What I love about Michio is that it shows that people have strength in many different ways. Not everyone is cut out for every situation, but they may excel in ways the supposed strong people do not.
I loved that characterisation. Michio may not have the capacity for combat and killing people, but put her in a medical emergancy, and she's a steely eyed med tech.
What I love about Michio is that before this scene, we could believe that she was afraid of violence and that her mistakes were coming from a place of weakness. But now, we've seen that she is capable of a great deal of violence for someone's best interest and we realize that it never was a fear of violence. She was just unable to desire someone harm and take action to hurt them. The weakness is suddenly rebranded as a moral high ground and it changes our perception of everything that happened before.
Thank you Xander for your sacrifice...Well, that's not Clarissa, that's Peaches and yes, we love Peaches. "Live shamed and die empty" is gotta be one of my favorite fuck you lines in the history of television.
You and I are on the same page but she doesn't like us using that name. Not sure if she understands that not using it shows more disrespects to Amos than Peaches.
One thing I love about The Expanse is the mature interpersonal conflict. The conflict doesn't feel cheap just to create drama between characters. Both Naomi and Holden communicate their perspective extremely well in this episode. And, at least in my opinion, you can see both sides and empathize with each person's point of view.
I realise why Holden could not kill Filip with that torpedo...but that was a perfect opportunity for "that guy" to do what he does best (and it's obvious he'd have had no qualms about it). The war could have ended then and there, with the Belters leaderless and uncoordinated. Skirmishes would have still occurred for a while, but skirmishes went on for a while after Lee's surrender at Appomattox and we recognize that was the real end of the war. A lot of lives on both sides could have been saved.
No rambling BTS story tonight. Just a short one for Xander! The smushed arm prosthetic (completely practical) was so realistic to see with the naked eye that some crew averted their gaze when we shot the cutting scene. The SPFX/prosthetics team that made the cuttable arm rig did an amazing job, as did the design and construction team who had to build a pretty neat set (basic wild wall concept but interesting, er, cutout design) to get the angle the creatives and camera team wanted. As well, there were only two (I think) cuttable rigs. And I think that added to the, uhm, meat of the scene's tension.
Clarissa's change through the seasons has been amazing, and it is something this show does so well. You may hate someone at the beginning, but they are so fully fleshed out that you can see the world through their eyes and understand why they would act a certain way. To the point where you respect them for being true to their character, even as we love to hate them.
Remember when Michio first met Walker (2 episodes back). He asked her what her skills were and she said something like “salvage technician and emergency med tech”. It’s good to see her put that training to use, and to see that she can handle stressful situations after all. Go Michio! My first time through the show, I didn’t remember in 6x04 that she had listed this skill in 6x02, but I sure did this time through. It’s this type of attention to detail that makes me admire the writers of this show so much.
I'm proud of everyone who held their tongue or did their best to be vague about Clarissa. Discovering how much you can care about her is one of those wonderful surprises that should not be ruined for anyone. It hits you by surprise like a sucker punch. ❤
Tadeo talking to Fillip about his brother who would be with the Free Navy except for his vertigo and Marco having told Fillip why he considers the people of Ceres beneath his concern is really a powerful juxtaposition.
Oh, since you mentioned spin-off shows, Camina Drummer, played by Cara Gee, is getting her own game! The Expanse: A Telltale Series is going to star our favorite pirate! A trailer for the game just came out last week.
What's so interesting about Clarissa (from a writing standpoint) is that she doesn't have a typical character arc. Normally, a character learns their big lesson at the end of their arc, or they learned something before the narrative starts and teach other characters. But Clarissa has both. Her big lesson is in season 3, and now we get to see the second variant. Usually you don't get to see that because it's very difficult to write it in a way that the audience gives a character who did something as bad as Clarissa the chance to really redeem themselves.
Welcome back, Xander comments. 😂 The look on Filip's face, as he goes in to the corridor (after that speech): Made me think he knew his Father may be watching, so acted as was expected.
At the Beginning of The Expanse, Amos is such a one dimensional character. When I first was introduced to Clarissa, I hate that women. Now Amos is one of the most complex characters and I love Peaches.
Right!? I totally thought Amos was just a meat head. I had no idea he did that being my favorite character. I hate Clarissa, but Peaches is such a great character!
I view philip’s speech at the end as: - him thinking Naiomi disarmed the warhead. This makes him feel guilty, angry and conflicted about what he’s done, and which side he’s on. Marco told him his mother abandoned him, that she and the rocinante crew are the enemy. But now he thinks at least one of them saved him. - this conflict manifests in him lashing out, and trying to convince *himself* just as much as the others with the speech. As he walks out of the room, his facial expression doesn’t give me the vibe he really believes what he says. He’s in denial that he’s on the wrong side.
_[sigh]_ 😮💨😮💨😮💨 That X-Ray with Clarissa was absolutely heartbreaking. Also, I remember it being brought up in an earlier episode somewhere that Michio is both proficient in salvage operations *and* medical stuff. So it was good to see the latter skill being put to use.
@50:13 earlier this season you made a comment about being upset that Clarissa has been making you smile about what’s she’s doing and how it’s the right thing. It’s been SOOOOO tempting to comment “would you think it possible or would rather to cry about her instead ?” Felt like way too much of a spoiler. Also RIP to Zander’s prior meal.
Xander, I am so sorry you had to go though that, but your notes are frigg'n hilarious; my drink came out my nose...twice. You jerk. j/k buddy; I needed that laugh today, no matter how painful. Your editing is legit. 🤣
I’m glad you’ve given up on the Clarissa hate 😛 No, seriously, you were veeeeeery much not a fan, and you could have stayed that way. Yes, the show’s just so damned good at redemptions (e.g. see Michio in just this episode), but kudos to you for allowing it too. And they managed that redemption without even requiring her amazing x-ray scene. So, as always, kudos to the writers. And kudos to Clarissa for working some stuff out in the mess, but leaving the coffee maker intact. She’s one up on Holden there 🙃 Her advice to Holden about not feeling bad is perfect for Holden - but it’s exactly the sort of argument that wouldn’t truck with Amos. However much Amos has grown, he’s still of the school that you’ll feel bad for _not_ killing someone, which is understandable given his background. And yeah, Rosenfeld is scary smart. Emphasis on the scary, considering her alignment. It’s shades of Chrisjen in the sense of being the one behind the bone structure - I mean, behind the throne being focussed, levelheaded and sharp as a tack. What’s worrying is how little we know of her own ambitions and convictions; she’s seems too smart to be a zealot, yet she’s just as ruthless. If Manbun is a volatile narcissist, she might be a very high-functioning psychopath. Or, more worrying still, she isn’t a psychopath, only smart. Hope Xander’s recovered from the pocket-knife amputation scene, btw. That whole thing also speaks to Drummer’s love for her crew. Yes, Naomi is the love of her life, and in a way, Michio was on to something when talking to Josep. But as angry as Drummer is with Marco, and as disappointed as she was with Michio, I think she rediscovered her love for her, seeing her be so decisive, and for Josep, seeing him hurt.
Poor Xander ☹️ I would say that, even though Michio was right, she was also incredibly wrong. Regardless, if you were married to somebody, or in a relationship with someone, you can equally love somebody else just in a different way. I can love my partners that I’m with, but I’ll fucking kill for my best friends. I wish we got so much more of Rosenfeld! She’s awesome. I hate that she’s not on our side but she’s such a fucking bad ass. If Clarissa had broke the coffee maker, Holden would’ve spaced her. Unforgivable.
