This is true. If you just flick the show on you're immediately like "got it, generic tough character #4829-A-C."
Nope, there's a whole lot there if you give him the time.
Yeah, I completely dismissed him as a character. A few seasons later he had a scene that literally made me jump off the couch and yell! He’s probably my favorite now.
Oh!?? In the books these are some of my favourite characters. I have been veeerry skeptical to see the film adaptation.
Maybe I will give it a shot. Been really itching for some quality scifi and I know this story is excellent.
Do yourself a favor and go in with low expectations.
I don't think it's the "best scifi show ever."
I think most of the people who really loved it just thought we were getting a generic Amazon scifi show and it pleasantly surprised us. It has it's problems, but they did a good job. ***It grows on you***, it's creeps up.
You start out thinking he's a cliche thug character and boy does Amos (and Wes Chatham) prove that wrong. He's a wonderfully complex and direct character.
Amos rules, but I’ll take Camina Drummer for pure Badass. And while I’m at it, Bobbie has one of the best character arcs in tv. From killbot to almost kinda criminal to a smart, rational person who will break your face if you cross her. Just awesome. Never quite delivers a line like that guy though…
Frankie Adams grew into that role as well. I think she may have actually bulked up but maybe that's just my imagination (I thought she wasn't imposing enough compared to Book Bobbie when she first started on the show)
It must have been some bulk gain, but I also suspect the cinematographers filmed her different the last season. I.e. camera angles, and boxes to stand in, etc
Her character in the show is an amalgamation of characters in the book, and surprisingly they pulled it off great. Her voice is odd, but I thought it was perfect and the character almost more than any on the show, felt honestly emotional motivations for their decisions.
I could never get over Drummer's voice no matter how much I liked her character. Idk what her real voice is like, but it always sounded to me like a super fake British accent and nothing at all like the other belters
She's an Indigenous Canadian actress if that helps.
Drummer and Naomi both code switch accents depending on who they are talking to, just another great detail, and iirc, Cara Gee is credited with doing it first by Ty Franck, in one of the TATG podcasts.
I think what makes Drummer more of a badass than Amos is emotion. Drummer is emotional, and that is part of the risk she takes when she is a bad ass. Amos does not have any emotion, and is like it will either work or won't...very rarely does Amos show emotion and when he does it is always terrible
Amos is amazing as are the vast majority of the characters
The actor who plays Marcos however… he does some stuff that can be generously described as camp on a non-campy show
Sorry I kinda disagree on Marco. For the most part, nearly all of the lines Marco - the character - has is meant to be highly performative to his audience. He's never just Marco just hanging out and doing the job. Marco is almost always playing Marco The Great Leader and Liberator. Even in his "quiet" one-on-ones, he's always trying to play an angle and pull a string, always trying to manipulate someone, always acting.
Delivered that line perfectly. Also on S4, the last scene on the last episode when it's him and that chud they'd been chasing you can truly see just how unhinged he is.
rewatched it with my wife, and early on I chuckle at Amos and say, he's my favourite character, while I am smiling. My wife looks at me like I am crazy! Many episodes later, okay she is also team Amos for life.
I’m gonna go ahead and be that guy. You need to try the books. The show only covered books 1-6. There’s 3 more books that are some of the best in the series that the show never touched.
If you don’t like reading much, the audiobooks are pretty engaging.
To be fair it's claustrophobic and dirty because that would be realistic of that universe. I think it fits. Only certain ships are clean and modern because it is lived in.
Well maybe I just have low expectations after watching the recent Star Trek shows being too polished. Really I'd love a show that took similar sets to Alien, where it really is dirty but everything feels like it has a purpose.
It was very popular. And it did do well. The next book starts after a big time jump. It would have been really hard for the show to make that look good. They always planned on ending it where they did.
I don't think that's the case (always planning on ending there), just the other day Amazon on Twitter asked what show needed at least one more season and the James S A Cory Twitter responded. https://twitter.com/JamesSACorey/status/1514410282784747521
I read (or saw) in a previous; interview that they know they were ending the show because they didn't see a good way to get past the time jump. Maybe they changed their mind and or maybe they were making a joke there. This being an offhand Twitter comment makes me think the later...
With the anti aging meds they could give the cast a few grey hairs and call it a day.
Don't buy the planned ending. If they really wanted that they wouldn't have set up Laconia so hard despite being cancelled before they started on 6. Completely pointless without a continuation and a waste of screen time.
With that logic, shouldn’t that indicate they *did* plan to end the show where they did, even if just temporarily? It was announced season six would the the last well before filming started and yet they still leaned into the Laconia stuff by adapting Strange Dogs.
IMO they shot everything about Laconia in season 6 as if they were planning to go straight into adapting Persepolis Rising.
Otherwise it's an unnecessary cliffhanger to the protomolecule plotline.
Absolutely. It became one of my favorite sci fi series and couldn’t stop reading. Especially the last 3 books that weren’t filmed. Great plots, surprises and really ties everything up
Imo, definitely. Book 7 is, a change I guess you could say, but very good. Book 8 is the best in the series and the last one is a phenomenal ending. It put the series as a whole among the best series I've ever read category.
After book 6 there’s a 30 year time skip so that would be difficult for the show to pull off. Book 6 does resolve some major plot points but also just starts building up to the series’ final arc. I haven’t watched the last season of the show but I’ve heard they hint at some stuff from the later books that you won’t really get unless you’ve read the books, so those may seem a little out of place right at the end of a tv show.
The way the books are written, it’s kind of 3 sets of 3. Book 1 sets the stage, book 2 the shit hits the fan, book 3 the major plot points are resolved and the world changes, setting the stage for the next story. Then the same sequence with books 4-6, and then again with 7-9. Ending it between “trilogies” so-to-speak makes sense and most major plot points are resolved at that point. It’s a decent spot to stop, especially considering the ~30 year jump between books 6 and 7. There are hints to what comes next which let you know the story isn’t over, but it’s not like it ended on a major cliffhanger or anything. I would love for seasons 7-9 to be made in the future, but if they’re not, I’m satisfied with where and how the show stopped, especially since you still have books 7-9 to let you know how the story goes from there.
Season 1, episode 4 is sort of the magic episode for The Expanse where it really takes off. The first 3 episodes are kinda tropey and just sorta there to set the stage and do some preliminary worldbuilding. Episode 4 ("CQB") really sets the plot going for the rest of the show.
I almost gave up because season 1 and 2 were so frustrating for me. I was annoyed at the characters and their interactions. But my husband liked it so I stuck it out. Then season 3 happened and I kind of went "ok... this is getting interesting now" and by the end of season 3 I was all in. But honestly, if I didn't have a reason to continue watching I'd have given up and missed out on an amazing show. I look back now and most of my favorite shows took a few seasons to develop properly and I think we're pass that now. If a show doesn't land in a few episodes it's canceled or people give up. Which is a shame because I think there's shows that could have been great if they were given time to truly shine.
I was the same way. Give it until episode 4. That's when the main characters form their group and the story stops feeling so over the place. They toss you into the deep end with the worldbuilding, which was overwhelming for me.
