# "The Expanse" - New near-future sci-fi TV



## Crispy (Jan 29, 2015)

Based on the Expanse series by James S. A. Corey



It takes place 200 years in the future, when humanity has colonized the solar system. The technology level is fairly realistic - no artificial gravity, no FTL communication, no FTL drive. The only significant technology leap over today is the 'Epstein drive', a fusion-based propulsion technology that allows +1G acceleration for extended time. Could be fun. Could be pap.


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## DotCommunist (Jan 29, 2015)

0g sex  I wonder if anyones made the beast with two backs on the ISS yet. For science of course.

this looks quite good. SyFy have seemingly managed to stop producing shit and start doing quality (given value of etc) productions.

Z nation, 12 Monkeys- fuck even Defiance was quite good. Will watch this


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## Crispy (Jan 29, 2015)

DotCommunist said:


> 0g sex  I wonder if anyones made the beast with two backs on the ISS yet. For science of course.


Wouldn't put it past the Russians on mir


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## daniel27 (Jan 29, 2015)

Will take a closer look! Thank you!


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## Crispy (Nov 29, 2015)

The 1st episode is available through the usual channels. (following 7 episodes weekly from 15th Dec).

It's good. A few cheesey lines, but otherwise well written and acted. A very believable setting with all sorts of factions and compromised people. Looks fantastic. The ships, sets and costumes are top notch and the effects totally sell them. Crispy seal of approval.

I especially like the casting of incredibly lanky people for the native "Belters" who have been born and raised in low G.


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## Reno (Nov 30, 2015)

Syfy has got a few science fiction adaptations lined up, Childhood's End is also coming up. That's what they should have been doing all along instead of all that Sharknado rubbish.


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## DotCommunist (Dec 15, 2015)

eps 3&4 on the seas of piracy but no ep 2 :/


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## fishfinger (Dec 15, 2015)

DotCommunist said:


> eps 3&4 on the seas of piracy but no ep 2 :/


Ep 2 will be out later tonight.


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## DotCommunist (Dec 15, 2015)

fishfinger said:


> Ep 2 will be out later tonight.


I know but I have eps 3 and 4 now and want to watch them but what if ep 2 has critical stuff that would need to be seen to understand eps 3 and 4. Dilemma. Watch 3 now or wait. arg


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## fishfinger (Dec 15, 2015)

DotCommunist said:


> I know but I have eps 3 and 4 now and want to watch them but what if ep 2 has critical stuff that would need to be seen to understand eps 3 and 4. Dilemma. Watch 3 now or wait. arg


ffs can't you wait a few hours? 
bloody impatient kids today...


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## BigTom (Dec 15, 2015)

DotCommunist said:


> eps 3&4 on the seas of piracy but no ep 2 :/



according to wikipedia ep 3 & 4 haven't been broadcast yet so they must be fakes.


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## fishfinger (Dec 15, 2015)

BigTom said:


> according to wikipedia ep 3 & 4 haven't been broadcast yet so they must be fakes.


They're "internal" versions.


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## DotCommunist (Dec 15, 2015)

fishfinger said:


> They're "internal" versions.


what does this mean? I've seen the first 5 mins of ep 3 to check it was valid and it seems like a standard ep  starts with a recap n all


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## fishfinger (Dec 15, 2015)

DotCommunist said:


> what does this mean? I've seen the first 5 mins of ep 3 to check it was valid and it seems like a standard ep  starts with a recap n all


They're real. The "internal" tag is usually used to indicate that the release has been made for a limited audience, and to avoid it being "nuked" by topsites.


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## oneflewover (Dec 15, 2015)

Enjoyed it a lot. Crispy is correct looks really good. Had to watch twice to pick up on everything but still missing / not getting the Indian lady bit.


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## Crispy (Jan 5, 2016)

Finished all 4 available episodes. Yeah it's cracking. The pace has really picked up now and there are mysterious mysteries afoot.

I still haven't got any of the characters' names memorised yet though


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## editor (Jan 5, 2016)

Aw bollocks. It won't work in my Tor browser.


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## 8den (Jan 26, 2016)

Easily the best space opera Sci Fi show since BattleStar


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## krtek a houby (Jan 26, 2016)

Is that Mike from BB?


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## mentalchik (Jan 26, 2016)

missed it....don't do watching stuff on PC's


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## 8den (Jan 26, 2016)

krtek a houby said:


> Is that Mike from BB?



No Idea but Richard Harris' son Jarod is in it, and is excellent


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## krtek a houby (Jan 26, 2016)

8den said:


> No Idea but Richard Harris' son Jarod is in it, and is excellent



He was excellent in Fringe, IIRC


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## Crispy (Jan 26, 2016)

krtek a houby said:


> Is that Mike from BB?


Cameo. He's got one scene.

This show is fantastic. Back-to-back 2 episode finale next week. Can't wait


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## oneflewover (Jan 28, 2016)

Still enjoying this, all the bits are joining up. As said previously said, looks really good even the explosions and space bits.


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## 8den (Jan 28, 2016)

krtek a houby said:


> He was excellent in Fringe, IIRC



Yeah I couldn't remember were I had seen him before and googled it, I suspect if you dig about in a old Fringe thread I'll be raving about him on that too.


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## fractionMan (Jan 28, 2016)

Ok, I'm going to try it agaiin


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## Crispy (Jan 28, 2016)

fractionMan said:


> Ok, I'm going to try it agaiin


You'll know if it's for you by the end of episode 4.


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## Crispy (Feb 7, 2016)

This came to a pretty gripping conclusion while leaving all sorts of juicy story threads dangling for the next season. It's the best space TV since BSG, and has the potential to be better. Well worth your time.


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## Signal 11 (Feb 8, 2016)

Yeah, it has been brilliant.


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## yield (Feb 17, 2016)

Excellent series. It finishes a long time before the end of the first book. It's much better though. 

Think James Corey has a problem making believeable characters but the series is well cast.


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## sleaterkinney (Feb 17, 2016)

It's really good.


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## sim667 (Feb 18, 2016)

Its surprisingly good considering its made by the syfy channel


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## DotCommunist (Feb 18, 2016)

sim667 said:


> Its surprisingly good considering its made by the syfy channel


they've improved a lot since the days of 'sharks on a plane with lazers' and so on


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## sim667 (Feb 18, 2016)

The bloke who's the big bad underworld type boss.... What is his accent?!


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## DrRingDing (Feb 18, 2016)

Crispy said:


> Based on the Expanse series by James S. A. Corey
> 
> 
> 
> It takes place 200 years in the future, when humanity has colonized the solar system. The technology level is fairly realistic - no artificial gravity, no FTL communication, no FTL drive. The only significant technology leap over today is the 'Epstein drive', a fusion-based propulsion technology that allows +1G acceleration for extended time. Could be fun. Could be pap.




200 years time and he thinks we would have colonised the solar system. What a numpty.


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## Crispy (Feb 18, 2016)

sim667 said:


> The bloke who's the big bad underworld type boss.... What is his accent?!


Belter


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## sleaterkinney (Feb 18, 2016)

DotCommunist said:


> they've improved a lot since the days of 'sharks on a plane with lazers' and so on


No they haven't.


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## Teenage Cthulhu (Feb 20, 2016)

Watched this last night and enjoyed the first episode. One question though: How do SyFy make their productions look so cheap? It has a very 90s feel to it.


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## Reno (Feb 20, 2016)

Teenage Cthulhu said:


> Watched this last night and enjoyed the first episode. One question though: How do SyFy make their productions look so cheap? It has a very 90s feel to it.



SyFy are doing something on the scale of Game of Thrones on a fraction of the money. They just don't have the type of budget at their disposal which an HBO or Netflix have, so it will end up looking somewhat less spectacular.


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## Crispy (Feb 21, 2016)

I thought it looked as good or better than any space SciFi that's ever been on TV


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

Teenage Cthulhu said:


> Watched this last night and enjoyed the first episode. One question though: How do SyFy make their productions look so cheap? It has a very 90s feel to it.




Yeah er do you remember Babylon 5? Fake lens flare, non existant textures, and all the CGI done on Amigas. For a niche channel it looks great. And furthermore they insist on building genuine sets. It looks <i>at least</i> as good as BSG.


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## Reno (Feb 21, 2016)

8den said:


> Yeah er do you remember Babylon 5? Fake lens flare, non existant textures, and all the CGI done on Amigas. For a niche channel it looks great. And furthermore they insist on building genuine sets. It looks <i>at least</i> as good as BSG.


I thought Babyln 5 looked very cheap and its low production values are one thing that put me off it (I just about struggled through the entire first season on recommendations before I gave up) BSG was as world apart from it. I'm not a dedicated science fiction show fan though I will watch them if they can create a reasonably believeable world and characters with a modicum of depth. Babylon 5 was the type of show where I was always worried a wall would fall over if someone bumps into one in those cramped sets. I can only suspend my disbelief for space operas if the world building is reasonably convincing


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

Actually the CGI/Sets wasn't worst part, it was terribly written and with the notable exception of Andreas Katsulas & Peter Jurasik the acting was uniformly awful. Fans of the show would enthuse about the arc, and say "if you overlook the acting, the dialogue, and the effects, it's really good". 

What I think Babylon 5 did and does need to be recognised is that it was one of the first shows, and certainly the first sci fi show that had a story arc that ran over several series.


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## Teenage Cthulhu (Feb 21, 2016)

8den said:


> Yeah er do you remember Babylon 5? Fake lens flare, non existant textures, and all the CGI done on Amigas. For a niche channel it looks great. And furthermore they insist on building genuine sets. It looks <i>at least</i> as good as BSG.



They used Lightwave 3D running on a server-farm of Amiga 4000s.


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

Teenage Cthulhu said:


> They used Lightwave 3D running on a server-farm of Amiga 4000s.



Like I said Amigas, I wasn't getting into the technical specifics. The fake lens flare in a purely cgi environment used to annoy the living shit out of.


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## Reno (Feb 21, 2016)

8den said:


> Actually the CGI/Sets wasn't worst part, it was terribly written and with the notable exception of Andreas Katsulas & Peter Jurasik the acting was uniformly awful. Fans of the show would enthuse about the arc, and say "if you overlook the acting, the dialogue, and the effects, it's really good".
> 
> What I think Babylon 5 did and does need to be recognised is that it was one of the first shows, and certainly the first sci fi show that had a story arc that ran over several series.


I was promised that it would be like a TV novel, but most of the first season were self contained sub-Star Trek episodes and by the time this much hyped arc kicked in, I'd lost the will to live.


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## Teenage Cthulhu (Feb 21, 2016)

8den said:


> Like I said Amigas, I wasn't getting into the technical specifics. The fake lens flare in a purely cgi environment used to annoy the living shit out of.



I am a geek. I can not remember a great deal about it but I can remember I didn't like it!


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)




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## Reno (Feb 21, 2016)

The flares were the least of that shows problems. I don't understand why that's become something people have come to fixate on on the internet.


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

Reno said:


> I was promised that it would be like a TV novel, but most of the first season were self contained sub-Star Trek episodes and by the time this much hyped arc kicked in, I'd lost the will to live.



Ditto. The 1st season was uniformly terrible (also not helped by the lead actor, Michael O'Hare  having serious mental health problems, this was only revealed after his death by JMS with O'Hare's permission), it was only in the 2nd series that it warmed up. I was never a huge fan, the notable exception being Kutsula and Jursaik, who shared a fantastic dynamic, a wonderfully designed arc, and were both actors who rose above the material that were given.


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

Reno said:


> The flares were the least of that shows problems. I don't understand why that's become something people have come to fixate on on the internet.



The Lens flare was a running joke among people bitching about the risible CGI.


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## Reno (Feb 21, 2016)

8den said:


> The Lens flare was a running joke among people bitching about the risible CGI.


At that point CGI was barely used on TV and considering that, it was not bad at all and as far as I remember the effects got a lot of praise. Of course the lens flare is supposed to add a "real camera" feel, which has become a cliche since but also hadn't been done back then. Even the stills you posted contradict the supposed awfulness of the CGI. It still looks OK. Space ships and many other inorganic things are not that difficult to do in CGI. In terms of production values it was the physical sets and art direction which let that show down, they were almost of vintage Dr Who quality.


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

I think comparing the effects of Babylon and say Star Trek DS9 I think Star Trek's combination of Models and CG looked alot better than B5, and I think thats why B5 came under alot of derision.

Star Trek also had the budget to go onto location, so when they weren't onboard the station it had higher production values, while B5 was stuck primarily on studio and it showed. 

I think people will forgive cheap sets CG if the writing is good, and both the acting and dialogue of B5 was clunky to put it politely.


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## sleaterkinney (Feb 21, 2016)

I thought it(the Expanse) looked fine.


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## Reno (Feb 21, 2016)

8den said:


> I think comparing the effects of Babylon and say Star Trek DS9 I think Star Trek's combination of Models and CG looked alot better than B5, and I think thats why B5 came under alot of derision.
> 
> Star Trek also had the budget to go onto location, so when they weren't onboard the station it had higher production values, while B5 was stuck primarily on studio and it showed.
> 
> I think people will forgive cheap sets CG if the writing is good, and both the acting and dialogue of B5 was clunky to put it politely.


Star Trek had a much larger budget and that's why they had far better sets, more extras, etc. Babylon 5 first came out a year after Jurassic Park had revolutionised the effects industry and back then nobody was bitching about its CGI, in fact it was considered to be quite ground breaking for the industry. Star Trek at that point barely used CGI and they relied entirely on models for their space ships, which in retrospect has probably dated better (though they rejigged a lot of the effects for TNG for the Blu-Ray release)

Btw Deep Space Nine which was in many ways similar to Babylon 5 was a show I did occasionally managed to watch exactly because it didn't look so ropey in terms of its overall production values. It was also better acted and written.


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## wtfftw (Feb 21, 2016)

Season 2 in 2017. That's aaaaaages.


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## 8den (Feb 21, 2016)

Actually I think the debt the ds9 and a lot of sci fi and tv owes Babylon 5 is the story arc. Very few shows tried to tell an epic story over a series or several series before b5. If shows had a recurring plot it only appeared in stand alone episodes. It's only after b5 had been on for a few years that Star Trek started the whole dominion war thing. Babylon 5 had a big story arc that started in season 2 and lasted till the end of season 4 and was the driving force of the whole show. It's why fans of the show would ask you to over look the acting or the naff sets and focus on the story


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## Teenage Cthulhu (Feb 21, 2016)

Sorry for messing up the thread


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## Crispy (Feb 21, 2016)

Teenage Cthulhu said:


> Sorry for messing up the thread


It was an interesting diversion


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## Reno (Feb 23, 2016)

Just started to watch this. Pretty good and excellent production values, this doesn't look cheap at all.

Just a question, are the non-English bits supposed to be subtitled ?


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## Crispy (Feb 24, 2016)

Reno said:


> Just started to watch this. Pretty good and excellent production values, this doesn't look cheap at all.
> 
> Just a question, are the non-English bits supposed to be subtitled ?



No, the Belters speak their own patois, which is supposed to be hard to understand. You'll pick up a few words as you go on.


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## Teenage Cthulhu (Feb 24, 2016)

Reno said:


> Just started to watch this. Pretty good and excellent production values, this doesn't look cheap at all.
> 
> Just a question, are the non-English bits supposed to be subtitled ?



No - they're not. 

I think it has quite a cheap feel about it personally. It is good though.


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## Reno (Feb 25, 2016)

I'm four episodes in and wavering as the whether to stick with it. It looks fantastic, the world building is the best I've seen on a science fiction show. The attention to detail both how these societies function (space Mormons!) and how to be reasonably accurate about the science (no bogus artificial gravity, no "warp drive") is exceptional for a space opera. But it falls down where so many science fiction shows fail for me, in its characterisation. All of these characters are stereotypes with little personality so far. For someone not familiar with the books it's also difficult to follow at times. Too many characters and none of them memorable. I need to keep an episode guide handy. I'll give it one more and see....


Teenage Cthulhu got banned ?


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## purves grundy (Feb 25, 2016)

Sounds good this


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## 8den (Feb 25, 2016)

Reno said:


> I'm four episodes in and wavering as the whether to stick with it. It looks fantastic, the world building is the best I've seen on a science fiction show. The attention to detail both how these societies function (space Mormons!) and how to be reasonably accurate about the science (no bogus artificial gravity, no "warp drive") is exceptional for a space opera. But it falls down where so many science fiction shows fail for me, in its characterisation. All of these characters are stereotypes with little personality so far. For someone not familiar with the books it's also difficult to follow at times. Too many characters and none of them memorable. I need to keep an episode guide handy. I'll give it one more and see....
> 
> 
> Teenage Cthulhu got banned ?



Firky got banned.


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## Reno (Feb 25, 2016)

8den said:


> Firky got banned.



Ooooh, OK.


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## 8den (Feb 25, 2016)

Reno said:


> Ooooh, OK.



I think the characters are a lil poorly drawn.

But I think alot of good sci fi show has started with some weak characterisation.


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## Reno (Feb 25, 2016)

8den said:


> I think the characters are a lil poorly drawn.
> 
> But I think alot of good sci fi show has started with some weak characterisation.


That's why I find it difficult to get into most sci fi shows. I'm more into character driven shows and few genre shows work for me on that level. Shame, because I like a lot of sci fi films and this is interesting on many levels. Just watching episode 5 and my attention is wandering...


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## purves grundy (Feb 25, 2016)

8den said:


> Firky got banned.


Well I never


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## DotCommunist (Feb 25, 2016)

Reno said:


> That's why I find it difficult to get into most sci fi shows. I'm more into character driven shows and few genre shows work for me on that level. Shame, because I like a lot of sci fi films and this is interesting on many levels. Just watching episode 5 and my attention is wandering...


I've said it often enough, you can tell space opera on the screen if you have enough space to do so. It's a style of story that hugely benefits from what you can do with the written. Expanse has had me rapt and yes I'll mention it in the same breath as earlier BSG and...and...and? see? What else have I got. Not much I could honestly say 'this space opera is comparable to the best of the written'

I struggle to think of anything of a film length thats ever done it properly either. I don't think its not possible I just can't think of a space opera that really has the same scope you can get from the novel.


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## Reno (Feb 25, 2016)

DotCommunist said:


> I've said it often enough, you can tell space opera on the screen if you have enough space to do so. It's a style of story that hugely benefits from what you can do with the written. Expanse has had me rapt and yes I'll mention it in the same breath as earlier BSG and...and...and? see? What else have I got. Not much I could honestly say 'this space opera is comparable to the best of the written'
> 
> I struggle to think of anything of a film length thats ever done it properly either. I don't think its not possible I just can't think of a space opera that really has the same scope you can get from the novel.


As I said, in terms of its world building, visuals and ideas its very impressive. I just can't engage with any show on an emotional level which doesn't have interesting characters and this doesn't. Despite being intrigued by the world of the show, I think episode 5 will have been my last one because the characters don't hold my attention. As science fiction this is great, as drama it's lacking.

I also can't read most science fiction novels, because they suffer from the same thing, flat, unengaging characters. I know that they make up for it with ideas and plot, but especially the older I get, interesting characters are the what I find the most engaging thing about fiction. With films it matters slightly less because they only last a couple of hours, but with tv shows and novels I don't have the patience.


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## DotCommunist (Feb 25, 2016)

Reno said:


> As I said, in terms of its world building, visuals and ideas its very impressive. I just can't engage with any show on an emotional level which doesn't have interesting characters and this doesn't. Despite being intrigued by the world of the show, I think episode 5 will have been my last one because the characters don't hold my attention. As science fiction this is great, as drama it's lacking.
> 
> I also can't read most science fiction novels, because they suffer from the same thing, flat, unengaging characters. I know that they make up for it with ideas and plot, but especially the older I get, interesting characters are the what I find the most engaging thing about fiction. With films it matters slightly less because they only last a couple of hours, but with tv shows and novels I don't have the patience.


 I'm grinning because you explain a precise truth about sci fi storytelling as Banks did. If you are going to tell a story of love, life and so on then why not just write a 'mainstream' novel or script? When you've ideas to impart that shape the entire narrative in a manner that makes the characters behave in ways you or I have no direct experience of then well, it'll suffer. Modern sci fi is doing better on character driven stuff btw. You can also go back and find a lot more sci fi writing that isn't so. What we have the time and inclination for eh?

you must read 'Door into Ocean' though. I will give you two pounds if you do and give me a review.


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## 8den (Feb 25, 2016)

DotCommunist said:


> I've said it often enough, you can tell space opera on the screen if you have enough space to do so. It's a style of story that hugely benefits from what you can do with the written. Expanse has had me rapt and yes I'll mention it in the same breath as earlier BSG and...and...and? see? What else have I got. Not much I could honestly say 'this space opera is comparable to the best of the written'
> 
> I struggle to think of anything of a film length thats ever done it properly either. I don't think its not possible I just can't think of a space opera that really has the same scope you can get from the novel.



Actually it reminds me a little bit of Blake 7. A group of renegades on the run from a dystopian all powerful empire in an advanced ship.


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## Reno (Feb 25, 2016)

DotCommunist said:


> I'm grinning because you explain a precise truth about sci fi storytelling as Banks did. If you are going to tell a story of love, life and so on then why not just write a 'mainstream' novel or script? When you've ideas to impart that shape the entire narrative in a manner that makes the characters behave in ways you or I have no direct experience of then well, it'll suffer. Modern sci fi is doing better on character driven stuff btw. You can also go back and find a lot more sci fi writing that isn't so. What we have the time and inclination for eh?
> 
> you must read 'Door into Ocean' though. I will give you two pounds if you do and give me a review.



There was no good reason for The Expanse to not have better written characters. Despite being futuristic, the situations they find themselves in are relatable. I find it frustrating because there is a lot I like about The Expanse. I don't expect a story about love, just characters who have a bit of personality instead of them being a compendium of the most basic cliches. BSG had more interesting characters even if it was no The Wire, though that lost me by season three or four because the plot turned a bit rubbish.

The last science fiction novel I enjoyed was Michael Fabers Under the Skin, because that was also a great character study, apart from packing in Ideas about our place in the food chain, class and extraterrestrial life but then Faber is generally not a science fiction writer. Very different from the film which I also liked, but for different reasons.


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## DotCommunist (Feb 26, 2016)

Reno said:


> I don't expect a story about love


you can be so literal sometimes reno. Perhaps I should have said a 'normal human story' 

but I take your point on the idea that they had space to make characters of greater depth. I don't agree with it but I see where you are coming from. Essentially the human experience, translated into an Expanse universe or otherwise should be in depth relatable and charachters to act so. It might be SPAAAAACE  but its still humans.



8den said:


> Actually it reminds me a little bit of Blake 7. A group of renegades on the run from a dystopian all powerful empire in an advanced ship.



Led by a nonce?


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## stdP (Feb 26, 2016)

Hopefully getting time to watch The Expanse over the weekend so have only glossed over the thread. Reno as on point as ever though so I'm slightly worried, especially given the "too many characters" thing... I found Game of Thrones impossible to follow because I could never remember anyone's name (I'm really shit with remembering names).



Reno said:


> There was no good reason for The Expanse to not have better written characters. Despite being futuristic, the situations they find themselves in are relatable. I find it frustrating because there is a lot I like about The Expanse. I don't expect a story about love, just characters who have a bit of personality instead of them being a compendium of the most basic cliches. BSG had more interesting characters even if it was no The Wire, though that lost me by season three or four because the plot turned a bit rubbish.
> 
> The last science fiction novel I enjoyed was Michael Fabers Under the Skin, because that was also a great character study, apart from packing in Ideas about our place in the food chain, class and extraterrestrial life but then Faber is generally not a science fiction writer. Very different from the film which I also liked, but for different reasons.



Glad you liked Under the Skin (I was bought it as a present a decade ago, thought it would be shit, loved it), I seem to remember you recommending the film as well. But all your points about characterisation, and the side-tracking of characterisations to give better world building sadly ring all too true. Best sci-fi in my experience is about characters interacting with a sci-fi backdrop rather than a sci-fi universe manipulating the characters. _Looper_ was a great example in how to build a world populated by people I couldn't give a shit about trying and failing to straighten out an incoherent plot. It's sad to think there are roles that even JG-L and Emily Blunt can't bring me to care about. And I still think the best sci-fi work of the century is Oryx and Crake (although its author sadly refuses to acknowledge it as sci-fi).

Will no doubt pass judgement shortly


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## DotCommunist (Feb 26, 2016)

I thought atwood had softened on her genre-snobby stance. Man is she acerbic sometimes. Read an interview or three. You'd not want to be the fool around her as you'd not be suffered gladly. Or even at all.


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## stdP (Feb 26, 2016)

Dunno if she's softened on it yet. Yeah attended a couple of talks with Atwood myself... but then I'm not exactly pleasant myself, so I guess I don't mind so much.


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## J Ed (Feb 26, 2016)

Just finished this, absolutely great. A+++ if you haven't seen it then you should watch it.

I know this might be a stupidly obvious comment, and it for certain applies to a lot of Sci-Fi but there is a real 'naval but in space' feel to the whole series


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## stdP (Mar 4, 2016)

Also finally got around to watching all of this last night. Erm, yay cold and being ill I guess 

Very pleasantly surprised with the show and loving the overall aesthetic (give me truckers in space battling real laws of physics over FTL and infinite resource MacGuffins any day). Didn't have any problems with following the different characters since they're all quite easy to separate, although I'd tend to agree that they need a bit more in the way of characterisation... they're all a bit cookie-cutter at the moment, with the notable exception of that superbly imperious bitch of a UN rep  Room for a fair bit more directorial flair in that regard especially. Wish there had been more of the background for the Martian psyche as it seems like it's a hugely important plot point and I don't really feel like their role in this has been fleshed out very well and so my impression of them kept being polluted by characters from Red/Green/Blue Mars.

Looking forward to the next series. Not looking forward to its untimely cancellation.


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## Crispy (Mar 4, 2016)

Agree with you re: the martians. A few scenes with the Donnager in episodes 1-4 would have been nice.


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## stdP (Mar 4, 2016)

Correction: would have been _very_ nice  The scenes with the Donnager (and especially under fire) were altogether very good (and the sequence with the railgun hull breach was genuinely brilliant I thought, even if all in the room wouldn't have been rendered unconscious and/or liquefied by the shockwave) but there's too much talk about "the martians are, like, totally dedicated to their cause!" rather than just _showing_ of martians like totally dedicated to their cause. Given that the entire plot seems to hinge on the tensions between martian psyche vs. earth psyche vs. belter psyche and that a) earth psyche well represented by aforementioned superbly imperious bitch of a UN rep b) belter psyche well represented by about half the cast I'd have thought there was at least a _bit_ of room for some awesome MCRN posturing. Maybe get Patrick Stewart in as an MCRN admiral? 

Still, not wishing to pour scorn on what I thought was a genuinely good series. I just have impossible standards and I dare say I will be buying the books shortly and soon chiming in on the thread with the token "it's not as good as the books!" post


----------



## Crispy (Mar 4, 2016)

Well apparently a major character is S2 is a MCRN marine (in power armour no less ) so hopefully we'll get to see a bit more of that.