@@funnylilgalreacts Completely agree on all points. What Michio found was basically what you said; every love is different, but no less real than another. But, at the time, that would have been of little comfort to her, and anyway the way she found it was wrong. So, yeah, still wrong; Michio’s just so innocent and pathetic (when not amputating limbs) that you can’t help but feel a little sympathy. Btw had Clarissa broken the coffee maker, I think Holden might have just outright scuttled the Roci. I think Jim “Perfect” Holden would actually forgive Clarissa, but with no hope of coffee, might as well overload the reactor. Not sure the others would object either 🫡
I really liked your take on Holden's decision! I have seen so many negative reactions from other reactors and in the comments, so to hear you voice your thoughts was refreshing, bc they align with mine. 🙂
I totally agree, the expanse knows who the write strong female characters without being overzealous or forcing them to be overpowered just because. Good female character representations are rare to find, which is what separates the expanse from other shows.
Filip for me was kinda tough for me to figure out at this point. I think he was learning some valuable lessons when just being a repairman and working with "the lower class". The raid on the supply depot was cool and I like to think to them prepping it but they were waiting on Marco. But Marco was delayed due to his fight with the Roci and that allowed Drummer to take it. Yah for Michio stepping up in a big way, not to mention graphic!
I actually really like that about him. He didn’t shrug it off and it informs a lot of his future decisions. It made him the man that he is, and I think that is so honorable.
in the earlier episode where Michio first introduces herself to Walker, she mentions she has a field medic certification. I remember watching that episode when it first aired and thinking, welp, that's gonna be important soon
It's interesting to see the characters amalgamated into Drummer get different takes in the show to their book versions. I've always associated this version of Michio with nursing and the related personality strength. Struggling to fire in a war/combat situation but fearless and decisive taking drastic action to save someone. It was an amazing scene. Still holding onto hope that the last 3 seasons are possible after the rights revert to Alcon and some time to account for the jump has passed.
Authoritarianism is extremely bad at the best of times, and an authoritarian government with a desperate need for scientific and medical test subjects would not be classified as "the best of times".
I mean, a drunk driving killing is still an accident. The act of choosing to drink (even knowing how dangerous itmight be) is deliberate. The killing of someone whille you're under the influence is not. That's why homicide during an accident by way of DUI is NEVER tried as a first degree murder.
@@Cbricklyne I somewhat disagree with that, but I respect the argument's point. Laconia wouldn't waste its time on something so banal as this though. The "luxury" of a judicial system valuing human rights is anathema to them. So yeah, it's off to the Pen with that guy. Dude should've run deep into the forest and ate the local berries if he'd known what was in store for him.
@@Cbricklyne First degree murder means it's planned. That's why killing someone while drink driving isn't a charge of first degree murder. However it most definitely is not an accident
Xan may be only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. All dead, with all dead there’s only one thing you can do. Go through his clothes and look for loose change. Apologies to Miracle Max Great analysis after the ep.👍 You and Clarissa are simpatico. 🥰 The X-ray, wow, that was good. Thanks, I never saw it before.
I think Holden was right and wrong to disarm. His motivation was ultimately selfish - it was about his own feelings and self-image. And that's not a negative thing. That's a knowing your limits thing. But he had to talk to Naomi about it. He couldn't in the moment; he couldn't have predicted the situation beforehand. But with a... subtle... nudge from Amos he did talk with Naomi. He admitted his limits and Naomi shared hers. And as for women being badasses and men being emotional, I agree from our perspective. But I think from a more distant perspective the characters are all more complete. The women in this show haven't had their confidence attacked for decades; the men haven't had decades of disapproval for expressing emotion. In reality women in this show have been emotional - Drummer's speech was driven by anger for instance. But she's strategic and analytical and she's harnessing that anger for a purpose. And even Holden can be a badass - taking on a UNN battleship is kinda nuts. And I think that's what really makes the characters in this show cool. They've been given space to be the complete people they are. And people can be pretty cool.
15:19 I don't think Laconia Station is in Orbit of Earth in the Intro. I think that that is Laconia in the Intro, a Terrestrial Planet, extremely Earth-like.
Great reaction Angela! You're right that they are keeping the spirit of Alex in the show... I'm so here for it! Drummer IS THE BELT! Pirate Queen of the belt! The Xray of Clarissa was so very good. You ever think that you would get emotional over her? Looking forward to the next one! Oyedeng Beltalowda!
All the cool, multi dimensional, women characters is one of the main reasons I love this show. While it's sad the serie is over I am so happy for all the awesome moments. 😊
Woo you finally got to hear my favorite little speech/quote of the entire series! Amos' "I am that guy" was my favorite line of probably any series I had watched up to that point. Then this episode came along, and Drummer's "Live shamed, die empty" took the top spot forever. One of many reasons Amos and Drummer are almost tied as my favorite character in any show.
I don't know if anyone has explained it, but the bun is necessary in zero-g, don't want your hair floating in front of your face under maneuvers after all. Fully agreed on the looks though!
On a completely different topic from my other rambling comment... Wow! That _One Ship_ episode was outstanding! 😮 I loved Clarissa when I watched the show for the first time, but I hadn't seen the extras until this rewatch with Angela. Again, wow! 👍👍
I always feel really bad for Michio. She didn't join Drummer's crew/family to fight in a war, she doesn't have the mentality for it. Several of the crew/family members they started with have either died or gone their separate way meaning that Michio is forced to do things she's not comfortable with. Maybe Michio is a better carer than a fighter but with a crew of three or four, she doesn't have the luxury of standing by as pure support.
I agree with you regarding Holden showing mercy. While it's fine that Marco dies, depending on the circumstances, his death won't necessarily solve much. He could easily be turned into a martyr and have a powerful influence long after his death. And along with that, the actions that are taken to stop him will also live on
The problem with Holden not killing Marco is that very single life that dies due to Marco's action from that moment (until Marco dies) can blamed on Holden (that is a lot of blood on his hand) . Holden prolonged the war at cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people for Naomi.
That’s 100% not true though. If that’s the case, all of those lives lost would also be on Drummer. Or Naomi for not killing him on the Pella. It’s a fine line to blame somebody for other deaths because they didn’t kill somebody else.
@@funnylilgalreacts Drummer and every other person that had the chance to kill Marco share the guilt ( we saw Drummer literally blamed herself for the people Marco killed , especially Ashford) of not stopping a mass genocider. The only defense for Drummer is she doesn't know Marco would take thing that far. Holden doesn't' have that excuse, he fully know what Marco have doesn't and could do. You could even say Hilden had duty to stop Marco considering he literally was fighting war against the Free navy. If you have the chance to stop a mass murderer whom you know is about to commit that crime but refuse, then you're responsible for the lives s/he took. Look at the real life analogies: How many children lives would be saved had the cops stopped the Uvalde mass shooter (inated of cowering) ? Could Claus von Stauffenberg ended the war sooner had he succeeded ?
@@funnylilgalreacts As the captain of a warship, Drummer has sacrificed one person she loves after another. I love Holden and his humanity, but he had no business deciding for everyone, especially those risking their lives, that Filip - a mas murderer - should be spared. I would have respected the story more if he'd realized that and handed the Rocinante over to Bobbie afterward. No shame in owning up to one's limits.
About Laconia, Sauveterre last season said that their new population has to be extremely rigorous. Cannot let mistake slip because they either are all together or not. They cant go back to Mars, that would tell secret, they cant fight over each other. So if you do big mistake, you get the firing squad it seems. (i havent read the 7-9th books yet, just ordered them tho! ;) )
Not having read the books, yeah... That's kinda what it looked like. Ultra-militarist dictatorial regime. Every colonist is, also, a "soldier", and if you fail as a soldier, you get court martialed and executed by firing squad. We saw that Mars was a curios melange between a military state and a meritocratic one. A weird amalgation between people trying to optimize as much as they could their population, while all doing it willfully for "the dream of Mars" in a weird, almost communist way... But Laconia is the more radical approach of what was... Already kinda radical. It's the "purity" of the Martians. Determined being, striving to become the most excellent they could be, while purging the "weak" or the "inept" of their rank. Laconia seems, honestly, like hell... And are, I would guess, the future baddies of the expanse universe ? Who knows. Pure speculation.