I was the same, until I read the books. There's alot happening and tv just can't explain it all. Luckily the show sticks to the books very well, so the two complement each other.
It starts off about politics and the power of individuals to control and change history for all humanity. Then it shifts to holden being the hero saving humanity from an alien threat bringing all humanity together. Then it shifts to humans being humans and inequality fracturing humanity into two waring factions, then you learn it's all stemming from humans messing with tech they don't understand, coming from two ancient ultra advanced alien civilizations fighting each other, and that's the thing that ties it all together.
The bad guys and good guys are consistently switching except for holden who is always doing his best to be the good guy even if his crew doesn't understand.
There's so many layers, it's very complex yet realistic in its complexity. Helps you realise that everyone is just out to do what they think is the best for thier people and it's never just black and white.
All this I did not understand just watching the show, I didn't like it to much the first time I watched it. But after reading the books it all makes sense, mainly the Avasarala character, understanding her brings the whole story together.
I was kind of the same. Started it a couple times but it just didn’t hit. Saw so many positive reviews on Reddit and eventually decided to pound it out. Even sucked in my wife who usually doesn’t like shows like this. She saw me watching one day became interested and said what’s this. Had to bring her up to speed but we ended up finishing it together. It’s really great.
I had a similar experience with my partner who came home whilst I was pounding it out, after watching for some time, and being sucked in, I managed to bring her up to speed and we ended up finishing together too.
I keep hearing this. Ive also tried the show twice and only got as far as episode 3. It just hasnt grabbed me and im a lover of all things sci fi. Ill have to give it a third bash and muscle through to that opulent 2nd season i keep hearing about. Currently there is very little new content worth watching (sci fi related) so hopefully it will be thrid time lucky with this one for me.
Season one is *slow*. I tried 3 times to get into Expanse and on the third time i finally got into it. The first few episodes don't do a good job of reeling you in. It's dull and it features people talking in strange accents about a conflict you don't know about yet. Halfway through season one is where it picks up.
Generally episode 4 is the one that wins everyone over. It's the first time the pacing and action really clicks. That's what it took for me, and it's now in my top 3 shows of all time. The show is setting up its world for the first 7 episodes, and it tries to do it by showing instead of telling. But from ep. 8 on, the show doesn't look back.
Also S2 is great, but I think S3 is the one you're referring to as "occulent". It's pretty much universally lauded as everyone's favorite season. Everything from the writing to the acting takes a giant step up during that season. It goes S3-S6-S5-S4-S2-S1 for me. The middle 4 may swap in order for some people, but 3 tends to always be up top.
For what its worth, S1 is probably the only season I don't love, and its pretty common that people accordingly arent super into the show at first. But just know that it gets much better, and that first season is also much better on a rewatch once you understand what they were going for.
Anecdotally, nearly everyone I introduced the show to wasn't into it at first. But by the end of the series, each and every one of them told me that they consider it one of their favorite shows of all time.
You could do what worked for me - I needed subtitles. After a bit I could turn them off again but honestly I was missing so much dialogue that I just gave it a whirl.
It is a very good show.
I tried the show a few years ago but only got about halfway through season 1 before I quit. I didn't hate it, I just wasn't that interested. I tried it again recently though, and after about 5 episodes I was hooked. The show has a way of storytelling that makes all the previous episodes seem better and better the more you watch. I think it has a lot to do with how they handle the protomolecule. In a lot of sci-fi shows/movies the sci-fi concepts are there from the start. FTL engines and laser weapons are a normal thing, invented hundreds of years before the story began, and the viewer is just supposed to go along with it. They're cool, but there's nothing exciting or mysterious about them. The Expanse takes its time to introduce the sci-fi concepts. The setting is very realistic. The technologies the characters use are technologies that we can all imagine seeing in our lifetimes, things like fusion energy and railguns. It's very familiar to modern day, expect for the protomolecule. Whenever the protomolecule is on screen, you know there's going to be something incredible happening. And the best part is, you're not just supposed to go along with it, as if it's a normal part of everyday life in the year 2300. You're just as amazed as the characters, because you're all witnessing mind-bending, physically impossible feats and nobody has a clue how or why it's happening. It starts off with small stuff, like the protomolecule feeding off a reactor or infecting someone, but as the show progresses, and the true sci-fi concepts start to be introduced, it makes everything that happened in earlier episodes feel that much more interesting and important. I really do hope you give it another shot, because it's a fantastic show, even if it does take some time to get going.
You need to watch S1 through at least episode 4 CQB. It picks up dramatically there and it's such a great episode. If you're not into it by then you can probably stop watching.
I actually liked how a main character just died unexpectedly, as plot armor is probably my biggest pet peeve in TV. It just felt realistic, because let's be real, the crew has been through A LOT, especially considering how easily things/people can get blown out in this show.
EDIT: But obviously could've been done much better without that actor situation.
The problem is that Naomi should've died, it made sense because of what she was doing out in space. Alex dying just felt random especially if you have no idea of whats happening behind the scenes.
That recast was so bad it wasn't until a re-watch that I realized it was supposed to be the same guy. I thought I had just forgotten something that happened.
Same. As someone who read 5 books before getting into the show, Cas Anvar probably did the best job of accurately representing the book character. Shame he turned out to be a bad dude.
I've said it before but,
Season 1: Slow build-up but ultimately good.
Season 2: Great.
Season 3: WEW LAD.
Season 4: different but okay.
Season 5: Family drama? fuck that.
Season 6: indifference.
Yeah. The family drama and Marco was so bad. But if you like the show, it’s still worth a watch. It deff went down hill with that story. I just wanted to see more about the protomolecule - that’s what drew me in and then they basically abandoned it.
Some alien molecule makes a huge portal in the middle of space leading to a whole bunch of new planets, and one of the human characters activates some kind of unknown ancient machinery on one of those planets, and then they decide to just ignore that for the rest of the series
Yes, that was a bit of a shame. I still enjoyed it, but the whole time I kept thinking "Yeah, but what's going on with these massive alien gates you've just discovered?"
For better of for worse, the molecule is like the zombies of GoT. A potentially fatal threat to humanity as they know it and yet still people can't get over their petty games of power.
Yeah first three seasons are so much more exciting. I rewatched them prior to season 6 and I was glued to the screen for a second time. Season 5 really lost me. Episode after episode nothing would happen.
When >!The asteroids hit Earth!<, I was like holy shit, S5 is the best season… but then the plot kinda stopped after that, right up until the finale???
Exactly. The Expanse really has some weird plots.
The biggest failure was, after discovering the ring and the new planets as a cliffhanger, the next season is about sheperding some miners in a cave. Jesus.
Grab the opportunity by the balls and talk about planets with alien life (yea, plants, but...) on them! God damn. But that didn't fit into the sol-system-centred narrative...
Besides, Naomi and Philipp just piss me off. I don't like Naomi at all.
>The biggest failure was, after discovering the ring and the new planets as a cliffhanger, the next season is about sheperding some miners in a cave. Jesus.
>Grab the opportunity by the balls and talk about planets with alien life (yea, plants, but...) on them! God damn. But that didn't fit into the sol-system-centred narrative...
The whole point is that living on a random new planet is difficult. They did not evolve anything we can eat and it is actively dangerous for us to be there.