----------



## stdP (Mar 4, 2016)

My mind is now made up and I will demand nothing less than Patrick Stewart as a pseudo-fascist warlord. But then I'm prone to flights of fancy like that 

Crispy, you read the books? Do you know what's (meant to be) coming next?


----------



## Crispy (Mar 4, 2016)

stdP said:


> My mind is now made up and I will demand nothing less than Patrick Stewart as a pseudo-fascist warlord. But then I'm prone to flights of fancy like that
> 
> Crispy, you read the books? Do you know what's (meant to be) coming next?


I have not, and I don't intend to. I just caught the tail of a discussion about how hard it'll be to cast this marine . She's supposed to be 6 and a half feet tall and polynesian.


----------



## marty21 (Mar 4, 2016)

Are the books any good? I do love a decent Space Marine/Space Opera yarn.


----------



## stdP (Mar 4, 2016)

Well I dare say a pan-Asian-American actress and a Scully Box can go a long way into filling that particular niche.

The WP summary for the next book in the series says its mostly centred around a war on Ganymede, hence the marine connection. Seems like it might be set some time after the events of the first series though also featuring the crew of the Roaching Auntie... so suspect there'll be some bending of the storyline there to give a better sense of continuity.


----------



## yield (Mar 4, 2016)

marty21 said:


> Are the books any good? I do love a decent Space Marine/Space Opera yarn.


I read Leviathan Wakes a few years ago. It's not very good. Dan Abnett writes better than James Corey. Terrible flat characters.

The Expanse is one of those rare cases where the TV series is better.


----------



## Crispy (Mar 5, 2016)

If y'all didn't know, the while thing started as a role playing session on a web forum. The reason the medic dies so suddenly is because the person playing that character had to drop out.


----------



## Crispy (Jul 24, 2016)

Season 2 trailer


----------



## Biscuitician (Jul 26, 2016)

Anyone know when S1 is out on DVD?

The books are way better but the few eps I watched are superb. I wonder who they'll get to play Bobbi.


----------



## Crispy (Jul 26, 2016)

It's out in the USA already so you can import it if you have a region-free player.
The bluray is region-free.

Bobbie will be played by Frankie Adams, a NZ actor


----------



## Biscuitician (Jul 26, 2016)

Not big enough.


----------



## teqniq (Jul 28, 2016)

Lol I only just noticed this thread the day before yesterday - the slight pitfall perhaps on not having a TV I was previously unaware of it being done as a series. Read all the books, really enjoyed them. After finding this went looking in the usual *cough* places for the series. Pleasantly surprised.


----------



## stdP (Jul 28, 2016)

Biscuitician said:


> Anyone know when S1 is out on DVD?



Gwarbl. DVD/BD are out in the US and available over there at atrocious import prices. At least those usual *cough* places will probably have better quality samples


----------



## teqniq (Jul 28, 2016)

stdP said:


> Gwarbl. DVD/BD are out in the US and available over there at atrocious import prices. At least those usual *cough* places will probably have better quality samples



Syfy and similar TV channel logos plastered over the corners in places but still perfectly watchable


----------



## snadge (Sep 5, 2016)

just watched first series, awesome.


----------



## Signal 11 (Dec 24, 2016)

There's a new 20 minute video - part introduction to the show, part behind the scenes and part preview of season 2.


----------



## chilango (Jan 11, 2017)

Just started S1, quite like it so far...


----------



## trabuquera (Jan 11, 2017)

Finished s1 and greatly enjoyed it ... but I have to agree a *little* about somehow not being quite motivated enough to care passionately about the destinies of these various misfits barrelling through the void. Love the worldbuilding, the look, the attention to social not mechanical factors alone - the patois, the hints at varying social codes and ethics among Belters / Earthers / Martians, even the broad implications about inequality and economics and so forth. I still don't fully understand wtf's going on  - I've got a few reservations about the use of female nudity as set-dressing and the assumption that religious faith would still be a given for most people - but I'll definitely be watching s2 and would recommend s1 to anyone with a brain and a taste for the alien.


----------



## teqniq (Jan 11, 2017)

> I still don't fully understand wtf's going on



trabuquera might be worth reading the books if you have the time or the inclination.


----------



## chilango (Jan 11, 2017)

Space Mormons


----------



## D'wards (Jan 11, 2017)

chilango said:


> Space Mormons


Spormans


----------



## Supine (Jan 18, 2017)

Just binged the first series. Really enjoyed it and pleasantly surprised to realise I have read a couple of the books. 

S2 starts in 20 days, 2 hours and 53 minutes


----------



## donkyboy (Jan 18, 2017)

this guy kept reminding me of jon snow

steven strait the expanse - Google Search


----------



## Crispy (Jan 31, 2017)

Reviews are coming in for the first 4 episodes of S2

'The Expanse' Contracts For The Better In Season 2
(minor spoilers)

Sounds good


----------



## Crispy (Feb 2, 2017)

It's not on UK Netflix until all the episode have aired in the states 
I will feel zero guilt stealing it then.


----------



## sim667 (Feb 2, 2017)

Crispy said:


> It's not on UK Netflix until all the episode have aired in the states
> I will feel zero guilt stealing it then.


When does it air?

I've still not seen any on torrent sites for s02


----------



## Supine (Feb 2, 2017)

Next week


----------



## Crispy (Feb 2, 2017)

Last night you mean!


----------



## sim667 (Feb 2, 2017)

Crispy said:


> Last night you mean!



Not on TD yet though


----------



## Crispy (Feb 2, 2017)

The Expanse S02E01 Torrent Magnet Download (3 Results) - TorrentQuest


----------



## Supine (Feb 2, 2017)

Crispy said:


> Last night you mean!



Oh yeah, it was next week last week when I looked. Time flies!


----------



## snadge (Feb 4, 2017)

Episode two is available



Spoiler



Epic space battle.


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 9, 2017)

yeah three is up now, got in in the queue. The opening two eps were practically a film (i downloaded them as one whole prog, dunno if thats how it aired) much like trabuquera I'm still not 100% sure where its going but the journey is proving more than worth it. Its ages since I've seen TV space opera get it so right. BSG was the last I think


----------



## Supine (Feb 9, 2017)

Have decided to save up a few episodes before getting stuck in. Looking forward to it


----------



## teqniq (Feb 9, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> yeah three is up now, got in in the queue. The opening two eps were practically a film (i downloaded them as one whole prog, dunno if thats how it aired) much like trabuquera I'm still not 100% sure where its going but the journey is proving more than worth it. Its ages since I've seen TV space opera get it so right. BSG was the last I think


Yeah I made the mistake of downloading episode two a few times thinking it would be the next bit, but like you I'd downloaded the premiere which is actually episodes one and two together, so settling down to watch three now.  Thanks again to Crispy for that torrent site link, no frills, popups etc, let's hope it lasts awhile.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 10, 2017)

Been around for years already 

Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk


----------



## teqniq (Feb 10, 2017)

well thanks for posting it here anyway


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 10, 2017)

teqniq said:


> well thanks for posting it here anyway


I alternate between torrent quest and simple bay. Simple bay can still be a spamming cunt but not on the level of othe pirate bay proxies.


----------



## snadge (Feb 16, 2017)

Episode 4 up, awesome.


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 17, 2017)

yes, really picked up a gear. And its so so pretty in space 



Spoiler: spacemormons



they are going to be VEXED


----------



## Mation (Feb 17, 2017)

I've just started series 1 again. I saw 2 or 3 episodes before and concluded it was rubbish. But I've since realised how deaf I am and that I really need to watch things with subtitles!

This time round I'm loving it. On episode 7 and glad there's a season 2, albeit one I won't be able to binge watch without exercising willpower.


----------



## J Ed (Feb 17, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> yes, really picked up a gear. And its so so pretty in space
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I love this prog so much, the space mormons are great. May they get to Kolob!!!


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 17, 2017)

srs1 finale made me appreciate 



Spoiler: stuff



even brief exposure to hard radiation can do. What a shit way that must be to go. And lol, at least they had mephedrone to power through with


----------



## Crispy (Feb 17, 2017)

S2 definitely a big improvement. The previously sketchy characters are fleshing out well, the plot thickens, and the action sequences are truly gripping. Top top stuff

Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk


----------



## J Ed (Feb 17, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> srs1 finale made me appreciate
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Just curious, have you seen Colony? If so, what do you think of it?


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 17, 2017)

J Ed said:


> Just curious, have you seen Colony? If so, what do you think of it?


not seen it J. any good?


----------



## J Ed (Feb 17, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> not seen it J. any good?



Just finished the first season and it is  pretty good but uneven character development, not as good as the Expanse but still pretty good. Generally just a good romp though, I feel like they could do a lot more with the subject matter. What would be really good would be a Red Mars TV series....


----------



## mojo pixy (Feb 18, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: stuff
> 
> 
> 
> even brief exposure to hard radiation can do. What a shit way that must be to go. And lol, at least they had mephedrone to power through with





Spoiler: something else



I also like the show's depiction of hard vacuum, the scenes where air becomes an issue for one reason or another, and the constant fear of de-pressurisation they live with all the time. Most sci-fi doesn't dwell on that but I'm enjoying how The Expanse sort of does.


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 18, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> Spoiler: something else
> 
> 
> 
> I also like the show's depiction of hard vacuum, the scenes where air becomes an issue for one reason or another, and the constant fear of de-pressurisation they live with all the time. Most sci-fi doesn't dwell on that but I'm enjoying how The Expanse sort of does.


yes and the swift responses/training. Like its stuff drilled into you with potty training, as you'd imagine it would be in a space borne enviroment.


----------



## teqniq (Feb 18, 2017)

It's really well done.


----------



## girasol (Feb 21, 2017)

Just finished binge watching S1 on Netflix, glad I could put the subtitles on   Think I would have struggled and felt annoyed without understanding so much of what was being said.  I kept thinking it reminded me of BG and Firefly (not a bad thing) and then it started to develop its own character and it got better and better.  The Mephedrone use as a way of getting energy to make it back to the Rocinante after radiation poisoning was a nice touch.  And Naomi's regular use of 'bollocks' 

So...  I think I'll just wait till April(that's when they're releasing on Netflix) and binge watch S2.


----------



## Crispy (Feb 21, 2017)

girasol said:


> So...  I think I'll just wait till April(that's when they're releasing on Netflix) and binge watch S2.


You're in for a treat


----------



## Signal 11 (Feb 21, 2017)

Just seen this, possibly a spoiler for season 3  HiRISE | Unlocking an Impact Crater's Clues (ESP_048456_1640)


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 23, 2017)

ep 5 in all the usual places


----------



## Crispy (Feb 24, 2017)

Blimey

Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk


----------



## Scaggs (Feb 24, 2017)

Spoiler



Is that the end of Miller then?


----------



## snadge (Feb 24, 2017)

Scaggs said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Is that the end of Miller then?





Spoiler: Book Spoiler



No



Another excellent episode, the protomolecule is beautiful.


----------



## J Ed (Feb 26, 2017)

Episode 5 definitely ended in a way that I did not expect..


----------



## BigTom (Mar 2, 2017)

wtf!?



Spoiler: episode 6 ending



I'm assuming this is the proto-molecule, further developed on ganymede. If not then wtaf is going on?



This series is really fantastic, one of the most enjoyable and interesting things I've watched for a while.


----------



## Supine (Mar 2, 2017)

BigTom said:


> wtf!?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Shit the bed, I only watched ep6 two hours ago and I can't remember what happened. Old man memory  enjoyed it though


----------



## snadge (Mar 2, 2017)

BigTom said:


> wtf!?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah, I'm even watching each episode twice, long time since I did that.


----------



## BigTom (Mar 3, 2017)

snadge said:


> Yeah, I'm even watching each episode twice, long time since I did that.



I'm planning to do a binge rewatch when it goes onto netflix after the syfy run finishes. Probably watch season 1 again as well!


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 3, 2017)

Spoiler: episode6



so, we finally see what the protomolecule is becoming. This is how you know its good space opera. Its taken till season 2 episode 6 to get here, you are invested in the characters and the politics. Cheaper swashbuckling/mil sci fi writers tend to go straight for the aliens, first ep. Also the martian marines getting killed was brutal. I lolled hard at

'oh man I love her like a sister. I'd still do her if she let me'


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 3, 2017)

oh and earth leader lady gives a rip-roaring blinder of a threatening rant


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 3, 2017)

BigTom said:


> wtf!?
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler: stuff



if you mean devloped as in was developed by humans further I suspect its beyond that now and control was lost before the eros crisis at least. So its becoming, whatever it is. Eros moved and it wasn't under human control when it did, which leaves me thinking this is some kind of alien crystalline self aware entity


----------



## BigTom (Mar 3, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: stuff
> 
> 
> 
> if you mean devloped as in was developed by humans further I suspect its beyond that now and control was lost before the eros crisis at least. So its becoming, whatever it is. Eros moved and it wasn't under human control when it did, which leaves me thinking this is some kind of alien crystalline self aware entity





Spoiler



No, I was meaning it developed itself, I agree that control was lost before eros and it's some kind of self-aware entity, it's just that we didn't know it was anywhere else before now. It'll be interesting to see how it develops on venus with Julie/Miller's influence and if/who has played a similar role on Ganymede, and how much the two differ. I had just assumed that the story was going to develop with the proto-molecule on Venus and wasn't expecting something like that!


----------



## teqniq (Mar 3, 2017)

This is staying pretty close to the books (which I recommend reading, again). Really is very well done.


----------



## Supine (Mar 3, 2017)

teqniq said:


> This is staying pretty close to the books (which I recommend reading, again). Really is very well done.



I've read a few and enjoyed them. It was only e3 of s1 that I realised the setting seemed familiar 

Nice having an idea of where the story is going  without it mattering at all. I'll probably read all the books when s2 finishes, just to get my fix.


----------



## teqniq (Mar 3, 2017)

Googles. I didn't realise they'd done more than 3. 

correction, 4


----------



## Crispy (Mar 3, 2017)

This is coming on very nicely isn't it?

That scene where Holden and Naomi come clean could have been straight out of firefly 

Tapatalk can go stick my F321 up its arse sideways


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 3, 2017)

Crispy said:


> This is coming on very nicely isn't it?
> 
> That scene where Holden and Naomi come clean could have been straight out of firefly
> 
> Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk


I loved whatsisfaces breakdown of his prime motivations 'three kinds of people in this world, those you fight, those you follow and those you protect'

the space of character development over the episodes allow these interactions to be just perfect


----------



## lefteri (Mar 3, 2017)

.



Spoiler: Spoiler



is miller gone for good? Quite sad if so


----------



## BigTom (Mar 4, 2017)

Crispy said:


> This is coming on very nicely isn't it?
> 
> That scene where Holden and Naomi come clean could have been straight out of firefly
> 
> Sent from my F5321 using Tapatalk



Yes totally, and again thank you for recommending this in the first place.

also, tapatalk


----------



## yield (Mar 6, 2017)

Finally caught up with this. So good.  

I've only read Leviathan Wakes which I thought was a bit flat. May have to read the rest.


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 6, 2017)

I'm currently revisiting S1 so that when all of S2 is available I can binge it 

Been enjoying the spoilers on this thread, mind. I _can_ wait to see it all myself .. but it's not easy!


----------



## snadge (Mar 10, 2017)

Episode 7 in all the usual places.

I saw a woman with a Naomi Nagata haircut the other day, looked cool.

Also I find Drummer sexy as hell.


----------



## teqniq (Mar 16, 2017)

Episode 8 up


----------



## Signal 11 (Mar 16, 2017)

The Expanse has been renewed for a third season


----------



## Crispy (Mar 16, 2017)

Fantastic news 
Yeah, regular TV ratings haven't been great, but the audience for this sort of TV doesn't watch "TV" any more.


----------



## snadge (Mar 16, 2017)

Crispy said:


> Fantastic news
> Yeah, regular TV ratings haven't been great, but the audience for this sort of TV doesn't watch "TV" any more.




Yes i would like to support this series somehow, the disparity between releases means that I have to watch it through dubious means, yet when I go to the channels that I should be able to purchase the series through, I am not allowed to buy it due to region bias.

How do I support the makers without giving the bullshit middle man their cut, the best?


----------



## Crispy (Mar 16, 2017)

It'll be on Netflix here once it's finished being on regular TV. Just rewatch it then. 

Or wait for the dvd


----------



## Crispy (Mar 16, 2017)

Another cracking episode. The bit on the refugee ship:So cold. Fred's no.2: So cool. Amos' reason not to fight: So scarily detached. Dealing with centrifugal gravity upside down was neat. Dawes is believably inspiring.


"no boot, not even a friendly one"


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 16, 2017)

There are a few points where the fiction definitely trumps the science. An example is in one episode of series 1, where



Spoiler



The young belter guy and his uncle are mining an asteroid. It's a wonderful portrayal of weightlessness making up and down irrelevant. Anyway, at the end, in order to fix something sparking in his helmet the older guy opens his helmet up completely.

Now it is technically possible to have your face exposed to a hard vacuum for a short time without dying or even being in pain - except that he _takes a deep breath_ first. If I understand right, his lungs ought to have burst out through his face as soon as he popped the seal. I believe the correct thing to do when about to be caught in a hard vacuum is take a few deep breaths then expel all the air from your lungs at the last moment. That way although you may never breathe again at least you won't just explode immediately.

I may be wrong about this but I don't think I am and it's bugged me each time I've watched that otherwise excellent scene.


----------



## Crispy (Mar 17, 2017)

You're right mojo, that bugged me too. There's quite a few gravity/acceleration "hmmmm"s too, but this show still gets it more right than any other scifi TV. And on this budget, that's quite the achievement.

(In the Epstein Drive bit, when Mr. Epstein was getting into his chair, that looked like real 0g. I wonder if they used a vomet comet?)


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 17, 2017)

Yeah, sometimes they get it really spot on, and the mag-boots are a great work around. But yeah, acceleration is an issue here and there, and the effects of low-G on people's bodies isn't 100% consistent. Also the way they allow sound to carry where it wouldn't, obvs for production purposes! Agree tho that they get way more right than wrong, and do better than most sci-fi.


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 17, 2017)

shouldn't have looked at merch


----------



## Supine (Mar 17, 2017)

I love the belters accent. Sounds great.


----------



## lefteri (Mar 17, 2017)

Supine said:


> I love the belters accent. Sounds great.



Yeah Richard Harris' son does it particularly well


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 17, 2017)

There's a conversation between Anderson Dawes and Josephus Miller, after


Spoiler



Miller gets fired and wanders off to the docks to confront Dawes


Anyway, Dawes keeps so cool and the way he talks to Miller in this scene has me delighted. I'm seriously channelling this character now in awkward conversations. I love the way he talks, facial expression, body language, everything.


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 17, 2017)

lefteri said:


> Yeah Richard Harris' son does it particularly well


I saw him in Fringe- his normal voice seems to suit that belter cadence


----------



## lefteri (Mar 17, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> I saw him in Fringe- his normal voice seems to suit that belter cadence



His face really reminds me of someone and it's been bugging me for weeks who it is

Eta: brilliant, bringing it to mind to write that has solved it - Charlie Brooker


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 18, 2017)

Why ios Amos acting so weird tho, I think I missed something


----------



## oneflewover (Mar 19, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> Why ios Amos acting so weird tho, I think I missed something





Spoiler



Empathy removed? by doctor chappy who was kidnapped


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 19, 2017)

It looks that way, definitely.

In other news, my will broke a few days ago and am now bang up to date on S2. IT'S JUST TOO GOOD NOT TO WATCH.


----------



## J Ed (Mar 19, 2017)

oneflewover said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Empathy removed? by doctor chappy who was kidnapped



I was thinking that, but it doesn't seem to be that huge of a change, it seems implied to me that that might not be the case.


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 19, 2017)

Totally. Even in 



Spoiler:  S1 E2



he tells Holden he couldn't think of any reason not to throw him off the ship, except Naomi wouldn't like it



So, yeah. I agree.


----------



## J Ed (Mar 19, 2017)

Expanse is such a great TV programme, best thing out there atm.


----------



## red & green (Mar 19, 2017)

It's fantastic


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 19, 2017)

What I wonder about Amos is, is he processing some other shit, the kind of shit that made him how he is? He's mentioned vaguely someone from his past.

About Naomi, I'm now wondering as I haven't since the start, how deep in the OPA is she exactly?

I _still _wonder why  Holden left Earth (though this is a major plot hook anyway)

And I obviously wonder who's going to die next.


----------



## Supine (Mar 23, 2017)

Latest episode is keeping up the quality


----------



## DotCommunist (Mar 28, 2017)

Spoiler: rocinante



lovely shot of it being parked in just the right place and orbit to stay nice and quiet


----------



## lefteri (Mar 30, 2017)

The universal basic income on earth bit and Martians' disgust at it was interesting I thought


----------



## editor (Mar 30, 2017)

I've got a far as episode 6 of the first series and it's getting worse. Should I hang in?


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 30, 2017)

What don't you like about it? 
(if it's easier to say what you do like about it, do that)


----------



## editor (Mar 30, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> What don't you like about it?
> (if it's easier to say what you do like about it, do that)


It's gone all a bit space combat cliche. Like a video game.


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 30, 2017)

-


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 30, 2017)

I'd hang on for one more, episode 7 is great IIRC. If you still don't like it, give up then


----------



## mojo pixy (Mar 30, 2017)

...aaand S2 E10 is up.

_Every shitty thing we do makes the next one a little bit easier, doesn't it._


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 2, 2017)

editor said:


> It's gone all a bit space combat cliche. Like a video game.


It's science fiction. Sometimes that may include things happening in space.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 2, 2017)

more top quality amos:



Spoiler: amos



'how many people have you killed?'

'I not sure'

'you're not sure?!'

' well I'm not a homicidal maniac'


----------



## BigTom (Apr 6, 2017)

Superb episode



Spoiler: ep 11



that moment when Amos chucks the grenade back in the other room and they're all just wtf? as people start firing and screaming .


----------



## lefteri (Apr 7, 2017)

editor said:


> It's gone all a bit space combat cliche. Like a video game.



There's not actually that much combat overall, for a space opera - far more dialogue


----------



## lefteri (Apr 7, 2017)

BigTom said:


> Superb episode
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Aagghh, waiting for the ms so I can watch it - on tenterhooks


----------



## editor (Apr 7, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> It's science fiction. Sometimes that may include things happening in space.


No really? Thing is, I'd like to think that in the future there'd be smarter alternatives to fleets of monstrously expensive ships conducting monstrously expensive battles in the deep vastness of space.


----------



## lefteri (Apr 7, 2017)

editor said:


> No really? Thing is, I'd like to think that in the future there'd be smarter alternatives to fleets of monstrously expensive ships conducting monstrously expensive battles in the deep vastness of space.


Robot wars?


----------



## Idaho (Apr 7, 2017)

editor said:


> No really? Thing is, I'd like to think that in the future there'd be smarter alternatives to fleets of monstrously expensive ships conducting monstrously expensive battles in the deep vastness of space.


Really? What's not to love? 

 

If you _really_ hate space combat sf, then it's not the series for you. But if you can tolerate it in a justified context then maybe there is hope. 

Inevitably sf is dystopian and plays out the same failed way of doing things as now - both as allegory and to create some tension in the story.


----------



## Crispy (Apr 7, 2017)

editor said:


> No really? Thing is, I'd like to think that in the future there'd be smarter alternatives to fleets of monstrously expensive ships conducting monstrously expensive battles in the deep vastness of space.


Sure, but it wouldn't make such exciting TV


----------



## Idaho (Apr 7, 2017)

But yeah, you would think that it would all be remote drone swarms, accelerated roids and sensor spoofing.


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 7, 2017)

it's only set about 200 years in the future. Actually looking at the tech they seem to be using and the spread of settlements around the solar system 200 years seems a bit optimistic. At least 300, surely.


----------



## lefteri (Apr 7, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> it's only set about 200 years in the future. Actually looking at the tech they seem to be using and the spread of settlements around the solar system 200 years seems a bit optimistic. At least 300, surely.



There's no man-made artificial intelligence as far as I can tell


----------



## Crispy (Apr 7, 2017)

lefteri said:


> There's no man-made artificial intelligence as far as I can tell


No Strong AI that we've seen, but the computers seem to be very good at natural language and can answer complex questions


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 7, 2017)

The stations are huge and well-supplied. How long might it take to make a Ceres Station like that? More than 200 years from now, I reckon.


----------



## Crispy (Apr 7, 2017)

It's going to be 



Spoiler: s02e11



his daughter


 running amok out there isn't it?



lefteri said:


> The universal basic income on earth bit and Martians' disgust at it was interesting I thought



And then when we meet some so-called "takers" during Bobbi's escape, we get to see just how basic it is. 30 billion people can't live like kings. Some really good world-building in this show.


----------



## Crispy (Apr 7, 2017)

Oh, and the suspiciously quick slingshot trajectory that Alex took the Roccinante on?

GUEST POST: Losing Science in Drama (and Finding Drama in Science) - Danielabraham.com

The writers only realised what they'd done once VFX production was underway and it was too late to change.
Also, this tickled me:


> _**The accounting department at our studio often refers to the show as “The Expense”. _


----------



## lefteri (Apr 7, 2017)

Crispy said:


> Oh, and the suspiciously quick slingshot trajectory that Alex took the Roccinante on?
> 
> GUEST POST: Losing Science in Drama (and Finding Drama in Science) - Danielabraham.com
> 
> ...




The fact that they're even worried about this sort of thing shows the level of attention to detail and verisimilitude


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 8, 2017)

editor said:


> No really? Thing is, I'd like to think that in the future there'd be smarter alternatives to fleets of monstrously expensive ships conducting monstrously expensive battles in the deep vastness of space.



hey the military-industrial complex has to go somewhere. Asteroid mining.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 8, 2017)

yes 11 is fairly immense 



Spoiler: stuff



from that sly slow slingshots sequence to the rage of a father- and when his little girls backback sprung out the 3-d pokemon style graphics in his hands I choked back a rageful tear. The Martian sergeants defection, so epically violent and tense. She's gorgeous as well, not simply for the looks but that righteous fury. And to break the rigid moral code of her martial martian indoctrination? Fist bump. More to say on this but I think its a second-watcher. Whatserfaces decision to split with the crew and take muscles with her struck me as sudden but it is in character. They're all the only people trying to get rid of the protomolecule, and save all they can in the proccess. They have a moral imperative to them. Fucking quality viewing


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 8, 2017)

Also Ashur from Spartacus: Blood and Sand is well throwing me off even though he is playing the same sort of devious cunt in the future as he did in the past


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 8, 2017)

oh and another one for those touches of realism from a previous- don't stagger, keep your eyes level and don't look at the horizon. Don't look weak spacer. Imagine being born where the horizon is a ceiling, a visit to an agri-dome on a school trip. Then to see your first true skyline, under the G you've never lived with, breathing outside which you were raised from infant to know should be lethal.  Agoraphobia and reverse vertigo with a soupcon of culture shock

And when she reaches the ocean to find how wrecked it is yet she still wants it- forget the plot service bit that came after that. I was oddly reminded of Huter S Thompsons Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. Not the main of it, the bit where they do find the American Dream and its a burnt out diner in a shithole bit of wasteland. You went to find it, but you got there and well, its all gone. My name is Ozymandias etc


----------



## Crispy (Apr 8, 2017)

Avasarala's plant on the science ship round Venus. What the hell is his accent supposed to be exactly?