@@gerardlacroix6015 I haven't read the books either, but the show definitely sets up Duarte/Laconia as the third act villain. It makes sense to have a Martian villain too, as we have already had an Earther villain (Jules Pierre Mao/Protogen) for the first act and a Belter villain (Marco Inaros/Free Navy) for the second.
My favorite part is Walker, the bad ass pirate who's probably seen everything, saying "Oh fucking hell," when he realizes that Michio is about to do. With regards to Holden, the main thing I disagree with is him saying he doesn't owe Amos an explanation. After all the various unilateral actions that all the remaining crew have taken throughout the show, I think he kinda does owe him one. And I'm not sure why he'd think that not telling Amos would somehow be better then explaining the real reason.
You noted the "different structure" of the season, and that's insightful. The production company asked Amazon to fund 10 or 12 episodes but said they could make do with eight. They got six episodes. So, they had to pare the story down to the bone, and it comes across as a bit disjointed. As an FYI, the sixth novel has extensive scenes with Anna and Prax, and they wanted to put some of that in this season.
37:15 Although the Roci and Tynan crews don't know about it, I think it was shown that the protomolecule was sent to Duarte on Laconia at the end of the previous season. I love these reactions - you made me rewatch the entire series in like 2 weeks!
I think Filip's reaction to Drummer's speach was more for him to justify the atrocities he committed. He cannot have it all have been for nothing. 🤷♀️
What we will definitely have is "Adventures of Camina Drummer" videogame (prequel though) and comic-books telling about events between books 6 and 7 (authors initially planned three other main cycle books in between, but decided those stories were less important).
One of the things I like about Th Expanse - people go to jail - Enrinwright, Mao etc and you never hear from them again, they were these big multi-season bads, and then they are gone.
I definitely like the idea of them just rotting somewhere. If they appeared out of nowhere and started to wreak more havoc, it would just be horrible storytelling. Which is what we’ve gotten a lot over the years.
@@scambammer6102 Was hoping for Havelock’s return to the story back in season 4 (per the books) but I’m guessing actor availability- or lack there of- put the kabosh on that idea.
Drummer's message to Marco is one of the greatest statements of defiance and contempt I've ever heard. It's amazing. “This is Camina Drummer. And this message is for the traitor, the coward Marco Inaros. You hunted me and mine and still we are here, unbent, unbroken, unbowed. And you? You are nothing. You stole from your own. You abandoned Ceres to the Inners and left Belters to starve. You called yourself our champion and then you ran. So go and raise your bounty. Track me down and kill me if you can. It doesn’t matter anymore. I will always be the one who took back what you stole. Camina Drummer did this to you. Live shamed. Die empty.”
Fitting that Clarissa was the subject of the X-ray after this episode…. Definitely one of the more powerful ones. Her log entry is heartbreaking 😢You can really feel her loss is mixed with both sadness & anger. I still have some issues with her character, & while I mostly agree with her statement that you should never feel bad for not killing someone… I think that there are (sadly) situations where it can be a necessary evil to do just that… because the consequences of letting them go would be catastrophic. Was that the case with Marco? Matter of opinion, but I think the galaxy would be a far better place without him in it. 2 more to go to find out the answers! 🚀
The last x-ray was my favorite. It may not be the best one overall or everyone's favorite, but it made a particular impression on me. Just saying in case that helps you remember next episode.
See personally I think the right thing to do would have been to killed Marco. I agree with what Peaches said but at the same time, they are at war and literally the entire "free Navy" command is in that ship. Holdens reasons for disarming the torpedo were entirely personal, and whilst I completely understand where he is coming from, if you are fighting a war you shouldn't be making decisions for personal reasons. Having said that, I do love that Holden lives by his own code and isn't willing to allow that to become corrupted. I also especially love how well the Naomi and Holden relationship is written, they have been through so much shift that at this point they are able to talk this stuff through and not just create relationship drama for the sake of it. Also killer editing by Xander on the Josep arm scene🤣
I don't know what it is about drummers words to Marco but to me they feel like a response to Marcos final words to Ashford. There is something there. I can't put my finger on it, but it always hits me in the feels.
Don't tell Xander but the actors who play Josep (Samer Salem) and Michio (Vanessa Smythe) were on recent, separate episodes of your buddy Ty's podcast. The amputation scene came up each time w/ some good BTS stories. So sad you've reached the end of the series, it's been fun to follow along.
4:17 If you look closely at the "ship" shown on Marco's screen in the last episode passing the Ring from the Laconia system to the Ring Space Station, it does not have the typical propulsion in the form of a large Epstein drive, but several much small propulsion plumes such as from tug boat drones we've seen salvaging the Nauvoo a few seasons back. There are also some clues in its heavily abbreviated name displayed on screen as to what it might be. 🤫
Yes, the women of this show are magnificent! Of my top 5 favorite characters, 4 are women. You should check our more of Alex's music. It's really good stuff. Listen to Hank Williams, The Ultimate Collectuon. I grew to appreciate it as a boy. It was my grandpa's music.
The Expanse make a great job of making real people. The badass women are flawed, they are not perfect, they make mistakes but that's what makes it awesome. The men are not perfect either, not even Holden. Although, hands down my favorite character is Amos.
I hope you listened/watched to episode of Ty & Guy with Vanessa Smythe (aka Michio), now you finished with The Expanse. It's recent one. Heck, I hope you have time for all of their episodes.
The reason why the Expanse has so many good Female Characters is because... I mean they don't. They have so many amazing Characters, that happen to be Female. I don't think there is a single thing that would change if you genderswap EVERYONE, which in my eyes is one of the only ways you can write a good character...
It's cool how Xan and Cara are played by real-life twins -- Ian and Emma Ho -- and Ian's a lot smaller than his sister. *Major Spoiler:* Makes you wonder how they'd shoot their scenes for the final trilogy.
Admiral Duarte has a zero-tolerance position when it comes to people fouling up on Laconia which is why the Martian that hit Xan with a cart is being executed by firing squad.
Well, it’s wild because I re-watched episode one and literally Cara almost got hit by the same guy in that episode. So it was definitely hinted out that somebody was being irresponsible. Duarte is definitely one effed up dude.
SPOILER…….ISH Before I read all the books, I did a slight dive into Expanse Wiki. And I knew about the Martian Admiral. So when I read the subtitle: DUARTE “you were supposed to be in Paris” And I lost it. I had been waiting since book 5 for his appearance. We need to film books 7 to 9
If you really like the show, I sincerely recommend the books. I'm sure people have recommended them and suggested them, but now that the entire Book Series is out. I honestly, from the bottom of my heart highly recommend you read the books. They reveal all the information you are asking about. However if you do want to know WARNING BELOW SPOILERS FOR WHO ARE THE ALIEN KILLERS and other information. * * * * * * The Alien killers are some advance aliens who live between the space of the ring gates. Every time time a certain amount of mass passes thru the ring gate, it hurts those aliens so they make those ships disappear or more accurately they deconstruct the ships and crew atom by atom. It's not random (it seems random at the moment because because they don't know what is triggering it). Anyway, those aliens are the ones who annihilated the ring gate aliens. They are really pissed at the Martians from Laconia because they are messing with stuff that the ring gate Aliens were using and the nature of that technology causes pain or perhaps it destroys things in their world/space/dimension? The thing they encountered in that planet that Holden helped deactivate. That's technology or part of the aliens that killed the gate aliens. You know the thing that the Detective as a machine sacrificed himself to save them in that cave? The ship you saw pass thru is from Laconia and let me tell you that the Alien Killers are not happy about it when they use their weapon. BTW - this is just the Cliff Notes of everything that's going on. It's barely tapping into the story. Alex is written out of the series because the actor was accuses of some sexual harassment (I'm not sure exactly all of it). However, in the books Alex doesn't die and remains alive until the end of the series. If you read up until now, hopefully you wanted to know all this.