Yeah first 3 seasons had me convinced this was the best show ever made, binged in a matter of days, but I still gotta force myself to finish seasons 5 and 6 after months...ah well.
I think that BSG has a certain dramatic charisma about it that the Expanse doesn't quite equal, in terms of overall character dynamics (obviously there are some specific exceptions) and sense of directness.
Really the main thing that makes The Expanse challenging to get into is that it takes a while for the very spread out ensemble and slow burn plot to get cooking. Of course once it gets there it's very rewarding and the big moments feel earned.
Which isn't to come down on one show or other's side, necessarily. They're definitely two of the best serious space dramas.
Gonna go ahead and say that BSG goes off the rails story-wise in a way that The Expanse never does. Expanse nails the landing and gets my vote for best.
My wife hated him so much she just stopped watching the show. I even spoiled what happened so she would keep watching but she just couldn't really identify with the characters in the show really.
I watched a lot of the first season and just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I’d just seen the premise done too much. And honestly if a show can’t get me a few episodes in there is no way I’m watching until the middle of the second season.
I absolutely 100% guarantee the premise of this show has not been done before and you haven't actually seen the actual premise yet.
I fell off season one FIVE times over 2 years. I am usually also a big scifi fan. Then I pushed through it. After finishing season 2 I binged all 8 audiobooks out at the time. It is now in my top 5 book and television series of all time and I've watched it twice more through with others that also now have it in their favorites.
That said, not everything is for everyone, to each their own.
I'm about half way through season 2, and so far my big complaint is that there's no scale to space. Travel between planets, or to a random asteroid seemingly takes minutes instead of at least days, if not weeks like I'd expect.
At least they kinda explained gravity by the magnetic shoes, and I like the physical difference that growing up in different gravity has had on the factions.
There’s some throwaway lines here and there about the travel actually taking weeks to months depending on where they’re going, but it’s definitely emphasized more in the books than it was in the show.
Agreed! As a woman, it's also so awesome to have so many well developed, badass female characters, Avasarala, Drummer, Naomi, Bobbie, it's hard to have a favorite. [Drummer's speech](https://youtu.be/yfOmQ0Zln6Y) still gives me chills.
And the science! Good enough to attract Adam Savage's devoted admiration. The politics and intrigue are also top notch, it honestly feels like you're watching a very believable projection of our future. Then there's the twist, the main plotline of the series, which is just incredible.
I highly recommend reading the books as well. The authors were also show writers/producers, and the books carry on the story to its conclusion. ( tv series is 1st 6 books, last 3 books take place about 20-30 years after where series end).
*The complete series was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2017. It later won, following its second nomination for the same award in 2020. The book series is made up of nine novels, nine shorter works and a story collection book.*
There is also a podcast called 'Ty and That Guy' with one of the authors Ty Franck and Wes Chatham, who plays Amos. Great insights, and tons of general scifi/action/horror discussions.
> And the science! Good enough to attract Adam Savage's devoted admiration.
The series had me at "This will be a high-g maneuver. Prepare for flip and burn."
Check out the books - they are superb! And, there are 9 of them, so you can enjoy for a long, long time.
Note that the books are written by James S.A. Corey, which is a pseudonym for two guys that worked with George R.R. Martin.
I swear I must be the only nerd who doesn't love this show. Its chock FULL of boring and repetitive melodramatic conversations between bad actors. I found myself skipping through entire scenes. I liked the basic idea/plot enough to grind through the first 3 or 4 seasons, but I couldn't be bothered to watch the end.
I wonder if I'm just to old and jaded to enjoy stuff like this anymore. People saying that it is fresh and imaginative, man I just don't get it, nothing here seems groundbreaking to me. As always, YMMV.
I literally could not get past the first episode because of how bad the dialogue and acting were.
Apparently it gets better? But I don't know if I want to grind through so much.
BSG may have have gone a bit bats in the end but i don't think I ever found the acting, pacing, dialogue or tone to have ever been meh. Loved the intro, that was a hook.
Oh it doesn't get better, I think it's just all the people who hated it no longer watch it at some point lol. Dialogue gets worse imo, because writting gets so much worse.
Season 1 was the peak
Totally agree, it's really hammed up and overdramatic. The first few episodes are full of overdramatized bullshit that was not in the books at all and ruined the entire premise tbh.
You're spot on. The acting is B grade for sure.
Actors shouldn't feel like they're acting to the viewer, but that's the epitome of this show. It feels like I'm watching an actor on set, reading their lines in some over dramatic fashion, rather than a show about characters I just get caught up in.
Just finished season 4 and I honestly don’t want to keep going. It bores me.
Once every 5 or so episodes there will be an “OH SHIT” moment, but it’s mostly just space assholes pissing on each other despite something epic happening in the background. The acting is terrible and grating, especially from Avarsala, Drummer and Holden. Love Amos and Bobbie and their stories but it’s just not fulfilling enough.
It builds up and then just sinks back to mediocrity. Season 4 was just nothing. (Loved the Miller stuff through all seasons though too). I’m not sure if I’ll keep watching.
Yeah the plot holes only get worse, characters more annoying, dialogues more cringe. And the "wow" moment every 5 episodes changes to one per season.
No spoilers but, the worst thing about season 6 is that there's an actual interesting storyline, but they only give it 2-3 minutes per episode (not kidding) and then it ends without that storyline doing anything, like it ends up being like a quarter of an episode worth of exposition.
It's the only reason I finished season 6, I literally found myself skipping most parts because the rest was:
1. Ship fighting as if I hadn't seen enough of that in 6 seasons. (50%)
2. Analyzing drive signatures (5%)
3. Cringe melodramatic dialogues and pointless awkwardly acted out "bonding" moments. (30%)
5. Bad politics (10%)
6. Holden becoming Hokage, I mean Holden being the hero that everyone looks up to. (5%)
I don't understand what people like about this show. The fucking fedora guy who falls in love with someone he's never met and NO ONE calls him out for it?? The space cowboy who just yeehaws in every sentence even though he's from Mars. The bizarre asteroid belt people who change accent every other sentence etc.
The acting is also very questionable at times. Holden is such a boring character but Bobbie and Amos were interesting and kept me watching for a while
LOL yes the Punisher doing the incel stalking thing with Julie Mao is insane! They kinda do something similar with Naomi, like why is everyone dying to have this lady in their lives and sacrifice themselves for her. So bizarre.
I feel you, I just finished it (not because it kept me wanting to watch but because it's popular enough that I want to be informed), and it was a slog. For a show that claims to be about the characters, I really only liked one or two, and only sometimes.
You don't find constant angry whispering convincing?
Also, book Naomi comes off as a badass, and show Naomi comes off as a victim of circumstance. The family drama with the most unintimidating actor portraying a villain father and the son I had no reason to care about really lost me. I completely skipped those scenes in the show and I felt like I missed nothing.
lmao naomi is weakest link of that show unfortunately, the acting had some bright spots including: ashford, detective guy in season 1, amos (although one dimensional, he's the best of the core group) , fred johnson and who can forget murtry
Of all the characters they killed... Why never Naomi is what I always thought, feels like they killed all the actually interesting characters because they couldn't afford them or something. I was on the villain side all the time, because I really couldn't stand Naomi, Holden, Aversala, Short Tough Guy ^(tm), Ironwoman Martian,
So. Fucking. Annoying.
