
As for Stargate, I think it won't be:
1) about Invasion. Maybe aliens wanted to conquer all, millions of years ago, but simply grow out of it.
2) Maybe it's technological help for less advanced civilization and the show gonna turn into Star Trek which would be kinda fun. More realistic, cynical version of Star Trek.
3) My money is on time travel paradox of us, humanity, at the end of the series sending this thing back in order to start the cycle.
It's nice that the belters have formed a state and repurposed the Nauvoo. Drummer, Nagata, and Ashford make a quite interesting team.
Hopefully the crew of the Rocinante will be reunited though (currently Naomi is missing but I'd also like Bobbie back - unless she'll play another major role).
I find the way Cohen moves and acts quite fascinating. I'm not sure what's the story behind that but it's pretty cool and the actor is likely very talented.
That slingshotter from the belt certainly made history... :D
And we even have Miller back?
I'm somehow wondering if the budget was slashed by SyFy when this season was being cast.
It would fit with the cancellation and all the merged characters.
Otherwise the change transfering Naomi from the Rossi doesn't make much sense - they had to alter significant parts of the story for that (for the worse if you ask me)
Especially the incompetent Captain was so good in the book. Don't get me wrong: I love Cara Gee - but showing the incompetent people in command for political reasons shows how young the state is and pictures the growing pains new states have to go through.
The non-thug/non-villain belters in this show are all VERY competent (same goes for the other factions) which is just plain unrealistic - People who have technical skills and leader abilities at the same time are actually quite rare and is usually archieved through training, which especially the belt was vastly excluded from apart from a few exceptions.
This usually shows in new states and 3rd world countries (which is why the 1st world countries - in this show earth and mars - have such an easy time taking their resources for pennys on the dollar)
I thought I didn't have to see Miller's face again after he finally died. Very disappointed.
Everyone knows who Melba is right?
I’m so angry that they are canceling this show... it’s is so good and it’s one of the best sci-fi shows out there..
Shout by AnaVIP 3BlockedParent2018-05-25T09:28:16Z— updated 2018-05-26T19:16:39Z
Soooo good! There's a lot of new crazy things going on. I want to know more about that Melba girl and the ring.
Amazon, will you announce it already that you've picked it up for s4! #SaveTheExpanse
Update: Jeff Bezos just made it official! The Expanse is moving to Amazon Prime! I couldn't be happier!