Expanse finale feels post

[sabotabby]

I did this in the other place but I should probably do this here. If you have feels about the Expanse, consider the comments section a free place to scream about them. My thoughts under the cut.

• This was a masterful finale and they did almost everything right.
• If I have any critiques, it's that I don't like it when a finale needs One Last Big Battle with every major character in it. And also that I would have liked Drummer and Naomi to hook up. Those are my only critiques.
• I'm glad it ended with book 6 because 7-9 are more depressing and my babies deserve a happy ending.
• My favourite bit was Holden and Drummer conspiring to have Holden take the presidency of the Transport Union only to resign and give it to Drummer. It did a really nice job of portraying a white dude ceding power to an Indigenous queer woman without it seeming tokenizing or white savior-ish.
• I also really loved how anticlimactic in many ways the last battle was. It was Naomi's science smarts, not any military prowess, that won the day, and the real climax was the very quiet last supper on the Roci.
• Also Avasarala's outfit at the end was very good.
• I've read all the books so there weren't really any shocking developments to be had, but it was so well filmed and edited that they had me in suspense, worrying that it wouldn't turn out like the books.
• I am actually not too sad about it ending even though it's consistently been the best thing on TV for 6 years, because I'd rather shows I like have a well-thought out, cohesive ending than dragging on for years and going to shit. I am fine if we don't see the Laconia plot and also fine if we do.

Comments

[lilysea]

I haven't read the books, so I spent the whole episode worried that Drummer or Bobbie were going to die!

*SO relieved that they lived*

[sabotabby]

I seriously thought they were going to kill Bobbie there. Though they mostly have erred on the side of if they're deviating from the books, it's to save someone who otherwise died (with the exception of Alex but the actor had backed them into a corner there).

[kore]

I was really worried they would kill Drummer off, plus if they killed Bobbie off, T would have kicked a hole through the TV screen. She is his bae.

[sabotabby]

So valid. I feel the same about Drummer. I don't have a TV screen but still.

[dewline]

I have read the books up through Volume 8, and I am gratified to know they stayed true to at least the broad strokes of the arcs.

[sabotabby]

Yeah. Where they made changes it's generally to tighten it.

[dewline]

Looking forward to seeing for myself...someday.

[kore]

My reactions:

DRUMMMMMERRRRRRRRRR
MAKE DRUMMER AND NAOMI KISS
BYE HOLDEN

I think they're teasing various miniseries or even TV-movies about the Laconia whatever? I don't know.

[sabotabby]

OMG did you see Keon Alexander's spoiler??? He is as much a delight as his character is an asswipe.

[kore]

I DID. HE IS A PERFECT FLUFFY CUPCAKE. He and Cara Gee were trolling the life out of each other and it was just adorable.

Chrisjen was fab, Naomi was fab, Bobbie was fab, DRUMMER. WAS. FAB. I was just delighted the diverse characters didn't get blown up so Holden could be Mr President of Everything, ugh. They did a surprisingly good job in six (SIX) eps and none of the women characters who got me into the show died, so I was happy. I'm a little sad to see it end, but it's also a good time for a rewatch!

[sabotabby]

I'm sad to see it end but all the characters I liked got good endings, which is such a rarity in the type of shows I like, especially in grimdark sci-fi and fantasy. And there might be movies? But even if there aren't movies I prefer a skillful ending than a show that outstays its welcome.

[smhwpf]

So awesome.
Naomi and Drummer have to get together. I mean polyamory is a thing in the Expanseverse, right? Or she can just ditch Holden.
Holden making things work by just stepping out of the way was also great. A lesson for white men everywhere.
Should we crowdfund for the books 7-9 stories, or would they just be too dark?

[sabotabby]

Drummer is canon poly and Holden has 8 parents. I actually don't despise Holden as much as some people do—I think I would actually like his character a whole bunch if he wasn't constantly contrasted with every other character in that show who is more interesting. But by Generic Whitebread Male Protagonists he is actually pretty cool. It's just that when he's on the same show as fucking Drummer, it's like, "whhyyyyy Naomi what is wrong with you??? Drummer is right there."

So my main objection to 7-9 is that I don't need to see [spoiler] or [spoiler] or [spoiler] die on my TV screen, and the show would be significantly less compelling without them. I don't think it's the darkest arc over all, but I also don't think that Duarte is as interesting an antagonist as Mao or Inaros. I liked the books a whole lot but I don't know that they would translate as well on screen.

[frandroid]

I thought that final battle beggared disbelief, especially that they all survived. First I thought that Bobbie was sacrificing herself, then I thought that Amos was sacrificing himself for Bobbie. After the battle, no one's even missing a finger! while half the assault team got blown up! They were facing armour-piercing ammo! WTF?

Also this is mostly a question of the season being too short, but I feel that the Filip/Marcos arc could have been developed more, as well as the Naomi/Drummer discussion.

I also liked the dinner scene a lot. It's a nice motif in the series.

That team's done no wrong, and clearly they left it open for more, so I hope they keep at it. :)

[sabotabby]

It was a bit much. I'd have at least developed a side-character who would die in the assault. But I had no desire to see Bobbie or Amos die on my telly so I can live with the suspension of disbelief.

[bcholmes]

Yeah, I pretty much agree with everything, here.

The "Ty and That Guy" podcast/aftershow talked about how Holden's arc was from "guy refuses a job for immature reasons" to "guy refuses a job for mature reasons". Which I thought nicely summed him up. There was more: they talked about how he embodies a more compassionate and intuitive type of hero in contrast to the standard American cinematic hero who just shoots things. I can see that point, even if, like you, I feel like he's just a less interesting character than the others.

Oddly, I wasn't a fan of the scene in which we learn that Filip left the Pella before the final battle. I preferred the brutal moment of Naomi knowing that she was killing her son, and the "hey, it's okay; we saved him" moment didn't work for me.

I understand why they killed him off in the background, but I kept hoping that we'd see Anderson Dawes this season. I loved him.

[sabotabby]

There was more: they talked about how he embodies a more compassionate and intuitive type of hero in contrast to the standard American cinematic hero who just shoots things. I can see that point, even if, like you, I feel like he's just a less interesting character than the others.

HAH YES. And honestly, in any other show I'd be impressed by a lead who demographically resembles a typical sci-fi lead but is working class, basically an anarchist, and is motivated by empathy above all else.

Oddly, I wasn't a fan of the scene in which we learn that Filip left the Pella before the final battle. I preferred the brutal moment of Naomi knowing that she was killing her son, and the "hey, it's okay; we saved him" moment didn't work for me.

I thought it was a bit of a cheat, but they didn't seem willing to deviate from the books that much. And I don't think it lessened her sacrifice given that she never found out.

I understand why they killed him off in the background, but I kept hoping that we'd see Anderson Dawes this season. I loved him.

Me too. I guess the actor wasn't available? I will just go by the standard sci-fi rule that if we don't see a character die on screen, they're just on vacation somewhere.

[bcholmes]

Me too. I guess the actor wasn't available? I will just go by the standard sci-fi rule that if we don't see a character die on screen, they're just on vacation somewhere.

Yeah, they mentioned a few times in the podcast/aftershow that, while Jared Harris loves them and the show, he's been way too busy (with projects like Chernobyl and Foundation) to come in for more Anderson Dawes scenes.