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 8, 2017)

Accents in this show are all over the fucking place, it's even worse than Game of Thrones.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 13, 2017)

Fuck it, no sign of when season 2 is on Netflix so I'm going to stream it by other means.


----------



## 8den (Apr 13, 2017)

Recent quote from the show's exe producers about its sound design tickled me. 

"People who complain that there's no sound in space, should remember space doesn't also have a fucking massive orchestral score either".


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 13, 2017)

Great episode, nice teaser / signpost for the finale there at the very very end. Very much enjoyed 


Spoiler



- the formation of Team Avasarala, Tunney is rapidly becoming my favourite character.
- Naomi really kicking back against Amos, how will he take that?
- ''We done good'', smiles all around, awww good on 'em, _Beltalowda._
- As always, watching Alex just be cool as a cucumber is worth the viewing time.


Greatly looking forward to the last episode. Not to it being the last episode, but still.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 14, 2017)

loved what that big lad told naomi 'you aren't finished yet'


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 14, 2017)

Spoiler: stuff



watching the Roc face down a fleet was pretty fucking cool.


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 14, 2017)

That really was like something out of a Culture novel


----------



## 8den (Apr 14, 2017)

Nice moment in the last episode, and the Expanse is littered with them



Spoiler: latest episode



Just before the Parlay, the UN group are offered cucumber sandwiches, which marine Bobbi devours, with an uncharacteristic lack of discipline. I don't think I've heard the word cucumber on the show before. I assume that cucumbers, which require lots of H20 to grow, must be an unbelievable luxury to a martian. I've not seen it mentioned anywhere, aside from a reddit thread so I've tweeted my question at the show's writers room


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 14, 2017)

aye I noticed that. It was clearly a deliberate display of luxury.

another thing with naomi this week. Ties back into that sense of moral imperative to the crew that struck me.. Her decision to split on a save mission last ep slightly suprised me but it makes more and more sense. Naomi seeks to atone, for something. It's not the only mention of atonement. Indian husky voiced lady told that megolomaniac twat to 'seek atonement'. In the martian sergeants furious and brutal defection we saw a confused, betrayed angry woman trying to atone for her guilt at those who died under her command, to seek a justice of some kind. A restitution. 

what ties this to my surprise at naomis decision in ep 11 was that I'm unused these days to shows that have a character roster of people with a moral imperative- not perfect, not fanatics. Flawed human beings who are trying to make it right. Mojo Pixy highlighted it a while back- naomi 'each shitty thing we do makes the next one easier'. Recognizing the dangers of that drive. I'm not a child so I don't need goodies and baddies and who hasn't cheered on Hannibal as he ate his way through a bunch of twats? But done like this, without the clunky signalling and easy stereotypes. Now thats good writing.


----------



## 8den (Apr 14, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> aye I noticed that. It was clearly a deliberate display of luxury.
> 
> another thing with naomi this week. Ties back into that sense of moral imperative to the crew that struck me.. Her decision to split on a save mission last ep slightly suprised me but it makes more and more sense. Naomi seeks to atone, for something. It's not the only mention of atonement. Indian husky voiced lady told that megolomaniac twat to 'seek atonement'. In the martian sergeants furious and brutal defection we saw a confused, betrayed angry woman trying to atone for her guilt at those who died under her command, to seek a justice of some kind. A restitution.
> 
> what ties this to my surprise at naomis decision in ep 11 was that I'm unused these days to shows that have a character roster of people with a moral imperative- not perfect, not fanatics. Flawed human beings who are trying to make it right. Mojo Pixy highlighted it a while back- naomi 'each shitty thing we do makes the next one easier'. Recognizing the dangers of that drive. I'm not a child so I don't need goodies and baddies and who hasn't cheered on Hannibal as he ate his way through a bunch of twats? But done like this, without the clunky signalling and easy stereotypes. Now thats good writing.



yeah 



Spoiler



when Naomi goes out to speak to refugees there's a genuine sense of peril and dread that she's maybe not coming back from this. There's an amazing performance from Dominque Tripper (who I _just _realised is  in "The girl with all the gifts") where you can see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes, and she wants to run from the airlock, but she steels herself and opens it because it's the right thing to do. This is all done simply with a look in her eyes. This is not Star Trek Voyager.


----------



## 8den (Apr 14, 2017)

8den said:


> Nice moment in the last episode, and the Expanse is littered with them
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Got a "like" from the expanse writers room twitter account for my cucumber question. I assume that means I'm right?


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 14, 2017)

A subtle nod of approval


----------



## Crispy (Apr 17, 2017)

Just got caught up. Fuck me this show just keeps getting better. All three storylines full of drama and nuance, character progression and some really juicy plot moves. And a bunch of (totally realistic) kick-ass space combat to boot. Fantastic stuff. Who do I have to throw out of an airlock to make sure this never gets cancelled?


----------



## Who PhD (Apr 20, 2017)

Is this out on region 2 DVD and if not should I blame Jeremy Corbyn for Brexit?


----------



## red & green (Apr 20, 2017)

What a great episode - I just love Naomi !


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 20, 2017)

Great ending, already cannot wait for Season 3 



Spoiler



the exploded spacecraft and the Venus mission dudes just hanging there incredulously .. great scene.



Awesome stuff.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 21, 2017)

There! there is naomis guilt. Long live the OPA!

Also some more excellent Amos being completely utilitarian.

The stand off with woman-whose-name-I-cannot-spell and Asher was quality. Initially I was like 'what the enemy guns can't go through a table?! wtf?' but then I recalled that high powered weaponry is generally not a good idea if its strong enough to breach a hull.

Coming to love martian sergeant woman more and more. She's ten sorts of awesome.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 21, 2017)

I also felt sorry for the protomolecule thing. It was just hungry man, give it a meal not the arse end of engines output


----------



## lefteri (Apr 24, 2017)

Final episode was ace, great to have a full on all action nailbiter - if I had any criticism of the series before it was that it sometimes lacks real drama, like they didn't quite know how to pull off real jeopardy

But that episode had it in spades


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 26, 2017)

Steamed through season 2 the last couple of days, fantastic stuff. I continue to feel the actor playing Holden is the weakest of the bunch but the rest of the cast just knock it out of the park and I love the near future tech.

Loved the Martian marine lady jumping into the plates of cucumber sarnies while everyone else was being all dramatic and Machiavellian, a nice touch. Be interesting to see if botanist fella does manage to try and communicate to one of the proto-men and what'll happen next season


----------



## Who PhD (Apr 26, 2017)

I'm so behind in this, I've only watched the first half of season 1, which I really enjoyed. I was hoping there'd be a region 2 dvd release. 

I've read the first two books and have the next two. The books are fantastic.


----------



## Tankus (Apr 26, 2017)

Found it on you tube yesterday......and just binged  8 episodes .....excellent


----------



## Corax (Apr 27, 2017)

I'm a huge fan of the books, but just found the 1st series 'okay',  The second though - damn it's hit its stride now.  Just brilliant stuff.

I love GoT, and Westworld - but am always perplexed when stuff like this, which is on the same level IMO, seems to largely slip through the net.

Great reveal at the end of the finale episode when it turns out that Amos was a Protogen android being controlled by Anderson Dawes by all along. 

Anyway, what do I watch *now?  *


----------



## Corax (Apr 29, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> Accents in this show are all over the fucking place, it's even worse than Game of Thrones.


I don't really understand that as an observation.  It's set way in the future, spread across a whole array of planets and civilisations, and we only know the background to a handful of the characters.


----------



## Corax (Apr 29, 2017)

Anyway, I want more Expanse and I want it *NOW* FFS. 

Any recommendations to fill the void?  I'm giving Colony a go and it's okay so far, but a bit prosaic and slow after watching Expanse.  On about S01E05 so far I think.


----------



## Who PhD (Apr 29, 2017)

Corax said:


> Anyway, I want more Expanse and I want it *NOW* FFS.
> 
> Any recommendations to fill the void?  I'm giving Colony a go and it's okay so far, but a bit prosaic and slow after watching Expanse.  On about S01E05 so far I think.


 Emmerdale Farm.


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 29, 2017)

Corax said:


> I don't really understand that as an observation.  It's set way in the future, spread across a whole array of planets and civilisations, and we only know the background to a handful of the characters.



I mean that, from my own listening to the characters I'm noticing little if any consistency in how characters sound and their backgrounds, as far we get to find them out.


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 29, 2017)

It's not something that bothers me really, it's fiction so I just go with it.


----------



## Corax (Apr 29, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> I mean that, from my own listening to the characters I'm noticing little if any consistency in how characters sound and their backgrounds, as far we get to find them out.


Hmm.  Okay.

For me personally, it didn't jar, as we know little of the younger years of anyone other than Holden & Tex Kamal.  Even those that grew up on 'Mars' or 'The Belt' - we don't get given anything more specific than that, so could have been subject to regional/cultural dialects etc.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 29, 2017)

Corax said:


> Anyway, I want more Expanse and I want it *NOW* FFS.
> 
> Any recommendations to fill the void?  I'm giving Colony a go and it's okay so far, but a bit prosaic and slow after watching Expanse.  On about S01E05 so far I think.


sense8


----------



## Corax (Apr 29, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> sense8


15 minutes into the first episode and I already love it.  You r00l Dotty.


----------



## Corax (May 1, 2017)

Four episodes and still brilliant DotCommunist 

They're like a geographically disparate Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers


----------



## DotCommunist (May 1, 2017)

Corax said:


> Four episodes and still brilliant DotCommunist
> 
> They're like a geographically disparate Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers


there was an xmas special and srs 2 is due soonish.


----------



## teqniq (May 1, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> there was an xmas special and srs 2 is due soonish.


As it was your recommendation, I started watching it last night. Really good.  Series 2 is already available on torrent sites and Kodi.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 1, 2017)

excellent I'll get a download tonight. Big snooker final first lol


----------



## Corax (May 2, 2017)

teqniq said:


> Series 2 is already available on torrent sites and Kodi.


Is it? Not finding anything on TPB, KAT or ET...


----------



## Crispy (May 2, 2017)

Expanse S02E01 Torrent Magnet Download (17 Results) - TorrentQuest

and so on


----------



## mojo pixy (May 2, 2017)

I torrented it less than a day after the last episode had aired. I'm just waiting for my joy to fade so I can binge the whole series


----------



## Corax (May 2, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> I torrented it less than a day after the last episode had aired. I'm just waiting for my joy to fade so I can binge the whole series


Aaah - I thought you were still referring to _Sense8_!

(which is also due S2 soon - on the 5th I think)


----------



## DotCommunist (May 2, 2017)

the 5th yes. xmas special is listed as part of srs 2 hence earlier confusionz


----------



## Corax (May 3, 2017)

Just about to hit play on _Sense8 _S01E12.  Christmas special and _Expanse_ S02E01 Thursday, but what am I going to watch on Friday that's anywhere near as good as these two?

Ah, of course - I can catch up with _The Great Indoors_.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 3, 2017)

Mrs Browns Boys


----------



## Corax (May 3, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> Mrs Browns Boys


I've already worn out my box-sets.


----------



## NoXion (May 6, 2017)

I've watched this up until the opening episode of Season 2. When did SyFy start making stuff like this, decent hard-ish TV sci-fi, as opposed to pure shit like _Sharknado_?

Season 3 is coming out next year. It's going to be annoying having to wait that long.


----------



## Corax (May 6, 2017)

NoXion said:


> When did SyFy start making stuff like this, decent hard-ish TV sci-fi, as opposed to pure shit like _Sharknado_?


It's getting insane.  Not just SyFy, and not just Sci-Fi, but generally.  The 'golden age of television' rhetoric doesn't appear to be as much bollocks as it sounds.  I was considering starting a thread about it tbh, but couldn't be arsed.

Here's a little list, which is of course biased by my particular tastes.
_
The Expanse
Peaky Blinders
American Gods
Westworld
Game of Thrones
Sense8_

I could chuck more in - _Into the Badlands, Legion, Stan Lee's Lucky Man, Gotham_ - but those above I imagine have wider appeal.

Even if these aren't your cup of tea, the production values are way above what we've seen before.  It's not long ago people were spewing hot yoghurt over _Breaking Bad_.  Most of those above kick BB in the ballsack.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 7, 2017)

I think people have realised the cinemas a con which helps.

Hook the audience with a decent TV show and you put bums on seats for longer and get the money from marketing tie in merchandising as well.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 7, 2017)

Artaxerxes said:


> I think people have realised the cinemas a con which helps.
> 
> Hook the audience with a decent TV show and you put bums on seats for longer and get the money from marketing tie in merchandising as well.


the best stuff is also coming from people who already have a subscriber base in the US or worldwide as well.


----------



## Supine (May 7, 2017)

Great end to the series. Just binge watched the last four episodes. I want S3 to start already!


----------



## teqniq (May 9, 2017)

Corax said:


> Is it? Not finding anything on TPB, KAT or ET...



It may not have been so when I originally posted for which apologies, but it certainly is now. Also definitely on Kodi

Sense8 Torrent Magnet Download (437 Results) - TorrentQuest


----------



## girasol (May 9, 2017)

Couldn't stick with the sense8 'special', it was so bad that we switched off after about 45 minutes.  Funny thing we both (husband and I) agreed it was bad   Never went back to it after that.  (Yeah, S1 we enjoyed)


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 9, 2017)

Yeah the special was terrible. 


Just seen S2 episode one and much better so far.


----------



## BigTom (May 19, 2017)

I see there's a boardgame coming out: The Expanse Board Game | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
2 player is Earth & Mars
3 player is Earth, Mars & OPA
4 player is Earth, Mars, OPA & Protogen

sounds interesting, there's a thread there with the designer talking about the game and how much he loves the book/tv series, it sounds good and I would play OPA even in a two player game (one for the informal anarchist action thread obv). End of August apparently.


----------



## AnnO'Neemus (May 20, 2017)

NoXion said:


> I've watched this up until the opening episode of Season 2. When did SyFy start making stuff like this, decent hard-ish TV sci-fi, as opposed to pure shit like _Sharknado_?
> 
> Season 3 is coming out next year. It's going to be annoying having to wait that long.


SyFy stuff is good. Also check out Z Nation. Which is superlatively cheesy zombie stuff.


----------



## AnnO'Neemus (May 20, 2017)

BigTom said:


> I see there's a boardgame coming out: The Expanse Board Game | Board Game | BoardGameGeek
> 2 player is Earth & Mars
> 3 player is Earth, Mars & OPA
> 4 player is Earth, Mars, OPA & Protogen
> ...


The Expanse isn't that good though. The guy with the hat is so generic and his hat substitutes for his/a personality.


----------



## NoXion (May 20, 2017)

AnnO'Neemus said:


> The Expanse isn't that good though. The guy with the hat is so generic and his hat substitutes for his/a personality.



It's space opera with enough hard sci-fi flourishes to keep nerds like me happy. In that case I can forgive Miller being a typical broody hardboiled detective from noir fiction. Especially since the guy playing him does a good enough job for me to actually care about the character.


----------



## mojo pixy (May 20, 2017)

It's arguable that Miller is going to be more interesting as the story goes on. All he really needed to do in terms of the narrative was 



Spoiler



have a good excuse to be chasing Julie Mao, so as to catch her and become protomolecule with her or something like that.



tl;dr, that character didn't really need to be deep and nuanced anyway IMO


----------



## Corax (May 21, 2017)

J Ed said:


> Just curious, have you seen Colony? If so, what do you think of it?


_*hat tip*_

Brousaaaaaard!


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 21, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> It's arguable that Miller is going to be more interesting as the story goes on. All he really needed to do in terms of the narrative was
> 
> 
> 
> ...




He's a lot more enjoyable to watch than seeing captain pretty boy pout for the tenth time.


----------



## Chz (May 21, 2017)

Artaxerxes said:


> He's a lot more enjoyable to watch than seeing captain pretty boy pout for the tenth time.


I've not personally read the novels, but I'm told he's quite a bit less irritatingly sincere in the TV program. Also that psychotic guy's psychosis is a bit more human.


----------



## NoXion (May 23, 2017)

Not read the books either, but Holden's idealism in the TV series has gotten on my tits at least once.

Amos I'm kind of ambivalent about. On one hand he can be scary, there's something clearly wrong with him and he knows it, while his impassive approach to violence magnifies his menace. But then he'll say or do something very humanising and I can't help but like the guy a little.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 23, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Not read the books either, but Holden's idealism in the TV series has gotten on my tits at least once.
> 
> Amos I'm kind of ambivalent about. On one hand he can be scary, there's something clearly wrong with him and he knows it, while his impassive approach to violence magnifies his menace. But then he'll say or do something very humanising and I can't help but like the guy a little.


'three kinds of people. Those you follow, those you protect and those you fight'. Can't find the direct quote, so thats likely paraphrasing, my mind is a sieve. But that one made me like the character more. Not without conscience of a kind.


----------



## trabuquera (Sep 13, 2017)

Artaxerxes said:


> He's a lot more enjoyable to watch than seeing captain pretty boy pout for the tenth time.


Speak for yourself son  but in fact this is a cast groaning with lovelies of all genders, colours and sizes.

EPIC BUMP because I'm so technologically backwards that I only just managed to binge the whole of s2 over three glorious days because it's now on Netflix. What's not to love. Has rocketed (oooh sorry) right to the centre of my heart and top of my favourites lists on so many grounds. Does get much more dramatic, and that's not even because of the ramping up of imaginary weapons or expensive CGI or sweeping space battles, but because the characters' internal motivation and the conflicts between their worldviews and ethics are being explored more. Some really tough-minded exploration of the philosophy of war, the rule of economics, how technology changes (?trumps?) culture, the inherent flaws of humans, individual vs group rights etc - of a much more sophisticated kind than you often get in SF. There is nothing about it I don't like, I just want more of it (indeed more of this sort of thing in general.) Genuinely awesome, in the 19th century sense of the word, in places too.


----------



## Crispy (Sep 13, 2017)

We're rewatching now it's on Netflix and as predicted earlier on this thread, it's really good the 2nd time through. You can see all the pieces moving.

I really *really* hope it's doing well enough on streaming services to keep going to the end. The authors have the whole plot mapped out, so no getting lost in the weeds like BSG or hurridly wrapping up frayed loose ends like GoT.


----------



## EastEnder (Sep 13, 2017)

It's alright but the daft accents are getting on my tits. Detracts from the story line & doesn't really add anything. If someone could dub it in RP & Queens English that'd be most appreciated


----------



## NoXion (Sep 14, 2017)

EastEnder said:


> It's alright but the daft accents are getting on my tits. Detracts from the story line & doesn't really add anything. If someone could dub it in RP & Queens English that'd be most appreciated


It doesn't detract from the story at all, in fact I'd have a hard time suspending my sense of disbelief if entirely new cultures had arisen in space and  they all sounded like present day Brits.


----------



## EastEnder (Sep 14, 2017)

NoXion said:


> It doesn't detract from the story at all, in fact I'd have a hard time suspending my sense of disbelief if entirely new cultures had arisen in space and  they all sounded like present day Brits.


But you have no problem with them all speaking English (albeit a silly dialect)? 

Why aren't they speaking a variant of Chinese?


----------



## NoXion (Sep 14, 2017)

EastEnder said:


> But you have no problem with them all speaking English (albeit a silly dialect)?
> 
> Why aren't they speaking a variant of Chinese?


Why would they? Given that English already exists as a global auxiliary language, why would that change in less than two centuries?


----------



## cybershot (Sep 14, 2017)

Universal Translator innit.


----------



## Crispy (Sep 14, 2017)

It's not a Dialect, it's a Creole. There's some Chinese in there. 
That Cool Dialect on The Expanse Mashes Up 6 Languages


----------



## Agent Sparrow (Sep 14, 2017)

I like the Belter accent. And I only find it amusing that no one version of it is exactly the same


----------



## lefteri (Sep 14, 2017)

Ah shit, thought a new series was nearing when I saw this thread bumped- it's probably still an aeon away isn't it


----------



## Crispy (Sep 14, 2017)

lefteri said:


> Ah shit, thought a new series was nearing when I saw this thread bumped- it's probably still an aeon away isn't it


S2 ordered Dec 2015, premiered Feb 2017
S3 ordered Mar 2017, premieres ??? 2018
Would be around May if it takes the same amount of time to make.


----------



## chilango (Sep 14, 2017)

Jus started S2 last night. Didnt really grab me, but the Martian marines are cool.


----------



## trabuquera (Sep 14, 2017)

Agent Sparrow said:


> I like the Belter accent. And I only find it amusing that no one version of it is exactly the same



yer, (yah? yeah? yea? yes indeedy? yu betcha?), I thought the same thing ... some actors give it a definite Jamaican/Jafakean tang, others seem to be veering more towards W African Pidgin ... Cara Gee sounds more like a posh Japanese lady trying to talk Cockney  ... Beltalowda go their own way, right? (honestly I think it's just down to the individual actor and they're mostly just making it up as they go along anyway). I don't care really - just the fact that there IS a Belter accent and dialect shows a level of worldbuilding smarts most sci fi does not bother with.


----------



## DotCommunist (Sep 14, 2017)

Jared Harris has an od one, but then he talks like that on Fringe as well so maybe its his normal voice only slightly tweaked


----------



## NoXion (Sep 14, 2017)

Agent Sparrow said:


> I like the Belter accent. And I only find it amusing that no one version of it is exactly the same


 Apparently Belter Creole has dialects, according to the wiki. Would make sense, everything's all far apart in space even when you've got an Epstein drive.


----------



## NoXion (Sep 14, 2017)

lefteri said:


> Ah shit, thought a new series was nearing when I saw this thread bumped- it's probably still an aeon away isn't it


It comes out next year, so still a while yet I'm afraid. I saw it earlier this year and I was bummed to hear I'd have to wait that long for the continuation.


----------



## DotCommunist (Sep 14, 2017)

just realised the martians are a bit daily mail. Disgusted at filthy earthers on the universal dole, militaristic and pompous. anymore parallels.


----------



## trabuquera (Sep 14, 2017)

^ they also lament the coarsening of youth morals and thing young people don't know what it is to sacrifice any more


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 14, 2017)

Mars is blatantly fascist. On the other hand, that Lt. Gunney (?) turned out to be probably my favourite character by the end of S2. I guess it's like they say, fascists _are_ cool


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 14, 2017)

How she's randomly Australian is beyond me though. She's like the Ser Davos of _The Expanse_.


----------



## Agent Sparrow (Sep 14, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Apparently Belter Creole has dialects, according to the wiki. Would make sense, everything's all far apart in space even when you've got an Epstein drive.


Yes I wondered similar and thought it would be a good excuse


----------



## Agent Sparrow (Sep 14, 2017)

trabuquera said:


> yer, (yah? yeah? yea? yes indeedy? yu betcha?), I thought the same thing ... some actors give it a definite Jamaican/Jafakean tang, others seem to be veering more towards W African Pidgin ... Cara Gee sounds more like a posh Japanese lady trying to talk Cockney  ... Beltalowda go their own way, right? (honestly I think it's just down to the individual actor and they're mostly just making it up as they go along anyway). I don't care really - just the fact that there IS a Belter accent and dialect shows a level of worldbuilding smarts most sci fi does not bother with.


I swear one person sounded Scottish 

Re: Cara Gee, Drummer is fast becoming one of my favourite minor characters


----------



## DotCommunist (Sep 14, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> Mars is blatantly fascist. On the other hand, that Lt. Gunney (?) turned out to be probably my favourite character by the end of S2. I guess it's like they say, fascists _are_ cool



looking for a cleaner time, earth corrupted etc..ruined by the weak..

does this angle play out more in the books I will get around to?


----------



## BigTom (Sep 14, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> looking for a cleaner time, earth corrupted etc..ruined by the weak..
> 
> does this angle play out more in the books I will get around to?



there's a blood and soil reference too, they talk about having martian dust in their blood iirc


----------



## marshall (Sep 14, 2017)

I'm really enjoying it, but know that I'm missing bits and pieces on first view; can well imagine it's even better second time around. 

Like what Crispy said.


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 14, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> looking for a cleaner time, earth corrupted etc..ruined by the weak..
> 
> does this angle play out more in the books I will get around to?



I honestly don't know about those books, but the trope is familiar.


----------



## Crispy (Sep 14, 2017)

mojo pixy said:


> Mars is blatantly fascist. On the other hand, that Lt. Gunney (?) turned out to be probably my favourite character by the end of S2. I guess it's like they say, fascists _are_ cool


She's a Gunnery Sergeant, hence "Gunny"
Her name's Bobbie Draper.

Wiki says Mars is a representative democracy with separation of powers etc.
Not sure they're fascist as such, just very sure of their purpose


----------



## NoXion (Sep 14, 2017)

Yeah, they're literally trying to build a new world with their terraforming project.


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 14, 2017)

Militaristic, is what I was thinking in particular. No tolerance for perceived laziness or weakness.


----------



## Agent Sparrow (Sep 14, 2017)

Harsh conditions raise harsh people I guess. Bit fremen-like.


----------



## DotCommunist (Sep 15, 2017)

fremen guided by a certain mysticism tho. But heh, god created mars to train the faithful. That fits.


NoXion said:


> Yeah, they're literally trying to build a new world with their terraforming project.


lebensraum.


----------



## NoXion (Sep 15, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> lebensraum.



Somehow I don't think that thickening the atmosphere of a dead planet stains the soul anywhere near as much as massacring entire peoples and stealing their land, though.


----------



## NoXion (Sep 15, 2017)

When I first saw the Martians as they took the Canterbury crew into custody, I saw their uniforms and thought that at some point one of them was gonna say something along the lines of "vee haff *vayz* of makink you tok" and our heroes would end up getting the black rubber glove treatment.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see that they didn't do that. Instead Mr Aryan Superman-looking Dude self-administers this drug that looks like it gives him some kind of hyper-awareness while he conducts a verbal interrogation. Presumably that's why he insists that they keep their hands visible.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Sep 15, 2017)

EastEnder said:


> It's alright but the daft accents are getting on my tits. Detracts from the story line & doesn't really add anything. If someone could dub it in RP & Queens English that'd be most appreciated




I love the Belter slang, its the best bit for me.


----------



## PursuedByBears (Sep 16, 2017)

Just finished S2. That's the best telly sci-fi since the first three series of BSG. I've also been reading the books - S2 finished halfway through book 2, lots of good stuff to come next series although


Spoiler: Spoiler for book 2



I was expecting the last scene to be Miller surrounded by blue fireflies appearing in front of Holden



I really liked Bobbie Draper and also Avasalara's aide Cotyar, where have I seen that actor before?


----------



## DotCommunist (Sep 16, 2017)

PursuedByBears said:


> Just finished S2. That's the best telly sci-fi since the first three series of BSG. I've also been reading the books - S2 finished halfway through book 2, lots of good stuff to come next series although
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Spoiler for book 2
> ...


Spatarcus: Blood and Sand. He plays injured gladiator Ashur who goes on to be a schemer and high ranking non-combat slave


also I have now had to download Leviathan Wakes because I was born a book wanker and will die a book wanker. Its too long to wait for the new series, might as well see the source for the first two...