Rosenfeld is such an interesting character. It's a shame she was only introduced in this season, and a season with so few episodes at that. Josep's arm really was the worst gore in the entire show. So, so gross.
She (or he in the books) was introduced in Babylon Ashes .. i guess had they known the actress would had portrayed the character so good they may had tried to introduce her in S5 to have more visible faces on the free navy. but probably wasnt in their plans as they allready had several new characters for S5 (Drummer's family, Cyn, Karal, Bull) and maybe Kathleen Robertson wouldnt been avalaible (she did a movie and a series in that year)
I still believe Holden made a bad call in disarming that nuke. A chance to end Marco by extension would've ended the war. Whether it made Marco a martyr or not is up for debate. Holden missed the best opportunity to end Marco and the war and save countless lives.
@@funnylilgalreacts The most apt persons able to run the Free Navy were aboard the Pella. Others were more like Walker and Drummer...cats that can't be herded. And after what Marco had done to Ceres, the loss of Marco with the Pella could not have been something someone else could recover. Of course, Holden could not know that.
@@funnylilgalreacts Maybe Marco's death wouldn't have ended the war right away, but I believe it would lead in that direction. Unfortunately, someone just as dangerous as Marco or worse will always come along in the future to cause trouble. Sometimes that's going to happen and they still need to be dealt with all the same.
@@funnylilgalreacts I think you're wrong in this one. The Free Navy is Marco Inaros. As in, he built it in his own image and it essentially exists soley and entirely because of him (thanks in large part to the narcissitst that he is. Remember his maliciously and viciously pointing out this fact to Filip at the end of Season 5 when he was dressing him down?).. Killing Marco would be the proverbial cutting the head off the snake's body and it would essentially decapitate the Free Navy as a whole as there's no one else as charismatic and capable as him. Certainly not outside the Pella where he has his most capable generals (like Rosenfeld) with him. It's not like a country or a nation state that has a heirachichal leadership structure where many different people can take over if the head is killed off. Perhaps it wouldn't have ended the war immediately, but it certainly would have sent it on a fast death spiral towards it's end. With far fewer deaths.
This is such a reductive way way to look at it. People are complex and act on emotion. James Holden has always been shown to act on emotion and empathy. Not everyone is 100% rational all of the time. It was a difficult decision, it was even a selfish decision on his part. But it was very human. And yes there have been times in human history where opportunities were squandered due to an irrational thought or fear or a last second change of heart. If you want manufactured stories wrapped up in neat little bows that do not resemble real life human behavior, watch a Disney movie.
I wouldn't regret not killing Marco so much as i would regret all the people who may have lived if i had killed him, But that's the kicker with the road not taken so to speak, You never get to play out the other path and see what would have happened, Maybe letting him live is the better option. But given how much of this is being driven by his personal magnetism i can't believe that cutting off the head of this particular snake wouldn't be the best action.. 🤔
I think letting Marco live is the best thing for Holden in that moment. I don’t think he could have bared that guilt. The consequences of him not killing Marco may mean people he doesn’t know will die. But killing Marco in that moment means he killed Naomi‘s son and that’s incredibly real to him.
@@funnylilgalreacts Yep, But it's noteworthy as one of the few times Holden acts as much for him self ( if not more ) & the people he cares about personally as for others who he will never know. White knight / Don Quixote taking on giant's kind of character that he is.. 🤔
The reason the driver that killed Xan would get the firing squad is because he was habitually careless. If you recall, he had nearly hit Cara earlier that day. It's interesting that Duarte's rhetoric was effective enough to gain him Cara's sympathy even in her own grief. That's how he pulled in so many top Mars officers. Only Earth has the regrowth gel. Belters only have prosthetics. But good prosthetics. In the Xray, Peaches was being watched by the Roci. You were seeing her through the Roci cameras.
Everybody has access to the regrowth technology, only most Belters can not afford it. They actually already started the regrowing process of Josep's arm. Remember, they also regrew Drummer's spine on the Behemoth back in S3.
You should check out For All Mankind next! I think that fans of The Expanse would generally like For All Mankind. It's really good. Some see it as a prequel to The Expanse, but in the future of The Expanse we haven't fixed global warming (as shown when we see the giant 'flood walls' around Copenhagen). But I get the allure 😊
I double that. Also, there are not many reactions for For all Mankind. Btw. did you catch the reference to FAM (Jamestown base) in 5x01 of The Expanse?
The greatest problem with this season was it was filmed during lockdown. It really did cut down on what they were able to film. Wes commented that this was his least favorite season to film since they were really restricted on how many of the cast they were able to hang out with at any one time. I assume it also probably restricted how many people they could bring in for any filming. The season is still amazing. Thank you for the time you put into this.
Hearst! Oh dear oh dear we're getting so close what will I do without your Clarissa 'I don't want to like her' and your Amos thirst? Edit: I feel like you're 'back' and just in time for the finale. Don't get me wrong, your reactions have been fine but I felt like late S5 you were distracted. Glad you found your feet (if indeed you were missing them).
What I love about Michio is that it shows that people have strength in many different ways. Not everyone is cut out for every situation, but they may excel in ways the supposed strong people do not.
I loved that characterisation. Michio may not have the capacity for combat and killing people, but put her in a medical emergancy, and she's a steely eyed med tech.
"Oh, effing he||" ...best line ever. 😂
No pun intended?
and they still kicked her off...
Michio never wanted to be a part of battle. She was a salvage tech. She never signed on for war. It was thrust upon her against her wishes.
“Live shamed and die empty,” is my new favorite way to throw shade on someone. It replaces “I intimidate him sexually.”
The latter is more funny, the former is more hardcore.
28:08 - Clarrissa gave Holden a Holden moment, love her for that.
.
What I love about Michio is that before this scene, we could believe that she was afraid of violence and that her mistakes were coming from a place of weakness. But now, we've seen that she is capable of a great deal of violence for someone's best interest and we realize that it never was a fear of violence. She was just unable to desire someone harm and take action to hurt them. The weakness is suddenly rebranded as a moral high ground and it changes our perception of everything that happened before.
Thank you Xander for your sacrifice...Well, that's not Clarissa, that's Peaches and yes, we love Peaches.
"Live shamed and die empty" is gotta be one of my favorite fuck you lines in the history of television.
You and I are on the same page but she doesn't like us using that name. Not sure if she understands that not using it shows more disrespects to Amos than Peaches.
If she calls Peaches Clarissa she should call Amos Timothy instead.
I don't understand why she does it but pobody's nerfect I guess.
One thing I love about The Expanse is the mature interpersonal conflict. The conflict doesn't feel cheap just to create drama between characters. Both Naomi and Holden communicate their perspective extremely well in this episode. And, at least in my opinion, you can see both sides and empathize with each person's point of view.
Ashford grew on folks. And so did Clarissa! It's a gift of this show!
We need a list: how many characters did we start out hating and grew to love? Holden, Ashford, Peaches...
I realise why Holden could not kill Filip with that torpedo...but that was a perfect opportunity for "that guy" to do what he does best (and it's obvious he'd have had no qualms about it). The war could have ended then and there, with the Belters leaderless and uncoordinated. Skirmishes would have still occurred for a while, but skirmishes went on for a while after Lee's surrender at Appomattox and we recognize that was the real end of the war. A lot of lives on both sides could have been saved.
No rambling BTS story tonight. Just a short one for Xander!
The smushed arm prosthetic (completely practical) was so realistic to see with the naked eye that some crew averted their gaze when we shot the cutting scene. The SPFX/prosthetics team that made the cuttable arm rig did an amazing job, as did the design and construction team who had to build a pretty neat set (basic wild wall concept but interesting, er, cutout design) to get the angle the creatives and camera team wanted.
