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expanse

04 Feb

The Expanse Season 5 Ending Explained

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This article contains The Expanse spoilers. The reunion of the Rocinante crew (minus one) and Avasarala’s return to power provided some measure of resolution in The Expanse season 5 finale, but even with season 6 being the final outing for the show, the story of the protomolecule is far from over. Showrunner Naren Shankar helped shed some light on those final moments, including the nature of Laconia and the status of several characters whose arcs are ongoing. The Rogue Martians Bring the Protomolecule to Laconia Let’s start at the end and work backwards. There was something dangerously familiar about the…
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03 Feb

The Expanse: The Complicated Legacy of Alex Kamal

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This article contains MAJOR spoilers for The Expanse. Proceed with caution. “That was one hell of a ride.” Yes, it certainly was, Alex! The Expanse season 5 finale gave us plenty of surprises, twists, and shifts in perspective, but the character arc of Alex Kamal shocked everyone with its significant departure from that of his counterpart in the James S. A. Corey novels. Showrunner Naren Shankar was able to shed some light on the narrative decisions that were made, knowing the impact that the changes would have but realizing that, in many ways, they needed to happen. Was Alex’s Death…
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03 Feb

What Happened to the Barkeith in The Expanse Season 5 Finale?

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This The Expanse article includes MAJOR spoilers for the ending of Season 5, Episode 10. Much like Marco Inaros, The Expanse Season 5 finale writers used a bit of misdirect to distract from the fact that, while (most of) the crew of the Rocinante were finally reunited and Acting Secretary General Chrisjen Avasarala was gathering her team in preparation for war, the culmination of Marco’s deal with a rogue Martian fleet was coming to a head. In the final moments of “Nemesis Games,” the shape of the alliance between Inaros and the rogue Martian fleet (including the Barkeith) comes into…
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03 Feb

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 10 Review: Nemesis Games

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 10 So it turns out, it seems, that The Expanse season 5 was one giant setup for season 6, the show’s final run. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, especially since the season does resolve somewhat with the reunion of the Rocinante crew and with Avasarala’s return to power, but Marco is still at large in a severely damaged solar system — and the Martians are apparently just getting started. Even the death of Alex and the onboarding of Clarissa felt more like turning points than resolutions. Starting…
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27 Jan

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 9 Review: Winnipesaukee

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 9 The stories in The Expanse season 5 have run deep, pulling characters’ emotions and backstories forward, but has this plumbing of the depths been at the expense of driving action? As a full picture of the season begins to form, the high points are moments that reinforce the personalities, both strengths and flaws, of the characters involved. Even though “Winnipesaukee” contained a frantic firefight, for example, the emphasis was on the moral decisions that led up to it. In fact, questionable morals are what pull Avasarala back into…
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21 Jan

The Expanse: What is The Churn?

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This The Expanse article contains spoilers for Season 5, and major spoilers for The Churn novella. In the most recent episode of The Expanse Season 5, “Hard Vacuum,” Amos returns to Baltimore, this time with Clarissa “Peaches” Mao in tow, as part of his larger plan to get the heck off of Earth. Once there, he seeks out the assistance of Erich, Amos’ old friend whom we first met in the second episode of the season, “Churn.” Looking out over a decimated Baltimore, Erich says Amos: “I figured this was just the Churn again, but… it’s gone, isn’t it?” What…
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20 Jan

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 8 Review: Hard Vacuum

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 8 This week’s The Expanse injects a whole different type of tension into the stories of escape and helplessness. While Amos’ arc has shifted into a quest to escape a dying planet, Naomi’s has become a desperate tale of survival and a MacGyver-esque call for rescue. While the Drummer family’s struggle under the yoke of Marco’s command isn’t quite as compelling, it, too, denotes a longing to break free that has been the thematic hallmark of season 5. That’s not to say that the emotional turmoil Drummer is under…
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14 Jan

The Expanse Season 5: How Clarissa Became ‘Peaches’

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Amos is no stranger to using nicknames for those he interacts with in The Expanse. Bobbie, Avasarala, and most recently the modded criminal Konechek, don’t seem to really like their nicknames: “Babs,” “Chrissy,” and “Tiny” respectively. But while Clarissa doesn’t actively embrace the nickname of “Peaches,” it has become a term of endearment that she at least tolerates (and maybe even enjoys) during their survival tale in season 5. But why the name Peaches? Clarissa Mao was introduced in The Expanse season 3 and only appeared briefly in a video call from prison in season 4, so a reminder of…
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14 Jan

Link Tank: 10 Shows to Watch For Fans of The Expanse

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From Altered Carbon to Fortitude, here are some shows fans of The Expanse should check out. “The Expanse Season 5 recently made its debut, after an excruciating series hiatus. Unfortunately, fans were also met with the bittersweet news that The Expanse will come to an end with season six. The fascinating blend of sci-fi noir, space opera, and political thriller will hopefully get the ending it deserves.” Read more at The Portalist. A lot of what we know about the Roman Empire tend to get lost in translation when adapted for popular culture. Check out some of the most prevalent…
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13 Jan

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 7 Review: Oyedeng

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 7 There may be some division among The Expanse fans as to the effectiveness of this episode, particularly in its decision to focus mostly on the drama between Naomi, Marco, and Filip. Perhaps some were struck by the surprising relevance to current events of the dangers presented by a charismatic demagogue, while others found themselves wishing for more action like the battle between the Rocinante and the Zmeya or more Amos on Earth. But what better way to present such a shocking conclusion? Establishing how corrosive Marco’s manipulative narcissism…
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06 Jan