----------



## PursuedByBears (Sep 16, 2017)

Yes, of course! Thanks dotty!


----------



## JimW (Sep 17, 2017)

Finished season 2 and enjoyed it though


Spoiler: Minor quibble



did think that bit when the Caliban creature is ripping up the hold of the Rocinante was a bit daft in several ways, not least that apparently you can pull a load of pipes out of the guts of the ship with not much ill effect


----------



## J Ed (Sep 17, 2017)

Anyone know what progress has been made on the TV adaptation of Red Mars?


----------



## Crispy (Sep 17, 2017)

J Ed said:


> Anyone know what progress has been made on the TV adaptation of Red Mars?


Fell apart in pre-production. Pilot script writer JM Straczynski declined the showrunner role, and the second guy they got in also left. "Creative DIfferences" all over. Officially it's on hold.


----------



## J Ed (Sep 17, 2017)




----------



## NoXion (Sep 17, 2017)

JimW said:


> Finished season 2 and enjoyed it though
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Minor quibble
> ...





Spoiler



Well, as you said, it was ripping up the hold. Don't forget that the Rocinante is bigger than just the pressurised volumes we see when the crew are on board. If I ripped a hole in the boot of a car, I'd still be able to drive it just fine.


----------



## DotCommunist (Sep 17, 2017)

also: redundancy.


----------



## JimW (Sep 17, 2017)

NoXion said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Well, as you said, it was ripping up the hold. Don't forget that the Rocinante is bigger than just the pressurised volumes we see when the crew are on board. If I ripped a hole in the boot of a car, I'd still be able to drive it just fine.


Yeah but next time you turned on the windscreen wipers the washer bottle would be empty


----------



## NoXion (Sep 17, 2017)

JimW said:


> Yeah but next time you turned on the windscreen wipers the washer bottle would be empty


 isn't the washer bottle usually under the bonnet?


----------



## mojo pixy (Sep 17, 2017)

Yeah, in fact you'd probably just fuck up the spare tyre, which would only be a problem come the next puncture...


----------



## Chz (Sep 18, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> also: redundancy.


It is a military ship, you'd expect that. So long as the magazines don't explode, a military boat (real one, on the water) can absorb a frankly unbelievable amount of damage and still float. There are various photos from WW2 of boats missing their entire bows coming in for repair. The ones that do go down quickly either explode (cf: Hood) or suffer an absurd amount of punishment (see Kirishima and the 20 16" shells she ate). 

The real-world exception would be surprise damage (usually a torpedo) while the watertight doors are open and DC is asleep, but that doesn't really apply to the Roci here. They _should_ have all been suited for hard vac if they had any sense, though.


----------



## girasol (Sep 18, 2017)

Watched the 1st episode of S2, realised I could remember nothing of S1.  So now I'm watching S1 again, with a constant sense of deja vu   But it's fine, because it still is a pretty good watch!


----------



## BigTom (Sep 21, 2017)

Just rewatching S2 on netflix. Amos fucking rocks, some of his lines are just brilliant.


----------



## DotCommunist (Oct 5, 2017)

I've worked out why I like Bobbie Draper. 



Spoiler: mars



she didn't defect because the military training was defective, or she saw through a lie. She's the first class martian marine, utterly dedicated. You could read in her lines and acting how troubled she was to give false testimony and how much it pained her. But for the good of the Project, for Mars, it must be borne. The mens memory will be honoured. It was the betrayal of that, the apportioning of blame to those who died under her command that broke the code. It was in the end that you have to know what is _right, _you have to have some honour. A truly dedicated part of an authoritarian military structure was fed a line of utilitarian bullshit and much like Jean-Luc said T'HE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE! THIS FAR, NO FURTHER!


----------



## Supine (Oct 5, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> I've worked out why I like Bobbie Draper.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You've obviously been dwelling in this for a while


----------



## DotCommunist (Oct 5, 2017)

Supine said:


> You've obviously been dwelling in this for a while


its odd in a way, one thing you don't always get from tv/film sci fi is a characters internal voice. In some (a lot) of written sci fi the internal monologue works for exposition and character in differing measure. So with something like this, live action  I'm left trying to gauge why the character works, to examine my own response to it. Credit to the show that she isn't the easy stereotype of 'fit warrior woman' anymore than Fred Johnson is a stereotypical 'revolutionary madman'. There are depths.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 5, 2017)

I think you LURVE her, ner ner ner.


----------



## DotCommunist (Oct 5, 2017)

Crispy said:


> I think you LURVE her, ner ner ner.


I wouldn't kick her out of bed. Because she'd grab my foot and break my leg in one swift move.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 5, 2017)

DotCommunist said:


> I wouldn't kick her out of bed. Because she'd grab my foot and break my leg in one swift move.


Wait for the 0g flip and punt her across the room, laughing


----------



## krtek a houby (Nov 4, 2017)

Apologies if this has been pointed out before but Miller really reminds me of Johnny Nemo


----------



## BigTom (Mar 10, 2018)

Trailer for season 3 is out, starts again on April 11th, can't wait

The Expanse


----------



## krtek a houby (Mar 10, 2018)

BigTom said:


> Trailer for season 3 is out, starts again on April 11th, can't wait
> 
> The Expanse



No, no...must ... avoid ....trailers


----------



## BigTom (Mar 10, 2018)

krtek a houby said:


> No, no...must ... avoid ....trailers



I'm not watching it


----------



## Crispy (Mar 10, 2018)

This content is not available in your location


----------



## krtek a houby (Mar 10, 2018)

BigTom said:


> I'm not watching it



Gods only knows when Netflix here will get it.


----------



## Signal 11 (Mar 10, 2018)

Crispy said:


> This content is not available in your location





Spoiler: trailer on youtube



spoilers!


----------



## BigTom (Mar 10, 2018)

krtek a houby said:


> Gods only knows when Netflix here will get it.



Previous seasons they have it all on Netflix as soon as the season finishes on syfy so 13 weeks after the 11th April, sometime in June or July.


----------



## xenon (Mar 12, 2018)

Watched first 2 seasons and over all liked it. There were some bits where it dragged but when it's going, it goes. I started reading the books and as someone else said, this is a rare case where the TV show is better than the books. In particular plot points, moments that don't exist in the book but do in the show that create better tension and character interest.



Spoiler



E.g. Miller in the books unpressured, decides to stay on Eros as a redemptive suicidal act. He could leave if he wanted. In the show, his suit being compromised by falling debris means he has to make the decision to see through the mission and die or come back to the ship as the rest want. He decides to stay and this created quite a powerful point for developing character empathy in the show IMO.


There's a couple of other instances of this sort of thing that I found disappointing. Still reading them though.


----------



## J Ed (Apr 3, 2018)

Returns next week


----------



## Crispy (Apr 12, 2018)

s03e01 now available off the back of your local lorry


----------



## Supine (Apr 12, 2018)

Hope this is a no spoilers thread! I fancy saving up a few episodes to binge


----------



## Crispy (Apr 12, 2018)

Supine said:


> Hope this is a no spoilers thread! I fancy saving up a few episodes to binge


It's a semi-spoilers thread. Don't read it unless you're caught up.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 12, 2018)

Spoiler: stuff



judicious use of this tool is only polite



I'll watch tonight


----------



## kabbes (Apr 12, 2018)

Glad it's back.  It's the best proper sci-fi telly has yet produced, I reckon.  As is my wont, though, I will wait until the season is complete before binging it.


----------



## Supine (Apr 12, 2018)

Crispy said:


> It's a semi-spoilers thread. Don't read it unless you're caught up.



Reckon I'll stop reading now and join you chaps for the discussion in a few months


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 13, 2018)

sick sick fx scenes for the opener. Its quite good as per.



Spoiler: stuff



the racing ship at the end is standout. Theres a bit where they are renaming the roc and naomi gives the choice to hydropnics man. I was expecting a cheese moment where he names the ship after his dead kid but no, he named a type of tree with a metaphor. Nice


----------



## J Ed (Apr 13, 2018)

Saw the first episode last night, didn't disappoint.


----------



## mojo pixy (Apr 13, 2018)

*mutes thread for the next ten weeks*

I intend to binge this, later


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 13, 2018)

mojo pixy said:


> *mutes thread for the next ten weeks*
> 
> I intend to binge this, later


you'll cave in by week 4!


----------



## xenon (Apr 16, 2018)

Where are people watching this? I didn't see series 3 on UK Netflix when I looked last night.


----------



## cybershot (Apr 16, 2018)

xenon said:


> Where are people watching this? I didn't see series 3 on UK Netflix when I looked last night.



illegally via torrents/usenet/illegal streaming sites/kodi addons


----------



## xenon (Apr 16, 2018)

Ah right. CBA with that. Will wait for Flix.


----------



## donkyboy (Apr 16, 2018)

another great episode. this is such an amazing show.


----------



## BigTom (Apr 16, 2018)

xenon said:


> Ah right. CBA with that. Will wait for Flix.


 My memory from last season is that as soon as the run ends on syfy it all goes up on Netflix, so i guess 12 weeks away.


----------



## lefteri (Apr 19, 2018)

Wasn't it on last night? Ep 2 doesn't seem to be available to torrent


----------



## Crispy (Apr 19, 2018)

lefteri said:


> Wasn't it on last night? Ep 2 doesn't seem to be available to torrent


Search Torrent/Magnet Links & Download Software, Movies, Games, TV, Music & More - TorrentQuest

expanse s03e02


----------



## rekil (Apr 19, 2018)

lefteri said:


> Wasn't it on last night? Ep 2 doesn't seem to be available to torrent





Spoiler



eztv dot ag


----------



## lefteri (Apr 19, 2018)

Crispy said:


> Search Torrent/Magnet Links & Download Software, Movies, Games, TV, Music & More - TorrentQuest
> 
> expanse s03e02



Thank you sir


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 19, 2018)

Spoiler: stuff



fair play to Ava still managing to play verbal dominance while under heavy g loads on her old persons frame 'Did you kill him? then spare me your sorrows'. Man of the Match has to go to Amos for that mid combat flight air rescue on hydroponics man and he barely even sounded perturbed. Just amos, the machine. Evil doctor is a little too close to cheese for my liking, stinking up the place which is normally fairly nuanced. See after he's spoke to hydro mans daughter and just as she leaves his indulgent smile snap drops into a cold grim face. Because thats how you know he is Bad _in lesser shows
_
minor bum note though, its still delivering in spades


----------



## Crispy (Apr 19, 2018)

Dr. Strickland should be in an 80s sci-fi with Schwarzenegger. His name, his haircut, his diabolical plans, all fit.

Love the space combat in this. Really fast and maneuverable submarines. Detection, speed, countermeasures and gutsy plans. No dogfighting and "the whites of his eyes"


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 20, 2018)

Spoiler: stuff



I'm hoping cotyar/ashur is not truly dead, I like his shtyle.


----------



## donkyboy (Apr 20, 2018)

another great episode. this is such an amazing show.


----------



## snadge (Apr 23, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> another great episode. this is such an amazing show.




Seconded.



Spoiler



That fucking thruster manoeuvre by Alex was perfect, the whole plan was tactically awesome, that is space war proper.  <fires up Elite>


----------



## Artaxerxes (Apr 24, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: stuff
> 
> 
> 
> I'm hoping cotyar/ashur is not truly dead, I like his shtyle.





Spoiler



I understand he's got some moments in trailers for the series so pretty sure he survives.


----------



## existentialist (Apr 24, 2018)

Getting stuck in to season 2. Thoroughly enjoying it.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 26, 2018)

Spoiler: stuff



aveserala quite literally pulling the 'I know your mother young man' card  some top quality Aveserala over all and cotyar not dead but alive and well, chokin mans then playing the hardcase to the UNN. A more politicking focused episode overall but that is the good shit also, President Pliable notwithstanding


----------



## Crispy (Apr 26, 2018)

I'm worried that the plot disregarded speed of light communications during the



Spoiler: E03



rail gun misfire incident



The delay in events seems to be much shorter than the distance between participants in light-minutes...


Otherwise, another cracking episode. Please don't kill this show, TV gods.


----------



## Chz (Apr 27, 2018)

The showrunners freely admit it's the one thing they totally ignore in the face of making it even possible to shoot a coherent show. Even with the... unobtainium drive, or whatever it's called, transit times between places would be in weeks and months. You could pull it off in a novel, but not on-screen. That little spin last season with using gravity slingshots and whatnot would take months just to hop a few moons.


----------



## Crispy (Apr 27, 2018)

Chz said:


> The showrunners freely admit it's the one thing they totally ignore in the face of making it even possible to shoot a coherent show. Even with the... unobtainium drive, or whatever it's called, transit times between places would be in weeks and months. You could pull it off in a novel, but not on-screen. That little spin last season with using gravity slingshots and whatnot would take months just to hop a few moons.


Nah, the travel times are pretty realistic. If you can accelerate at 1G constantly, you can go REALLY fast. You can go 5AU in 5 days. The slingshot thing was half way through VFX production when they realised it made no sense and just had to let it slide.

The issue I had was about how the 



Spoiler



5th missile platform seemed to know that the others had been destroyed and therefore got a shot off before being hit


 but thinking about it they were all actually much closer to Earth and stealthed, rather than far enough away for the delay to matter.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 27, 2018)

blond speech writer woman embodies the sickness of American liberalism imo.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 28, 2018)

if you are in a position to speak truth to power then that is what you should do, not help it with its homework and sugar coat its lies



Spoiler: stuff



and president pliable fucking did the strike anyway! audible sighs of relief as it was just a few mill south americans. Pro bombs man who later guilt tripped speech writer over causing the presidents hesitation (nice work dickhead) literally says it to her 'he'll need you now more than ever' thats right, Jimminy fucking Cricket, go wipe his tears. You're our shield of conscience that the man requires. Bleurgh.


----------



## Crispy (Apr 28, 2018)

Only twigged later that the credulous Captain was the former admiral who quit the SG's cabinet in S2 and had make up drink with Avasarala afterwards.


----------



## Crispy (May 3, 2018)

More cracking stuff. That closing scene!

I do like the way that tense situations can be diffused by talking in this show.


Spoiler



The desperate ensigns felt like a genuine threat, but they weren't stupid enough to go down in a hail of bullets.


Erinwright can fucking do one. President Pliable (©dotty) too, the spineless fraud.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 3, 2018)

the opener was amazing 



Spoiler: stuff



the salvage of spaaaace mormonsville just killed it, the drone engine swarm.
Aveserala line of the show 'I'm wearing the skin of my enemy' whereas Amos gets top marks for 'did I miss it?', somehow stealing the scene from my gf Gunny.


I was amused that the guy running doctor evil did a volte face from last week's 'we are torturing children!' to this weeks 'yep, this is too important to stop with this one'.


----------



## donkyboy (May 4, 2018)

another great episode. this is such an amazing show.


----------



## Crispy (May 4, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> another great episode. this is such an amazing show.





donkyboy said:


> another great episode. this is such an amazing show.


----------



## sim667 (May 4, 2018)

Been really enjoying the new series so far.


----------



## Artaxerxes (May 4, 2018)

Jesus that last scene freaked me out.


----------



## snadge (May 10, 2018)

Awesomeness again everyone, 



Spoiler: Politico shite



It's all out now, dodgy admiral is gonna get the back of the head off the, get's knocked back down the stairs, drunk the fucking coolaid, 2 episode new character.


----------



## donkyboy (May 10, 2018)

another great episode. this is such an amazing show.


----------



## Supine (May 10, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> you'll cave in by week 4!



I just did exactly that. Good innit


----------



## cybershot (May 10, 2018)

Best episode of the season so far.


----------



## Crispy (May 10, 2018)

But I want to see what happens next!!!!!!


----------



## DotCommunist (May 10, 2018)

I see amos is helping Dr. Hydroponics in his quest to become a hard man.


Spoiler: speculation



I'm wondering if a major character will die, I think they will and my money is Averserala. Also:


----------



## donkyboy (May 11, 2018)

Season 4 cancelled by Syfy 

'The Expanse' Cancelled at Syfy, Will Be Shopped to Other Networks


----------



## fishfinger (May 11, 2018)

I hope that someone picks up this show. It would be a shame to miss out on the rest of the story.


----------



## Supine (May 11, 2018)

It'll need lots of seasons if it's going to catch up with the books! Fingers crossed.


----------



## Crispy (May 11, 2018)

Cmon Netflix, don't let me down


----------



## cybershot (May 11, 2018)

This seems daft considering it's not on Netflix et al yet.

Syfy should take a leaf out of HBOs book and make sure it's aired everywhere same day/next day!


----------



## Crispy (May 11, 2018)

I don't think SyFy themselves saw much of the streaming money.

I've found out that Amazon streams S1-3 in the US, which might bugger up negotiations for a streaming service to buy it outright


----------



## BigTom (May 11, 2018)

fuck  this is such a brilliant show, it must get picked up by someone else, but I guess it won't have the same budget if it's picked up by another network (I've torrented all the episodes then watched them at least once on netflix but it seems like my netflix viewings won't have helped pay for the show to continue). Hopefully netflix can buy it outright despite the amazon us agreement. I need more Amos.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 11, 2018)

shitbox


----------



## sim667 (May 11, 2018)

Fucksake...... I love this show.


----------



## NoXion (May 11, 2018)

For fuck's sake! I was really getting into this new series. The rest of it is still going to be broadcast, yeah?


----------



## Crispy (May 11, 2018)

NoXion said:


> For fuck's sake! I was really getting into this new series. The rest of it is still going to be broadcast, yeah?


Yes. It's all been made.

It's not a SyFy production btw. Made by Alcon, who also produced Blade Runner 2049.


----------



## rekil (May 11, 2018)

Just cut a few corners and it'll be grand. 



Spoiler


----------



## donkyboy (May 11, 2018)

dont get it?


----------



## existentialist (May 11, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> dont get it?


Save some money by getting rid of the fabulous CGI and replacing it with models on strings...


----------



## Signal 11 (May 12, 2018)

Spoiler: Season 4








'Incredible' bioluminescence gives California coastline an eerie blue glow


----------



## Chz (May 12, 2018)

existentialist said:


> Save some money by getting rid of the fabulous CGI and replacing it with models on strings...


It didn't earn the nickname "The Expense" for nothing.


----------



## Crispy (May 14, 2018)

Rumour mill:

Netflix aren't interested
Sets were due to be torn down today. That has now been delayed till Wednesday because negotiations are ongoing with Amazon. The writers have asked fans to sign a petition to show support:



Sign the Petition

So please do. Fingers crossed!


----------



## Chz (May 14, 2018)

Netflix has their own gruesomely expensive SF series that no-one is watching. I'd think Amazon is a more natural home for it, as they have the North American re-broadcast rights.


----------



## existentialist (May 14, 2018)

Just bingewatched my way up to S3E4, so I guess I'm down to trickle torrenting each episode as it appears  So when are they usually released...?


----------



## Buddy Bradley (May 14, 2018)

I watched the first 4-5 episodes of Season 1, but it's not really holding my attention - is it worth sticking with?


----------



## existentialist (May 14, 2018)

Buddy Bradley said:


> I watched the first 4-5 episodes of Season 1, but it's not really holding my attention - is it worth sticking with?


The general view is that it's slow to start  but hots up. That's been my feeling, too...


----------



## cybershot (May 14, 2018)

existentialist said:


> Just bingewatched my way up to S3E4, so I guess I'm down to trickle torrenting each episode as it appears  So when are they usually released...?



It airs Wednesdays at 9pm (Eastern Standard time I guess) on Syfy. So available to torrent shortly after 3am Thursday mornings UK time.

Eta. S3E5 has also aired. E6 this week.


----------



## Crispy (May 14, 2018)

Buddy Bradley said:


> I watched the first 4-5 episodes of Season 1, but it's not really holding my attention - is it worth sticking with?


Yeah definitely. End of S1 is much better than the start. S2 feels like a show that can tie it's own laces. The characters feel familiar, the plots tie together and the acting feels more natural. S3 is knocking it out of the park.


----------



## Crispy (May 15, 2018)

Fans crowdfunded $3k to fly this round and round amazon studios hq for four hours today


----------



## donkyboy (May 15, 2018)

Buddy Bradley said:


> I watched the first 4-5 episodes of Season 1, but it's not really holding my attention - is it worth sticking with?



I was the same for the first few episodes of season 1. but stuck with it.it picks up episodes in. season 2 ends on a cliff hanger every episode. season 3 is also great.


----------



## existentialist (May 15, 2018)

S3E05


Spoiler: Well, fuck me, that was a bit gripping!



Nguyen's a bit of a piece of work. All getting very messy now. But definitely seriously gripping.

I'm quite intrigued by the way that the S4 intrigue seems to fit quite nicely into the pattern of what's going on in S3...


----------



## donkyboy (May 17, 2018)

another very good episode.


----------



## snadge (May 17, 2018)

I am that guy, awesome, fucking criminal if this gets canned.


----------



## existentialist (May 17, 2018)

snadge said:


> I am that guy, awesome, fucking criminal if this gets canned.


Word upthread is that Episode Season 4 is in the can, so it's just a question of who ends up buying it and broadcasting it, if I understand correctly.

And, if not, maybe someone will leak it...


----------



## existentialist (May 17, 2018)

Spoiler: It's a spoiler. I can't tell you.



"You're not that guy...






...I am that guy."

BANG. *squelch*


----------



## Crispy (May 17, 2018)

Everybody's favourite psychopath 

This must be the end of book 2 right?

I think this is my favourite scfi TV ever actually.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 18, 2018)

Spoiler: yay



bobbi draper<3 takes out a hybrid single handed . Cotyar dies a hero. immense episode. banging episode. I knew FJ would do the right thing. Some shows would have saved a barnstormer like that for the season final, but theres two more eps to go


----------



## rekil (May 18, 2018)

Crispy said:


> Dr. Strickland should be in an 80s sci-fi with Schwarzenegger. His name, his haircut, his diabolical plans, all fit.





Spoiler



Excellent 80s villain cowardice until the end as well.


----------



## existentialist (May 18, 2018)

copliker said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Excellent 80s villain cowardice until the end as well.





Spoiler: Muahaha



It was a nice touch, that whole "Phew, he was a nutter, wot?" bit 'twixt Prax and Amos


----------



## fishfinger (May 21, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: yay
> 
> 
> 
> bobbi draper<3 takes out a hybrid single handed . Cotyar dies a hero. immense episode. banging episode. I knew FJ would do the right thing. Some shows would have saved a barnstormer like that for the season final, but theres two more eps to go


7 more episodes!


----------



## Crispy (May 22, 2018)

'The Expanse' Revived for Season 4 at Amazon

Not signed yet. But apparently they're Bezos' favourite books and he was really annoyed when SyFy got the show instead of Amazon. Sounds like a goer to me


----------



## Crispy (May 24, 2018)

Scifi fans can be a little crazy


----------



## DotCommunist (May 24, 2018)

Spoiler: stuff



so we can reasonably guess that the gate doesn't allow organic material through. If it is a gate, which we all know it is.


----------



## Crispy (May 24, 2018)

Spoiler: Re stuff



It blatantly is. It'll have to let people through for the plot to go anywhere! Maybe you just have to ask nicely, and not come screaming in unannounced at 100km/s

I did like Naomi code switching now she's with her beltalowda. And more drummer is always a good thing.

All sorts of crazy new stuff this week, which I will not comment on till its had time to bed in.

"He's my very best friend in the whole world."

These onions, man.


----------



## existentialist (May 24, 2018)

Highway Star??


----------



## DotCommunist (May 25, 2018)

Spoiler: re:re: stuff






Crispy said:


> Maybe you just have to ask nicely, and not come screaming in unannounced at 100km/s


but it let the ship through, unharmed. Only the organic component got shredded. Whatever the protomolecule is, its more alien machine than alien, imo. Holdens ex? planting the bomb. She eats what seems to be some sort of protomolecule booster (hidden in a false tooth ftw). perhaps therein lies a way that humans might pass through the gate. Or it might be a code as you say.

I hope there is no fucking skip year because of the amzazon purchase. Its just pressed 'go' on half a dozen new arcs halfway through a season)


----------



## Crispy (May 25, 2018)

Spoiler: re re wind



I think it was just the deceleration that got him. It let through the ship, and the pilot's organic matter, but only slowly. Maybe you just have to tip toe through. Speed limit for star gates.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 25, 2018)

nobody likes a guest bowling through the door at nearly the speed of light I suppose


----------



## mojo pixy (May 25, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> you'll cave in by week 4!





Supine said:


> I just did exactly that. Good innit



I made it to week 6 before I caved .. season two I made it to episode 7 before I gave in and watched, so this season must be better 

Only posting now to say I loved the (what sounds like a) Beltalowda version of _Highway Star_ that racer was listening to in the newest one \m/

Actually, the in-character music (the stuff they're actually listening to) has been great throughout, but this one (and the kinda-sorta-version of _All By Myself_ he listens to) stood out because it had new words, so obviously meant to be some Belter band playing. V cool.

ETA,



Spoiler: not sure it is really



Also, they called the repurposed Nauvoo _Behemoth_.


Kvlt as fvck.


----------



## donkyboy (May 25, 2018)




----------



## Crispy (May 26, 2018)

Amazon confirmed. Seasons, plural, according to Bezos.


----------



## donkyboy (May 26, 2018)

lazy to put link, so here it is:

Jeff Bezos announces Amazon is picking up 'The Expanse'


----------



## donkyboy (May 26, 2018)

video link:


----------



## PursuedByBears (May 26, 2018)

Crispy said:


> Amazon confirmed. Seasons, plural, according to Bezos.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 26, 2018)

late capitalism is hoping a bald man who owns more money than a majority of nation states saves your favourite tv program to stave off the inevitable cultural decay of_ la merde epoque 

_
but yay.


----------



## rekil (May 26, 2018)

He'll probably demand a part, kerbstomping a protomolecule union rep to death or something.


----------



## Graymalkin (May 28, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> late capitalism is hoping a bald man who owns more money than a majority of nation states saves your favourite tv program to stave off the inevitable cultural decay of_ la merde epoque
> 
> _
> but yay.


I'm happy the show has been saved but it's a bit disconcerting because it suggests just how removed from the reality of his wealth he must be.  I'm guessing that he doesn't grasp that in the universe of The Expanse he's the kind of person who would ration oxygen at Anderson Station and call in the UNMC (Col. Fred Johnson) to clean up the mess when the workers revolt.


----------



## DotCommunist (May 28, 2018)

Graymalkin said:


> I'm happy the show has been saved but it's a bit disconcerting because it suggests just how removed from the reality of his wealth he must be.  I'm guessing that he doesn't grasp that in the universe of The Expanse he's the kind of person who would ration oxygen at Anderson Station and call in the UNMC (Col. Fred Johnson) to clean up the mess when the workers revolt.


I could see Elon Musk going full Jules-Pierre Mao


----------



## Crispy (May 31, 2018)

Well if my body is going to wake me up at 0620, then I suppose I should make good use of that time 



Spoiler: More gripping stuff



What's the deal with Melba? She's certainly determined, and has some sort of clicky jaw short-acting superpowers, but is scared and remorseful as hell. Is she just new at this? Is she being blackmailed? She did express distaste with Holden, so could well be in on it, but then distasting Holden isn't too hard to do. This'll have to resolve soon.