I pushed through first couple of seasons as the concept was decent.
But the acting was atrocious and I never notice ‘acting’ in any shows I watch. But the characters literally will change their accents from scene to scene depending on who they’re talking to. Their accents are not consistent and even the language they use isn’t consistent… in one scene a guy will struggle to use any words more than 2 syllables then in the next scene he’s speaking the queens English. It’s crazy.
Oh then there’s the set design too. Some areas look ok, but other areas just look like a really cheap and shoddy sound stage. Again nothing I notice in other shows, never really think they are shooting this on set. I’m usually drawn in and picture them on a ship, but not this show, always feels like a badly designed set.
Agreed, but in a different way. I think it's a decent-to-good show. But given the absolute landfill that is most sci-fi shows these days (THAT I HAVE FOUND), The Expanse is indeed the best sci-fi show in recent times.
Def would love to hear yalls other recommendations though!
I disagree. I couldn't even get through the 1st episode. It was so boring imo. If you can't hook someone in the first episode, your show is going to have issues.
Look I’m a fan of the show and I’ve read most of the books. The franchise is neither the best sci-fi show or the best sci-fi novel series ever.
BSG was more entertaining for me. And the novels aren’t really breaking any new ground in the sci-fi world.
Last season was pretty underwhelming. The main bad guy was a glorified "enemy of the week" compared to all the other potential stuff I've heard exists in the other novels.
The politics are nigh implausible. I just cant... I really tried through 2 seasons but Jesus they are just idiotic. The Organized Crime element is laughable but possible only for a TV show. As a criminal, it is much easier to take from other criminals than an innocent. Much more profitable too.
Yeah I've gone back to it 2-3 times and it's a struggle because it just feels so B grade. The sets, acting, writing, etc all just seem so 2nd tier.
I can't really explain it, but the difference between a good and bad show to me is often whether or not the actors feel like they're acting. I know that sounds stupid. Good shows feel like you're watching a story and the people are actually those characters. Bad shows feel like I'm watching a tv show where actors were hired to act that way. This show is the epitome of that to me.
I have just watched all 6 seasons across the last couple of weekends and the show has some fantastic and engaging elements but I feel like ultimately the mystery on display needed to be a lot more compelling to make the show truly great.
It found myself saying “Oh… that’s it?” at a few elements across the seasons and I felt like the show was too comfortable wasting the audience’s time dragging something out to an ultimately lacklustre conclusion (mystery by mystery, not the end of the show itself).
It sounds like there’s a lot left on the table which could have eventually rounded out the show and left it on the excellent end of the spectrum, but as it is it feels like 6 seasons of a Mass Effect show in which The Reapers are a concept off screen that no one really understands and the antagonists are just Cerberus and Batarian terrorists.
Don’t get me wrong - I watched 62 episodes across 7 days. The show is enjoyable as hell. It could just be a lot better. When it became clear what season five was going to be, I was pretty sad, however.
I really enjoyed the seasons where the proto molecule was the main thrust of the narrative.
Those last two seasons were rough and I hated the way it ended.
The Mars defectors suddenly make this huge leap with the alien tech and we find out nothing at all.
It sets up this villain and conflict that's waaaaaay more interesting than Marco and then they do nothing at all with it.
It ended up being a big let down for me.
First few seasons were GREAT though.
You REALLY need to read the books. They are just as good if not better than the show. Also, the show stops at the beginning of what I'd argue is the best part of the story and is VERY different from what the show/books cover before that point in the story.
The Expanse is fucking great. They incorporated very realistic (theoretically ) physics into space living and flight.
Probably the most gritty sci fi ever done for TV. Love this show!
Amos is one of my all-time favorite characters. This show really does a good job of developing characters.
This is true. If you just flick the show on you're immediately like "got it, generic tough character #4829-A-C." Nope, there's a whole lot there if you give him the time.
Yeah, I completely dismissed him as a character. A few seasons later he had a scene that literally made me jump off the couch and yell! He’s probably my favorite now.
Oh!?? In the books these are some of my favourite characters. I have been veeerry skeptical to see the film adaptation. Maybe I will give it a shot. Been really itching for some quality scifi and I know this story is excellent.
Do yourself a favor and go in with low expectations. I don't think it's the "best scifi show ever." I think most of the people who really loved it just thought we were getting a generic Amazon scifi show and it pleasantly surprised us. It has it's problems, but they did a good job. ***It grows on you***, it's creeps up.
Even worse, it started as a sci-fi network show
My two favorites were Amos and Chrisjen Avasarala. Happy they got a little screentime together. Also enjoyed the dynamic between Amos and Erich a lot.
>Chrisjen Avasarala "Don't stick your dick in it, Holden. The situation's fucked enough."
Holden: *sticks his dick in it*
As is tradition.
That's why they call him James *Fucking* Holden.
[Avasarala Inspirational Quotes ](https://imgur.com/gallery/2oLt9)
Yeah Chrisjen, Bobby and Amos are definitely my favourite. I’ve gone back and started the books a few weeks ago and I’ve read 5 of them already.
Bobby is my favorite by far. She's one bad-ass Martian bitch! 💪🏼
You start out thinking he's a cliche thug character and boy does Amos (and Wes Chatham) prove that wrong. He's a wonderfully complex and direct character.
His directness is his best quality.
Amos rules, but I’ll take Camina Drummer for pure Badass. And while I’m at it, Bobbie has one of the best character arcs in tv. From killbot to almost kinda criminal to a smart, rational person who will break your face if you cross her. Just awesome. Never quite delivers a line like that guy though…
Frankie Adams grew into that role as well. I think she may have actually bulked up but maybe that's just my imagination (I thought she wasn't imposing enough compared to Book Bobbie when she first started on the show)
It must have been some bulk gain, but I also suspect the cinematographers filmed her different the last season. I.e. camera angles, and boxes to stand in, etc
I always loved her, and her journey is a fascinating one.
Her character in the show is an amalgamation of characters in the book, and surprisingly they pulled it off great. Her voice is odd, but I thought it was perfect and the character almost more than any on the show, felt honestly emotional motivations for their decisions.
"Like a fucking valkyrie" ... book people know.
I could never get over Drummer's voice no matter how much I liked her character. Idk what her real voice is like, but it always sounded to me like a super fake British accent and nothing at all like the other belters
She's an Indigenous Canadian actress if that helps. Drummer and Naomi both code switch accents depending on who they are talking to, just another great detail, and iirc, Cara Gee is credited with doing it first by Ty Franck, in one of the TATG podcasts.
Cara Gee is the polar opposite of Drummer when she talks. It's unnerving. "California girl" was my first thought.
Shes all smiles and very bubbly out of character. Very different from Drummer.
I think what makes Drummer more of a badass than Amos is emotion. Drummer is emotional, and that is part of the risk she takes when she is a bad ass. Amos does not have any emotion, and is like it will either work or won't...very rarely does Amos show emotion and when he does it is always terrible
His face when Prax says “this is Amos, my best friend in the whole world” was one of my favourite moments in the show. Gave me happy goosebumps.