As well, there were only two (I think) cuttable rigs. And I think that added to the, uhm, meat of the scene's tension.
I love Xander's edit dialogue here!
Cool when the acting and practical effects are so convincing that it affects the filming crew too
Clarissa's change through the seasons has been amazing, and it is something this show does so well. You may hate someone at the beginning, but they are so fully fleshed out that you can see the world through their eyes and understand why they would act a certain way. To the point where you respect them for being true to their character, even as we love to hate them.
Remember when Michio first met Walker (2 episodes back). He asked her what her skills were and she said something like “salvage technician and emergency med tech”. It’s good to see her put that training to use, and to see that she can handle stressful situations after all. Go Michio! My first time through the show, I didn’t remember in 6x04 that she had listed this skill in 6x02, but I sure did this time through. It’s this type of attention to detail that makes me admire the writers of this show so much.
That and she was to be his "cargo", which he uses a complimentary nickname here, turning a negative connotation into positive.
"Sturdy work, cargo."
I'm proud of everyone who held their tongue or did their best to be vague about Clarissa. Discovering how much you can care about her is one of those wonderful surprises that should not be ruined for anyone. It hits you by surprise like a sucker punch. ❤
Tadeo talking to Fillip about his brother who would be with the Free Navy except for his vertigo and Marco having told Fillip why he considers the people of Ceres beneath his concern is really a powerful juxtaposition.
Oh yeah, I totally forgot about Clarissa fighting Naomi on the Roci back in season 3! That definitely helps explain her hostility!
So much happened in season 3! It was easy to forget…
@@funnylilgalreacts think that means it's time to watch it again ;-)
Oh, since you mentioned spin-off shows, Camina Drummer, played by Cara Gee, is getting her own game! The Expanse: A Telltale Series is going to star our favorite pirate! A trailer for the game just came out last week.
What's so interesting about Clarissa (from a writing standpoint) is that she doesn't have a typical character arc. Normally, a character learns their big lesson at the end of their arc, or they learned something before the narrative starts and teach other characters. But Clarissa has both. Her big lesson is in season 3, and now we get to see the second variant. Usually you don't get to see that because it's very difficult to write it in a way that the audience gives a character who did something as bad as Clarissa the chance to really redeem themselves.
The opening of the Xray short was a nod to Clarissa taking poetry classes in The Pit as part of her therapy.
"If the universe needs a knife, it makes a knife. [...] If it needs a pirate queen, it makes [Camina Drummer]."
Welcome back, Xander comments. 😂
The look on Filip's face, as he goes in to the corridor (after that speech): Made me think he knew his Father may be watching, so acted as was expected.
At the Beginning of The Expanse, Amos is such a one dimensional character. When I first was introduced to Clarissa, I hate that women. Now Amos is one of the most complex characters and I love Peaches.
Right!? I totally thought Amos was just a meat head. I had no idea he did that being my favorite character. I hate Clarissa, but Peaches is such a great character!
@@funnylilgalreacts You called her Peaches!! Was about time... ;)
Madux- wait till episode 6 :-)
@@funnylilgalreacts Could it be something with... food? ;)
I loved Philips reaction at the end there. It was so obvious that he was saying that for a large large part to convince himself. The actor is so good.
I view philip’s speech at the end as:
- him thinking Naiomi disarmed the warhead. This makes him feel guilty, angry and conflicted about what he’s done, and which side he’s on. Marco told him his mother abandoned him, that she and the rocinante crew are the enemy. But now he thinks at least one of them saved him.
- this conflict manifests in him lashing out, and trying to convince *himself* just as much as the others with the speech. As he walks out of the room, his facial expression doesn’t give me the vibe he really believes what he says. He’s in denial that he’s on the wrong side.
_[sigh]_ 😮💨😮💨😮💨
That X-Ray with Clarissa was absolutely heartbreaking.
Also, I remember it being brought up in an earlier episode somewhere that Michio is both proficient in salvage operations *and* medical stuff. So it was good to see the latter skill being put to use.
Props to Xander for the non-edit. Hang in there buddy!
@50:13 earlier this season you made a comment about being upset that Clarissa has been making you smile about what’s she’s doing and how it’s the right thing. It’s been SOOOOO tempting to comment “would you think it possible or would rather to cry about her instead ?” Felt like way too much of a spoiler.
Also RIP to Zander’s prior meal.
Xander, I am so sorry you had to go though that, but your notes are frigg'n hilarious; my drink came out my nose...twice. You jerk. j/k buddy; I needed that laugh today, no matter how painful. Your editing is legit. 🤣
I’m glad you’ve given up on the Clarissa hate 😛 No, seriously, you were veeeeeery much not a fan, and you could have stayed that way. Yes, the show’s just so damned good at redemptions (e.g. see Michio in just this episode), but kudos to you for allowing it too. And they managed that redemption without even requiring her amazing x-ray scene. So, as always, kudos to the writers. And kudos to Clarissa for working some stuff out in the mess, but leaving the coffee maker intact. She’s one up on Holden there 🙃
Her advice to Holden about not feeling bad is perfect for Holden - but it’s exactly the sort of argument that wouldn’t truck with Amos. However much Amos has grown, he’s still of the school that you’ll feel bad for _not_ killing someone, which is understandable given his background.
And yeah, Rosenfeld is scary smart. Emphasis on the scary, considering her alignment. It’s shades of Chrisjen in the sense of being the one behind the bone structure - I mean, behind the throne being focussed, levelheaded and sharp as a tack. What’s worrying is how little we know of her own ambitions and convictions; she’s seems too smart to be a zealot, yet she’s just as ruthless. If Manbun is a volatile narcissist, she might be a very high-functioning psychopath. Or, more worrying still, she isn’t a psychopath, only smart.
Hope Xander’s recovered from the pocket-knife amputation scene, btw. That whole thing also speaks to Drummer’s love for her crew. Yes, Naomi is the love of her life, and in a way, Michio was on to something when talking to Josep. But as angry as Drummer is with Marco, and as disappointed as she was with Michio, I think she rediscovered her love for her, seeing her be so decisive, and for Josep, seeing him hurt.
Poor Xander ☹️
I would say that, even though Michio was right, she was also incredibly wrong. Regardless, if you were married to somebody, or in a relationship with someone, you can equally love somebody else just in a different way. I can love my partners that I’m with, but I’ll fucking kill for my best friends.
I wish we got so much more of Rosenfeld! She’s awesome. I hate that she’s not on our side but she’s such a fucking bad ass.
If Clarissa had broke the coffee maker, Holden would’ve spaced her. Unforgivable.
@@funnylilgalreacts Completely agree on all points. What Michio found was basically what you said; every love is different, but no less real than another. But, at the time, that would have been of little comfort to her, and anyway the way she found it was wrong. So, yeah, still wrong; Michio’s just so innocent and pathetic (when not amputating limbs) that you can’t help but feel a little sympathy.
Btw had Clarissa broken the coffee maker, I think Holden might have just outright scuttled the Roci. I think Jim “Perfect” Holden would actually forgive Clarissa, but with no hope of coffee, might as well overload the reactor. Not sure the others would object either 🫡
#spoilers Yes, Drummer loves her crew - I am pretty sure, they are living in a polyamorous relation(space)ship?
@@jankdmtg6995 not a spoiler at this point, it’s well-established that Drummer’s crew is also her polycule
I really liked your take on Holden's decision! I have seen so many negative reactions from other reactors and in the comments, so to hear you voice your thoughts was refreshing, bc they align with mine. 🙂
I totally agree, the expanse knows who the write strong female characters without being overzealous or forcing them to be overpowered just because. Good female character representations are rare to find, which is what separates the expanse from other shows.