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 6 Review: Tribes

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 6 The Expanse has reached an interesting threshold where it’s becoming possible for the series to outdo its own source material. Specifically, the dialogue in this week’s more emotional scenes was used to its maximum potential, in some ways surpassing the parallel sequences in the James S. A. Corey novels. The corrosive charisma of Marco Inaros and the flawed charm of Amos Burton are particularly well executed in this regard. Plus there are all of the little side plots that The Expanse continues to skillfully juggle. How great was…
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30 Dec

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Down and Out

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 5 There’s a sense in The Expanse season 5 that with all of the characters separated, each one is going to get their chance to shine. Naomi and Amos take center stage in “Down and Out,” but the episode also expertly foreshadows future confrontations and highlights the consequences for going after conspirators, whether with Holden’s aborted pursuit of the Zmeya or Alex’s narrow escape from the Barkeith. In this way, the show is able to maintain tension in the background even as drama unfolds on Earth and aboard Marco’s…
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24 Dec

The Expanse Season 5: We Can’t All Be ‘Beltalowda’

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Everyone sees themselves in the oppressed Belters of The Expanse, from liberal champions of the poor to elite-hating blue collar conservatives. On social media, fans proudly declare, “We are beltalowda!” using the collective pronoun in the Belter creole language to show their solidarity with their fellow downtrodden. But with Marco’s more extreme faction taking charge in season 5, how do the writers reconcile audience sympathy with the devastating terrorist actions on display? Writer Daniel Abraham, who is in the writers room and who writes The Expanse novels with collaborator Ty Franck under the name James S. A. Corey, has a…
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23 Dec

The Expanse Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Gaugamela

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This The Expanse review contains spoilers. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 4 Ever since it began, The Expanse has known how to build action, which isn’t remarkable in itself for a sci-fi show. What makes this series different is that with very little exposition, it can create a sense that, as unsettled as things seem now, they’re about to get a lot messier. That’s a tricky balance to achieve since early episodes must also take the opportunity to create emotional beats before all hell breaks loose, and “Gaugamela” does just that. The title of the episode refers to a decisive…
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16 Dec

Thomas Jane on That Expanse Season 5 Cliffhanger

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Warning: This The Expanse article contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 5, Episode 3. While most of The Expanse Season 5 will be dropped on a weekly basis, we got the first three episodes of the all new season all in one go—and what a three episodes they are. The last of the three installments, “Mother,” ends with one of the stealth asteroids Marco Inaros launched at Earth at the end of Season 4 finally hitting the planet. We talked to the director of the episode—none other than Thomas Jane (aka Miller) himself—about how the climactic scene came together, as well…
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16 Dec

The Expanse Season 5: Drummer’s Polyamory is Nothing New For This World

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Polyamory is not new to the world of The Expanse. It was already established earlier in the series (and in the books) that James Holden is the child of five fathers and three mothers, each of whom contributed DNA to his genetic mix. But season 5 introduces a much stronger illustration of the future practice of polyamory among the crews of the Belter ships Dewalt and Mowteng, Drummer’s fleet of sorts. The support they provide each other, especially as Drummer mourns the loss of Klaes Ashford, is undeniably heartwarming in such a fractious time. “We are finally seeing Drummer in…
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02 Dec

The Expanse Season 4 Recap: Ilus, the Ring Gates and the Cliffhanger Ending

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Warning: contains spoilers for The Expanse season 4 At the beginning of The Expanse season four, the show’s characters stood at the crossroads of a brave and expansive new world, as did the cast and crew in their new home at Amazon. It was a marriage made in heaven. The Expanse was bigger, slicker, bolder, and grittier, but just as gloriously deep, rich and complex as ever. As season five gets ready to drop, let’s remind ourselves of the ups, downs, ins, outs, fights, smites and subterfuge of season four. We’ll start with the set-up and then look at each…
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30 Nov

The Expanse Season 6: How Will the Story End?

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The Expanse is one of the most successful sci-fi adaptations on television in that it somehow has been able to tweak the story that it adapted from the James S. A. Corey series to fit the small screen while still faithfully honoring the overall narrative, which will conclude with a ninth novel in 2021. However, the news that The Expanse season 6 would be the show’s final run has fans of the books wondering how the remaining plot can possibly be wrapped up in a satisfying manner. Without spoiling story details for non-readers, it is possible to speculate about ways…
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24 Nov

The Expanse’s Cas Anvar Won’t Be in Season 6

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Buried in the Deadline announcement that The Expanse has been renewed for a sixth (yay!) and final (oh) season, was another very important news item: Cas Anvar, who has played Martian pilot Alex Kamal in the first five seasons of the show, will not be returning for the final season. This announcement comes after an official investigation by a third party on behalf of Alcon Studios due to the many allegations of abuse and harassment made against Anvar by both coworkers and fans, some of whom were under the age of 18. (You can read more about this on The…
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24 Nov

The Expanse Season 6 Confirmed by Amazon, Set as Final Season

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The Expanse has officially set course toward a bittersweet threshold crossed by many-a-beloved shows: an advance renewal for its final season. Indeed, as the beloved and beleaguered sci-fi series prepares to premiere its fifth season in December, Amazon Studios has announced the renewal for a sixth and final season for The Expanse, as Deadline reports. Interestingly, while showrunner Naren Shankar and most of the main cast are expected to return for Season 6—notwithstanding plot developments in the upcoming Season 5—the sixth frame will bear a notable absence with the reported ousting of cast member Cas Anvar, who, having played Alex…
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DVD Guide reviews current dvd releases of movies and TV shows. The reviews of these dvd releases are my thoughts and understandings of the movie, dvd releases or TV show and not be taken as fact.

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