This show is bananas. It’s a sci-fi action/drama that straps you into the seat of a small Martian gunboat and doesn’t let up on the throttle. Season 1 starts off slow, but by season 3 you’re tearing your hair out at the end of every episode, and mashing the next episode button. The Expanse is based on a Hugo nominated series consisting of 8 books, 5 novellas, and three short stories written by a fake person named James S.A. Corey. Corey is actually two people named Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Franck worked as a personal assistant to George R.R. Martin which explains a lot including the two middle initials.
This show starts with two protagonists, detective Joe Miller, played by professional weirdo Thomas Jane, and reluctant captain/revolutionary James Holden, portrayed by Steven Strait. There are tons of excellent side stories and characters including TV’s best voice, Shohreh Aghdashloo. The main cast, pictured above, meet as co-workers on a cargo ship and then stick together through some incredibly dangerous shit for reasons that aren’t always entirely clear. Steven Strait is… odd. He’s sincere and deliberate. I didn’t like him at first – he’s too good looking and good natured and not overly complicated – but he anchors the show and by the end of season 1, I was in love with him. I love all of them. Cas Anvar plays ship’s pilot Alex Kamal, a kind-hearted Martian with a southern drawl who’s always trying to push his reconstituted space food on everyone. Wes Chatham is Amos Burton, an unblinking block of limestone who’s only emotional when you fuck with his friends. Dominique Tripper plays Naomi Nagata the mechanic, a genius searching for her place among the planets. Season 2 sees the introduction of Roberta “Bobbie” Draper, played by Frankie Adams, a Martian Marine badass caught between the love of her homeland and doing the right thing.
Look, this show isn’t perfect. There are times when it makes absolutely no sense. Decisions are made that no rational human being would make, but hey, everyone goes a little nutty in the void, ok?! The thing about The Expanse is the nonsense doesn’t last long. They get the plot on track and you’re back to being floored by the action. Seasons 2 and 3 are absolute dynamite. Non-stop for 26 episodes. Season 4 is a bit of a deceleration, but I didn’t mind it after the 6G burn of the previous two, and you can’t save the universe all the time. I get the comparisons to GOT but one thing I’ve never seen The Expanse do is waste an entire hour of television on whispers in the hallway and furtive glances.
Binge this show, but not too fast. There isn’t a lot of it and I haven’t found a release date for Season 5 beyond maybe the end of this year or beginning of next. What we know for sure is that The Expanse stretches on. I’m thrilled.
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