When The Expanse first aired on the SyFy Channel (spell it correctly, you reprobates) Mr. Elyse was super excited because he was a fan of the books the show was based on. It took me a few episodes to get there, but this is now one of my favorite TV shows and I’m so excited for Season 3 to drop in April.
The Expanse is a richly developed sci-fi world where political tensions have run high. The three female leads are played by women of color (the show doesn’t do as great a job with diversity among the male characters) and for me they are the show. It features a ship of rebels and misfits who act as found family (all of my catnip), the special effects are superb, and it gives us Chrisjen Avasarla’s wardrobe, which is gasp-worthy.
I mean, look at this outfit:
The basic gist of the series goes like this: someone or something wants humanity to tear itself apart and it has set forth a careful series of events to escalate tension to all-out violence.
The series is set in the near-ish (by science fiction standards) future. Humans have colonized Mars and The Belt (the asteroid belt). Mars and Earth have long been engaged in what amounts to a cold war. The people of Mars (Dusters) have a highly developed military that they pride themselves on. The Belt (the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter) is made up of a series of colonies that process ice mined from space into water. Water is the most valuable resource in The Expanse. The people of The Belt, Belters, have the fewest resources and the lowest quality of life among the three groups, despite the fact that they are the ones processing precious resources.
The Belt is the most richly developed of the three factions. The people there have their own version of Creole, and they’ve developed to be tall and lanky due to generations in lower gravity. They also have genetic issues with bone weakness that makes it hard for them to survive on Mars or Earth.
When the series opens there is a precarious peace among Earthers, Dusters and Belters. We open with The Canterbury, an ice hauler, headed to the Belt with a shipment of ice. They notice a distress signal from an abandoned vessel, and against the orders of the captain, the XO James Holden (Steven Strait) reports the call forcing them to investigate. Holden takes a small crew including engineers Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper) and Amos Burton (Wes Chatham), and pilot Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar). They go to investigate the vessel despite the lack of life signs and while they are there a Mars ship appears and destroys the The Canterbury setting forth a series of political escalations.
The group, Holden, Naomi, Amos and Alex, investigate what they saw. Was it a Mars vessel or a ship designed to look like one, in order to start a war? They wind up with a ship called The Rocinante, a Martian fast-attack ship designed to look like a beat up gas freighter. As the series progresses, the crew uncover what’s really going on and who really wants humanity to tear itself apart in war.
I love this scrappy crew of characters. Holden is genetically designed to be a leader, a role he’s largely shirked up until now. Naomi is usually the moral voice of the crew; she is the one who maintains a steadfast belief that they must do the right thing even in the most dire of circumstances. In some cases it feels as though she does the emotional labor for the rest of the crew which is irritating, but she’s an excellent leader and second-in-command.
Amos may actually be a psychopath (when you learn about his childhood it makes a lot of sense), but he’s platonically devoted to Naomi, his best friend, and at one point tells Holden he didn’t kill him when they first met only because “Naomi wouldn’t like it.” As the series progresses, so does his emotional fluency and self awareness.
Also sometimes Amos walks around like this.
Alex is a space cowboy, complete with twang and a vernacular that includes “Hoss” and “this ain’t my first rodeo.” It’s so apparent that Cas Anvar is having a blast with the role.
The crew of The Roci also represent the separate human groups who are feuding. Holden and Amos are Earthers. Alex is former Martian military. Naomi is a Belter. Despite this they are able to come together for a common cause and they become a family in the process. And they sass each other in the most delightful ways.
We also have Chrisjen Avasarla (Shohreh Aghdashloo), the Deputy Undersecretary of the United Nations. I love Chrisjen, even though I don’t agree with her actions all of the time. In some ways Chrisjen is the foil for Naomi. While Naomi refuses to compromise her values despite the situation, Chrisjen is willing to take whatever measures are necessary in order to secure a greater good. She’s constantly playing an elaborate chess game, and she refuses to take shit from anyone. As stated earlier, her wardrobe is amazing.
In Season 2 we get Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) a Martian marine who is badass and fearless and beats robots arm wrestling. Bobbie is caught in the conflict between Earther and Martian political factions after she witnesses something unbelievable in battle. She refuses to be used by either side, and she adheres to a warrior’s code.
There is another plotline that weaves into all of this. Joe Miller (Thomas Jane) is a Belter cop who has been asked to track down the daughter of a magnate from Earth who went missing after joining the OPA (Outer Planetary Alliance), a terrorist group fighting for the independence of The Belt. This was the weakest storyline for me, partially because I’m largely over the hardboiled, hard drinking detective character–a character who reads like a “tragic” man-child in a fedora to me. Jane does a decent job, but I was way more invested in the other characters.
Part of the fun of the show is the viewer learning what’s really going on, who is pulling all these strings, just as the crew of The Roci does, and feeling the same urgency they do in stopping an imminent war.
There is a lot of action, some mystery, and yes, romance. There’s even zero-G sex which actually sounds awful to me, but I get motion sick.
And yes, there is plenty of snark.
For me the real joy of this series is watching Chrisjen, Naomi and Bobbie unapologetically kick ass.
I grew up on Sci-Fi TV where women wore skintight bodysuits and were placed strategically to be love interests for male-leads. This series proves that a diverse cast of fully-developed female characters can spearhead amazing science fiction TV.
The Expanse returns for season three April 11th, 8 pm CST on the SyFY channel. Seasons one and two are available on Amazon video and are included in Prime membership.
This was just the review I needed! I’m three episodes into the series and I’m not quite hooked yet, but not quite ready to quit, either. My husband is liking it a lot, and you’ve given me the motivation to keep watching with him.
Has anyone read the books? I’m always on the lookout for fantasy/sci fi for my 14 year old son.
I am utterly addicted to this show. Totally recommend it.
Elyse, have you ever watched Killjoys?
I love it even more than The Expanse. This blog from BookSmugglers explains why:
https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2017/12/reasons-love-killjoys-arent-spoilers.html
@MacBetty YASSSS Killjoys is amazing. I love Johnny and Dutch’s relationship so much
@SusanH I absolutely recommend the books. I wasn’t sure about book 1, it starts with Miller and the missing woman mystery, and, well, see Elyse’s comments re:hard-boiled detectives. It took a while for me to get into. But the scope of the series is great, the story is engaging and I like the characters- or at least enjoy reading about them!
If your 14 year old is a good reader they should be fine, but: there is sex, drinking and (maybe? I think?) some drug use. There’s also violence and horror tropes (the authors are good at building suspense but there are some pretty gross descriptions). So if you are concerned about those elements in a book then be warned.
I absolutely love this show and agree with all your points. We get to see strong, well-rounded women who are not simply foils for a male hero.
Susan – I’ve read the books and loved them all, they’re well written, and the authors work closely with the show, so they very close theme and intent wise. However, with my youngest relative in their late 20’s, I’m out of practice judging teenage appeal/appropriateness these days. I’d say finish the first season, and if you’re comfortable with the content level for him at that point, go ahead.
The first part of the first season was a sausage-fest, with Naomi and Chrisjen being the only female characters of note, and Chrisjen was relegated to be the exposition for a while, but by Season 2, the women are rocking it. Stick with it — I was dubious through Season 1, but now it is one of my favorite shows.
I watched the first episode a while ago, forgot about it until now, then dusted off episodes 2 and 3. The book has languished in my TBR for much too long as well. With all these riches, I should be set for quite some time. Thanks for the review.
I haven’t tried this one, but it sounds good. I’ll have to check it out sometime. And I second all the recommendations for KILLJOYS. It’s a really fun show with a strong heroine.
I also just watched season 1 of THE MAGICIANS on SyFy. I had mixed feelings about that show. I enjoyed a lot of things about it, but some of the characters and their actions really bother me.
I started watching it recently (I’m up to episode 5?) and while I adore the worldbuilding and setup it bugs me that it’s such a hetero cis-male show with only very few (but pretty fierce) female characters here and there. Sadly that does spoil the entertainment factor for me quite a bit :/
I started watching in season 2 and was completely hooked. I keep meaning to go back and watch the first season. Also the start of the third season last night was so good.
@jennifer estep I watched seasons 1 & 2 of The Magicians and I felt the same way. Season 2 was just as problematic. Though the third season looks like it might get better?
Looove the time traveller character. He makes the most sense to me.
Regarding Miller – I love the choice of actor, but did not care for the way the character was written for the show. Too much with the creepy Julie obsession. Somehow in the book it plays out better. Also the book juxtaposes Holden and Miller better. But a book does always have the advantage on that front.
I freaking LOVE this show and the book series. It did take me a few episodes to really get into it — I liked it, but I wasn’t too sure about it. Then the first story arc completed and I was hooked forever.
We gave up on the Expanse after the first episode, but I keep hearing good things, so maybe we’ll give it another try.
I completely agree with the recs for Killjoys! Probably my fave show on SyFy. The relationships are at the center of it all and I adore Dutch.
We tapped out of the Magician’s after an episode or two, but I watched the third season and enjoyed it even though I had no idea about what happened in S1 and S2.
The other sci-fi show I adore is The 100 (CW), which is starting season 5 on April 24. I’ve heard more than one person say the first few episodes were hard to get into but then it kicked in for them. (I didn’t have that problem.) Lots of strong female characters, both good and bad, pretty decent diversity (imo) and shades of gray and consequences for actions.
Can we have a “Stuff You Should Be Watching” about Killjoys? 🙂
Steffi, some of the male characters may read hetero but are not. (No spoilers from me on this one…) Over the course of the series more kick-ass women get added – Bobbi Draper and Drummer are standout additions from the second season, and the third season should have MANY more amazing female characters added given what they’re adapting.
Re the comments about the first part of the show being very male-centric: If you’re considering the books, book 1 is pretty much all male except for Naomi. Chrisjen doesn’t show up until book 2. I haven’t watched the series, but my guess is that the makers added Chrisjen to season 1 to try to address the imbalance. Also, Chrisjen rocks.
The books do have sex (not explicit, that I recall) and lots of violence. Yes, drug use; Miller drinks way too much because, hard-boiled detective. And Chrisjen swears like a sailor. The bigger issue is maybe “mature themes.” Many, many terrible things happen to innocent people, and their terribleness is not soft-pedaled.
I enjoyed the first few books but gave up after Cibola Burn, which seemed to me to consist of a series of ludicrous crises occurring for no discernible reason. Plus, a lovesick female scientist who moons over Holden. Bleh.
For those that have read the books, are there any graphic sexual crimes? I’m not opposed to teen boy reading about violence or sex, but I’m uncomfortable with violent sex scenes while he’s still young and impressionable.
I FLOVE this show. And I adore KILLJOYS and the late lamented DARK MATTER as well. Mainly because, all of these shows not only feature really kickass female characters, but they are all kicking butt in their multicultural casts. It is just so nice to see representation in multiple ways.
And on a super shallow note, whoever the costume designer is makes me just salivate over Crisjen’s clothes. The colors and styles are divine. There is one scene from season one where she is walking through a pristine white snow covered landscape wearing this floor length blood-red coat with this massive fur hood. It was a gorgeous shot.
Whoever decided to add Chrisjen to Season 1 of The Expanse, I would kill for you.
Honestly, she’s the reason I watch the show. Until Bobby came along, and then I had two reasons. I love the Roci crew, but mostly their interactions. (And how Naomi and Holden keep being their own persons after their Relationship Upgrade. See, writers? it can happen)
Since this is thread is also about Killjoys, here’s a tale:
Incidentally, Netflix released Killjoys Season Two a week after The Expanse Season Two. Which was awesome, as I got to catch up on sleep.
And was crap, because what can you watch after you’ve watched Chrisjen and Bobby and Dutch and Pawter and Lucy?
(And no, I had no one to squeal over all the awesomeness, because my friends do not like scifi.)
@HL — Julia’s character bothers me. She keeps making bad choices, like what she does to Quentin early in season 1 and what she does at the end of season 1. That’s as far as I’ve watched so far. Not sure if I will keep going or not.
But Eliot and Margo are my favorite characters. I would watch a show just about the two of them.
@SusanH I don’t recall anything about sexual violence, but I have them only as audio books so it’s difficult for me to go back and verify. I do recall some discussion of prostitution/human trafficking, primarily in relation to the parentage of the aforementioned psychopathic crew member, but it’s just discussed, not depicted.
@taffygrrl That is a relief to hear. I really do love the worldbuilding and setup to an unhealthy degree, but the unbalanced cast made me uncomfortable. Good to know it’s sorted a bit later, I will keep watching then! Thank you!
Re The Magicians — the first two seasons have flawed people making serious mistakes with terrible consequences. It is hard to watch. Season 3 though has them facing up to their mistakes and trying to (1) make things better, and (2) think about consequences first. It became one of my favorite shows.
Thanks SBTB! The hubs and I binged the the first 8 episodes last night….. 🙂
Thanks SBTB! The hubs and I binged the first 8 episodes last night….. 🙂
Absolutely loved the books – particularly the initial 3 trilogy. I found the casting really off and contrary to what everyone else thought, I felt the introduction of Chrisjen into the first season really messed with the story. I felt bringing all that political stuff into it so early took the focus off a really good noir story which is what the first book is.
I’m soooo sold on that one!