The Expanse has always done well at shifting its many storylines around in a fluid and easy to understand manner. Some arcs need more time, some get right to the point, and in “The Azure Dragon,“ we see a bit of both sides, with it expanding on what happened in the premiere and setting the stage for what is going to come next.
The continuation of the premiere arc involves things that are happening on Laconia that seem to involve the protomolecule, and some definite far-reaching consequences. It is still a curious storyline and while The Expanse excels at looking at the big picture, one wonders if six episodes are enough time to do a deep dive into the implications this has for the characters and universe.
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Speaking of implications, Filip (Jasai Chase-Owens) is in a holding cell after shooting and killing his friend. His father bails him out but the two butt heads again, this time not just in terms of the father/son dynamic but how Filip’s actions could have consequences he does not yet see. It’s ironic, listening to Marco (Keon Alexander) speak about the big picture, yet still makes most things about himself; the fatal flaw of any cult-like leader. You can almost see the seeds of doubt take hold inside Filip as he thinks about what has happened and what is yet to come.
On the Rocinante, things are still tense, but for different reasons. Bobbi (Frankie Adams) has come aboard on Avasarala’s (Shohreh Aghdashloo) orders, with a plan/mission to capture The Azure Dragon, Marco’s spotter ship coordinating all the planetary destruction felt by Earth. There is some disagreement with the plan and how it should go off, however, the crew of the Rocinante, tired and burnt out, are not in a generous mood in terms of talking it out. To make matters worse, Bobbi finds out Peaches (Nadine Nicole) is on board, adding even more stress to an already stressful situation.
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Drummer (Cara Gee) continues her quest to bring support to her fight against Marco, bringing in some Free Navy members who have grown tired and disgruntled at Marco’s ideas and ways of doing things, possibly realizing they have backed the wrong leader for the Belt and all Belters. It’s not easy though, and Drummer also has to deal with problems on her own ship, a mirror of sorts to the issues facing the Rocinante and the crew there. Different issues, but the same situation, and heightening the stress for everyone even more, if that is even possible at this point.
The Rocinante deals Marco a crippling blow by indeed capturing The Azure Dragon and all the intel they were looking for. Realizing that Ceres Station will now be a target for the fleet, Marco devises a plan and prepares for a confrontation. Marco is many things but he’s not stupid, so it stands to reason he has a plan for this scenario. However, he is also a man of extremes so it might be something very bad indeed.
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All the characters get some camera time this week, including Avasarala, who continues in limited time to dish out some very memorable moments and dialogue. In fact, with so many characters, storylines, and limited episodes, everyone has what seems to be limited time. However, the actors and writers are making each moment count, even if fans probably want longer episodes and more of them. The march to the end of the series continues, with no real sense yet which way things will go, and that’s a good thing.