Filip for me was kinda tough for me to figure out at this point. I think he was learning some valuable lessons when just being a repairman and working with "the lower class". The raid on the supply depot was cool and I like to think to them prepping it but they were waiting on Marco. But Marco was delayed due to his fight with the Roci and that allowed Drummer to take it. Yah for Michio stepping up in a big way, not to mention graphic!
Holden still can't let go of the Doctors Without Borders ship that he had to destroy over Eros.
I actually really like that about him. He didn’t shrug it off and it informs a lot of his future decisions. It made him the man that he is, and I think that is so honorable.
Peaches
in the earlier episode where Michio first introduces herself to Walker, she mentions she has a field medic certification. I remember watching that episode when it first aired and thinking, welp, that's gonna be important soon
It's interesting to see the characters amalgamated into Drummer get different takes in the show to their book versions.
I've always associated this version of Michio with nursing and the related personality strength.
Struggling to fire in a war/combat situation but fearless and decisive taking drastic action to save someone.
It was an amazing scene.
Still holding onto hope that the last 3 seasons are possible after the rights revert to Alcon and some time to account for the jump has passed.
This episode is one of the many reasons why Drummer is my favorite character in this show, just edging out Amos. Live shamed, die empty!
Thanks for telling us about the x-rays. As I only ever watched The Expanse on TV, I didn't know that they existed.
Gotta love our Pirate Queen Camina Drummer!
Unbend, unbroke, unbowed... Drummer is House Dorne. 🙂
Not a spoiler - from the Books the driver that killed Xan was driving drunk, so not an "accident". And what he got was worse than a firing squad.
Authoritarianism is extremely bad at the best of times, and an authoritarian government with a desperate need for scientific and medical test subjects would not be classified as "the best of times".
Ah yes, The Pen.
I mean, a drunk driving killing is still an accident.
The act of choosing to drink (even knowing how dangerous itmight be) is deliberate.
The killing of someone whille you're under the influence is not.
That's why homicide during an accident by way of DUI is NEVER tried as a first degree murder.
@@Cbricklyne I somewhat disagree with that, but I respect the argument's point.
Laconia wouldn't waste its time on something so banal as this though. The "luxury" of a judicial system valuing human rights is anathema to them. So yeah, it's off to the Pen with that guy.
Dude should've run deep into the forest and ate the local berries if he'd known what was in store for him.
@@Cbricklyne First degree murder means it's planned. That's why killing someone while drink driving isn't a charge of first degree murder. However it most definitely is not an accident
Xan may be only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. All dead, with all dead there’s only one thing you can do. Go through his clothes and look for loose change.
Apologies to Miracle Max
Great analysis after the ep.👍
You and Clarissa are simpatico. 🥰
The X-ray, wow, that was good. Thanks, I never saw it before.
😂
He said “blue lev”. 😉
@@astrodude5222 Liar! He said "True love!" 😆
Shut up, you witch! - 🤣🤣🤣 Never thought I would see a Miracle Max reference in the comments of an EXPANSE rewatch episode. But I love it!! 😂😂😂
I think Holden was right and wrong to disarm. His motivation was ultimately selfish - it was about his own feelings and self-image. And that's not a negative thing. That's a knowing your limits thing.
But he had to talk to Naomi about it. He couldn't in the moment; he couldn't have predicted the situation beforehand. But with a... subtle... nudge from Amos he did talk with Naomi. He admitted his limits and Naomi shared hers.
And as for women being badasses and men being emotional, I agree from our perspective. But I think from a more distant perspective the characters are all more complete. The women in this show haven't had their confidence attacked for decades; the men haven't had decades of disapproval for expressing emotion. In reality women in this show have been emotional - Drummer's speech was driven by anger for instance. But she's strategic and analytical and she's harnessing that anger for a purpose. And even Holden can be a badass - taking on a UNN battleship is kinda nuts.
And I think that's what really makes the characters in this show cool. They've been given space to be the complete people they are. And people can be pretty cool.
15:19 I don't think Laconia Station is in Orbit of Earth in the Intro. I think that that is Laconia in the Intro, a Terrestrial Planet, extremely Earth-like.
Hooray, the Drummer Is Awesome club grows ever larger! 😁
Great reaction Angela! You're right that they are keeping the spirit of Alex in the show... I'm so here for it!
Drummer IS THE BELT! Pirate Queen of the belt!
The Xray of Clarissa was so very good. You ever think that you would get emotional over her?
Looking forward to the next one!
Oyedeng Beltalowda!
All the cool, multi dimensional, women characters is one of the main reasons I love this show. While it's sad the serie is over I am so happy for all the awesome moments. 😊
Woo you finally got to hear my favorite little speech/quote of the entire series! Amos' "I am that guy" was my favorite line of probably any series I had watched up to that point. Then this episode came along, and Drummer's "Live shamed, die empty" took the top spot forever. One of many reasons Amos and Drummer are almost tied as my favorite character in any show.
I don't know if anyone has explained it, but the bun is necessary in zero-g, don't want your hair floating in front of your face under maneuvers after all.
Fully agreed on the looks though!
"I didn't think it would be Alex's music that made me cry" - me too! - although MAYBE not for the same reason ;)
On a completely different topic from my other rambling comment... Wow! That _One Ship_ episode was outstanding! 😮 I loved Clarissa when I watched the show for the first time, but I hadn't seen the extras until this rewatch with Angela. Again, wow! 👍👍
I always feel really bad for Michio. She didn't join Drummer's crew/family to fight in a war, she doesn't have the mentality for it. Several of the crew/family members they started with have either died or gone their separate way meaning that Michio is forced to do things she's not comfortable with. Maybe Michio is a better carer than a fighter but with a crew of three or four, she doesn't have the luxury of standing by as pure support.
I agree with you regarding Holden showing mercy. While it's fine that Marco dies, depending on the circumstances, his death won't necessarily solve much. He could easily be turned into a martyr and have a powerful influence long after his death.
And along with that, the actions that are taken to stop him will also live on
The problem with Holden not killing Marco is that very single life that dies due to Marco's action from that moment (until Marco dies) can blamed on Holden (that is a lot of blood on his hand) . Holden prolonged the war at cost the lives of hundreds if not thousands of people for Naomi.
21:16 Amos is right to second guess him, even Holden knows this.
That’s 100% not true though. If that’s the case, all of those lives lost would also be on Drummer. Or Naomi for not killing him on the Pella. It’s a fine line to blame somebody for other deaths because they didn’t kill somebody else.
@@funnylilgalreacts Drummer and every other person that had the chance to kill Marco share the guilt ( we saw Drummer literally blamed herself for the people Marco killed , especially Ashford) of not stopping a mass genocider. The only defense for Drummer is she doesn't know Marco would take thing that far. Holden doesn't' have that excuse, he fully know what Marco have doesn't and could do. You could even say Hilden had duty to stop Marco considering he literally was fighting war against the Free navy.
If you have the chance to stop a mass murderer whom you know is about to commit that crime but refuse, then you're responsible for the lives s/he took. Look at the real life analogies: How many children lives would be saved had the cops stopped the Uvalde mass shooter (inated of cowering) ? Could Claus von Stauffenberg ended the war sooner had he succeeded ?
@@funnylilgalreacts As the captain of a warship, Drummer has sacrificed one person she loves after another. I love Holden and his humanity, but he had no business deciding for everyone, especially those risking their lives, that Filip - a mas murderer - should be spared. I would have respected the story more if he'd realized that and handed the Rocinante over to Bobbie afterward. No shame in owning up to one's limits.
14:32 fails to recognize Cortazar and just calls him m a crazy person...