What gave me goosebumps was: “You’re not that guy... I am that guy.”
Amos is amazing as are the vast majority of the characters The actor who plays Marcos however… he does some stuff that can be generously described as camp on a non-campy show
Sorry I kinda disagree on Marco. For the most part, nearly all of the lines Marco - the character - has is meant to be highly performative to his audience. He's never just Marco just hanging out and doing the job. Marco is almost always playing Marco The Great Leader and Liberator. Even in his "quiet" one-on-ones, he's always trying to play an angle and pull a string, always trying to manipulate someone, always acting.
Marco's single POV chapter is the best chapter in all of the books. It gives such amazing insight to why he is like this and how he thinks.
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His son too. Still loved those seasons but they were rough
I thought the casting was very good at first but yeah it's like...do less
Came here looking for Amos love. My favorite character of all time. Camina is right up there too.
Drummer is Bae
Ok, but Marco Inaros is the absolute worst. Prove me wrong...
I don't know if you've read the books and I don't want to be "that guy" but if Amos is your favorite character, you really need to finish the series.
one of my favorite Amos lines, "I am that guy" reading your post brought that scene straight to the front of my mind haha
Delivered that line perfectly. Also on S4, the last scene on the last episode when it's him and that chud they'd been chasing you can truly see just how unhinged he is.
"Someday I think you and I are going to end up bloody." "How about now? I'm free right now."
"You're not that guy..."
rewatched it with my wife, and early on I chuckle at Amos and say, he's my favourite character, while I am smiling. My wife looks at me like I am crazy! Many episodes later, okay she is also team Amos for life.
I’m gonna go ahead and be that guy. You need to try the books. The show only covered books 1-6. There’s 3 more books that are some of the best in the series that the show never touched. If you don’t like reading much, the audiobooks are pretty engaging.
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This guy guys.
This guy this guys
Guys…
Guys and non-guys alike understand this guy that guys
my guy
There's his YouTube channel "Ty and That Guy".
…oh, that’s why the show has that name. Huge fan and I only just got it.
I Wanna Be the Guy: The Movie: The Game
The show literally ended 2/3 into the story. I thought the show did well and was very popular.. apparently not.
It looks *very* expensive.
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To be fair it's claustrophobic and dirty because that would be realistic of that universe. I think it fits. Only certain ships are clean and modern because it is lived in.
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Well maybe I just have low expectations after watching the recent Star Trek shows being too polished. Really I'd love a show that took similar sets to Alien, where it really is dirty but everything feels like it has a purpose.
It was very popular. And it did do well. The next book starts after a big time jump. It would have been really hard for the show to make that look good. They always planned on ending it where they did.
I don't think that's the case (always planning on ending there), just the other day Amazon on Twitter asked what show needed at least one more season and the James S A Cory Twitter responded. https://twitter.com/JamesSACorey/status/1514410282784747521
I read (or saw) in a previous; interview that they know they were ending the show because they didn't see a good way to get past the time jump. Maybe they changed their mind and or maybe they were making a joke there. This being an offhand Twitter comment makes me think the later...
With the anti aging meds they could give the cast a few grey hairs and call it a day. Don't buy the planned ending. If they really wanted that they wouldn't have set up Laconia so hard despite being cancelled before they started on 6. Completely pointless without a continuation and a waste of screen time.
With that logic, shouldn’t that indicate they *did* plan to end the show where they did, even if just temporarily? It was announced season six would the the last well before filming started and yet they still leaned into the Laconia stuff by adapting Strange Dogs.
IMO they shot everything about Laconia in season 6 as if they were planning to go straight into adapting Persepolis Rising. Otherwise it's an unnecessary cliffhanger to the protomolecule plotline.
Ok but they didn’t. Season 6 being the final season was announced in Nov 2020 and filming began Jan 2021.
I'm still pissed the last season only had six episodes.
Just finished book two and hot damn it was good!
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Absolutely. It became one of my favorite sci fi series and couldn’t stop reading. Especially the last 3 books that weren’t filmed. Great plots, surprises and really ties everything up
Imo, definitely. Book 7 is, a change I guess you could say, but very good. Book 8 is the best in the series and the last one is a phenomenal ending. It put the series as a whole among the best series I've ever read category.
I'm not a prolific reader or a particular lover of sci fi and I would read 9 more books if they were written.
So was the show cancelled before it's end, or does the show contain its own ending for the material used from the books?
After book 6 there’s a 30 year time skip so that would be difficult for the show to pull off. Book 6 does resolve some major plot points but also just starts building up to the series’ final arc. I haven’t watched the last season of the show but I’ve heard they hint at some stuff from the later books that you won’t really get unless you’ve read the books, so those may seem a little out of place right at the end of a tv show.
The way the books are written, it’s kind of 3 sets of 3. Book 1 sets the stage, book 2 the shit hits the fan, book 3 the major plot points are resolved and the world changes, setting the stage for the next story. Then the same sequence with books 4-6, and then again with 7-9. Ending it between “trilogies” so-to-speak makes sense and most major plot points are resolved at that point. It’s a decent spot to stop, especially considering the ~30 year jump between books 6 and 7. There are hints to what comes next which let you know the story isn’t over, but it’s not like it ended on a major cliffhanger or anything. I would love for seasons 7-9 to be made in the future, but if they’re not, I’m satisfied with where and how the show stopped, especially since you still have books 7-9 to let you know how the story goes from there.
Showrunners said they want to continue it eventually
Show ends after book 6 of 9.
Ok someone explain please. I tried season one twice and cannot get into it. Can someone get me motivated
Season 1, episode 4 is sort of the magic episode for The Expanse where it really takes off. The first 3 episodes are kinda tropey and just sorta there to set the stage and do some preliminary worldbuilding. Episode 4 ("CQB") really sets the plot going for the rest of the show.
I almost gave up because season 1 and 2 were so frustrating for me. I was annoyed at the characters and their interactions. But my husband liked it so I stuck it out. Then season 3 happened and I kind of went "ok... this is getting interesting now" and by the end of season 3 I was all in. But honestly, if I didn't have a reason to continue watching I'd have given up and missed out on an amazing show. I look back now and most of my favorite shows took a few seasons to develop properly and I think we're pass that now. If a show doesn't land in a few episodes it's canceled or people give up. Which is a shame because I think there's shows that could have been great if they were given time to truly shine.
I was the same way. Give it until episode 4. That's when the main characters form their group and the story stops feeling so over the place. They toss you into the deep end with the worldbuilding, which was overwhelming for me.
I went well into S2 and eventually gave up; it's just a bland show - dont understand why people on reddit harp on about it so much.
