We have arrived at “Babylon’s Ashes,“ episode 62, spanning six seasons, and this is the last episode of The Expanse season 6 and the series itself. One hour….one hour to tie up loose ends and try to bring this excellent series to a satisfying conclusion. Did they succeed? For the most part, I think the answer is yes, but a few more episodes would have been nice, both from a selfish point of view and from someone reviewing this show.
The end game is now pretty simple: Stop Marco (Keon Alexander) from getting through the Ring Gate and behind the rail guns, where he could stay indefinitely, doing damage that could be felt generations from now. As Mars, Earth, Holden, Bobbi (representing the Rocinante), and the Belters (led by Drummer, played by Cara Gee) meet to discuss strategy, Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) strives to keep everyone on the same page by quashing petty disputes. A risky plan is agreed upon, with Mars, Earth, and the Belters taking on the three groups of Marco’s Free Navy while the Rocinante tries to protect a strike force that is landing on Medina Station to take control of the rail guns.
One of the things lacking this season was action, particularly in space. In the finale, we get action and then some with exceptional battles, both in space and on Medina Station. The Free Navy and the combined forces of Earth, Mars, and The Belt go head-to-head numerous times. The Free Navy makes it past these combined forces and continues on toward Medina Station, but they lose Rosenfeld (Kathleen Robertson) along the way. Filip (Jasai Chase-Owens) lets Marco know about her death, and he is taken aback again by the lack of empathy or emotion at all in his father. As always, it is about him, disguised in the fight for The Belt and Belters, but always about him, something Filip is still having a hard time with.
Meanwhile, the strike force landing on Medina station, which includes Bobbi (Frankie Adams) and Amos (Wes Chatham), meet heavy resistance. While the Rocinante does its best to protect them, it is heartbreaking to watch the modified shipping containers used to drop the team to the surface get ripped apart one after another. It was a hectic, high-energy sequence, and while they managed to secure the station, the rail guns were destroyed, meaning there was no final ditch solution to stop Marco from entering the Ring.
However, the crew of the Rocinante has one more desperate plan (something that sounds like Holden should have cooked up). Naomi (Dominique Tipper) suggests pushing every last bit of scrap/munitions/ships they have, which, if detonated at just the right time and place, will wake up the Ring entities and take care of Marco and what’s left of his Free Navy. It’s an interesting choice, and as Holden (Steven Strait), yes Holden, suggests, they might decide to stay awake. (Last time they woke up, they were a threat to destroy the known universe.) As it turns out, the plan works, Marco is killed, and with that, the fight goes out of the Free Navy, at least for now.
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In one of the last acts of the episode, the powers that be decide that Holden is the perfect choice for the new Trade Union. A powerful position no one could take without controversy, and even though controversy is Holden’s middle name, he is almost the logical choice. I say almost because Holden never plays by the rules, and this position will slowly eat him alive. So, not surprisingly, his first act as President of the Trade Union was to resign, putting Drummer, appointed Vice-President, in charge. They cooked this up together, and as Holden tells Avasarala, it was the right move, the only move, for peace to move forward. The crew of the Rocinante then flies off, headed for who knows what, ending the episode.
There is a lot more to unpack here. The Laconia System/planet still had its moments in this episode. We watched as brother and sister ran away, with the brother now a fully evolving part of the protomolecule. They also close their doors to Marco before he ultimately dies, no longer needing him, as whatever they are planning makes his continued use irrelevant. It was always strange to include this in the final six episodes, but it was also another way for the creators to say how much of this story is still to be told.
We find out Clarissa/Peaches (Nadine Nicole) only has five years to live, which is a kick to the head for a character trying to do better. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to fit, to throw that out there, but consequences for one’s actions is indeed a running theme through this series, although it is rather depressing. Especially considering the connection she made with Amos, something that was very enjoyable to watch, even in the final moments.
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Also, Filip is alive, quietly slipping away in an escape pod/ship before his father’s ship is destroyed. Wonderful to see, but making Naomi’s pain even worse, as it was her idea that destroyed Marco’s ship and ultimately, or so she thought, killed her son. Now, she lives with that pain, although he is actually alive. It is heartbreaking to watch Naomi suffer through a loss that really hasn’t happened.
It all made for a frantic season/series finale at times, with things moving quickly due to constraints, but it worked. There were still many of those quiet moments where we saw Avasarala take someone down with a few words and a look, Drummer rise to an important leader, and the crew of the Rocinante showing us that watching out for your family may truly be a way not just to save yourself, but save the universe. Will everyone like the finale? Probably not. However, it did the show justice, even if a few more episodes would have helped some storylines. Who knows, there may be life in this series down the road (it already came back from cancellation once, so why not again?).
The Expanse was many things to many people and made politics interesting (ala Battlestar Galactica) when people watched TV to try to escape such things. Realistic space scenes, wonderful action, and great stories made it compelling, but the characters and the actors who lived and breathed them for six seasons made fans grow attached in the best way possible. There may be better sci-fi shows out there, but not many. The Expanse definitely made its voice heard and was a very special, very well-thought-out show that deserves all the praise it has earned.