About Laconia, Sauveterre last season said that their new population has to be extremely rigorous. Cannot let mistake slip because they either are all together or not. They cant go back to Mars, that would tell secret, they cant fight over each other. So if you do big mistake, you get the firing squad it seems. (i havent read the 7-9th books yet, just ordered them tho! ;) )
Not having read the books, yeah... That's kinda what it looked like. Ultra-militarist dictatorial regime. Every colonist is, also, a "soldier", and if you fail as a soldier, you get court martialed and executed by firing squad. We saw that Mars was a curios melange between a military state and a meritocratic one. A weird amalgation between people trying to optimize as much as they could their population, while all doing it willfully for "the dream of Mars" in a weird, almost communist way...
But Laconia is the more radical approach of what was... Already kinda radical. It's the "purity" of the Martians. Determined being, striving to become the most excellent they could be, while purging the "weak" or the "inept" of their rank. Laconia seems, honestly, like hell... And are, I would guess, the future baddies of the expanse universe ? Who knows. Pure speculation.
@@gerardlacroix6015 I haven't read the books either, but the show definitely sets up Duarte/Laconia as the third act villain.
It makes sense to have a Martian villain too, as we have already had an Earther villain (Jules Pierre Mao/Protogen) for the first act and a Belter villain (Marco Inaros/Free Navy) for the second.
My favorite part is Walker, the bad ass pirate who's probably seen everything, saying "Oh fucking hell," when he realizes that Michio is about to do.
With regards to Holden, the main thing I disagree with is him saying he doesn't owe Amos an explanation. After all the various unilateral actions that all the remaining crew have taken throughout the show, I think he kinda does owe him one. And I'm not sure why he'd think that not telling Amos would somehow be better then explaining the real reason.
Yes...feel it flow through you! Give in! Come to the Dark Side! Call her Peaches!
You noted the "different structure" of the season, and that's insightful.
The production company asked Amazon to fund 10 or 12 episodes but said they could make do with eight.
They got six episodes.
So, they had to pare the story down to the bone, and it comes across as a bit disjointed.
As an FYI, the sixth novel has extensive scenes with Anna and Prax, and they wanted to put some of that in this season.
So many great character evolutions (Holden, Monica, Peaches), from people you hate when introduced to love at the end.
Season 6 has a totally different feel, because it's setting up book/season 7-9.
37:15 Although the Roci and Tynan crews don't know about it, I think it was shown that the protomolecule was sent to Duarte on Laconia at the end of the previous season. I love these reactions - you made me rewatch the entire series in like 2 weeks!
I think Filip's reaction to Drummer's speach was more for him to justify the atrocities he committed. He cannot have it all have been for nothing. 🤷♀️
What we will definitely have is "Adventures of Camina Drummer" videogame (prequel though) and comic-books telling about events between books 6 and 7 (authors initially planned three other main cycle books in between, but decided those stories were less important).
One of the things I like about Th Expanse - people go to jail - Enrinwright, Mao etc and you never hear from them again, they were these big multi-season bads, and then they are gone.
I definitely like the idea of them just rotting somewhere. If they appeared out of nowhere and started to wreak more havoc, it would just be horrible storytelling. Which is what we’ve gotten a lot over the years.
meanwhile tavi and havelock are living happily ever after
@@scambammer6102 Was hoping for Havelock’s return to the story back in season 4 (per the books) but I’m guessing actor availability- or lack there of- put the kabosh on that idea.
@@aartsst3227 probably a combination of that, and having to decide which storylines to cut for time
@@aartsst3227 Correct. He landed a role as Magnum P.I. in the remake of that series.
Drummer's message to Marco is one of the greatest statements of defiance and contempt I've ever heard. It's amazing.
“This is Camina Drummer. And this message is for the traitor, the coward Marco Inaros.
You hunted me and mine and still we are here, unbent, unbroken, unbowed. And you? You are nothing.
You stole from your own. You abandoned Ceres to the Inners and left Belters to starve. You called yourself our champion and then you ran.
So go and raise your bounty. Track me down and kill me if you can. It doesn’t matter anymore. I will always be the one who took back what you stole.
Camina Drummer did this to you.
Live shamed. Die empty.”
Fitting that Clarissa was the subject of the X-ray after this episode…. Definitely one of the more powerful ones. Her log entry is heartbreaking 😢You can really feel her loss is mixed with both sadness & anger. I still have some issues with her character, & while I mostly agree with her statement that you should never feel bad for not killing someone… I think that there are (sadly) situations where it can be a necessary evil to do just that… because the consequences of letting them go would be catastrophic. Was that the case with
Marco? Matter of opinion, but I think the galaxy would be a far better place without him in it.
2 more to go to find out the answers! 🚀
The last x-ray was my favorite. It may not be the best one overall or everyone's favorite, but it made a particular impression on me. Just saying in case that helps you remember next episode.
See personally I think the right thing to do would have been to killed Marco.
I agree with what Peaches said but at the same time, they are at war and literally the entire "free Navy" command is in that ship.
Holdens reasons for disarming the torpedo were entirely personal, and whilst I completely understand where he is coming from, if you are fighting a war you shouldn't be making decisions for personal reasons.
Having said that, I do love that Holden lives by his own code and isn't willing to allow that to become corrupted.
I also especially love how well the Naomi and Holden relationship is written, they have been through so much shift that at this point they are able to talk this stuff through and not just create relationship drama for the sake of it.
Also killer editing by Xander on the Josep arm scene🤣
Dawes was killed off-screen because Jared Harris was too busy filming Foundation to come back. By the way, add that show to the "to watch later" list!
I was heartbroken when it ended the first time, I'm not ready to see it end again 😂💔
Have a great day Angela and fellow viewers 😊
I think that you would appreciate the series "Strange Empires" starring Cara Gee. Only one series, but great.
So many things can be learned next episode.
I don't know what it is about drummers words to Marco but to me they feel like a response to Marcos final words to Ashford. There is something there. I can't put my finger on it, but it always hits me in the feels.
Don't tell Xander but the actors who play Josep (Samer Salem) and Michio (Vanessa Smythe) were on recent, separate episodes of your buddy Ty's podcast. The amputation scene came up each time w/ some good BTS stories. So sad you've reached the end of the series, it's been fun to follow along.
I think he could hear about it, but just not watch it lol poor guy
45:20 On the bright side, you don't have to dread getting near the end of the series because you'll probably forget that you watched it. 😁
4:17 If you look closely at the "ship" shown on Marco's screen in the last episode passing the Ring from the Laconia system to the Ring Space Station, it does not have the typical propulsion in the form of a large Epstein drive, but several much small propulsion plumes such as from tug boat drones we've seen salvaging the Nauvoo a few seasons back. There are also some clues in its heavily abbreviated name displayed on screen as to what it might be. 🤫
Clarissa is being watched by the AI that is the Rocinante.
Yes, the women of this show are magnificent! Of my top 5 favorite characters, 4 are women.
You should check our more of Alex's music. It's really good stuff. Listen to Hank Williams, The Ultimate Collectuon. I grew to appreciate it as a boy. It was my grandpa's music.
Camina is the Queen of throwing down. ❤
The Expanse make a great job of making real people. The badass women are flawed, they are not perfect, they make mistakes but that's what makes it awesome. The men are not perfect either, not even Holden.
Although, hands down my favorite character is Amos.
I can't say this enough, I WANT Amos to be my favorite character sooooo bad but Drummer is the best for me in the show
I hope you listened/watched to episode of Ty & Guy with Vanessa Smythe (aka Michio), now you finished with The Expanse. It's recent one. Heck, I hope you have time for all of their episodes.
The reason why the Expanse has so many good Female Characters is because... I mean they don't. They have so many amazing Characters, that happen to be Female.
I don't think there is a single thing that would change if you genderswap EVERYONE, which in my eyes is one of the only ways you can write a good character...
It's cool how Xan and Cara are played by real-life twins -- Ian and Emma Ho -- and Ian's a lot smaller than his sister.
*Major Spoiler:*
Makes you wonder how they'd shoot their scenes for the final trilogy.