Well of _course _ the Rocinante wasn't going to get blown up, but my heart sure thought it was. 
@dotty - told you there was a speed limit 

Avasarala's Sec Gen now? Hope that doesn't mean she'll be sitting the rest of this out on Earth 

I forgot how good Thomas Jane was as Miller. I loved the look when Holden reachde out to touch him. Nah, you don't want to do that.

"You looked at his medical record? Amos! That's a serious breach of trust man!"
...
"What did it say?"


----------



## cybershot (May 31, 2018)

Has Naomi's accent changed, or am I going nuts?


----------



## DotCommunist (May 31, 2018)

Crispy said:


> Well if my body is going to wake me up at 0620, then I suppose I should make good use of that time
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler: stuff



If you don't slow down the room eats ya.

*the roc, deceleration burning into the ring with a missile right on the nose.



decent ep, the end bit *see spoiler* would make a quality book cover, striking image


cybershot said:


> Has Naomi's accent changed, or am I going nuts?


she's always been a belter, now she's serving with other belters again the patois of her early life has come back


----------



## donkyboy (May 31, 2018)

good episode as expected.


----------



## existentialist (Jun 3, 2018)

Argh, I've downloaded two torrents of S03E08, and both of them have a problem with the audio being about 2 seconds out of sync with the video. Very frustrating...


----------



## lefteri (Jun 3, 2018)

existentialist said:


> Argh, I've downloaded two torrents of S03E08, and both of them have a problem with the audio being about 2 seconds out of sync with the video. Very frustrating...


I had that with a 720 one but the lowres one was fine


----------



## existentialist (Jun 3, 2018)

lefteri said:


> I had that with a 720 one but the lowres one was fine


I pulled a lowres one down, but that too was b0rked. I guess it's just the luck of the draw, but it's pretty much unwatchable...


----------



## Signal 11 (Jun 3, 2018)

I had the same. The one that worked was The.Expanse.S03E08.WEB.H264-DEFLATE[eztv].mkv


----------



## Crispy (Jun 3, 2018)

VLC has an option for changing the audio playback offset. In the Tools menu, IIRC


----------



## existentialist (Jun 3, 2018)

Crispy said:


> VLC has an option for changing the audio playback offset. In the Tools menu, IIRC


Thanks - that made it bearable!

(ETA: the mis-sync seemed to vary between 1.5 and 2 sec ahead of video during the programme  )

What a blatant bastard of a cliffhanger, though!


----------



## Crispy (Jun 4, 2018)

At least they didn't end it on the first fade to black!


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 7, 2018)

good episode


----------



## J Ed (Jun 7, 2018)

Need more


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 7, 2018)

excellent fannying out from the Rev


----------



## Crispy (Jun 7, 2018)

Felt like a "getting people in the right place for upcoming events" episode. Like one of those game of thrones episodes with the supersonic horses. 

Next week's should be another rollercoaster


----------



## fishfinger (Jun 7, 2018)

"No, no more crime stories. I wanna know exactly what you know."

"Oh, so you wanna talk about the non-local quantum hologram, the phase-conjugate adaptive waves resonating in micro-tubules in the brain, which of course requires some closed-timeline curves and Lorentzian manifold, and - you catch up, I'll wait."

"So, a crime scene?"

"Crime scene."


----------



## existentialist (Jun 7, 2018)

fishfinger said:


> "No, no more crime stories. I wanna know exactly what you know."
> 
> "Oh, so you wanna talk about the non-local quantum hologram, the phase-conjugate adaptive waves resonating in micro-tubules in the brain, which of course requires some closed-timeline curves and Lorentzian manifold, and - you catch up, I'll wait."
> 
> ...


That's some properly fucked up quantum physics right there


----------



## NoXion (Jun 14, 2018)

Anyone seen episode 10 yet?


----------



## mojo pixy (Jun 14, 2018)

I don't want to. Then I have to wait a year+ for the next one


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 14, 2018)

NoXion said:


> Anyone seen episode 10 yet?





Spoiler: martians



I know they are a little on the militaristic style but wtf did they thing would happen when you fire in that enviroment? idiocy



is that it till next season then? damn.


----------



## NoXion (Jun 14, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: martians
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I can't tell. Apparently the first season had 10 episodes, but the second season had 13 episodes. So who knows?


----------



## NoXion (Jun 14, 2018)

Wikipedia knows, apparently.


----------



## mojo pixy (Jun 14, 2018)

No, I'm wrong. there are three more

I'm watching it tonight then.


----------



## NoXion (Jun 14, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: martians
> 
> 
> 
> I know they are a little on the militaristic style but wtf did they thing would happen when you fire in that enviroment? idiocy





Spoiler: My explanation



They weren't giving themselves time to think. They were in a high-stress situation and thought Holden (almost called him Shepard!  ) was out of his mind. Easy to forget in such situations that your hammer won't work in this instance when you've been happily banging away at things with hammers for almost your entire adult life.


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 14, 2018)

another good episode.


----------



## Crispy (Jun 14, 2018)

Wtf

Was that the sun at the end? Blimey.


----------



## fishfinger (Jun 15, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: martians
> 
> 
> 
> ...


3 more episodes ffs


----------



## BigTom (Jun 15, 2018)

Crispy said:


> Wtf
> 
> Was that the sun at the end? Blimey.





Spoiler



i think it was another sun, the protomolecule showing Holden the ring can be a gateway to multiple places, all the holes that were shown, look to me like portals to other places.


----------



## PursuedByBears (Jun 16, 2018)

Finally caught up after watching six episodes this week. Brilliant stuff. And I think I have a crush on Drummer.


----------



## existentialist (Jun 17, 2018)

PursuedByBears said:


> Finally caught up after watching six episodes this week. Brilliant stuff. And I think I have a crush on Drummer.


She's a bit brilliant, isn't she?


----------



## teqniq (Jun 17, 2018)

BigTom said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> i think it was another sun, the protomolecule showing Holden the ring can be a gateway to multiple places, all the holes that were shown, look to me like portals to other places.


lol i keep forgetting that lots of people may not have read the books.


----------



## PursuedByBears (Jun 17, 2018)

I know! At the risk of being a book wanker I think that they've got it spot on, they've had to make massive changes to the books to keep the momentum with how they've structured the TV series. In this case I've broken my golden rule and declared that the book is not better.


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 17, 2018)

If I ever get a 4th cat, think I might name it protomolecule....


----------



## existentialist (Jun 17, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> If I ever get a 4th cat, think I might name it protomolecule....


If I ever get a new car, it's going to be called the Rocinante


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 20, 2018)




----------



## fishfinger (Jun 21, 2018)

For the benefit of DotCommunist there will be an episode today, and the final 2 episodes will be on next week.


----------



## Graymalkin (Jun 21, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


>



Not sure if this has been posted yet but reddit has allowed this to take on a life of it's own:

r/LangBelta

The bartender featured in that video has his own youtube channel and posts, among other things, videos in belter creole.


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 21, 2018)

good episode


----------



## PursuedByBears (Jun 21, 2018)

Brilliant episode!



Spoiler: E11 Fallen World



Ashford and Drummer - true beltalowda sa sa? 
Blood in zero g
"spin up the drum!"
Naomi and Clarissa Mao - belter in zero g vs earther in a mech fight sadly cut short by space pastor Anna with a tazer 
Holden's thousand light-year stare at the end


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 22, 2018)

Graymalkin said:


> Not sure if this has been posted yet but reddit has allowed this to take on a life of it's own:
> 
> r/LangBelta
> 
> The bartender featured in that video has his own youtube channel and posts, among other things, videos in belter creole.




I prefer when the belters speak English with their accent


----------



## existentialist (Jun 22, 2018)

PursuedByBears said:


> Brilliant episode!
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Oh, it was Anna! Glad she's turned out to be useful at last.

And Holden's thing had a certain hommage to Blade Runner quality to it...


----------



## NoXion (Jun 24, 2018)

Spoiler



Anyone know what Ashford's up to? I kept thinking all that stuff about uniforms and not throwing offenders out of airlocks was merely a ploy to help manoeuvre his way into the Captain's position. But he's starting to seem genuine. Or maybe he's playing a longer game than that Melba/Clarissa who seemed single-mindedly intent on killing Holden, even in the middle of a major crisis. The guy playing Ashford is great, I'm just having trouble sussing out the character's motivations.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 24, 2018)

I think he might be the real deal. That last conversation he had before the unfortunate self sacrifice of whaterface. There was conviction, ego too but thats the character 



Spoiler: stuff



spinning up the drum for everyones wounded also seems to fit this nation builder vibe


----------



## existentialist (Jun 24, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> I think he might be the real deal. That last conversation he had before the unfortunate self sacrifice of whaterface. There was conviction, ego too but thats the character
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Masterly move. I was feeling quite moved with all the "ROTATE THE DRUM" stuff, and then that...


----------



## existentialist (Jun 24, 2018)

I'm rewatching Season 1 and being appalled at how much of the sense of it I missed first time around


----------



## NoXion (Jun 24, 2018)

You know, I might do that. Maybe when this season finishes though, I think.


----------



## NoXion (Jun 24, 2018)

I just re-watched the latest episode, focusing on the end. Brilliant stuff.


----------



## NoXion (Jun 24, 2018)

I was Googling for Expanse reviews when I came across this pile of hot garbage from, where else, the fucking Guardian:



> *Is it as good as Battlestar? *Lord, no. The writing improves after a few episodes as the storylines and their connections become clearer, but Battlestar is by far the superior show.
> 
> *What makes Battlestar better? *It started off simply, introducing a world being ripped apart by Cylons and the survivors of Caprica packed into a handful of ships, but mostly on the Battlestar Galactica. We knew what the stakes were (and they were high), we understood the universe and, most importantly, we knew who the villains were and what their motivation was.
> 
> The Expanse tries to create this vast world and intricate political system, but it’s too ambitious and needs the viewer to learn too much, way too fast, to get it to work. I’m afraid most people will be bothered and bewildered but not bewitched by the amount of exposition it takes for the show to start moving. The biggest problem is that we know there is a “cold war” going on between Earth and Mars, but we don’t know why or who we should believe or root for. Ambiguity is great, but it makes it a lot harder to get people on board a series very quickly.



Apparently the reviewer thinks most viewers are idiots who can't grasp stories in which characters and factions are more shades of grey than black and white.

I haven't really seen much of the new Battlestar Galactica series, so I can't judge the comparison. Which is another reason why this review is shit.


----------



## J Ed (Jun 25, 2018)

NoXion said:


> I was Googling for Expanse reviews when I came across this pile of hot garbage from, where else, the fucking Guardian:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Laurie Penny gave it a 'this is a thick programme for proles but I like it in a trashy ironic way' review as well.

IMO Expanse is some of the best Sci-Fi out there, on a par with Firefly and it has only gotten better and better with the last few episodes.


----------



## J Ed (Jun 25, 2018)

Spoiler



Nice to see Naomi and Anna actually being useful last episode.


----------



## NoXion (Jun 25, 2018)

J Ed said:


> Laurie Penny gave it a 'this is a thick programme for proles but I like it in a trashy ironic way' review as well.
> 
> IMO Expanse is some of the best Sci-Fi out there, on a par with Firefly and it has only gotten better and better with the last few episodes.



Is this it? Because holy shit that is a terrible review.



> The idea is that someone wanted to make twenty hours of perfectly decent prime-time television about people having adventures in space, and thank god they did. There are several problematic elements in the show’s handling of race, gender, and diversity, precisely none of which are interesting enough to get worked up about or, indeed, jarring enough for me to be bothered to describe. As long as you don’t expect a meaningful relationship, _The Expanse_ is a deeply satisfying show. It doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and it is not the show’s fault that I got my heart broken anyway.



Problematic yet not worth mentioning in any detail whatsoever? That's either lazy review writing or disingenuous bullshit.


----------



## J Ed (Jun 25, 2018)

Yeah, awful.


----------



## BigTom (Jun 25, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> I think he might be the real deal. That last conversation he had before the unfortunate self sacrifice of whaterface. There was conviction, ego too but thats the character
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I agree



Spoiler



he hasn't mentioned his punctured lung to anyone. I feel like he is sacrificing himself to save Drummer (? I can't remember if that's her name), but maybe he'll go and get healed as well.

I think he was always genuinely nation building, but had previously been manoeuvring for captain, maybe he knows he can't survive the punctured lung or maybe she showed him something else in that exchange, idk.

Also, one of the few episodes where amos didn't have the best line. Drummer saying something like "if this going to be one of your life lessons, i rather bleed out in silence"


----------



## Chz (Jun 25, 2018)

NoXion said:


> I was Googling for Expanse reviews when I came across this pile of hot garbage from, where else, the fucking Guardian:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


To be fair to someone who has to review it on a schedule, The Expanse starts out _really_ slow and struggles to find its way for at least half of the first series. Battlestar starts with a *BANG*, ramps it up from there (_33_ is one of the best episodes of anything, anywhere), and only cools off towards the end of series one.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 25, 2018)

BSG hit the plotting-on-the-fly wall and ended up solving it with ambiguity and god (I can live with that, in my world your show gets cancelled/the writer dies anyway. Lucky to get an ending, nevar forget deadwood.)

When it was good though, it was very very good


----------



## existentialist (Jun 28, 2018)

S03E12, here I come...


----------



## NoXion (Jun 29, 2018)

existentialist said:


> S03E12, here I come...



The last two episodes are a double feature. You're in for a treat.

Heads up, some scenes are out of order in some versions on the free streaming websites. It confused the fuck out of me, and rather dampened my enjoyment when I realised what happened.

It's an excuse to find a non-fucked version and watch it again, though.


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 29, 2018)

will watch today


----------



## DotCommunist (Jun 29, 2018)

Banging. If it had been done there, i could have lived with it, it was tidy and a decent full stop. Bit the cashlord of amazonia has saved it anyway. Next year then. What we got in the meantime. Game of thrones. That's ages away


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 29, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> Banging. If it had been done there, i could have lived with it, it was tidy and a decent full stop. Bit the cashlord of amazonia has saved it anyway. Next year then. What we got in the meantime. Game of thrones. That's ages away



better call saul will be back in august


----------



## PursuedByBears (Jun 30, 2018)

That was great. Roll on S4. 



Spoiler



That took us up to the end of Abbadon's Gate - the TV season usually stops mid-book - so S4 should start at the beginning of Cibola Burn, which is one of my favourite books in the series so far


----------



## BigTom (Jul 5, 2018)

been away so only just watched the last double episode last night, fucking brilliant. Amos again had the best line though I have forgotten exactly what he said (it was to Alex I think).


Spoiler



When they were talking about blowing up the ring I speculated that they might do that, and then open up the portals and the rest of the series would be them trying to get back to earth from wherever the ring portal took them - having a generation ship in the mix just seemed like it was setting up for something like that. Not that I'm unhappy with the setup, oh no, that's brilliant, the blood soaked gold rush begins! Still a nice idea for a story if kind of derivative of BSG


----------



## Crispy (Jul 5, 2018)

I thought Ashford's turn towards his "victory at all costs" plan was a bit sharp. He'd previously shown himself to be a cool head, seeing the big picture. But he suddenly went full antagonist. A casualty of the compressed plot I think.


----------



## SpookyFrank (Jul 5, 2018)

Crispy said:


> I thought Ashford's turn towards his "victory at all costs" plan was a bit sharp. He'd previously shown himself to be a cool head, seeing the big picture. But he suddenly went full antagonist. A casualty of the compressed plot I think.



He was doing what he thought was right again though. Maybe he was influenced by anger but still he was playing sacrifice, not glory. The Martian captain told him nobody would ever know what he'd done and he wasn't bothered about that at all.

It's been a feature of the show throughout that there are few unambiguous bad guys. Not even Mao and the doctor bloke were totally irredeemable. The one thing that pissed me off about the finale was Anna playing the Voice of Reason, when we all know the true voice of reason is Amos:

'Why do you have a gun?'
'The armoury was on the way...'


----------



## Crispy (Jul 5, 2018)

Oh and



Spoiler: minor plot hole



Who was left on board the Rocci to shut the reactor down?


----------



## NoXion (Jul 5, 2018)

Crispy said:


> Oh and
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Surely Naomi or Alex could have done so before they left? After all, what's the point in leaving the reactor ticking over if there's nobody on board to benefit?


----------



## rekil (Jul 5, 2018)

BigTom said:


> Amos again had the best line


Nah that was Ashford. Best line in any show from the last 10 years that isn't Always Sunny probably.



Spoiler


----------



## existentialist (Jul 5, 2018)

I think the way Amos has been characterised has been excellently nuanced. Given his back story and character, he could just have been another loony hairtrigger psychopath, but I love the way they've dovetailed the brutally unconstrained aspect of his character with a childlike need for guidance - _vide_ his relationship with Naomi, and now with Anna. I'm a massive Amos fan, while at the same time recoiling in slight horror at his willingness to resort to extreme violence to achieve "the mission".

ETA: I think I also might be very slightly in love with Drummer


----------



## SpookyFrank (Jul 5, 2018)

copliker said:


> Nah that was Ashford. Best line in any show from the last 10 years that isn't Always Sunny probably.
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler



What was the context of that?


----------



## Crispy (Jul 5, 2018)

existentialist said:


> I think the way Amos has been characterised has been excellently nuanced


The actor was already a fan of the books and deliberately auditioned for the role. He totally gets it. Fundamentally damaged, but self aware about it. 

I hope we get more Avasarala in S4. Obviously the sec gen wouldn't be flying out to Uranus for the Ring episodes, but maybe there'll be more for her to do one the "gold rush" is underway...


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 5, 2018)

She was in the montagey bit, that means a plotline involves her


----------



## existentialist (Jul 5, 2018)

Crispy said:


> The actor was already a fan of the books and deliberately auditioned for the role. He totally gets it. Fundamentally damaged, but self aware about it.


https://io9.gizmodo.com/last-nights-expanse-was-more-proof-that-its-the-best-sc-1792172927


----------



## BigTom (Jul 5, 2018)

SpookyFrank said:


> What was the context of that?





Spoiler



It was when the scientist guy on the UNN ship was telling him something about protons or something - I think before he convinced the OPA dude to launch the nuclear sciff but possibly before he got them to try the comms laser, I think the next line was "just tell me what you need" which is also a great line.





Crispy said:


> The actor was already a fan of the books and deliberately auditioned for the role. He totally gets it. Fundamentally damaged, but self aware about it.
> 
> I hope we get more Avasarala in S4. Obviously the sec gen wouldn't be flying out to Uranus for the Ring episodes, but maybe there'll be more for her to do one the "gold rush" is underway...



I think Amos is at the same time the most straightforward and most complicated character of the core characters. Really brilliant character and actor.


----------



## rekil (Jul 5, 2018)

SpookyFrank said:


> What was the context of that?


This scene. Masterful writing and the exasperated singsong delivery of the line is perfect.



Spoiler


----------



## NoXion (Jul 5, 2018)

Well, you can't really expect a space pirate to have a deep understanding of particle physics...


----------



## cybershot (Jul 5, 2018)

Also only just got round to watching the finale this evening. Great stuff. Need to find something to binge now.


----------



## Crispy (Jul 6, 2018)

I have a 3hr train journey on my own and the last 4 episodes on the laptop. Mmmmmm


----------



## sim667 (Jul 6, 2018)

I just watched the finale, really good..... I may have got a bit distracted at points, but it was out of sequence right?


----------



## Crispy (Jul 6, 2018)

sim667 said:


> I just watched the finale, really good..... I may have got a bit distracted at points, but it was out of sequence right?


No I don't think so. You might have a bad copy. There was a version that aired out of sequence. Our heroes take a consistent and continuous route through the episode.


----------



## sim667 (Jul 6, 2018)

Crispy said:


> No I don't think so. You might have a bad copy. There was a version that aired out of sequence. Our heroes take a consistent and continuous route through the episode.


Oh ok.

It did make sense, but I had to reorganise it in my head.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 7, 2018)

after holden introduces himself to the Mau women in the cell, the next scene should be of the scientist looking at the screens. if not, you have the messed up version


----------



## J Ed (Jul 14, 2018)

Amazing season, amazing finale. Can't wait for more.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 26, 2018)

good interview here:
https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-expanse-showrunner-talks-about-the-move-to-amazon-a-1827815805


> *hankar: *Absolutely. None of those restrictions have to come into play, because those are all basic cable issues. What’s weird about it is that on Syfy all of that stuff was bleeped out, but if you happened to be watching it on Space in Canada, none of that’s bleeped out. It’s going to be, I think, terrific for the show, because we don’t have language restrictions, we don’t have nudity restrictions, we don’t have all of these things that conspire a lot of times to make, especially genre shows, not feel as adult as they should be. Not to feel real. In my mind, it sort of infantilizes genre [TV series] even more so. But that goes away on Amazon.
> 
> We also don’t have to jam the individual episodes into 43-minute chunks. There were a lot of times over the last few seasons that I’ve gotten a show through post, and it’s been like, “Man, it would much better if I could just open this thing up by two minutes.” But you can’t. That isn’t a problem on Amazon either. So I think there’s huge creative advantages. And honestly, this show was made for streaming. It was made for bingeing. That’s just what it is. And everybody [who works on _The Expanse_], I think to a person, would say the same thing. We kind of have found our home. This is the right place for the show.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 26, 2018)

they seem to be chomping at the bit to get more nudity in.


----------



## fishfinger (Jul 26, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> they seem to be chomping at the bit to get more nudity in.


They certainly need to get more swearing in - Avasarala's been completely bowdlerised.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 26, 2018)

its never going to be more than a bit of sideboob or the occasional arsecrack. Its not game of thrones.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 26, 2018)

fishfinger said:


> They certainly need to get more swearing in - Avasarala's been completely bowdlerised.



yeah. love her character. perfect casting.


----------



## J Ed (Jul 26, 2018)

What does everyone want to see more of in the new series? What I'd really like to see is more exploration of the politics and society of Earth, Mars and the Belt. I think it is very unlikely though, the Expanse's creator is obviously quite right-wing and is focused more on high level stuff, a real shame that the promised Red Mars series never materialised.


----------



## fishfinger (Jul 26, 2018)

J Ed said:


> What does everyone want to see more of in the new series? What I'd really like to see is more exploration of the politics and society of Earth, Mars and the Belt. I think it is very unlikely though, the Expanse's creator is obviously quite right-wing and is focused more on high level stuff, a real shame that the promised Red Mars series never materialised.


It's going to roughly follow the existing storyline in the books.


----------



## BigTom (Jul 26, 2018)

J Ed said:


> What does everyone want to see more of in the new series? What I'd really like to see is more exploration of the politics and society of Earth, Mars and the Belt. I think it is very unlikely though, the Expanse's creator is obviously quite right-wing and is focused more on high level stuff, a real shame that the promised Red Mars series never materialised.



I would like to see:

The alien species knowledge/artefacts/whatever they find lead the OPA to freeing the belt from their colonial masters, starting a system wide revolution resulting in full communism


----------



## BigTom (Jul 26, 2018)

actually I'm just hoping to watch the badass adventures of the new full rocinante crew as they take part in this "blood soaked gold-rush". I also want more exploration of the different societies of Mars, Earth and the Belt, but I'll be happy if it's basically more of the same with an expanded crew.


----------



## Supine (Jul 26, 2018)

BigTom said:


> I would like to see:
> 
> The alien species knowledge/artefacts/whatever they find lead the OPA to freeing the belt from their colonial masters, starting a system wide revolution resulting in full communism



As a communist you'll be used to disappointment 

I'm hoping they make something of the next book because I thought it was a bit dull. The one after that is good though


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 26, 2018)

the weakest link in the show is holden. they should have caste rob stark in the role.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 26, 2018)

donkyboy said:


> the weakest link in the show is holden. they should have caste rob stark in the role.


Yeah, he is a bit too messianic. Though I don't know who the fuck Rob Stark is.


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 27, 2018)

existentialist said:


> Yeah, he is a bit too messianic. Though I don't know who the fuck Rob Stark is.



robb stark - Google Search


----------



## Chz (Jul 27, 2018)

J Ed said:


> What does everyone want to see more of in the new series? What I'd really like to see is more exploration of the politics and society of Earth, Mars and the Belt. I think it is very unlikely though, the Expanse's creator is obviously quite right-wing and is focused more on high level stuff, a real shame that the promised Red Mars series never materialised.


That was the big attraction for me, at first. I'm not so fussed about where humanity goes through the wormholes. Now they've done a good enough job with the characters to make me care about what they're going to do, but I still think there's plenty of room in that universe to set other stories in the pre-Ring expanse. It was started as an RPG setting after all, so there should be ample backstory to feed off.


----------



## Supine (Jul 27, 2018)

There are loads of expanse novella's you can buy for Kindle. I've only read the proper books when they hit paperback though.


----------



## teuchter (Aug 7, 2018)

Well I've just arrived at the end of S2 to find that it goes no further on Netflix.

So what happens now, I either torrent it or wait for it to appear on Amazon - is that right?


----------



## existentialist (Aug 7, 2018)

teuchter said:


> Well I've just arrived at the end of S2 to find that it goes no further on Netflix.
> 
> So what happens now, I either torrent it or wait for it to appear on Amazon - is that right?


Would Amazon stream season 3?

I think you will be better off torrenting it.


----------



## BigTom (Aug 8, 2018)

I'd assume the deal for season 3 will be the same as 1 and 2, and It'll come onto Netflix uk at some point. Torrent it now, then watch it again on Netflix later.


----------



## Crispy (Jan 25, 2019)

It's not on Netflix at all any more. Amazon will have all three seasons starting Feb 8th. No date for S4 yet, but filming has wrapped.


----------



## DotCommunist (Jan 25, 2019)

Crispy said:


> It's not on Netflix at all any more. Amazon will have all three seasons starting Feb 8th. No date for S4 yet, but filming has wrapped.



I was hoping this was a season 4 date to air message

It had better be this year. No 'ooh better shelve it till after GoT which is going to overshadow every genre tv thing put out this year'

Doctor Who on a skip year as well, I'm jonesing for my tele, just making do with star trek disco atm


----------



## Crispy (Jan 25, 2019)

Best info we have is late summer


----------



## Tankus (Mar 5, 2019)

donkyboy said:


> the weakest link in the show is holden. they should have caste rob stark in the role.



nah ...i think its the Padre ...Bobbi and Amos the strongest link 

taken prime for a year partly due to season 4 due


----------



## Artaxerxes (Mar 5, 2019)

donkyboy said:


> the weakest link in the show is holden. they should have caste rob stark in the role.



Oh Christ no.

Wood to wood.


----------



## Patteran (Mar 14, 2019)

Really enjoyed that, thanks all for the heads up. Imaginative & coherent world building, good story of scarcity, conflict & class, plus lots of relevant contextual information presented in a way that makes the viewer have to do a bit of mental work & consequently feel more like a (telly watching) grown-up. Agree that Holden's the weakest link, delivering lines like a model over-earnestly lip-synching to a power ballad. But some really nice touches, clever little reality effects that give foundation to place & characters. Think I enjoyed the second series most - we'd seen enough of the world to understand it, & little enough of the protomolecule to keep it mysterious. Looking forward to Series 4, while waiting to see what tv does with the Broken Earth trilogy.


