My understanding is that dumping core is ejecting the plasma that's in the core, not the physical reactor. So it would be super hot and emit a lot of radiation.
Yes dumping core is just ejecting the material that is currently being used to power the ship. Its like an emergency measure if something goes wrong with the nuclear reaction. That would be a problem on earth on bigger reactors, but in space with small reactors its no problem since you arent contaminating anything. I believe Expanse ships use somekind of fusion reactors, that means the byproducts are most likely helium, which is inert, and tritium which is a beta emitter and radioactive but has a short half life. So in space its a non issue to dump the core. You lose power and thrust, but you can restart the reactor afterwards.
correct. Though it is one of the few places where The Expanse plays a little fast and loose with physics. The big explosion that catapults them forwards as it is ejected would likely not happen without the containment of the reactor vessel and, even if it did, that's an isotropic thrust (going in all directions) so only a small part of it would push the Razorback. It would be less thrust than when it is focused in one direction with the drive cone. In-universe, it does mean that the are down and out for a while. You can't just re-start instantly - it's going to take a long sequence of events and possibly even some minor repairs before you can start the drive again.
@@MattNolanCustom I do agree that The Expanse sometimes plays loose with physics, but in this case you alittle bit wrong. The big explosion is not a core itself its a torpedo. Most likely (since its a belter's ship that fired upon Screaming Firehawk) that was not a sophisticated guided torpedo of the Martian Navy (ones that Roci uses) or it is but it was just locked on a drive signature of SF or even just on a heat-seeking so it exploded at core. Now to a thing that pushed Screaming Firehawk - that was a debrie from said torpedo that hit SF. There is no shockwave in vacuum of space only debries, pieces of plasma and whole bunch of rays transmitting a heat/energy after nuclear explosion. And on the matter of restarting reactor - they had plenty of time while Belter's Ship catching on to SF and matching their speed. The Expanse rarely says about how much time is passed in flights but they SEEMS much shorter then they actually are, so to catch SF, match a speed, find a docking port and actually dock - they might spend hours upon hours.
@@helldvan ahah! That would make more sense, and also happen on-screen quickly enough to miss. I understand that there would have been plenty of time between the core dump and the belter ship finding and catching up with them again. Still not convinced that debris would push them like that though. More likely make lots of holes!
Tiny little culture nugget - Bobbie yells "Chee Hoo!" after blowing up the Free Navy raiders, which is a victory/excitement cheer unique to Pacific Islander cultures. Bobbie canonically is Polynesian (and Frankie Adams is from Aoteroa/New Zealand and also of Samoan descent).
"Monsters aren't afraid." It's downplayed, but you can tell this is a gut-punch for Amos. His emotional range is pretty narrow, and fear isn't REALLY a part of that range, so this isn't QUITE the comforting mantra for him that Clarissa thinks it is. This back and forth between Amos and Clarissa is SUCH an amazing story. A BIT less so in the show, but DEFINITELY in the book, and I'm glad they included what they could here. These two are a huge part of why I love this season. Looking forward to seeing you watch the rest. Thank you, as always, for your reactions!
It's nice how perfectly the writing can make us change our minds and reactions to some characters, like with Peaches! She started out as a pretty hardline villain but we've seen there's more layers to her and you're no longer just angry at seeing her on the screen.
The actor playing Drummer (Cara Gee) was very pregnant when face to face with Marco in this scene (16:50) and had her baby belly up against him! They already knew each other before Expanse.
My single favourite Amos moment. He realises he is becoming his old self (which in itself means he realises he has changed for the better) & the effect his crew have on him.
Another fan has characterized Cyn's relationship with Marco as an abused wife's relationship with an narcissist husband. I think that's accurate. Monica's reporting of what had happened on the Behemoth had always been available on Filip's hand terminal, but he'd never bothered to read it...he's been just that devoted to Marco, contented to know only what Marco told him. That body Amos and Peaches found was probably the companion of the man they met at the fire (the man noted "nice coat" because, as you noted, he recognized it). I suspect they had been shot at by the prepper, with his companion catching a round. Marco: "There will be thin years at first, but within a decade...." In other words, "A lot of you are going to starve, but my eyes will still be pretty and my hair will still be perfect." I hope you're taking note of how each of Drummer's family is reacting and remarking about the situation. They are different and the difference will matter. Peaches is afraid of being a monster. Amos thinks he's a monster because he's never afraid; but he _is_ afraid of being a monster...so he is not a monster. Here is the thing we see about Amos, though: His psychological condition has never really improved. He is still just as damaged, he's just learned to function at a high level following the model of others who are more normal. But because he's still damaged, he _needs_ that continued modeling. Amos hasn't really changed on his arc, we simply understand him better.
Hey, fellow Firehawk, agree with your points, but I'm not so sure about the last sentence. I would agree that he still has his core issues, but I thought that he changed over time. As our guide today said, he smiles more around Clarissa than he normally does. More significantly he actually went out of his way to visit her in prison. He seemed surprised when she accused him of trying to help her. My read on that situation was that he went to see her without really deeply examining his own motivations, and some part of him was surprised when he realized that he really was there to try to help her. A great writer by the name of Roger Zelazny wrote "I see desire as hidden identity and striving as its growth". I think Amos really wants to help Clarissa, and that represents personal growth for him. See you around, Beratna!
I do think Amos has improved a *little*. He does eventually say "Holden never would have approved a move like that." When we first met him, he probably wouldn't have even reached that realization. Doing the right thing still isn't instinctual for him, but he is starting to be able to follow the example of others, when he's able to give it some thought.
