In Season 5, Episode 7, “Oyedeng,” The Expanse digs really deep, not into the overall story arc, but into everything about Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper). Exploring the bizarre family dynamic that is Naomi, Marco (Keon Alexander), and Filip (Jasai Chase Owens) began this season. However, this week, we take a look deep inside Naomi and her past, in terms of the choices she made, mistakes she almost made, and how those decisions shaped her into the person she is today.
As Marco continues to rally the Belters to his cause, things aboard his ship are anything but calm. Naomi is trying her best to get through to her son Filip, but it is a tough slog due to years of anger from being abandoned and his father’s will clouding his judgment. Filip is truly in a bad place. Overwhelmed by the cult-like brainwashing from his ‘father’ and now having his mother by his side, but as a prisoner and someone whose very presence causes him both confusion and to question many things, something not lost on Marco.
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Meanwhile, Holden (Steven Strait) has the Rocinante in hot pursuit of the Zmeya and its precious cargo, that being the protomolecule. After getting some intel from a trusted source, Holden has to make yet another hard choice. But in reality, there is no real choice at all. He does what he knows he has to do, but in classic Holden style, in a way where he can try and have his cake and eat it too. As we’ve seen in the past, however, this doesn’t always turn out so well.
Back on Marco’s ship, the struggle for Naomi continues, not just with Marco and Filip but with Cyn (Brent Sexton). Even though he has sided with Marco, Cyn is an old friend, someone Naomi feels can come around to her side and help her in some way. However, Cyn drops an emotional bombshell on Naomi, something she never could have imagined, and even though she tries to push it aside and move forward, her despair seems to deepen to an all-new low.
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It’s not the easiest episode to watch, as Naomi struggles with her guilt and emotions and watches Marco manipulate their son. In fact, it’s very uncomfortable at times, which in retrospect is something the talent should be very proud of accomplishing. When Marco announces to Naomi what he plans to do with her, she puts a desperate plan into action that has deadly consequences.
The Expanse is a lot of things to a lot of people. It is high-end sci-fi, a space adventure, action-packed drama, and more. However, at its core, it’s about the people, the characters we have come to know over these past four and half seasons and come to care about, cheer for, and feel sad for, as they have earned that from us. In “Oyedeng,” we get to experience that through Naomi, her pain as a mother, and strength as a human being. It is what makes this a very special show and something that continues to evolve before our very eyes.
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