----------



## Crispy (May 20, 2019)

Apologies for bump, if you thought this was a S4 announcement. Just been rewatching S3 and the climax of the earth-mars war is still completely gripping. All the characters are in play without it feeling forced, and the stakes/payoff feel well and truly earned.

Also, official merch is now available. Get the Pur+Clean t-shirt you always wanted.

Amazon.com: Officially Licensed The Expanse Apparel


----------



## cybershot (May 20, 2019)

Worth shouting also that Seasons 1-3 are now on Amazon prime in 4K UHD if you've got a snazzy TV that supports it.


----------



## Crispy (Jul 18, 2019)

Some S4 bits and bobs ahead of Saturday's panel at comic con, when we can expect a trailer and a release date.

Meet 'The Expanse' Season 4's new planet, Ilus, at San Diego Comic Con


----------



## Crispy (Jul 18, 2019)

Amazon Prime head of marketing lets the release date slip: December


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 19, 2019)

Crispy said:


> Apologies for bump, if you thought this was a S4 announcement. Just been rewatching S3 and the climax of the earth-mars war is still completely gripping. All the characters are in play without it feeling forced, and the stakes/payoff feel well and truly earned.
> 
> Also, official merch is now available. Get the Pur+Clean t-shirt you always wanted.
> 
> Amazon.com: Officially Licensed The Expanse Apparel



worst.bland merchandise, ever.


----------



## Crispy (Jul 21, 2019)




----------



## Rivendelboy (Jul 21, 2019)

I thought Cibola Burn was one of the weaker books.

Season 5 should be interesting though


----------



## Supine (Jul 21, 2019)

Rivendelboy said:


> I thought Cibola Burn was one of the weaker books.
> 
> Season 5 should be interesting though



My least favourite book but reckon it could be good on screen.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 21, 2019)

donkyboy said:


> worst.bland merchandise, ever.


Not to disagree or anything, but what would count to you as not-bland Expanse merchandise?


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 21, 2019)

Aveserala gets to swear properly on amazon.


----------



## Rivendelboy (Jul 21, 2019)

I don't remember Alex going down to the surface of the planet in Cibola Burn either. 

Is Burn Gorham playing Havelock's boss, the psycho security guy? Fun!


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 21, 2019)

existentialist said:


> Not to disagree or anything, but what would count to you as not-bland Expanse merchandise?



The problem is they aren't well designed.

You want something that looks vaguely in-universe so the logos need to be a little smaller or moved to one side on breast or sleeve.

The doors and corners one is just shit and Ive  never liked the "list of names" style t-shirts either. Not sure wtfs going on with the MCRN tee.

You also want patch's and badges or decals (readily available on Etsy but unofficial) or more varied clothes styles.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 21, 2019)

Artaxerxes said:


> The problem is they aren't well designed.
> 
> You want something that looks vaguely in-universe so the logos need to be a little smaller or moved to one side on breast or sleeve.
> 
> ...


Ahh, fair dos. So it's the execution rather than what they are. You're right, though, replica workshirts ought to be, well, workshirts. It'd be like people going around in Star-Trek T-shirts


----------



## Artaxerxes (Jul 21, 2019)

existentialist said:


> Ahh, fair dos. So it's the execution rather than what they are. You're right, though, replica workshirts ought to be, well, workshirts. It'd be like people going around in Star-Trek T-shirts



I want a boiler suit


----------



## DotCommunist (Jul 21, 2019)

the I *heart* the expanse mug is just lazy. I saw a much better 'Remember The Cant' mug a while back, also some OPA patches with the anarcho a. Much better gear imo.


----------



## Rivendelboy (Jul 21, 2019)

How about a Chrisjen Avasarala Profanisaurus


----------



## cybershot (Jul 26, 2019)

Good recap article here, with an important date at the bottom of it:

The Expanse Complete Timeline Explained

Don't want to click the link? Expanse returns on December 13th.


----------



## Crispy (Jul 28, 2019)




----------



## cybershot (Jul 28, 2019)

‘The Expanse’ Renewed for Season 5 at Amazon


----------



## Rivendelboy (Jul 28, 2019)

cybershot said:


> ‘The Expanse’ Renewed for Season 5 at Amazon


Smashing!


----------



## donkyboy (Jul 28, 2019)

we have to wait till December? thats ages away...


----------



## Crispy (Oct 5, 2019)

New trailer. Set engines to hype.



Got to wait till mid December though


----------



## Jennastan (Oct 5, 2019)

might have another go at this. For some reason it just didn't grab me after the first 3 episodes and i gave up. I reckon it needs a bit more wobbly set and plastic props myself!! :-D


----------



## Crispy (Oct 5, 2019)

Jennastan said:


> might have another go at this. For some reason it just didn't grab me after the first 3 episodes and i gave up. I reckon it needs a bit more wobbly set and plastic props myself!! :-D


Definitely takes a few epsiodes to find its feet. ep4 kicks things into a higher gear and then you'll know by the last few if it's a show you like. Subsequent seasons improve greatly


----------



## donkyboy (Oct 5, 2019)

Crispy said:


> New trailer. Set engines to hype.
> 
> 
> 
> Got to wait till mid December though




lovely jubbley, rodders. Cant wait for this.


----------



## PursuedByBears (Oct 23, 2019)

Amazon are definitely investing in this even before the new series has aired

Production on The Expanse's Fifth Season had already begun


----------



## Crispy (Nov 18, 2019)

Looks pretty



The hype train is now boarding


----------



## Tankus (Dec 11, 2019)

48 hrs to access


----------



## Chz (Dec 13, 2019)

This is the only thing taking the sting out of last night. It's marvellous.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 13, 2019)

"alright, that was a threat"
!!!

Ditto Chz - takes the edge off a bit doesn't it. Great to have it back.


----------



## snadge (Dec 14, 2019)

Just Binge watched season 4, fine entertainment, pretty close to the books


----------



## Supine (Dec 14, 2019)

Will watch during the week. Please no spoilers for a little while. Cheers


----------



## DotCommunist (Dec 14, 2019)

Spoiler: stuff



Supine is a dog's cock





Spoiler: other stuff



I've particularly been enjoying the 'bobbie draper is a G now' bits. Also Amos's lover with 'you are so _fucking_ weird' speaking truth. More after I finish the series


----------



## existentialist (Dec 14, 2019)

Is the whole series released at once, then? I've seen what looks like a full set on the torrentz, but there's plenty of precedent for bullshit torrent files


----------



## fishfinger (Dec 14, 2019)

It's all available now.


----------



## Supine (Dec 14, 2019)

DotCommunist said:


> Spoiler: stuff
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I couldn't resist opening the quote 

I'd better ignore the thread till next week


----------



## fucthest8 (Dec 14, 2019)

existentialist said:


> Is the whole series released at once, then? I've seen what looks like a full set on the torrentz, but there's plenty of precedent for bullshit torrent files



Yep, it is. Just binged it. I never binge TV. Pretty much perfect.


----------



## Reno (Dec 15, 2019)

I’m tempted to give this another try. I thought the world building was fascinating, I always enjoy scifi which is about politics and religion, but I found the show better as science fiction than as drama, so I only made it part through the first season. I read it gets better on that front by season 2.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 15, 2019)

Reno said:


> I read it gets better on that front by season 2.


It does.


----------



## donkyboy (Dec 15, 2019)

Episode 2 finished. that'e enough for the day. Don't want to finish this show too early.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Dec 16, 2019)

Enjoying it but it's wide deviation from the books is throwing me off. Up to episode 5 far.

Production values are through the roof and Amos and Alex are just superb.


Spoiler: Spoilers



Naomi's random heart condition feels a bit forced, we know she's not going to die.

I like seeing what's happening to the belters but feel Bobbie should have had smaller more spread out plot line across the series. E don't need to see her every episode or see her become a gangster.

The merging of various characters is also causing some disruption and mangling of clear plot threads compared to the books. Some situations are less ambiguous than they should be.


.


----------



## Tankus (Dec 17, 2019)

Hmmm....  binged the lot

I didn't find series 4 as engrossing as 3

It felt a bit padded out..... a two part story line rather than 10

still , ....looking forward to series 5 though

the space shots  are lush


----------



## BigTom (Dec 18, 2019)

I binged it all in one day, Amos keeps stealing all the best lines in the show of course, really good and looking forward to season 5 sometime late next year I guess. I agree s3 had more in it and this was definitely slower, but I enjoyed it a lot.



Spoiler



I liked that they spent the whole series on one planet, rather than doing a "planet of the week" type show. Bit disappointed that the crew of the roci reverted to the 4 main characters, I was looking forward to the combination of Amos, Bobby in her martian power suit, the Mao sister with her wild whatever she has and the belter captain lady whose name I have totally forgot in her exo suit, plus the pastor earther woman to play off against Holden and Naomi on the moral argument front.


----------



## girasol (Dec 20, 2019)

Watched first 2 episodes of S4 last night, really enjoyed them, but can't get how thin the Don Quixote book Holden got given by the fire was out of my head (does that sentence even make sense?  can't think of another way of saying those words).  I remember it being a really fat book...  Also, along with the book, Holden's face appears a lot thinner.  Maybe he's getting older and lost puppy fat.


----------



## trabuquera (Dec 22, 2019)

Binged it in a week, tried to ration it out, but like a bunch of trapped humans on a distant planet I just couldn't help myself.

Loved it, still looks gorgeous (in all aspects), still nice seams of cynicism and decent dialogue ... some of the characters not as rounded as previous but the big-picture stuff is properly intelligently done. 



Spoiler



usual annoying nitpicks... kind of unlikely that a whole planetary ecosystem would be made up of neon banana slugs and eye parasites only, surely? ms science would surely have had a writhing gamut of new species to discover at once?

... and even allowing for space conditions, that nifty crochet-your-own tow cable looked a little spindly for the job...



Bobby is brilliant, Amos still a top wild card and Beltertalk is getting more coherent and consistency done


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 8, 2020)

I'm on series 2 I think. I still don't know what anybody's name is. Just looking on IMDb, and someone is called Fred.
Oh miller, I caught his name . . .well the miller bit. Why are their names not sinking in?


----------



## kabbes (Feb 8, 2020)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I'm on series 2 I think. I still don't know what anybody's name is. Just looking on IMDb, and someone is called Fred.
> Oh miller, I caught his name . . .well the miller bit. Why are their names not sinking in?


I was like that for series 1 and a lot of series 2.  I liked them but I found it a bit I’d a whirlwind.  Series 3 and 4 felt a lot less cluttered to me, and the characters much more clearly differentiated.


----------



## BigTom (Feb 8, 2020)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I'm on series 2 I think. I still don't know what anybody's name is. Just looking on IMDb, and someone is called Fred.
> Oh miller, I caught his name . . .well the miller bit. Why are their names not sinking in?



I didn't have a particular issue with this - the only thing I can think is that characters are referred to by a mixture of their first name, surname or both by different people/at different times. I'm not sure how usual this is but could that be the issue?

(Fred is Fred Johnson, the person who runs Tycho space station, where the Mormon's ship is, and where the 4 main characters go after escaping the martian ship in the first part of season 1. The actor played the ex-gangster turned boxing coach character in seasons 4/5 of the wire).
Would it help to have a list written out? Not like IMDB with actor/character name, but with character name + who they are in the series? I can do that for the main characters if you want but I don't want to be a patronising cunt by just listing them


----------



## rekil (Feb 8, 2020)

BigTom said:


> The actor played the ex-gangster turned boxing coach character in seasons 4/5 of the wire).


He'll always be "Z from Always Sunny" for me.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 8, 2020)

rekil said:


> He'll always be "Z from Always Sunny" for me.


Don't remember him in always sunny. Bloody hell, maybe the problem is I have a short memory.
Can't remember people's names in real life either actually. Just thought as I have been watching the expanse every day that something would have stuck.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 8, 2020)

kabbes said:


> I was like that for series 1 and a lot of series 2.  I liked them but I found it a bit I’d a whirlwind.  Series 3 and 4 felt a lot less cluttered to me, and the characters much more clearly differentiated.


Ah, ok. Maybe that will work out. I suppose in real life nobody uses each others names when talking to each other, only when they are not there. . . So maybe I just don't connect.

People tend to say stuff like 'listen here miller' or 'blah blah miller' to miller which is why I clicked with his name. . . . But now he's a blue particle blob or dead or something.


----------



## xenon (Feb 8, 2020)

Reno said:


> I’m tempted to give this another try. I thought the world building was fascinating, I always enjoy scifi which is about politics and religion, but I found the show better as science fiction than as drama, so I only made it part through the first season. I read it gets better on that front by season 2.



I must admit, I'm finding it a bit inconsistent. I've read the books, on the back of having seen the first 2 seasons. There's things that have been done better, from a dramatic point of view in the TV shows. However, the first season dragged for me at points but when it picks pup the pace, it's some of the best TV I've seen. I'm half way through S4 and it's not quite clicked for me yet. e.g. I haven't binged it.


----------



## kabbes (Feb 8, 2020)

I loved series 3 as much as I’ve loved any telly.  The characters of Amos, Alex, Bobby and Avisala, the whole EPA thing — it was brilliant from start to finish.  Series 1 I almost gave up on and series 2 and 4 were fun but somehow didn’t have the magic


----------



## HAL9000 (Apr 1, 2020)

Season 1 title sequence art work






						Joyce N. Ho
					






					www.joycenho.com


----------



## platinumsage (Aug 29, 2020)

Just gave up on S01E01. The cheap sets and dodgy lighting put me off the most, and then it’s just some boring blokes doing boring chitchat.

I’m comparing it to Altered Carbon, which might be unfair but that was a TV sci-fi series that worked and had all the right ingredients. This doesn’t.


----------



## Supine (Aug 29, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Just gave up on S01E01. The cheap sets and dodgy lighting put me off the most, and then it’s just some boring blokes doing boring chitchat.
> 
> I’m comparing it to Altered Carbon, which might be unfair but that was a TV sci-fi series that worked and had all the right ingredients. This doesn’t.



Some would say you should give it a chance...


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Aug 29, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Just gave up on S01E01. The cheap sets and dodgy lighting put me off the most, and then it’s just some boring blokes doing boring chitchat.
> 
> I’m comparing it to Altered Carbon, which might be unfair but that was a TV sci-fi series that worked and had all the right ingredients. This doesn’t.



I gave up on altered carbon almost immediately. The expanse had a slow start but I got sucked in pretty quick. . . and I barely stick with anything.


----------



## Crispy (Aug 29, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Just gave up on S01E01. The cheap sets and dodgy lighting put me off the most, and then it’s just some boring blokes doing boring chitchat.
> 
> I’m comparing it to Altered Carbon, which might be unfair but that was a TV sci-fi series that worked and had all the right ingredients. This doesn’t.


It is 100% the best scifi on TV. Give it till the end of Ep4 at the very least.
The second season on is a big jump in quality too.


----------



## Cloo (Aug 29, 2020)

Just coming to the end of S2. gsv watched up to s4 without me and enjoyed it, but wasn't paying full attention what with laptop and everything so is kindly rewatching the whole thing with me, as I had actually wanted to watch it!


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 29, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Just gave up on S01E01. The cheap sets and dodgy lighting put me off the most, and then it’s just some boring blokes doing boring chitchat.
> 
> I’m comparing it to Altered Carbon, which might be unfair but that was a TV sci-fi series that worked and had all the right ingredients. This doesn’t.



Altered Carbon is fine, in a cartoonish, shoot 'em up, gratuitous nudity B movie kinda way. 

The Expanse is quality but takes 
a few episodes to get going.


----------



## T & P (Aug 29, 2020)

It got more bored with each passing season. Too much politics and too slow a pace.

S2 of Altered Carbon is IMO not as good as S1 but not terrible either. The one off cartoon spin-off is  great by the way.


----------



## Crispy (Aug 29, 2020)

T & P said:


> too slow a pace


Season 3 moves at a mile a minute. 
You are wrong, sir. Wrong. I shall see you at dawn on Lambeth fields. Bring your pistols.


----------



## souljacker (Aug 29, 2020)

The Expanse is ace. There is some really wooden performances, mainly from Holden and Naomi. But there are loads of other brilliant things going on. Season 5 is imminent too.


----------



## T & P (Aug 30, 2020)

Crispy said:


> Season 3 moves at a mile a minute.
> You are wrong, sir. Wrong. I shall see you at dawn on Lambeth fields. Bring your pistols.


You might well be right about S3, can’t remember that much about it tbh.. But we recently watched S4 and it’s undeniably slow and often m underwhelming and boring in my book. Invariably the last ten minutes of every episode were great, but the previous forty could often be a drag, and there was too much politics and not enough action for me.

As an aside thought, this is certainly not exclusive to The Expanse, but IMO 52-odd minute episodes are a tad too long forslow paced series. It works for extremely well written series like Breaking Bad or The Sopranos, but not so well for this, certainly when there’s so little action.


----------



## Crispy (Aug 30, 2020)

Ah yes well S4 did drag a bit.
The 4th book gets a bad rap also. I believe it's all uphill from here.


----------



## T & P (Aug 30, 2020)

Crispy said:


> Ah yes well S4 did drag a bit.
> The 4th book gets a bad rap also. I believe it's all uphill from here.


Had no idea it was based on a book!

Am I right to say the series was cancelled by the studio that produced it and S4 only happened because it was picked up by Amazon? Or am I mixing it up with another series?

Anyway, even if S4 was badly received the likes of Amazon will not pay much attention to that, as they’re not as ratings driven and this is a marquee name.


----------



## kabbes (Aug 30, 2020)

S3 was one of my favourite sci fi things of all time.  S1 was okay enough for me to persist and S2 I found good.  S4 was quite dull though.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Aug 30, 2020)

Crispy said:


> I believe it's all uphill from here.


What, like a bit of a struggle?


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 30, 2020)

S4 was nail biting but there seemed to be less of the political machinations going on and more action.

Comparing it with AC is like comparing BSG with Buck Rogers.


----------



## Dandred (Aug 30, 2020)

Just finishing off book eight in the series. 

Fantastic sci-fi. 

Any recommendations to similar stuff?


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 30, 2020)

Dandred said:


> Just finishing off book eight in the series.
> 
> Fantastic sci-fi.
> 
> Any recommendations to similar stuff?



If it's world building and different factions at an uneasy peace or outright conflict with each other plus ancient tech, would recommend Ken MacLeod's _Engines of Light_ trilogy and Alistair Reynold's _Revelation Space_ series (have only read the first book, so need to start again, but so far so good...)

Iain M Banks - _Against a Dark Background_ - is pretty fine as well. AFAIK, it's not part of his Culture series, so can be read as a standalone.


----------



## platinumsage (Aug 30, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> Comparing it with AC is like comparing BSG with Buck Rogers.



Wow, it's like most of you have watched the actual show, and I have somehow managed to downloaded a remake which is an undergraduate drama studies project. 

I didn't realise it was based on books. If the casting, acting, script, set design, cinematography and lighting is so bad, that just leaves the plot you must be all raving about, which means I may as well go and read those? Perhaps after I've read them it will seem worth persevering with.


----------



## Supine (Aug 30, 2020)

It's a well made show. Are you sure you've been watching the right show?


----------



## maomao (Aug 30, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Wow, it's like most of you have watched the actual show, and I have somehow managed to downloaded a remake which is an undergraduate drama studies project.


Which you've watched one episode of.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Aug 30, 2020)

Altered Carbon was fucking dire.


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 30, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> Wow, it's like most of you have watched the actual show, and I have somehow managed to downloaded a remake which is an undergraduate drama studies project.
> 
> I didn't realise it was based on books. If the casting, acting, script, set design, cinematography and lighting is so bad, that just leaves the plot you must be all raving about, which means I may as well go and read those? Perhaps after I've read them it will seem worth persevering with.



Dunno, not read the books. Just really enjoyed the series & like so many series, it's impossible to judge the entire output based on one episode.


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 30, 2020)

Artaxerxes said:


> Altered Carbon was fucking dire.



Still one ep to go, but yeah - one for videogamers, I feel. 

Disclaimer - don't play videogames, so apologies for offending anyone who does.


----------



## Chz (Aug 30, 2020)

The first series of AC was fine. Not a lot more than fine, but fine. I'm in no hurry to try the second series, based on feedback.

I've no idea if the first series of The Expanse was as bad as all that. I was just excited to get some "real" sci-fi and quite frankly would've put up with just about anything in terms of production values.


----------



## PursuedByBears (Aug 30, 2020)

I really enjoyed S1-S3 of the Expanse but S4 bored me and I abandoned it half way through.


----------



## JimW (Aug 30, 2020)

PursuedByBears said:


> I really enjoyed S1-S3 of the Expanse but S4 bored me and I abandoned it half way through.


I also enjoyed it and then suddenly didn't and baled though can't quite recall when. Wasn't conscious, just not found the time to finish where I used to make time.


----------



## existentialist (Aug 30, 2020)

JimW said:


> I also enjoyed it and then suddenly didn't and baled though can't quite recall when. Wasn't conscious, just not found the time to finish where I used to make time.


I also stalled at S4, but that might be my state of mind or concentration as much as the show...


----------



## kabbes (Aug 30, 2020)

I think it’s because S1-3 were about big stories with big themes and S4 suddenly became about a few individuals in a small story in a claustrophobic atmosphere.  So a big change.  

Nothing wrong with small stories of course, and most good series actually make the opposite “mistake”  (i.e. build their reputation in early series with good small stories and then fuck it all up by deciding to make S3 or S4 about saving the whole bloody planet).  But The Expanse is one of those rare things that was about big themes from the start, and the shift of focus jarred.


----------



## Supine (Aug 30, 2020)

S4 is also based on the worst book (imho) so at least it's consistent


----------



## DotCommunist (Aug 30, 2020)

Even s4 had better pacing, story and conclusion than star trek discovery, than Picard, than any other contemporary sf show.I remember the days of scraping by on LEXX and Andromeda re-runs, this era is gold.


----------



## kabbes (Aug 30, 2020)

You’re right, it was better than most series (sci fi or otherwise).  But a disappointment nonetheless


----------



## Reno (Aug 30, 2020)

DotCommunist said:


> Even s4 had better pacing, story and conclusion than star trek discovery, than Picard, than any other contemporary sf show.I remember the days of scraping by on LEXX and Andromeda re-runs, this era is gold.


Have you seen Watchmen (tv series), Devs or Dark ?

I bailed on The Expanse early on, so can't really judge it. I liked the world building, but thought it was weak on characterisation or as a drama. I read in improves but never went back.


----------



## DotCommunist (Aug 30, 2020)

Reno said:


> Have you seen Watchmen (tv series), Devs or Dark ?


I haven't, Dark is on the list though I'll stick the other two on it also.


----------



## cybershot (Aug 30, 2020)

platinumsage said:


> I’m comparing it to Altered Carbon, which might be unfair but that was a TV sci-fi series that worked and had all the right ingredients. This doesn’t.



Altered Carbon got cancelled this week. 🤷‍♂️


----------



## Reno (Aug 30, 2020)

cybershot said:


> Altered Carbon got cancelled this week. 🤷‍♂️


It's an expensive series and there isn't much buzz around it, so not surprised.


----------



## cybershot (Aug 30, 2020)

Reno said:


> It's an expensive series and there isn't much buzz around it, so not surprised.



This is the problem with Netflix though isn’t it. Admittedly the second season which I have literally just watched the last episode of was poor compared to season one, but anything new gets a Fanfare release while second seasons get little to no exposure and then They are surprised by lack of viewing figures! So much Netflix stuff gets cancelled after season two it’s almost not worth bothering with something until you know it’s getting a season 3 or hits stranger things type mainstream popularity.

I’m really not sure the ‘all episodes dropping on’ method actually works for everything. Some shows I think work much better being weekly, such as the expanse. Allowing you time to digest the episode and talk about it with others before moving onto the next And giving you different points of view. Rushing through stuff takes away from the enjoyment I think as all your mates are at different stages and you can’t read internet discussion until you’ve finished the season.


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 30, 2020)

Dark was certainly one that we couldn't binge on. One episode a day and take a break between seasons to let it sink in.


----------



## Reno (Aug 30, 2020)

cybershot said:


> This is the problem with Netflix though isn’t it. Admittedly the second season which I have literally just watched the last episode of was poor compared to season one, but anything new gets a Fanfare release while second seasons get little to no exposure and then They are surprised by lack of viewing figures! So much Netflix stuff gets cancelled after season two it’s almost not worth bothering with something until you know it’s getting a season 3 or hits stranger things type mainstream popularity.
> 
> I’m really not sure the ‘all episodes dropping on’ method actually works for everything. Some shows I think work much better being weekly, such as the expanse. Allowing you time to digest the episode and talk about it with others before moving onto the next And giving you different points of view. Rushing through stuff takes away from the enjoyment I think as all your mates are at different stages and you can’t read internet discussion until you’ve finished the season.


Netflix have been better than any US TV Networks, who pull series mid run when they don't immediately get the desired ratings. At least with Netflix you always get a whole season and they'll give shows a second chance even if a first season isn't doing that well. Not sure The Expanse would have even gotten a second season on a commercial TV Network. Something like Stranger Things is a cultural phenomena, despite seasons getting dropped in one go.


----------



## Reno (Aug 30, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> Dark was certainly one that we couldn't binge on. One episode a day and take a break between seasons to let it sink in.


It was the opposite for me. Due to the complexities of the plot, I watched two or three episodes an evening. Could not have done this with weekly breaks. With my goldfish memory I would have forgotten everything.


----------



## krtek a houby (Aug 30, 2020)

Reno said:


> It was the opposite for me. Due to the complexities of the plot, I watched two or three episodes an evening. Could not have done this with weekly breaks. With my goldfish memory I would have forgotten everything.



Tbh, we did have to watch a catch up/story so far between seasons 2 and 3!


----------



## SpookyFrank (Aug 30, 2020)

cybershot said:


> Altered Carbon got cancelled this week. 🤷‍♂️



I was surprised to see it return for a second season tbh. They ruthlessly purged anything interesting from the books and cast a personality black hole as Kovacs. I watched the start of episode one of the second season in the hopes Mackie might be more watchable but the writing was still just utter cack.


----------



## BlanketAddict (Aug 30, 2020)

The Expanse is one I'm tempted to start. 

I got through 5 episodes of Ozark and then gave up. Found it a bit dull (and not just the story, the screen was literally too dark most of the time!)


----------



## platinumsage (Aug 30, 2020)

BlanketAddict said:


> The Expanse is one I'm tempted to start.
> 
> I got through 5 episodes of Ozark and then gave up. Found it a bit dull (and not just the story, the screen was literally too dark most of the time!)



Ozark is great

But you won't have any worries about darkness. The denizens of the asteroid belt in the 23rd century just love living under unceasing bright white light, and they just adore those 200-year old desk lamps from Ikea:


----------



## Reno (Aug 30, 2020)

BlanketAddict said:


> I got through 5 episodes of Ozark and then gave up. Found it a bit dull (and not just the story, the screen was literally too dark most of the time!)


I had no problems making anything out with Ozark and never read complaints that it is a particularly dark show. Check your settings.