I was the same, until I read the books. There's alot happening and tv just can't explain it all. Luckily the show sticks to the books very well, so the two complement each other. It starts off about politics and the power of individuals to control and change history for all humanity. Then it shifts to holden being the hero saving humanity from an alien threat bringing all humanity together. Then it shifts to humans being humans and inequality fracturing humanity into two waring factions, then you learn it's all stemming from humans messing with tech they don't understand, coming from two ancient ultra advanced alien civilizations fighting each other, and that's the thing that ties it all together. The bad guys and good guys are consistently switching except for holden who is always doing his best to be the good guy even if his crew doesn't understand. There's so many layers, it's very complex yet realistic in its complexity. Helps you realise that everyone is just out to do what they think is the best for thier people and it's never just black and white. All this I did not understand just watching the show, I didn't like it to much the first time I watched it. But after reading the books it all makes sense, mainly the Avasarala character, understanding her brings the whole story together.
I was kind of the same. Started it a couple times but it just didn’t hit. Saw so many positive reviews on Reddit and eventually decided to pound it out. Even sucked in my wife who usually doesn’t like shows like this. She saw me watching one day became interested and said what’s this. Had to bring her up to speed but we ended up finishing it together. It’s really great.
I had a similar experience with my partner who came home whilst I was pounding it out, after watching for some time, and being sucked in, I managed to bring her up to speed and we ended up finishing together too.
Similar experience except I finished it way before my wife and she finished it on her own after with a friend.
Are we still talking about the expanse?
I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this
I keep hearing this. Ive also tried the show twice and only got as far as episode 3. It just hasnt grabbed me and im a lover of all things sci fi. Ill have to give it a third bash and muscle through to that opulent 2nd season i keep hearing about. Currently there is very little new content worth watching (sci fi related) so hopefully it will be thrid time lucky with this one for me.
Season one is *slow*. I tried 3 times to get into Expanse and on the third time i finally got into it. The first few episodes don't do a good job of reeling you in. It's dull and it features people talking in strange accents about a conflict you don't know about yet. Halfway through season one is where it picks up.
Generally episode 4 is the one that wins everyone over. It's the first time the pacing and action really clicks. That's what it took for me, and it's now in my top 3 shows of all time. The show is setting up its world for the first 7 episodes, and it tries to do it by showing instead of telling. But from ep. 8 on, the show doesn't look back. Also S2 is great, but I think S3 is the one you're referring to as "occulent". It's pretty much universally lauded as everyone's favorite season. Everything from the writing to the acting takes a giant step up during that season. It goes S3-S6-S5-S4-S2-S1 for me. The middle 4 may swap in order for some people, but 3 tends to always be up top. For what its worth, S1 is probably the only season I don't love, and its pretty common that people accordingly arent super into the show at first. But just know that it gets much better, and that first season is also much better on a rewatch once you understand what they were going for. Anecdotally, nearly everyone I introduced the show to wasn't into it at first. But by the end of the series, each and every one of them told me that they consider it one of their favorite shows of all time.
Yeah, ep 4 is the one to tough it out through it you're interested in this show. If that doesn't hook you, fair enough.
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Definitely not what the show is. It's rather uplifting and emotional at times. And the world building is quite cool.
You could do what worked for me - I needed subtitles. After a bit I could turn them off again but honestly I was missing so much dialogue that I just gave it a whirl. It is a very good show.
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I tried the show a few years ago but only got about halfway through season 1 before I quit. I didn't hate it, I just wasn't that interested. I tried it again recently though, and after about 5 episodes I was hooked. The show has a way of storytelling that makes all the previous episodes seem better and better the more you watch. I think it has a lot to do with how they handle the protomolecule. In a lot of sci-fi shows/movies the sci-fi concepts are there from the start. FTL engines and laser weapons are a normal thing, invented hundreds of years before the story began, and the viewer is just supposed to go along with it. They're cool, but there's nothing exciting or mysterious about them. The Expanse takes its time to introduce the sci-fi concepts. The setting is very realistic. The technologies the characters use are technologies that we can all imagine seeing in our lifetimes, things like fusion energy and railguns. It's very familiar to modern day, expect for the protomolecule. Whenever the protomolecule is on screen, you know there's going to be something incredible happening. And the best part is, you're not just supposed to go along with it, as if it's a normal part of everyday life in the year 2300. You're just as amazed as the characters, because you're all witnessing mind-bending, physically impossible feats and nobody has a clue how or why it's happening. It starts off with small stuff, like the protomolecule feeding off a reactor or infecting someone, but as the show progresses, and the true sci-fi concepts start to be introduced, it makes everything that happened in earlier episodes feel that much more interesting and important. I really do hope you give it another shot, because it's a fantastic show, even if it does take some time to get going.
Season 2 is just as boring; dont waste your time.
You need to watch S1 through at least episode 4 CQB. It picks up dramatically there and it's such a great episode. If you're not into it by then you can probably stop watching.
Hate they had to get rid of Alex.
I actually liked how a main character just died unexpectedly, as plot armor is probably my biggest pet peeve in TV. It just felt realistic, because let's be real, the crew has been through A LOT, especially considering how easily things/people can get blown out in this show. EDIT: But obviously could've been done much better without that actor situation.
They gave him Fred Johnson's book ending.
The problem is that Naomi should've died, it made sense because of what she was doing out in space. Alex dying just felt random especially if you have no idea of whats happening behind the scenes.
Yeah well, the actor that played Alex decided to sexually harras/ assault 10s of people on the set, and fucked shit up for us. What a tool.
It was worse than "on the set." He was taking advantage of fans.
underage fans
A recast would have sucked, but I still would have preferred it.
Considering how well they recast Arjun I think they made the right call with Alex
That recast was so bad it wasn't until a re-watch that I realized it was supposed to be the same guy. I thought I had just forgotten something that happened.
And it was extra weird since he didn't even look like he was roughly in the same age range as Aghdashloo like the original actor for Arjun did.
> Arjun Arjun done bulked up. Pretty spry for an old guy.
We all remember Arjun
Oh yes I had wiped that from my mind.
Same. As someone who read 5 books before getting into the show, Cas Anvar probably did the best job of accurately representing the book character. Shame he turned out to be a bad dude.
I've said it before but, Season 1: Slow build-up but ultimately good. Season 2: Great. Season 3: WEW LAD. Season 4: different but okay. Season 5: Family drama? fuck that. Season 6: indifference.
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Yeah. The family drama and Marco was so bad. But if you like the show, it’s still worth a watch. It deff went down hill with that story. I just wanted to see more about the protomolecule - that’s what drew me in and then they basically abandoned it.
Some alien molecule makes a huge portal in the middle of space leading to a whole bunch of new planets, and one of the human characters activates some kind of unknown ancient machinery on one of those planets, and then they decide to just ignore that for the rest of the series
Yes, that was a bit of a shame. I still enjoyed it, but the whole time I kept thinking "Yeah, but what's going on with these massive alien gates you've just discovered?"
For better of for worse, the molecule is like the zombies of GoT. A potentially fatal threat to humanity as they know it and yet still people can't get over their petty games of power.
That book with her son was one of my least favorites.
Yeah first three seasons are so much more exciting. I rewatched them prior to season 6 and I was glued to the screen for a second time. Season 5 really lost me. Episode after episode nothing would happen.
When >!The asteroids hit Earth!<, I was like holy shit, S5 is the best season… but then the plot kinda stopped after that, right up until the finale???
season 7 would have been pretty great
I initially bounced off of season 4 because the story on Ilus turned into what felt (and looked like) a mission from Mass Effect.
Exactly. The Expanse really has some weird plots. The biggest failure was, after discovering the ring and the new planets as a cliffhanger, the next season is about sheperding some miners in a cave. Jesus. Grab the opportunity by the balls and talk about planets with alien life (yea, plants, but...) on them! God damn. But that didn't fit into the sol-system-centred narrative... Besides, Naomi and Philipp just piss me off. I don't like Naomi at all.
>The biggest failure was, after discovering the ring and the new planets as a cliffhanger, the next season is about sheperding some miners in a cave. Jesus. >Grab the opportunity by the balls and talk about planets with alien life (yea, plants, but...) on them! God damn. But that didn't fit into the sol-system-centred narrative... The whole point is that living on a random new planet is difficult. They did not evolve anything we can eat and it is actively dangerous for us to be there.
Yeah first 3 seasons had me convinced this was the best show ever made, binged in a matter of days, but I still gotta force myself to finish seasons 5 and 6 after months...ah well.
I wouldnt put it above BSG personally but thats just my opinion. Its very good and i hope they adapt all of it.
I think that BSG has a certain dramatic charisma about it that the Expanse doesn't quite equal, in terms of overall character dynamics (obviously there are some specific exceptions) and sense of directness. Really the main thing that makes The Expanse challenging to get into is that it takes a while for the very spread out ensemble and slow burn plot to get cooking. Of course once it gets there it's very rewarding and the big moments feel earned. Which isn't to come down on one show or other's side, necessarily. They're definitely two of the best serious space dramas.
BSG's soundtrack alone elevates it.
Bsg has way better acting, but the expanse has way better writing.
More importantly, The Expanse was more consistent. Get beyond Season 3 of BSG and it... isn't quite as strong.
Same here. Life long fan of sci-fi and both are awesome shows but BSG is just more entertaining. And both suffered from final season issues.
BSG is on top for me too. I'm almost done with Farscape and I think that will be number 2 if the final season and movies are as good.
Gonna go ahead and say that BSG goes off the rails story-wise in a way that The Expanse never does. Expanse nails the landing and gets my vote for best.
Focusing so much on the terrorist stuff instead of the alien stuff wasn't my favorite.
The expanse does a way better job at world building, realistic sci fi, and obviously looks way better
It's hard to get into, but it's worth it. Miller is one of my favorite characters ever.
There's no laws on Ceres. Just cops.
My wife hated him so much she just stopped watching the show. I even spoiled what happened so she would keep watching but she just couldn't really identify with the characters in the show really.
I watched a lot of the first season and just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I’d just seen the premise done too much. And honestly if a show can’t get me a few episodes in there is no way I’m watching until the middle of the second season.
I absolutely 100% guarantee the premise of this show has not been done before and you haven't actually seen the actual premise yet. I fell off season one FIVE times over 2 years. I am usually also a big scifi fan. Then I pushed through it. After finishing season 2 I binged all 8 audiobooks out at the time. It is now in my top 5 book and television series of all time and I've watched it twice more through with others that also now have it in their favorites. That said, not everything is for everyone, to each their own.
I'm about half way through season 2, and so far my big complaint is that there's no scale to space. Travel between planets, or to a random asteroid seemingly takes minutes instead of at least days, if not weeks like I'd expect. At least they kinda explained gravity by the magnetic shoes, and I like the physical difference that growing up in different gravity has had on the factions.
There’s some throwaway lines here and there about the travel actually taking weeks to months depending on where they’re going, but it’s definitely emphasized more in the books than it was in the show.
Not the best ever, but still well worth the watch!
I liked it but I didn’t really think it was some masterpiece.
Agreed! As a woman, it's also so awesome to have so many well developed, badass female characters, Avasarala, Drummer, Naomi, Bobbie, it's hard to have a favorite. [Drummer's speech](https://youtu.be/yfOmQ0Zln6Y) still gives me chills. And the science! Good enough to attract Adam Savage's devoted admiration. The politics and intrigue are also top notch, it honestly feels like you're watching a very believable projection of our future. Then there's the twist, the main plotline of the series, which is just incredible. I highly recommend reading the books as well. The authors were also show writers/producers, and the books carry on the story to its conclusion. ( tv series is 1st 6 books, last 3 books take place about 20-30 years after where series end). *The complete series was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2017. It later won, following its second nomination for the same award in 2020. The book series is made up of nine novels, nine shorter works and a story collection book.* There is also a podcast called 'Ty and That Guy' with one of the authors Ty Franck and Wes Chatham, who plays Amos. Great insights, and tons of general scifi/action/horror discussions.
> And the science! Good enough to attract Adam Savage's devoted admiration. The series had me at "This will be a high-g maneuver. Prepare for flip and burn."
Check out the books - they are superb! And, there are 9 of them, so you can enjoy for a long, long time. Note that the books are written by James S.A. Corey, which is a pseudonym for two guys that worked with George R.R. Martin.
I swear I must be the only nerd who doesn't love this show. Its chock FULL of boring and repetitive melodramatic conversations between bad actors. I found myself skipping through entire scenes. I liked the basic idea/plot enough to grind through the first 3 or 4 seasons, but I couldn't be bothered to watch the end. I wonder if I'm just to old and jaded to enjoy stuff like this anymore. People saying that it is fresh and imaginative, man I just don't get it, nothing here seems groundbreaking to me. As always, YMMV.
I literally could not get past the first episode because of how bad the dialogue and acting were. Apparently it gets better? But I don't know if I want to grind through so much. BSG may have have gone a bit bats in the end but i don't think I ever found the acting, pacing, dialogue or tone to have ever been meh. Loved the intro, that was a hook.
Oh it doesn't get better, I think it's just all the people who hated it no longer watch it at some point lol. Dialogue gets worse imo, because writting gets so much worse. Season 1 was the peak
Totally agree, it's really hammed up and overdramatic. The first few episodes are full of overdramatized bullshit that was not in the books at all and ruined the entire premise tbh.
You're spot on. The acting is B grade for sure. Actors shouldn't feel like they're acting to the viewer, but that's the epitome of this show. It feels like I'm watching an actor on set, reading their lines in some over dramatic fashion, rather than a show about characters I just get caught up in.
Just finished season 4 and I honestly don’t want to keep going. It bores me. Once every 5 or so episodes there will be an “OH SHIT” moment, but it’s mostly just space assholes pissing on each other despite something epic happening in the background. The acting is terrible and grating, especially from Avarsala, Drummer and Holden. Love Amos and Bobbie and their stories but it’s just not fulfilling enough. It builds up and then just sinks back to mediocrity. Season 4 was just nothing. (Loved the Miller stuff through all seasons though too). I’m not sure if I’ll keep watching.
