The Roci and her crew have landed on Ilus only to find the tension between Belters and Earthers ready to blow one another to pieces. A temporary cease fire is grudgingly accepted after a swam of maybe-bugs, maybe-machines constructed with protomolecule tech blows through camp injuring several people but hostilities resume quickly. Alex and Holden return to the proto-builders’ structure at Miller’s request. Drummer and Ashford find their pirate. Bobbie finds out where her nephew has been disappearing to.  

Things I Loved

Soft Alex: It’s so important that we have not only women who are strong in a variety of ways on The Expanse but also men who run the gamut from macho (Murtry) to gentle and caring (Alex). I love that he can shift into military mode when the people he cares about are threatened but that his default setting is kind and careful. Also he is a terrible flirt but also very sweet.

Amos deliberately mangling Murtry’s name: It’s a trope but, in the right setting, and with the right actor executing, it’s hilarious. Wes Chatham is so deadpan, you could almost believe it’s an accident, but he flips to spitting out the right name as the threat level rises and you know there’s going to be blood.

Avasarala’s staff: Avasarala’s staff is all women and POC. The show’s representation has always been most excellent but I like that, despite Avasarala having bumped up in rank, she’s kept that staff.

Avasarala’s wardrobe: I read an article (and I unfortunately can’t remember where) that the character’s wardrobe has 150 different outfits. They are uniformly stunning, as are all the accessories. I want them. All of them.

The writers are juggling three separate stories and they’re doing it well: On many shows, trying to follow multiple narrative tracks pulls the viewer out of the narrative. On The Expanse, we know the characters so well and we care about them so much because the writing is so damn good, and because they are so damn good at their jobs. The back and forth is smooth, a multipart conversation rather than three different ones the viewer is trying to keep track of.

More beanie action

I was Proud of Bobbie When

She told Avasarala off and Avasarala admitted she miscalculated. No one tells Avasarala off and, as a woman in politics, Chrisjen can’t afford to admit errors. That Bobbie speaks up and Avasarala listens is a cue to how much they respect each other.

Most Relatable Moment

Naomi offering to make Holden a coffee at night. Because when you love coffee, you just don’t care.

“The last time you stuck your hand in something for Miller, you ended up in a coma.” There’s a little more humor, of both the bright and black variety, and I am totally digging it.

I want to know why

The actor who formerly played Avasarala’s husband apparently had a prior commitment, necessitating an actor swap, which is fine, but it seems like they’ve made some significant changes to his personality as well. He’s more involved in her political life and quicker to offer advice instead of listening while Chrisjen works through problems. It’s not necessarily a bad change, but it’s a bit jarring and I’m curious as to why they chose to 1) adjust the character and 2) do it completely without transition.

Bringing Marco Inaros in this early is an interesting choice considering where that story ends up in the books. I’m excited and would be skeptical if this was a different group of writers. I am curious as to how they’re going to mesh his storyline with that of Ilus and whether they’re introducing him now so that we’ll be invested in his story later.

Serious Talk

No matter how far in the future, now matter how far we go, humanity continues to fear the Other. Earthers, Belters, and Martians may have moved beyond skin color or religion as targets, but consider that Murtry is willing to shoot Belters in cold blood over words exchanged over a piece of paper.

Would he do so if the settlers were Earthers or Martians? He would not. He feels free to do so because the settlers are Belters. Because the have-nots suddenly have, and that makes them rivals where before they were easy to dismiss. Conquerors where once they were the conquered. And (sarcastic font) we can’t have that, can we?

We should have that. We should be better than Murtry. So, once again, look at the fiction and use your thoughts on that to change reality.

Next up is S4E3: “Subduction”