Ozark is a show which keeps getting better as it goes on, season 3 being its best so far. The again, I like that sort of crime show, where people get in over their heads and characters who consider themselves to be good guys, become ever more corrupt.


----------



## Chz (Aug 30, 2020)

DotCommunist said:


> Even s4 had better pacing, story and conclusion than star trek discovery, than Picard, than any other contemporary sf show.I remember the days of scraping by on LEXX and Andromeda re-runs, this era is gold.


There will be no dissing of LEXX. Considering its tongue was firmly in cheek, I thought it was brilliant.
And since someone mentioned Watchmen... You should all see it. It's not necessary to know the graphic novel or the film (though it does fill in some back story). And it's frickin' brilliant.


----------



## DotCommunist (Aug 30, 2020)

Chz said:


> There will be no dissing of LEXX. Considering its tongue was firmly in cheek, I thought it was brilliant.
> And since someone mentioned Watchmen... You should all see it. It's not necessary to know the graphic novel or the film (though it does fill in some back story). And it's frickin' brilliant.


I worship His Shadow, obviously, but those were times of lean pickings imo. I'm currently re-watching all of Stargate: SG1 out of sheer nostalgia.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 8, 2020)

Season 5 starts 16th December with three episodes then a new one each week.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Oct 8, 2020)

Crispy said:


> Season 5 starts 16th December with three episodes then a new one each week.




Ugh, drip feeding is somewhat annoying


----------



## Tankus (Oct 8, 2020)

I'm glad they are spreading it out  , so its not a 10 hr binge watch...time to savour the flavour


----------



## Reno (Oct 8, 2020)

Tankus said:


> I'm glad they are spreading it out  , so its not a 10 hr binge watch...time to savour the flavour


You can spread any show out if you want to watch it like that.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Oct 8, 2020)

Tankus said:


> I'm glad they are spreading it out  , so its not a 10 hr binge watch...time to savour the flavour


 
There's a stop button 🤣
It makes  much more sense to release a full season in one go, that way the binge watchers and those who need a break between episodes are covered.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 9, 2020)

I like being able to talk to other people about it as it airs, so I'm in favour of this


----------



## Tankus (Oct 10, 2020)

No discipline


----------



## Crispy (Nov 24, 2020)

‘The Expanse’ Renewed For Sixth & Final Season By Amazon Ahead Of Season 5 Premiere
					

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Studios has set an end date for The Expanse. The popular sci-fi drama has received an early renewal for Season 6, which will be its last. Not returning for the final season is ori…




					deadline.com
				




There are good book-related reasons to stop here, I believe. Still sad


----------



## HAL9000 (Nov 29, 2020)

I watched the first 3 seasons, but I'm not paying for prime.   If it comes out on DVD I'll watch season 4.


----------



## existentialist (Nov 29, 2020)

HAL9000 said:


> I watched the first 3 seasons, but I'm not paying for prime.   If it comes out on DVD I'll watch season 4.


It's torrentable...


----------



## HAL9000 (Nov 29, 2020)

existentialist said:


> It's torrentable...



I don't mind paying, I just don't want a subscription  (I'm not playing the game, try the subscription and then cancel it . )


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Dec 11, 2020)

I'll probably wait until it's over and pay for a month of prime. Super easy to get free prime if you need to. Order something for next day delivery and wait for it not to come. . . Get your money back.


----------



## BigTom (Dec 16, 2020)

First three episodes out now, that's my evening sorted. I'll torrent them now and then take a free month when they are all released and watch them again to record the viewing figures, not that it really matters now the 6th and final season is already confirmed.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Dec 16, 2020)

BigTom said:


> First three episodes out now, that's my evening sorted. I'll torrent them now and then take a free month when they are all released and watch them again to record the viewing figures, not that it really matters now the 6th and final season is already confirmed.


Oh right, didn't know it was so soon. When will the full series be completed? I think I might be interested in watching the whole thing again. Might 'attempt' to get the whole family involved .


----------



## BigTom (Dec 16, 2020)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Oh right, didn't know it was so soon. When will the full series be completed? I think I might be interested in watching the whole thing again. Might 'attempt' to get the whole family involved .



weekly releases after the first three but I don't know how many episodes in the season, I'd assume 10 as that's the number for the other seasons iirc.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 16, 2020)

I cannot wait
It's legal to chloroform your kids to sleep, right?


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Dec 16, 2020)

Crispy said:


> I cannot wait
> It's legal to chloroform your kids to sleep, right?


It's frowned upon .


----------



## Crispy (Dec 16, 2020)

But not _technically_ criminal...


----------



## Saul Goodman (Dec 16, 2020)

Crispy said:


> But not _technically_ criminal...


Nailing them to their beds might be.


----------



## Supine (Dec 16, 2020)

Drip feed or binge. That is the question.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Dec 16, 2020)

Crispy said:


> I cannot wait
> It's legal to chloroform your kids to sleep, right?



McCanns got away with it


----------



## xenon (Dec 16, 2020)

Just watch the first episode, going back in for the rest in a minute. The TV shows are still better than the books. Though I have lost track as there is more in the latter. And they don’t match up 121. Still holds up.


----------



## splonkydoo (Dec 16, 2020)

Great series. Happy to find the new ones on my preferred dodgy streaming site.


----------



## kropotkin (Dec 16, 2020)

In the second episode. Good so far.


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 16, 2020)

Where can this be seen?


----------



## Dandred (Dec 17, 2020)

Just downlaoded the first 3, can't wait, going to enjoy them this afternoon.


----------



## BigTom (Dec 17, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Where can this be seen?



amazon prime or your preferred torrent site.


----------



## BigTom (Dec 17, 2020)

I watched all 3 last night, really good, continuing at the same level of quality, Amos once again has the best lines of the show, and for once the best bit of character development.



Spoiler: all three episodes



what chance a prequel series of young timothy? I'd like to know more of the backstory between them but I don't think we'll get it. I think a prequel series would be terrible but I'd definitely like to know what went on between Amos and his brother.

I missed not having the crew together doing things if I'm honest, I still want to see Bobby and Drummer join them for some badass space adventuring. Seems like Bobby might be in a position to leave Mars and join them but Drummer is definitely off in her own direction - what happened to her exoskeleton? Was there an explanation that I missed, did I miss the exoskeleton or do we assume that she's healed even though was told it wouldn't happen or more advanced medical tech has given her an endo-skeleton machine? 
tbh I hope she does chase down Marco but it seemed like her anger and grief from finding Clay's ship was driving that and being released in the last conversation we saw.

Anyone want to take any bets as to where that asteroid hit? All we know is it's atlantic coastline. They'd best not kill Amos with that asteroid


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 17, 2020)

BigTom said:


> amazon prime or your preferred torrent site.




Thanks. I have access to Amazon Prime. I'll check that tonight.


----------



## DotCommunist (Dec 17, 2020)

I watched the firs two last night and its great to have it back, the avserala/amos interactions were excellent (note the whisky flowing in low g as she fills his glass  ) and this new threat with the long range shattered asteroid fragments all converging in, its enough to make you cold sweat thinking about something like that, theres no fucking way to detect it.

Also, did anyone notice Dewalt logos on the belter software? lol  e2a just realised its the name of drummers ship, i am a nob


----------



## Saul Goodman (Dec 17, 2020)

Starting S5 E1 now. Wish me luck.


----------



## Tankus (Dec 17, 2020)

I'm saving it  for next week


----------



## fucthest8 (Dec 17, 2020)

I think this is probably the best sci-fi show ever.

The characters are all, _all_, great, the plot is dense enough that I have to remind myself of things, but not so dense that I get frustrated and eventually bored (I'm looking at _you_, Dark). The politics is fantastic, the relationships are all brilliant, the violence and action is all thrilling, the emotional stuff is engaging ... and it's all perfectly mixed. Bloody superb.


----------



## DotCommunist (Dec 17, 2020)

in more Quality Amos we got reminded of how much he dislikes bullies in something that you might have been fooled into thinking was going to be a big plot point but was in the end just Amos beating the shit out of cunts, which we all like to see. My cherie Bobby Draper has gone a bit feral with hunting and anger as the dream that was Mars dies in emigrations and corruption. That storyline is bubbling away but will surely tie in as things progress.


----------



## splonkydoo (Dec 17, 2020)

The single best thing about this series as an experience is it's approach to steady pacing, and a storyline where characters aren't just mercilessly killed off mid/end of season which seems to be all the rage these days. It's great having a solid plot line which allows us to have a deeper  emotional understanding of a lot of the characters. So many other series I've recently seen  just seem so non-committal in that regard, overly focused on 'gotcha!' moments and over-engineered sudden plot twists, which just gets....really hollow and gratuitous. So it's really refreshing to have a proper action sci-fi WITH all the explosions and some plot twists without any of the character development suffering


----------



## fucthest8 (Dec 17, 2020)

DotCommunist said:


> in more Quality Amos we got reminded of how much he dislikes bullies in something that you might have been fooled into thinking was going to be a big plot point but was in the end just Amos beating the shit out of cunts, which we all like to see. My cherie Bobby Draper has gone a bit feral with hunting and anger as the dream that was Mars dies in emigrations and corruption. That storyline is bubbling away but will surely tie in as things progress.



"... and they were all alive when I left"  Also, agreed on the Avserala/Amos chat, brilliant "thought you were queen of earth or something"


----------



## fucthest8 (Dec 17, 2020)

splonkydoo said:


> So it's really refreshing to have a proper action sci-fi WITH all the explosions and some plot twists without any of the character development suffering



This is an excellent point, that you *can* have proper character development _and _Amos gratuitously beating people _and _people having complex personal relationships _and _big set-piece space battles ... you can have it all! Rather than it just turning into a soap opera in space, like so many seem to

I feel like the new Star Trek is second on this - it's clearly no where near as good as Expanse and appeals to me on a slightly different basis, but it's still better than TNG or any of that lot


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 17, 2020)

Where can it be watched/streamed?


----------



## kalidarkone (Dec 17, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Thanks. I have access to Amazon Prime. I'll check that tonight.


Me too!


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 17, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> Me too!


I'm losing my brain 😟😟


----------



## kalidarkone (Dec 17, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Where can it be watched/streamed?


Amazon prime....didn't you just say that was where you were going to watch it?


----------



## kalidarkone (Dec 17, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> I'm losing my brain 😟😟


Or I am.....
Is it you or me? 😄


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 17, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> Amazon prime....didn't you just say that was where you were going to watch it?




Yep. My head is a bit fucked. 
I've spent today looking for scandi series on All 4. And then was searching Netflix.


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 17, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> Or I am.....
> Is it you or me? 😄




No . It's me. 
I also forgot what day it is.


----------



## splonkydoo (Dec 17, 2020)

Thoughts on this?  The Expanse's Cas Anvar Won't Be in Season 6 | Den of Geek

It's great to see the show producers come to some level of accountability on this, however.. I do have to say he was one of my favourite characters in the show thus far, so am disappointed on all sides that this has happened.


_edit_ I haven't read through all the allegations and things on reddit myself, but my OH has and reliably informed me he is a definite creep and borderline nonce.


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 17, 2020)

kalidarkone said:


> Amazon prime....didn't you just say that was where you were going to watch it?



At last. I can sit down and watch it. 🙂
On Prime!!!!! 🙄🙄
I've had a  nightmare of a busy day.


----------



## fucthest8 (Dec 17, 2020)

splonkydoo said:


> Thoughts on this?  The Expanse's Cas Anvar Won't Be in Season 6 | Den of Geek
> 
> It's great to see the show producers come to some level of accountability on this, however.. I do have to say he was one of my favourite characters in the show thus far, so am disappointed on all sides that this has happened.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I've just been brought up to speed on this. Urgh. It's going to make watching him in this season unpleasant.


----------



## fucthest8 (Dec 17, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> At last. I can sit down and watch it. 🙂
> On Prime!!!!! 🙄🙄
> I've had a  nightmare of a busy day.



I really hope you enjoy it, would be shame if you hate it after all that!


----------



## pogofish (Dec 17, 2020)

I should not have decided to watch just the first episode at a little after midnight.  I ended-up somewhat later to bed than I’d have liked fr a 9am meeting.

Had to pull a jumper over my PJs.

All I can say is that I was glad of the drone guy - who droned, at length, so I was able to slope-off and make a coffee!

Loved shows though.


----------



## donkyboy (Dec 17, 2020)

Good to have expanse back. best sci-fi show, hands down. not even mandalorian is beating it for me


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 18, 2020)

Watched Season 1 Episodes 1 to 3 last evening. 
Not hooked yet but will watch a few more.


----------



## Chz (Dec 18, 2020)

It is slow to get off the ground. I'm not usually one to say "Stick with it, it gets better" because I'm fairly impatient myself, but I think it's worth it. I stuck with it because it was the only decent sci-fi on at the time, so even if it was mediocre I was gonna watch it.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 18, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Watched Season 1 Episodes 1 to 3 last evening.
> Not hooked yet but will watch a few more.


S1E4 is the "liftoff" episode.
If you're still put off by the rough edges, know that S2 is a big jump in quality. Writing, acting, plot all improve. S3 knocks it out of the park.


----------



## Reno (Dec 18, 2020)

I bailed half way though S01, but I liked the premise and the world building and i'm intrigued by the acclaim which the following seasons received. May give this another try


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 18, 2020)

Crispy said:


> S1E4 is the "liftoff" episode.
> If you're still put off by the rough edges, know that S2 is a big jump in quality. Writing, acting, plot all improve. S3 knocks it out of the park.



Ok..thanks. I will watch S1E4 tonight and follow on over the weekend. 👍


----------



## kalidarkone (Dec 18, 2020)

Crispy said:


> S1E4 is the "liftoff" episode.
> If you're still put off by the rough edges, know that S2 is a big jump in quality. Writing, acting, plot all improve. S3 knocks it out of the park.


Its true......its just started getting interesting at ep4.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 20, 2020)

Right, all caught up on S5 so far now. Completely out-of-order thoughts:


Spoiler



We're back in system-wide-conspiracy mode and I like it lots. Some really nice nuanced character moments (something you couldn't easily say about S1!) esp Naomi meeting Philip for the first time. So much said without words. That establishing shot on Earth that ends up right at eye level was flawless. Can I serve on Drummer's spaceship please? Some cool incidental shots of zero-G - people walking upside-down in the background etc - no doubt thanks to the expanded budget. I could watch Amos and Avasarala crack wise all day long. Holy crap that E3 ending, what's coming next?!?!


----------



## Supine (Dec 20, 2020)

spoilers


----------



## Crispy (Dec 20, 2020)

Supine said:


> spoilers


 - not on purpose. stuck the whole thing in spoiler tags anyway


----------



## Supine (Dec 20, 2020)

Crispy said:


> - not on purpose. stuck the whole thing in spoiler tags anyway



ironically now its my quote that contains the spoilers! I'll fix it now.


----------



## Tankus (Dec 21, 2020)

wow  ...total level up  in 3  episodes  on the whole  of  series  4  methinks   , so  much  going on   , at the  same  time   ,  , so  story arc rich for  potential spin  offs  too


----------



## Crispy (Dec 23, 2020)

Fucking hell how about that then?


----------



## Artaxerxes (Dec 23, 2020)

Spoiler



Fred going is a real deviation from the plot, interesting to see where it goes


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Dec 23, 2020)

I now have prime so I can now join the gang for a while. 
Watched s5 01 roaring drunk so will need another go, but my thoughts in general were extremely positive.


----------



## Dandred (Dec 24, 2020)

Enjoying this! 

Quite a few changes, but still gripping!


----------



## BigTom (Dec 24, 2020)

wow, what an episode.


----------



## paul mckenna (Dec 26, 2020)

Fred Johnson hid the protomolecule between my toes. This isn't Athletes Foot


----------



## DotCommunist (Dec 26, 2020)

what was the line, a fitting epitaph 'He deserved to finish what he was building' ?


----------



## SpookyFrank (Dec 27, 2020)

DotCommunist said:


> what was the line, a fitting epitaph 'He deserved to finish what he was building' ?



It think...

He was telling Fred's mate 'you deserve to finish what he was building'.


----------



## donkyboy (Dec 27, 2020)

Why kill off the black dude? I liked Cutty from The Wire.


----------



## Saul Goodman (Dec 27, 2020)

donkyboy said:


> Why kill off the black dude? I liked Cutty from The Wire.


I didn't realise they had until I read this, but I'll try to forget it before I watch it later.


----------



## Supine (Dec 27, 2020)

Saul Goodman said:


> I didn't realise they had until I read this, but I'll try to forget it before I watch it later.



Me too. 

Watched S5E1 today and thought it looked amazing.


----------



## Aladdin (Dec 28, 2020)

Still on season 1. 
Was watching other series and finally got back to giving this a go.

Hooked now. 😁👍


----------



## Crispy (Dec 28, 2020)

Sugar Kane said:


> Still on season 1.
> Was watching other series and finally got back to giving this a go.
> 
> Hooked now. 😁👍


It only gets better


----------



## cybershot (Dec 30, 2020)

There's a dodgy torrent of Episode 7 doing the rounds, it's a virus (has an exe extension) surprised Sonarr even grabbed it to be honest, but I've since blacklisted it. Windows Defender picks up its a virus, and obviously media players wont play it anyway, but just a word of warning.


----------



## donkyboy (Dec 30, 2020)

Dull episode 5.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 30, 2020)

Goddamn. This season is firing on all cylinders, and there's a mechanic holding on to the front of the car, installing extra cyclinders while the engine's running.


----------



## Dandred (Jan 1, 2021)

donkyboy said:


> Dull episode 5.


What?


----------



## David Clapson (Jan 3, 2021)

Series 2 is so terrible I might give up. I'm on ep 3. The plotting and dialogue are pathetic and the new characters are an embarrassment.


----------



## Threshers_Flail (Jan 4, 2021)

Season 4 was pants but season 5 is much improved so far. 

Love it! Have watched four seasons in about two weeks.


----------



## Crispy (Jan 13, 2021)

That was a BAD ASS ending, after some really good character  drama

(and that last scene was really well done from a science POV)



Spoiler



How to survive in vacuum: Breath in, get some air, then breath out as you open the door so your lungs don't rupture with the decompression. You've got about 30s of decent consciousness, but a shot of adrenaline will give you enough of en edge to open the door at the other side.


----------



## Cloo (Jan 13, 2021)

Ah thanks, I was wondering  exactly what she was doing there!


----------



## BigTom (Jan 14, 2021)

Cloo said:


> Ah thanks, I was wondering  exactly what she was doing there!



yep


Spoiler



I thought it was an injection of hyper-oxygenated blood that we'd been introduced to in a previous episode when holden saved the reporter in the cargo container. Was a fantastic ending to the episode, feels like the end of the middle act of this season and now we head towards a climax. Suprisingly little of the protomolecule and the builders etc in this season so far[/quote]


----------



## Cloo (Jan 14, 2021)

I did like Marco Inaros'  rather Trumpesque fixation on people knowing his name and how his manner changed when Filip dared to talk about people knowing _his _name.

Nb, still impressed they found an actor for Filip who looks so precisely like a cross between the actors playing his parents!


----------



## Signal 11 (Jan 14, 2021)

Spoiler: episode 7, just nitpicking



Did Bobbie really throw that bullet down loose in the cabin, after they've done a whole scene on why you shouldn't do that?


----------



## Crispy (Jan 14, 2021)

A very clever detail you probably missed:


Spoiler



When the Zmeya fires missiles, the very last one looks a bit different,
Blue drive plume instead of yellow.





It's got to have the protomolecule on board


----------



## Nivag (Jan 14, 2021)

Signal 11 said:


> Spoiler: episode 7, just nitpicking
> 
> 
> 
> Did Bobbie really throw that bullet down loose in the cabin, after they've done a whole scene on why you shouldn't do that?


Ha that crossed my mind too


----------



## Sunray (Jan 14, 2021)

Critical Drinker on youtube has recommended this so I will watch it.  Critical drinker on the Expanse

I'm waiting for the final book of the nine(!) book series which I now see is coming out in late October before I do.


----------



## Crispy (Jan 16, 2021)

Sunray said:


> Critical Drinker on youtube has recommended this so I will watch it.  Critical drinker on the Expanse
> 
> I'm waiting for the final book of the nine(!) book series which I now see is coming out in late October before I do.


The TV show will only go up to the end of book 6, so you've got no reason to wait really.
(They're being vague about plans for adapting books 7-9)


----------



## Sunray (Jan 16, 2021)

Crispy said:


> The TV show will only go up to the end of book 6, so you've got no reason to wait really.
> (They're being vague about plans for adapting books 7-9)



I am quite phobic about watching something I am currently reading.


----------



## cybershot (Feb 3, 2021)

Season 5 finale is fantastic.


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 4, 2021)

Yes a roaring finish. I like the way they got the space battle finale bit in and the set up for season 6 as well.


----------



## han (Feb 4, 2021)

Sunray said:


> I am quite phobic about watching something I am currently reading.


Do you recommend the book?


----------



## Artaxerxes (Feb 4, 2021)

Season 5 is Naomi goes through the fucking wringer.



han said:


> Do you recommend the book?



Very much so


----------



## Supine (Feb 4, 2021)

han said:


> Do you recommend the book?



books are almost all great


----------



## Sunray (Feb 4, 2021)

han said:


> Do you recommend the book?



If you're into a melange of hard and not hard sci-fi yes, they are a good page-turning read.  I'm waiting for him to finish it with book nine, so he must be doing something ok.

If you've not read it, Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos is still the most outstanding sci-fi books I've ever read. The 1st book of the 4 is a retelling of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.


----------



## Cloo (Feb 4, 2021)

cybershot said:


> Season 5 finale is fantastic.


I liked the smaller scale, on some senses, of the series - it's easier to try and make each series have a bigger bang, but they let this one play out about people rather than protomolecule.


----------



## Dandred (Feb 5, 2021)

Alex died from a burn that didn't happen? 

Writing him our rather than cast another character after his dodgy fan stuff?


----------



## Crispy (Feb 5, 2021)

Dandred said:


> Alex died from a burn that didn't happen?
> 
> Writing him our rather than cast another character after his dodgy fan stuff?


Stroke from too much Juice, and yeah written out rather than recast. They had to do some reshoots eg. the scene with the Rocci crew and Avasarala on Luna at the end.


----------



## fishfinger (Feb 5, 2021)

Sunray said:


> ... I'm waiting for *him* to finish it with book nine, so he must be doing something ok.


Them. James S. A. Corey, the joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.


----------



## han (Feb 6, 2021)

Sunray said:


> If you're into a melange of hard and not hard sci-fi yes, they are a good page-turning read.  I'm waiting for him to finish it with book nine, so he must be doing something ok.
> 
> If you've not read it, Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos is still the most outstanding sci-fi books I've ever read. The 1st book of the 4 is a retelling of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.


Cheers! Very interesting. I do like some Sci Fi books. Like, The Stars My Destination. And....I downloaded The Expanse years ago but never watched it. Will check it out.


----------



## krtek a houby (Feb 6, 2021)

Dandred said:


> Alex died from a burn that didn't happen?
> 
> Writing him our rather than cast another character after his dodgy fan stuff?



Is it bad? Too scared to Google ...


----------



## Supine (Feb 6, 2021)

Loved the finale. So good.


----------



## SpookyFrank (Feb 6, 2021)

Dandred said:


> Alex died from a burn that didn't happen?
> 
> Writing him our rather than cast another character after his dodgy fan stuff?



They'd already been burning hard to get to Naomi before the wrong 'uns did. They didn't have to do the docking bit but that wouldn't have been a high-G maneuvere just a very risky one.


----------



## Graymalkin (Feb 7, 2021)

SpookyFrank said:


> They'd already been burning hard to get to Naomi before the wrong 'uns did. They didn't have to do the docking bit but that wouldn't have been a high-G maneuvere just a very risky one.


Bobby made a point of saying that they were both "juiced to the gills" in a no doubt re-shot scene.  Since we don't know what the 'juice' is we can speculate away the specific cause.  It was a clumsey way to write him out but, oh well.


----------



## SpookyFrank (Feb 7, 2021)

Graymalkin said:


> Bobby made a point of saying that they were both "juiced to the gills" in a no doubt re-shot scene.  Since we don't know what the 'juice' is we can speculate away the specific cause.  It was a clumsey way to write him out but, oh well.



Juice is the stuff they inject themselves with during high-g flight to prevent strokes. There have been many references to the risk of stroke throughout the series and even though it was probably cobbled together at the last minute Alex's death did at least pay that off, and reinforce the fact that the risks are real.

What was interesting about Alex's arc this season was him talking to his ex wife, who completely cunted him off. Felt like a weirdly prescient scene given the actor's behaviour in real life.


----------



## krtek a houby (Feb 7, 2021)

Graymalkin said:


> Bobby made a point of saying that they were both "juiced to the gills" in a no doubt re-shot scene.  Since we don't know what the 'juice' is we can speculate away the specific cause.  It was a clumsey way to write him out but, oh well.



Dunno, a big heroic death like in Star Trek would maybe not suit The Expanse. Whereas in Discovery, the characters would be crying about it for the next ten eps... 

Liked that it was subtle.


----------



## Chz (Feb 8, 2021)

A bit I hadn't noticed throughout the season was pointed out to me today. Spoilered because it's relevant to the last episode:
 If you watch the credits from the whole season you have been seeing Martians sneak to Laconia the whole time, (AS WELL as a ship vanishing in each credits btw)


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 13, 2021)

What what? Was episode 10 the last one?


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 13, 2021)

Oh hooray. I see there is one more series coming.


----------



## donkyboy (Feb 19, 2021)

So I'm guessing the martians are using the protomolecule to terraform a planet in the Ring.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Feb 21, 2021)

donkyboy said:


> So I'm guessing the martians are using the protomolecule to terraform a planet in the Ring.





Spoiler: Spoilers



Not so much terraform, most of the protomolecule creators planets support life and humans already, but to use it as a key to open pandoras box up and play with the toys. They've spotted a battleship being constructed in orbit and said yippee





Spoiler: Even more spoilers



The rogue Martians are likely to be quiet next season going by the books but I'm expecting them to pop up in the last episode with here's what we've been doing.


----------



## mojo pixy (Feb 22, 2021)

I always find it a little jarring when one of the characters says something about_ the world_ - two examples I found in one episode (S2 E8):

_He's always had a unique way of seeing the world_ (Camina Drummer, on Fred Johnson)
_The protomolecule is out in the world now, we just have to accept that and figure out how to deal with it_ (Fred Johnson to Holden and Naomi Nagata)

It jars more when a belter says it, and I don't know if the same thing happens in the books, but these are just two examples of half a dozen I recall through the series. I feel the writers missed a trick there because obviously it's not ''the world'', it's a bunch of worlds, way-stations and free-flying spacecraft. Talking about ''the world'' just sounds _wrong_.

It's a minor quibble in an otherwise excellently-written show, and it bothers me _because _it's so well-written and I can't believe they missed it


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 22, 2021)

mojo pixy said:


> I always find it a little jarring when one of the characters says something about_ the world_ - two examples I found in one episode (S2 E8):
> 
> _He's always had a unique way of seeing the world_ (Camina Drummer, on Fred Johnson)
> _The protomolecule is out in the world now, we just have to accept that and figure out how to deal with it_ (Fred Johnson to Holden and Naomi Nagata)
> ...


