The Expanse

[Gnorlin]

I'm still waiting for season 3 to show up on Amazon Prime video. I'm excited. There's been a lot of diversion from the book series even at the end of season 2, but most of it makes sense. I'm currently on Book 6 so a lot of what seems like them introducing a character that wasn't in that book, is that they appear much later in the books and introducing them early makes narrative sense (e.g. Avasarala, Prax, Ana) and fleshes them out for the time when they are the focus of the story.

[Macheath]

This show is unreal. Season 3 is so good. Making me want to find the time to go back and read the books from where I left off. It must have been fabulously expensive, SyFy couldn't possibly keep it up with the low ratings I'm sure it got on premium cable. I have high hopes for an Amazon-funded season 4, with a bigger online audience...

[Macheath]

Well, here it comes:

[Gnorlin]

I'm so excited!

[Macheath]

Well, season 4 is up on AMZN now and fuck me, there's no end to the quality shit to watch.

[Gnorlin]

Well, season 4 is up on AMZN now and fuck me, there's no end to the quality shit to watch.

I've watched the first two episodes and I have no complaints. It looks like they're smooshing some/all of book 5, along with book 4 into season 4.

I'm also curious, if the show lasts that long, if they're going to do the 30 year time jump between books 6 and 7. And if they'll do old age makeup or some digital fanciness or recast everyone.

[Macheath]

Watching season 5 now! Episode 1 was a lot of (kinda boring) setup, but episode 2 was hot as fuck. We off and running now, I hope.

[Macheath]

I went back and binged the rest of season 5 this weekend.

There are some high points early (the raid on Tycho springs to mind), but then it's pretty slow for a long stretch... a lot of setup... not bad, but slow.

Well, okay, some of the stuff with Marco & Filip is bad. Some of the stuff with Amos & Peaches is bad. The suddenly-promoted and then just-as-suddenly-deposed U.N. Secretary General was bad.

I swear to god some storylines just coast now and then, so we won't forget they exist. I feel like I watched Naomi doing not much at all and then Naomi fiddling with busted communication systems on a doomed bait ship for half the season.

Then came the finale. Awesome, pulse-pounding first 15 minutes. Then, after Holden and the Mary Sue Rocinante escape by the skin of their dicks yet again, and you're expecting everything to be peachy keen for the umptillionth time, OUT OF FUCKING NOWHERE god damn Alex strokes out during a hard burn. You hear over and over that it's a risk, but it's terrifying to have seen it happen now.

But then I googled it, and it turns out they probably added that after filming had already wrapped:

Alex's death on the show came after the actor who played him was fired after a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him emerged in summer 2020.

Oh. The abruptness is less appreciated now that I know that. It's less "bold storytelling," more "contemporary ass covering."

Oh well. Would have been nice to have the whole crew back together in season 6. :sadangel: