The first three episodes of The Expanse dropped last week, setting up the season with some nice intrigue and very high stakes, all the while giving us some great backstory on certain characters. With “Gaugamela,” the series shifts gears quickly, throwing everything into chaos with a high-paced, high energy, and for some, deadly episode.
At the end of episode three, we watched in horror as a stealth tech asteroid hit Earth. If you didn’t think Marco was a threat before, this will change your view, and quickly. The Belters have long been taken for granted and suppressed by both Earth and Mars. Now Marco (Keon Alexander) has taken the seeds of dissent that grew and used them, making it much easier to accept the idea of The Belt rising up and becoming a real power.
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Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), seemingly powerless but at the same time, one of only a few who really know what’s going on, is fantastic in this episode. Watching someone who is used to having power and control feel so lost and powerless was tough to watch, yet her strength, as she shows, is something far too many underestimate. Quite amazing, actually, after all the things she’s done in the past but then again, the “what have you done for me lately” idea is alive and well here.
Aboard Tycho, Holden (Steven Strait) and Fred (Chad Coleman) devise a plan to catch whoever wanted to abduct Monica Stuart (Anna Hopkins) and to the shock of no one, it doesn’t go very well. In fact, if you could map out how to have a plan go so horribly wrong in every detail, this was perfect. The consequences of the failed plan are far-reaching, and, as always, the protomolecule is front and center. Some people ever learn.
Meanwhile, Naomi’s (Dominique Tipper) planned reunion with her son didn’t go very well, although that in itself was not surprising. There is a lot of resentment and anger there, something that may never go away. However, not even Naomi realized how bad things really were. It will interesting to see how this plays out, and the effect this will have on her going forward.
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Looking back on this episode, it really is a dark and twisted journey. Bobbie (Frankie Adams) and Alex (Cas Anvar) continue to dig deeper into the black market on Mars, finding things that are truly disturbing. Amos (Wes Chatham), still on Earth, makes a side trip after his personal business is concluded, visiting a familiar face in horrible surroundings.
Events unfold before the viewers’ eyes that are truly horrible, then the ripple effect of said events makes the circumstance seem even worse, which is no small feat. The writers have now set the stage for this season in terms of story and characters, weaving a dark but wonderful episode with the possibility of even more dire events unfolding as this season rolls on.
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