I would argue that it's the same as various other language overhangs that should be obsolete such as . . .
Hang up the phone
Tune in
Hold your horses
Nothing to write home about
etc etc


----------



## mojo pixy (Feb 22, 2021)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I would argue that it's the same as various other language overhangs that should be obsolete such as . . .
> Hang up the phone
> Tune in
> Hold your horses
> ...



Yeah, OK .. but from belters who never had 'a world' it sounds _especially _weird .. plus it's not real life, it's a scripted show with an entire Creole that gets used throughout. 

Anyway. I treat them like the scene where a character takes a deep breath _in _before removing his visor, in hard vacuum .. and his lungs don't explode out through his mouth. Just an oopsy, they're bound to happen in such a huge body of work.


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 22, 2021)

it has a specific and a general meaning. A world, mars, earth. The world of jazz music, worlds without end. World of leather.


----------



## mojo pixy (Feb 22, 2021)

In every case there's a better, more context-appropriate alternative. Which a real person might not use, but script-writers really should have considered. Like,

_He's always had a unique way of seeing things _or _The protomolecule is out there / out of our hands / out of our control / everybody's problem etc now._

Like I say, a minor quibble .. like when Miller forces open the airlock on Eros and leaves the outer door open too, but the papers and random crap lying about don't fly out into space (bearing in mind how carefully airlock moments are constructed in other scenes)

Oopsies, forgivable but oopsies nonetheless. I think I'm just immersed in the Expanse-ness, and hearing about ''the world'' (especially from a belter) breaks into that for me.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Feb 22, 2021)

mojo pixy said:


> Yeah, OK .. but from belters who never had 'a world' it sounds _especially _weird .. plus it's not real life, it's a scripted show with an entire Creole that gets used throughout.



Yes. In the same way that I've never been in a world where I have had to hold my horses or cover my powder. It's language. Probably intentional. Though the breathing thing (had I seen it) might have pissed me off somewhat. I got fucked off with super 8 because they mentioned the alien artefact looked like Rubik's cube, at least a year before they had even come up with the name, let alone it entering popular culture.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Feb 22, 2021)

People still say "crossing the Rubicon" or "Burning the midnight oil" or "In the nick of time" or "Time to face the music" centuries after they lost context, I can forgive the world thing. 

Language is both mutable and very stubborn at times.


----------



## mojo pixy (Feb 22, 2021)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Yes. In the same way that I've never been in a world where I have had to hold my horses or cover my powder.





Artaxerxes said:


> People still say "crossing the Rubicon" or "Burning the midnight oil" or "In the nick of time" or "Time to face the music"



I think I can honestly say I've not used any of these expressions, maybe ever .. though I obviously understand what they mean. Possibly _face the music_, but my world actually has music so that doesn't seem anachronistic. I'm sure I do use tons of anachronisms without thinking, but (sadly) my life isn't scripted and edited by a team of people 

Here's the scene with the breathing, most of the YT commenters seem to think he exhales before opening the visor, but to me it's pretty clear be prepares by breathing in and holding the breath, opens the visor, then _exhales _as he shuts it. I almost yelled at the screen first time I saw it.




Anyway I love this show. Enough to be bothered by minutiae. 99% awesome writing, which is way, way better than usual.


----------



## DotCommunist (Feb 22, 2021)

not that its relevant but one bit of viet nam US soldier slang was 'the world' being back home. What are you going to do when you're back in the world?


----------



## mojo pixy (Feb 22, 2021)

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” 

But Jesus said, "Fuck off, my dad made the entire universe and you're offering me one paltry rock orbiting a small, boring star?"

Obviously that's what Mark _meant _to write.


----------



## kabbes (Feb 27, 2021)

I loved that series.  Maybe the best one so far.  Amos and Bobby remain awesome whilst Drummer and Naomi both give great plot.


----------



## strung out (Mar 15, 2021)

Just binged all five seasons in the last three weeks. Utterly superb from start to finish. How long do we have to wait for the last season now?


----------



## Saul Goodman (Mar 15, 2021)

strung out said:


> Just binged all five seasons in the last three weeks. Utterly superb from start to finish. How long do we have to wait for the last season now?


End of this year at the very earliest.


----------



## JuanTwoThree (Apr 4, 2021)

Just ran out of episodes! It's going to be a long wait.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 8, 2021)

The wait is nearly over. S6 starts 10th December. Only 6 episodes though 

Trailer


----------



## Tankus (Oct 8, 2021)

6 is  not  enough    , think Ill save  a  few  for  Christmas  day


----------



## BigTom (Nov 16, 2021)

December 10th for release date.

not watched the trailer, not going to, will binge the whole series as soon as it's out.


----------



## Reno (Nov 27, 2021)

After giving up on it the first time a few episodes into season one, I wanted something long to immerse myself in and I gave it a second go. Season one suffers from following three different plot lines which don't connect till the end and I wasn't a fan of the whole sub-Blade Runner private eye shtick. I'm now half way through season 3 and the show improves considerably. I love the world building and appreciate that it tries to be reasonably accurate when it comes to the science. I still don't find the four central characters (James, Naomi, Amos & Alex) or the actors who play them very compelling, Steven Strait (James) especially is too much of a bland pretty boy for me. But that's compensated for by great supporting characters, I especially enjoy when ever Chrisjen rips someone a new one.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Nov 27, 2021)

Reno said:


> After giving up on it the first time a few episodes into season one, I wanted something long to immerse myself in and I gave it second go. I'm now half way through season 3 and the show does improve considerably. I love the world building and appreciate that it tries to be reasonably accurate when it comes to the science. I still don't find the four central characters (James, Naomi, Amos & Alex) or actors very compelling, Steven Strait (James) especially is too much of a bland pretty boy for me. But that's compensated for by great supporting characters and I always enjoy when Chrisjen rips someone a new one.


I agree on all points. Btw I also did exactly same thing re: watching three EPs and ditching it, then later getting my teeth stuck in when I had a hole to fill.


----------



## BigTom (Nov 27, 2021)

Reno said:


> After giving up on it the first time a few episodes into season one, I wanted something long to immerse myself in and I gave it second go. Season one suffers from following three different plot lines which don't connect till the end and I wasn't a fan of the whole sub-Blade Runner private eye shtick. I'm now half way through season 3 and the show does improve considerably. I love the world building and appreciate that it tries to be reasonably accurate when it comes to the science. I still don't find the four central characters (James, Naomi, Amos & Alex) or actors very compelling, Steven Strait (James) especially is too much of a bland pretty boy for me. But that's compensated for by great supporting characters and I always enjoy when Chrisjen rips someone a new one.



I really like Amos. A broken man who knows he is broken, like he's a psychopath but he knows that's not a good thing, but he also can't escape it. Also he has all the best lines 

I agree about James / Steven Strait though. Alex and Naomi I think are decently acted, though Dominique (Naomi) does kind of veer in and out of it at times.

The secondary characters are great, Chrisjen and the Tycho station guy whose name (both character and actor) I'm forgetting, he was also great in the Wire and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I'm happy to see him in anything.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Nov 27, 2021)

BigTom said:


> I really like Amos. A broken man who knows he is broken, like he's a psychopath but he knows that's not a good thing, but he also can't escape it. Also he has all the best lines
> 
> I agree about James / Steven Strait though. Alex and Naomi I think are decently acted, though Dominique (Naomi) does kind of veer in and out of it at times.
> 
> The secondary characters are great, Chrisjen and the Tycho station guy whose name (both character and actor) I'm forgetting, he was also great in the Wire and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I'm happy to see him in anything.



At the danger of saying the book was better (in this case I'm not sure it was), I do think this part of Amos is done better there. My partner who hasn't read the books thought he was really nice. In the books he really knows he's a psychopath with no moral compass and so clings to the captain. They do catch it to an extent, he's just a bit cuddley.


----------



## Artaxerxes (Nov 27, 2021)

Reno said:


> After giving up on it the first time a few episodes into season one, I wanted something long to immerse myself in and I gave it second go. Season one suffers from following three different plot lines which don't connect till the end and I wasn't a fan of the whole sub-Blade Runner private eye shtick. I'm now half way through season 3 and the show does improve considerably. I love the world building and appreciate that it tries to be reasonably accurate when it comes to the science. I still don't find the four central characters (James, Naomi, Amos & Alex) or actors very compelling, Steven Strait (James) especially is too much of a bland pretty boy for me. But that's compensated for by great supporting characters and I always enjoy when Chrisjen rips someone a new one.



The lead in US series is nearly always absolutely the worst and dullest character and/or actor - e.g. Lost which had much stronger supporting characters and plots throughout (mostly) 


The Expanse is decent enough, conversely I found the science and plot got noticeably more dramatic and generic once they hit S3 and taken over by Amazon, theres a noticeable change in all those people standing around in the bridge under fire.

Still a decent series though and the effects are great


----------



## Reno (Nov 27, 2021)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> At the danger of saying the book was better (in this case I'm not sure it was), I do think this part of Amos is done better there. My partner who hasn't read the books thought he was really nice. In the books he really knows he's a psychopath with no moral compass and so clings to the captain. They do catch it to an extent, he's just a bit cuddley.


I haven't read the books, but that's how I feel about Amos. He should be more of a psycho but the actor lacks edge and he has these googly eyes which do make him look cuddly rather than unpredictable. I don't mind Alex and Naomi but I also don't find them very memorable. I really liked Drummer and read she becomes a regular in season 4. One thing I found puzzling is that the actress who played Juliette Mao was credited as a main cast member for the first two seasons, when she has about 10 minutes of screen time in the entire show.


----------



## AnnO'Neemus (Nov 27, 2021)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> At the danger of saying the book was better (in this case I'm not sure it was), I do think this part of Amos is done better there. My partner who hasn't read the books thought he was really nice. In the books he really knows he's a psychopath with no moral compass and so clings to the captain. They do catch it to an extent, he's just a bit cuddley.


Amos grew on me, he started out a bit one dimensional but they seem to have rounded his character out a bit as the series progressed.

Chrisjen's my favourite character, and I like Bobbie too.


----------



## kabbes (Nov 27, 2021)

AnnO'Neemus said:


> Amos grew on me, he started out a bit one dimensional but they seem to have rounded his character out a bit as the series progressed.
> 
> Chrisjen's my favourite character, and I like Bobbie too.


Yes, this is how I felt.  Chrisjen and Bobbie are both fantastic.


----------



## krtek a houby (Nov 28, 2021)

BigTom said:


> The secondary characters are great, Chrisjen and the Tycho station guy whose name (both character and actor) I'm forgetting, he was also great in the Wire and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I'm happy to see him in anything.


 The latter is Chad L Coleman and he plays Fred Johnson. He was also in The Walking Dead.


----------



## JimW (Nov 28, 2021)

I'm another one who was going along with it then bailed for no particular reason, maybe just not compelling enough, but sounds like it will be worth giving it another go.


----------



## Chz (Nov 28, 2021)

While we're bigging up the supporting cast. All due credit to Cara Gee, whose part is actually two completely different characters in the book but when the showrunners saw her performance they decided to make sure she stuck around.


----------



## souljacker (Nov 28, 2021)

Chz said:


> While we're bigging up the supporting cast. All due credit to Cara Gee, whose part is actually two completely different characters in the book but when the showrunners saw her performance they decided to make sure she stuck around.


She's the best character in it, IMO.


----------



## fucthest8 (Nov 28, 2021)

souljacker said:


> She's the best character in it, IMO.



Agreed, although I do also love Chrisjen, Bobbie and Amos


----------



## AnnO'Neemus (Nov 29, 2021)

Chz said:


> While we're bigging up the supporting cast. All due credit to Cara Gee, whose part is actually two completely different characters in the book but when the showrunners saw her performance they decided to make sure she stuck around.


Yeah, she's good as well.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 10, 2021)

Season six episode one is available now 

Also, there's going to be an Expanse videogame. A Telltale Games adventure, where you play as Drummer and Cara Gee is doing the voice


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## Dandred (Dec 17, 2021)

Wow, this is really hotting up and only into episode 2! 

Fantastic.


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## Tankus (Dec 17, 2021)

Crap  , I was trying  to  save them   , but  just  caught  up    ,     the  building  tension ........epic 

.Looks  lush  too


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## Reno (Jan 4, 2022)

I've almost made it to the end of season 4 and I'm struggling. The season started off well, with the promise of exploring a new world but then it becomes a stock sci fi show about setting up various perils which then are easily solved. Them all being stuck in the alien structure for most of the season with ridiculous dangers like deadly glow-slugs and an eye parasite with an deus ex machina solution, wore my patience thin. Murtry is a cliched pantomime villain, Christjen's storyline of running for office keeps going in circles and the excellent Drummer has been sidelined. This has gone from a space epic dealing with war and intrigue to Star Trek filler-episodes quality.

Is season 5 an improvement or should I give up ?


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## mojo pixy (Jan 4, 2022)

I found it flagged badly during season 4. There's no harm in skipping to season 5, which is IMO more interesting and less confusing. There are a couple of references in s5 to events in s4, but nothing that breaks enjoyment; the few bits with drummer, and bobbie's corruption-on-mars subplot, are the only worthwhile story strands and it's easy enough to catch up with them in s5.


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## Crispy (Jan 4, 2022)

Yeah it definitely picks back up in S5. Intrigue and space combat is back on the table, as well as some great characterisation.


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## Reno (Jan 4, 2022)

mojo pixy said:


> I found it flagged badly during season 4. There's no harm in skipping to season 5, which is IMO more interesting and less confusing. There are a couple of references in s5 to events in s4, but nothing that breaks enjoyment; the few bits with drummer, and bobbie's corruption-on-mars subplot, are the only worthwhile story strands and it's easy enough to catch up with them in s5.


I’ve only got one more episode of season 4 to go, so might as well watch that. I’ll give some other shows a watch and will return to The Expanse when I'm in the mood.


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## donkyboy (Jan 6, 2022)

Have to say, i'm struggling with this last season. Just got round to the second episode and it was just boring. I preferred it when it was about the protomolecule. this war with the belters has run its course and I find it boring now. wish they would focus more on the mars lot who went through the ring. this part of the plot just seems dead and of no longer focused on. they made the ring a major thing with Holden having a vision about its danger. it is a much more interesting story which just seems secondary and forgotten about.


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## Graymalkin (Jan 7, 2022)

donkyboy said:


> Have to say, i'm struggling with this last season. Just got round to the second episode and it was just boring. I preferred it when it was about the protomolecule. this war with the belters has run its course and I find it boring now. wish they would focus more on the mars lot who went through the ring. this part of the plot just seems dead and of no longer focused on. they made the ring a major thing with Holden having a vision about its danger. it is a much more interesting story which just seems secondary and forgotten about.


The book series has been completed and the 'laconia' plotline resolved (I haven't read the books) but since the show has been cut off (for now) at six seasons it looks like we're just going to see the end of the free navy conflict.  Not a satisfying ending but at least we're not getting the rushed shark jumping other scifi/fantasy shows have resorted to.


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## Dandred (Jan 7, 2022)

Graymalkin said:


> The book series has been completed and the 'laconia' plotline resolved (I haven't read the books) but since the show has been cut off (for now) at six seasons it looks like we're just going to see the end of the free navy conflict.  Not a satisfying ending but at least we're not getting the rushed shark jumping other scifi/fantasy shows have resorted to.


There is another book on the way.


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## Supine (Jan 7, 2022)

Dandred said:


> There is another book on the way.



It’s out now


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 7, 2022)

I'd be interested to read the books, but I suspect I would just give up. I don't  know why, but I can't seem to read anything other than autobiographies anymore. I used to love science fiction books, but just can't connect with them anymore.


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## xenon (Jan 7, 2022)

Reno said:


> I've almost made it to the end of season 4 and I'm struggling. The season started off well, with the promise of exploring a new world but then it becomes a stock sci fi show about setting up various perils which then are easily solved. Them all being stuck in the alien structure for most of the season with ridiculous dangers like deadly glow-slugs and an eye parasite with an deus ex machina solution, wore my patience thin. Murtry is a cliched pantomime villain, Christjen's storyline of running for office keeps going in circles and the excellent Drummer has been sidelined. This has gone from a space epic dealing with war and intrigue to Star Trek filler-episodes quality.
> 
> Is season 5 an improvement or should I give up ?



This has been a problem I've had with the whole show. The pacing. Some bits are frankly just quite dull, especially a lot of Christien's sscenes.

But when it's good, it's very good, so I'm still watching.


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## xenon (Jan 7, 2022)

I can't remember where I'm up to in the books. 



Spoiler



Last I read, they're all a lot older and Holden is in prison for reasons I can't quite recall.


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## Artaxerxes (Jan 7, 2022)

Dandred said:


> There is another book on the way.



Yes, the last one. That completes it.

It will have been finished up for a while now before going to printers


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## Artaxerxes (Jan 7, 2022)

xenon said:


> I can't remember where I'm up to in the books.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Holden got captured after trying to stop anyone dying when they blasted Medina station, the book picks up with him a guest of Laconia.


The books in general are very willing to timeskip, it's been a good twenty years or something since the start of the books by the time Holden is in jail


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## rekil (Jan 7, 2022)

xenon said:


> I can't remember where I'm up to in the books.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Crimes against beardness.


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## donkyboy (Jan 7, 2022)

I just cannot get passed the appalling casting of this Holden character. He looks like a university graduate rather than a captain of a ship.


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## Tankus (Jan 9, 2022)

Ive  got  a  suspicion that  the  last  episode is  really  going  to  annoy me  ,   there  are  far  to many simultaneous  story  arcs running to  satisfyingly end  in the  final  extended  90  min


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 14, 2022)

Is that it then? 
It was just getting good again.


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## BigTom (Jan 14, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Is that it then?
> It was just getting good again.



Yep, unless the remaining 3 books get picked up in future, which could happen - they are set a good few years after the existing stuff so doesn't need to be done straight away and actors could be recast from what I've been told of the books.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 14, 2022)

BigTom said:


> Yep, unless the remaining 3 books get picked up in future, which could happen - they are set a good few years after the existing stuff so doesn't need to be done straight away and actors could be recast from what I've been told of the books.


So the stuff with the kids on the other side of the ring? A set up for the future. Is there enough in the last three books to reignite a whole new cast. 
When I think back though, the private dick scifi noir at the beginning is something completely different from where we get to in the end. 
I should probably start all over again. 

After pissing around a bit too long with the belter conflict it ended quite suddenly. I would have also liked a bit more of the aftermath rather than just a chat around a table and a press conference. Felt very rushed.


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## SpookyFrank (Jan 14, 2022)

Spoiler



The round table chat bit had uncomfortable echoes of Game of Thrones' damp squib finale. It was redeemed by the episode's one real air-punching moment, when Holden hands his new job straight to Drummer.


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## BigTom (Jan 14, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> So the stuff with the kids on the other side of the ring? A set up for the future. Is there enough in the last three books to reignite a whole new cast.
> When I think back though, the private dick scifi noir at the beginning is something completely different from where we get to in the end.
> I should probably start all over again.
> 
> After pissing around a bit too long with the belter conflict it ended quite suddenly. I would have also liked a bit more of the aftermath rather than just a chat around a table and a press conference. Felt very rushed.



Yeah, I'm told the Laconia arc is the next trilogy of books. I think they included it here partly because it has some impact on the belter war and partly to leave it open to being picked up again in future. I haven't read the books so I really don't know if you could do it with a new cast. If they don't film it straight away they'll lose too many to scheduling issues I think, like with Jared Harris. Cara Gee is going to be in huge demand after this for sure, and I think a lot of the other secondary character actors will be sought after too.

The authors describe the books as a trilogy of trilogies and yeah I agree about seasons 1-3 and miss Miller (also another secondary character that was both great and really well acted)


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 14, 2022)

SpookyFrank said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> The round table chat bit had uncomfortable echoes of Game of Thrones' damp squib finale. It was redeemed by the episode's one real air-punching moment, when Holden hands his new job straight to Drummer.


I quite liked some of the table chat, I have missed the politics. It was just all very rushed. . . and small.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 14, 2022)

BigTom said:


> The authors describe the books as a trilogy of trilogies and yeah I agree about seasons 1-3 and miss Miller (also another secondary character that was both great and really well acted)


I think this is one series that I will actually get a kick out of watching again, even though I know what happens.


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## Crispy (Jan 14, 2022)

That was a really good finale, if a little rushed (you could easiliy split it in 2 or three pieces, each with its own climax). But overall, what a fucking show. By a long way the best space scifi TV.

DId everyone notice the who's-who of scifi easter eggs in the strike teams?


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## SpookyFrank (Jan 14, 2022)

Crispy said:


> That was a really good finale, if a little rushed (you could easiliy split it in 2 or three pieces, each with its own climax). But overall, what a fucking show. By a long way the best space scifi TV.
> 
> DId everyone notice the who's-who of scifi easter eggs in the strike teams?



I spotted Vasquez, Hicks and Hudson there. It's blink-and-you-miss-it though.


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## Humberto (Jan 14, 2022)

Sarah Connor, Ripley, Commander Shepard?


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## Crispy (Jan 14, 2022)

The ones I recognise are

BobbyAmos???Jonny Rico - Starship TroopersAdmiral Ackbar - Return of the JediDuncan Idaho - DuneEllen Ripley - Alien(s)Vasquez - AliensLone Starr - SpaceballsKara Thrace - Battlestar GalacticaDoug Quaid - Total Recall?Hicks - AliensHudson - Aliens
"game over man!"?Sarah Connor - TerminatorDave Bowman - 2001James Nesmith (aka Cmdr.  Taggart of the Galaxy Quest)Cooper - InterstellarDeckard - Blade RunnerKevin Flynn - Tron?Commander Shepherd - Mass Effect????Will Riker - Star Trek TNG


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## stdP (Jan 15, 2022)

Crispy said:


> The ones I recognise are
> 
> BobbyAmos???Jonny Rico - Starship TroopersAdmiral Ackbar - Return of the JediDuncan Idaho - DuneEllen Ripley - Alien(s)Vasquez - AliensLone Starr - SpaceballsKara Thrace - Battlestar GalacticaDoug Quaid - Total Recall?Hicks - AliensHudson - Aliens
> "game over man!"?Sarah Connor - TerminatorDave Bowman - 2001James Nesmith (aka Cmdr.  Taggart of the Galaxy Quest)Cooper - InterstellarDeckard - Blade RunnerKevin Flynn - Tron?Commander Shepherd - Mass Effect????Will Riker - Star Trek TNG



Recognised a slightly smaller amount of these than you  Too late and too whisky-ey in the day to be wrangling with TRTDs but Anderton has to be a reference to Jon (John?) Anderton from Dick's Minority Report. And pretty sure it was Jason Nesmith.

P.S. I've not seen any of the latest series yet and have been refraining from finishing the books so please be light on spoilers...!


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## Dandred (Jan 15, 2022)

Buck E Rodgers


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## BigTom (Jan 15, 2022)

Rico I think is starship troopers but I'm surprised the others aren't there, i guess it was only him and Elisabeth Berkeley's character that were infantry and i cannot remember her characters name so she might be.

Nice spot.


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## Graymalkin (Jan 17, 2022)

Crispy said:


> The ones I recognise are
> 
> BobbyAmos???Jonny Rico - Starship TroopersAdmiral Ackbar - Return of the JediDuncan Idaho - DuneEllen Ripley - Alien(s)Vasquez - AliensLone Starr - SpaceballsKara Thrace - Battlestar GalacticaDoug Quaid - Total Recall?Hicks - AliensHudson - Aliens
> "game over man!"?Sarah Connor - TerminatorDave Bowman - 2001James Nesmith (aka Cmdr.  Taggart of the Galaxy Quest)Cooper - InterstellarDeckard - Blade RunnerKevin Flynn - Tron?Commander Shepherd - Mass Effect????Will Riker - Star Trek TNG


I think J Anderton is from Minority Report.


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## Reno (Jan 17, 2022)

BigTom said:


> Rico I think is starship troopers but I'm surprised the others aren't there, i guess it was only him and *Elisabeth Berkeley'*s character that were infantry and i cannot remember her characters name so she might be.
> 
> Nice spot.


Elizabeth Berkley wasn't in the infantry, however she stripped her way to infamy in Showgirls.


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## MickiQ (Jan 17, 2022)

I didn't notice this until this screenshot so props Crispy

In addition to the others mentioned Alex Rogan is the lead character from the Last Starfighter

EDIT: During the battle as well when Bobbi was doing a roll call Bravo Squad reported only 2 survivors, they didn't mention but I'd love to know if it were Ripley and Hicks the only 2 survivors in Aliens


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## BigTom (Jan 17, 2022)

Reno said:


> Elizabeth Berkley wasn't in the infantry, however she stripped her way to infamy in Showgirls.



I could have sworn it was Elizabeth Berkley who played that part starship troopers but yeah it was Dina Meyer, and her character's name was Dizzy Flores which isn't featured there. They do a look a little similar with curly hair but I'm still not sure why I thought that.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 17, 2022)

BigTom said:


> I could have sworn it was Elizabeth Berkley who played that part starship troopers but yeah it was Dina Meyer, and her character's name was Dizzy Flores which isn't featured there. They do a look a little similar with curly hair but I'm still not sure why I thought that.


Tits.


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## BigTom (Jan 17, 2022)

There's a full list here: The Expanse finale has an awesome easter egg full of sci-fi references

for anyone still trying to work them out, H Ochai, R Levine and K Garrity are scripted names not references - confirmed by the showrunner in a tweet linked in that article.


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## BigTom (Jan 17, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Tits.



 I mean yeah they do both get their tits out in the films mentioned but I've not studied either of them enough to be like "oh yeah, I recognise those nipples", lol


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Jan 17, 2022)

BigTom said:


> I mean yeah they do both get their tits out in the films mentioned but I've not studied either of them enough to be like "oh yeah, I recognise those nipples", lol


I haven't seen showgirls, but Berkley was famous for 'getting um out' in it. I expect her fame did a double exposure on the more vague red headed mammary memories of Meyer.


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## donkyboy (Jan 17, 2022)

it picked up after the dull 2nd episode. ending was okay, I suppose.


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## AnnO'Neemus (Jan 18, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I quite liked some of the table chat, I have missed the politics. It was just all very rushed. . . and small.


I read that they had budget issues. A season would normally run to 10 episodes, but the budget wouldn't stretch to that and then it was supposed to be eight episodes, but then it wouldn't stretch that far either.

I suppose in the context of the final episode the new planet stuff was extraneous, but if they'd have cut it then it would have seemed very weird not to go back there and sort of resolve/do something with that storyline. And by resolve/do something, I mean set up that cliffhanger/premise for another season/spin-off, because not going back in the final episode would've been weird.


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## donkyboy (Jan 18, 2022)

I can't blame them for ending it. Looking at the set and SFX, it does look like a very expensive show to produce.


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## krtek a houby (Feb 6, 2022)

Well, there's room for more. No doubt about it. Enjoyable as ever, but the Marcos & Filip dynamic never gripped as much as it should have. Felt the first 2 eps could have been condensed into one and the remainder eps expanded on. 

But really hoping there's more to come.


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