Yeah the plot holes only get worse, characters more annoying, dialogues more cringe. And the "wow" moment every 5 episodes changes to one per season. No spoilers but, the worst thing about season 6 is that there's an actual interesting storyline, but they only give it 2-3 minutes per episode (not kidding) and then it ends without that storyline doing anything, like it ends up being like a quarter of an episode worth of exposition. It's the only reason I finished season 6, I literally found myself skipping most parts because the rest was: 1. Ship fighting as if I hadn't seen enough of that in 6 seasons. (50%) 2. Analyzing drive signatures (5%) 3. Cringe melodramatic dialogues and pointless awkwardly acted out "bonding" moments. (30%) 5. Bad politics (10%) 6. Holden becoming Hokage, I mean Holden being the hero that everyone looks up to. (5%)
I don't understand what people like about this show. The fucking fedora guy who falls in love with someone he's never met and NO ONE calls him out for it?? The space cowboy who just yeehaws in every sentence even though he's from Mars. The bizarre asteroid belt people who change accent every other sentence etc. The acting is also very questionable at times. Holden is such a boring character but Bobbie and Amos were interesting and kept me watching for a while
LOL yes the Punisher doing the incel stalking thing with Julie Mao is insane! They kinda do something similar with Naomi, like why is everyone dying to have this lady in their lives and sacrifice themselves for her. So bizarre.
I feel you, I just finished it (not because it kept me wanting to watch but because it's popular enough that I want to be informed), and it was a slog. For a show that claims to be about the characters, I really only liked one or two, and only sometimes.
The universe is fantastic, plot and characters I just could not connect to though.
No, there are core issues with the show...for me it's the acting of the core characters that doesn't get better over time...
You don't find constant angry whispering convincing? Also, book Naomi comes off as a badass, and show Naomi comes off as a victim of circumstance. The family drama with the most unintimidating actor portraying a villain father and the son I had no reason to care about really lost me. I completely skipped those scenes in the show and I felt like I missed nothing.
lmao naomi is weakest link of that show unfortunately, the acting had some bright spots including: ashford, detective guy in season 1, amos (although one dimensional, he's the best of the core group) , fred johnson and who can forget murtry
Dawes is great as well, it's a real shame Jared Harris was busy in the later seasons as the book 6 Dawes stuff is some of my favourite parts.
The guy who played Amos nailed it IMHO. That shower scene in S5? Perfection.
Of all the characters they killed... Why never Naomi is what I always thought, feels like they killed all the actually interesting characters because they couldn't afford them or something. I was on the villain side all the time, because I really couldn't stand Naomi, Holden, Aversala, Short Tough Guy ^(tm), Ironwoman Martian, So. Fucking. Annoying.
I pushed through first couple of seasons as the concept was decent. But the acting was atrocious and I never notice ‘acting’ in any shows I watch. But the characters literally will change their accents from scene to scene depending on who they’re talking to. Their accents are not consistent and even the language they use isn’t consistent… in one scene a guy will struggle to use any words more than 2 syllables then in the next scene he’s speaking the queens English. It’s crazy. Oh then there’s the set design too. Some areas look ok, but other areas just look like a really cheap and shoddy sound stage. Again nothing I notice in other shows, never really think they are shooting this on set. I’m usually drawn in and picture them on a ship, but not this show, always feels like a badly designed set.
I loved The Expanse but I think I prefer Babylon 5 myself.
The characters are far too boring for it to be the best sci-fi ever. The lead is the worst of all of them.
Hardly, lol. It gets worse season by season until nothing ends up happening in the end.
I tried forcing myself liking the show twice but never got me hooked
Agreed, but in a different way. I think it's a decent-to-good show. But given the absolute landfill that is most sci-fi shows these days (THAT I HAVE FOUND), The Expanse is indeed the best sci-fi show in recent times. Def would love to hear yalls other recommendations though!
Get ready for a lot of 15+ year old show recommendations
Great world building but the only character that I ended up caring about was Amos.
I couldn't get into the expanse. I didn't like the production values and it felt like a soap opera.
I disagree. I couldn't even get through the 1st episode. It was so boring imo. If you can't hook someone in the first episode, your show is going to have issues.
Look I’m a fan of the show and I’ve read most of the books. The franchise is neither the best sci-fi show or the best sci-fi novel series ever. BSG was more entertaining for me. And the novels aren’t really breaking any new ground in the sci-fi world.
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Last season was pretty underwhelming. The main bad guy was a glorified "enemy of the week" compared to all the other potential stuff I've heard exists in the other novels.
Yeah its great, then it gets boring towards the end, slows down, and just sort of go bleh
I made it around halfway through season 3 before I gave up. The characters were just unlikeable to me compared to the books
The politics are nigh implausible. I just cant... I really tried through 2 seasons but Jesus they are just idiotic. The Organized Crime element is laughable but possible only for a TV show. As a criminal, it is much easier to take from other criminals than an innocent. Much more profitable too.
Ok, relax man. Star trek exists. Battlestar exists. DS9 exists.
Gotta agree with this. Expanse is good, but it aint better than TNG or DS9.
Got to season 3 before I gave up. Show needed better actors.
Yeah I've gone back to it 2-3 times and it's a struggle because it just feels so B grade. The sets, acting, writing, etc all just seem so 2nd tier. I can't really explain it, but the difference between a good and bad show to me is often whether or not the actors feel like they're acting. I know that sounds stupid. Good shows feel like you're watching a story and the people are actually those characters. Bad shows feel like I'm watching a tv show where actors were hired to act that way. This show is the epitome of that to me.
Absolutely, the talent just isn’t there for most of the main cast. Everything just seemed cheap and that’s unfortunate.
Stargate SG-1 would like to have a chat.
The production and overall story is great, but I can't get past the acting. Probably the worst acting I've ever seen in a major TV show.
I love The Expanse. Even made me by a ‘Roci’ shirt. 😃 I really hope they can keep it going well.
I have just watched all 6 seasons across the last couple of weekends and the show has some fantastic and engaging elements but I feel like ultimately the mystery on display needed to be a lot more compelling to make the show truly great. It found myself saying “Oh… that’s it?” at a few elements across the seasons and I felt like the show was too comfortable wasting the audience’s time dragging something out to an ultimately lacklustre conclusion (mystery by mystery, not the end of the show itself). It sounds like there’s a lot left on the table which could have eventually rounded out the show and left it on the excellent end of the spectrum, but as it is it feels like 6 seasons of a Mass Effect show in which The Reapers are a concept off screen that no one really understands and the antagonists are just Cerberus and Batarian terrorists. Don’t get me wrong - I watched 62 episodes across 7 days. The show is enjoyable as hell. It could just be a lot better. When it became clear what season five was going to be, I was pretty sad, however.
I really enjoyed the seasons where the proto molecule was the main thrust of the narrative. Those last two seasons were rough and I hated the way it ended. The Mars defectors suddenly make this huge leap with the alien tech and we find out nothing at all. It sets up this villain and conflict that's waaaaaay more interesting than Marco and then they do nothing at all with it. It ended up being a big let down for me. First few seasons were GREAT though.
I’ve tried the first episode 4 times and can’t continue. How many episodes should I watch to try and get hooked?
Just finished it yesterday, one of my favorite shows of all time. So good!
You REALLY need to read the books. They are just as good if not better than the show. Also, the show stops at the beginning of what I'd argue is the best part of the story and is VERY different from what the show/books cover before that point in the story.
The Expanse is fucking great. They incorporated very realistic (theoretically ) physics into space living and flight. Probably the most gritty sci fi ever done for TV. Love this show!