Admiral Duarte has a zero-tolerance position when it comes to people fouling up on Laconia which is why the Martian that hit Xan with a cart is being executed by firing squad.
Well, it’s wild because I re-watched episode one and literally Cara almost got hit by the same guy in that episode. So it was definitely hinted out that somebody was being irresponsible. Duarte is definitely one effed up dude.
How many more people die because they didn't take out Marco when they had the chance....
SPOILER…….ISH
Before I read all the books, I did a slight dive into Expanse Wiki. And I knew about the Martian Admiral. So when I read the subtitle:
DUARTE “you were supposed to be in Paris”
And I lost it. I had been waiting since book 5 for his appearance.
We need to film books 7 to 9
If you really like the show, I sincerely recommend the books. I'm sure people have recommended them and suggested them, but now that the entire Book Series is out. I honestly, from the bottom of my heart highly recommend you read the books. They reveal all the information you are asking about.
However if you do want to know WARNING BELOW SPOILERS FOR WHO ARE THE ALIEN KILLERS and other information.
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The Alien killers are some advance aliens who live between the space of the ring gates. Every time time a certain amount of mass passes thru the ring gate, it hurts those aliens so they make those ships disappear or more accurately they deconstruct the ships and crew atom by atom. It's not random (it seems random at the moment because because they don't know what is triggering it).
Anyway, those aliens are the ones who annihilated the ring gate aliens. They are really pissed at the Martians from Laconia because they are messing with stuff that the ring gate Aliens were using and the nature of that technology causes pain or perhaps it destroys things in their world/space/dimension? The thing they encountered in that planet that Holden helped deactivate. That's technology or part of the aliens that killed the gate aliens. You know the thing that the Detective as a machine sacrificed himself to save them in that cave?
The ship you saw pass thru is from Laconia and let me tell you that the Alien Killers are not happy about it when they use their weapon. BTW - this is just the Cliff Notes of everything that's going on. It's barely tapping into the story. Alex is written out of the series because the actor was accuses of some sexual harassment (I'm not sure exactly all of it). However, in the books Alex doesn't die and remains alive until the end of the series.
If you read up until now, hopefully you wanted to know all this.
Poor Xander! I hope he didn't hit his head when he passed out.
Pour one out for Xander. Wake up buddy, it’ll be ok.
Rosenfeld is such an interesting character. It's a shame she was only introduced in this season, and a season with so few episodes at that.
Josep's arm really was the worst gore in the entire show. So, so gross.
She (or he in the books) was introduced in Babylon Ashes .. i guess had they known the actress would had portrayed the character so good they may had tried to introduce her in S5 to have more visible faces on the free navy. but probably wasnt in their plans as they allready had several new characters for S5 (Drummer's family, Cyn, Karal, Bull) and maybe Kathleen Robertson wouldnt been avalaible (she did a movie and a series in that year)
Imo Katoa dissembling a person is on a whole different level to this episode
The hardest turn of all...
20:41 I'm with Amos on that one. I understand why Holden did what he did, but I don't think it was the right call.
I still believe Holden made a bad call in disarming that nuke. A chance to end Marco by extension would've ended the war. Whether it made Marco a martyr or not is up for debate. Holden missed the best opportunity to end Marco and the war and save countless lives.
But I don’t really think Marco dying ends the war. If anything, somebody more apt would take over.
@@funnylilgalreacts The most apt persons able to run the Free Navy were aboard the Pella. Others were more like Walker and Drummer...cats that can't be herded. And after what Marco had done to Ceres, the loss of Marco with the Pella could not have been something someone else could recover. Of course, Holden could not know that.
@@funnylilgalreacts Maybe Marco's death wouldn't have ended the war right away, but I believe it would lead in that direction. Unfortunately, someone just as dangerous as Marco or worse will always come along in the future to cause trouble. Sometimes that's going to happen and they still need to be dealt with all the same.
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I think you're wrong in this one.
The Free Navy is Marco Inaros.
As in, he built it in his own image and it essentially exists soley and entirely because of him
(thanks in large part to the narcissitst that he is. Remember his maliciously and viciously pointing out this fact to Filip at the end of Season 5 when he was dressing him down?)..
Killing Marco would be the proverbial cutting the head off the snake's body and it would essentially decapitate the Free Navy as a whole as there's no one else as charismatic and capable as him.
Certainly not outside the Pella where he has his most capable generals (like Rosenfeld) with him.
It's not like a country or a nation state that has a heirachichal leadership structure where many different people can take over if the head is killed off.
Perhaps it wouldn't have ended the war immediately, but it certainly would have sent it on a fast death spiral towards it's end.
With far fewer deaths.
This is such a reductive way way to look at it. People are complex and act on emotion. James Holden has always been shown to act on emotion and empathy. Not everyone is 100% rational all of the time. It was a difficult decision, it was even a selfish decision on his part. But it was very human. And yes there have been times in human history where opportunities were squandered due to an irrational thought or fear or a last second change of heart.
If you want manufactured stories wrapped up in neat little bows that do not resemble real life human behavior, watch a Disney movie.
Strange, that on a thinly populated planet like Laconia, there are still car accidents.
I wouldn't regret not killing Marco so much as i would regret all the people who may have lived if i had killed him, But that's the kicker with the road not taken so to speak, You never get to play out the other path and see what would have happened, Maybe letting him live is the better option. But given how much of this is being driven by his personal magnetism i can't believe that cutting off the head of this particular snake wouldn't be the best action.. 🤔
I think letting Marco live is the best thing for Holden in that moment. I don’t think he could have bared that guilt. The consequences of him not killing Marco may mean people he doesn’t know will die. But killing Marco in that moment means he killed Naomi‘s son and that’s incredibly real to him.
@@funnylilgalreacts Yep, But it's noteworthy as one of the few times Holden acts as much for him self ( if not more ) & the people he cares about personally as for others who he will never know. White knight / Don Quixote taking on giant's kind of character that he is.. 🤔
If you ever decide to read the final trilogy, I'd love for you to review them as you go through the books though. :)
The reason the driver that killed Xan would get the firing squad is because he was habitually careless. If you recall, he had nearly hit Cara earlier that day.
It's interesting that Duarte's rhetoric was effective enough to gain him Cara's sympathy even in her own grief. That's how he pulled in so many top Mars officers.
Only Earth has the regrowth gel. Belters only have prosthetics. But good prosthetics.
In the Xray, Peaches was being watched by the Roci. You were seeing her through the Roci cameras.
Everybody has access to the regrowth technology, only most Belters can not afford it.
They actually already started the regrowing process of Josep's arm. Remember, they also regrew Drummer's spine on the Behemoth back in S3.
You should check out For All Mankind next! I think that fans of The Expanse would generally like For All Mankind. It's really good. Some see it as a prequel to The Expanse, but in the future of The Expanse we haven't fixed global warming (as shown when we see the giant 'flood walls' around Copenhagen). But I get the allure 😊
I double that. Also, there are not many reactions for For all Mankind.
Btw. did you catch the reference to FAM (Jamestown base) in 5x01 of The Expanse?
@@madux42 No, I didn't - I read about it afterwards... yeah, I disappointed me too 😅 Nevertheless, For All Mankind is an excellent show 🤓
The greatest problem with this season was it was filmed during lockdown. It really did cut down on what they were able to film. Wes commented that this was his least favorite season to film since they were really restricted on how many of the cast they were able to hang out with at any one time. I assume it also probably restricted how many people they could bring in for any filming. The season is still amazing. Thank you for the time you put into this.
Hearst! Oh dear oh dear we're getting so close what will I do without your Clarissa 'I don't want to like her' and your Amos thirst?
Edit: I feel like you're 'back' and just in time for the finale. Don't get me wrong, your reactions have been fine but I felt like late S5 you were distracted. Glad you found your feet (if indeed you were missing them).