I LOVE that scene of Clarissa going for the prepper-guy. Gives you a more in depth perspective of the insanity that's happening when the implant is activated. Interestingly, a lot of reactors first think it's some kind of protomolecule thing that she has and I don't blame them but me, as a fan and RPG player of Shadowrun and other cyberpunk-genre settings imediately thought "WHOA! Combat-Drug!" which isn't exactly what it is but quite close. I love the portrayal and how both the prepper and Amos notice something's happening at the last moment but are much to slow to really react in any meaningful way before the prepper gets overwhelmed and BLASTED by frenzied crazy and Amos is in shock for a moment right until everything is all over.
7:19 That rotation really looked lucky, but the space suits are equipped with a rudimentary AI that calculated the exact thrust Alex needed to catch the Razorback. Trusting it on the other hand is a whole different matter when you're floating in space untethered...
@@WarpReactor I believe it was on only in PC app under X-Ray feature. Some people say it's now been removed and no longer available. But, loosly quoting great Al Yankovic, since there's Very Probably No legal way to watch it, Internet offers a TORRENT of other possibilities...
If you look at Avasarala's tablet when she's checking for any word from Arjun, the names in her inbox are Stephens, D (Darrin Stephens from Bewitched), Clegane, G (Gregor Clegane from Game of Thrones), Connor, B (Becky Connor from Roseanne), Banks, V (Vivian Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel Air), and Who, Dr. They're all TV characters that were re-cast at some point, just like Arjun.
For any fan who would like a deeper dive into The Expanse (novels & series), I highly recommend the book: The Expanse and Philosophy, edited by Jeffery Nicholas. It's a small book of 22 essays by philosophers and behaviorists on the people and themes running through this work. Some essays include: Interplanetary Expansion and the Deep Future, Is Amos Evil?, Being Beltalowda - Patriotism and Nationalism in The Expanse, The Lives of Naomi Nagata - Intersectionality and the Impossible Choices of Resistance. LOTS of ideas to explore and well-worth the read.
Seeing Chrisjen so shook really got to me! Great acting! Speaking of the acting here on The Expanse, yes they do an exceptional job finding great actors. I wonder many times just how much is ut that the writers and directors play into this. Uust curious..
Thank you for your reaction videos btw. I’ve watched quite a few reactors do the Expanse and your analysis of the show has been one of the most intelligent and fun to watch. I’ll be so sad when we run out of episodes. May I suggest doing Andor if you need a show after this one?
As you said: everything's on the table. I really love the background we get for Amos across the seasons. He started out as what we belive to be a local Jayne Cobb variation, but he's maybe the most intersting and complex character in the show and even more so in the novels... I mean... he's That Guy. Once done with the show read the novels, *especially* the later ones... Best regards Raoul G. Kunz
When he said, "i need to get back to my crew" was so powerful he knows he going backwards and that look he gave when he said it. I was like dang I love these characters
We know that Amos doesn't feel fear, he told Prax so a while back, so it kinda makes him a monster. I think it shocks him into realizing he's lost without his crew. Just a thought.
-You are correct in your later evaluation of the Razorbacks status, nothing of essential mechanics are lost. It was the content of the fusion core, the plasma, that was dumped. -"I need to get back to my crew" is such a strong line for me. Amos knows himself, he knows his strengths and his limitations, and he is not a "good man". He handles that by attaching himself to people with good morals, his crew. I like how you mentioned Lord of the flies there, because like in that book Amos loses his civility when he is not in connection to his crew. -Did you consider what Clarissas "mantra" would mean for Amos, who himself has said he hasn't been afraid since he was a child. -As always, I love seeing your reactions my friend, and thank you for bringing me along!!
Amos wants to do the right thing, but he never learned what the right thing is. To him, the right thing is first looking out for the people you love, second to do the job that needs to be done, third get out alive if you can - that's pretty much it. Anything else is just gravy on top. What he's learned since is that it's important to look out for everyone as far as possible, get help do do the job at hand if you can't do it yourself and the more people get out alive the better.
"dumping core" just means venting all the plasma inside the reactor all at once. It's a last ditch effort because it takes time to bring the reactor back up to fusion temperature. While that happens, you're mostly helpless.
after you finish the series, i HIGHLY recommend the books. they books and the show stay fairly close to one another, but there is a lot more depth to them. plus, the 3 books that are not part of the TV series...
Always found this season the hardest to watch. It’s calm in comparison to what’s come before, while at the same time having incredibly high stakes. Amos and Clarissa are stuck on a shattered Earth. Drummer is forced to be Marco’s attack dog. The Roci has a bunch of strangers crewing her apart from Jim. Alex and Bobby are a half way up shit creek in a busted boat and Naomi is constantly about to walk the plank. And some guy two steps up the seniority ladder from the janitor is now running the UN. This… this is really bad. And it’s gonna get a lot worse.
Nope, I don't feel one iota of guilt for mercing that survivalist. Amos seemingly came over the fence in good faith to trade and complied with his commands and he was going to shoot Amos anyway, When you do that, killing the survivalist is now self-defense.
I really like your analysis of the Amos & Peaches relationship and Amos’ self reflection. On one hand, I find the character of Amos difficult to buy bc I have known a few narcissists and people with Antisocial Personality Disorder. A capacity for empathy is simply not there, even if they can credibly fake it. I remember hearing that a lack of empathy had a lot to do with the character, but we see glimmers of empathy again and again in Amos. By the time I hit this episode the first time around, I was shipping these two so hard. I’m over that, now, and your relating Peaches/ Clarissa to Amos’ continuing development was helpful.
I for one, never bought commentor's armchair diagnoses regarding Amos. The main problem with Amos is that he learned that extreme violence is the best and usually the only way to solve an interpersonal problem. It is his Plan A. It is a perfectly rational and healthy response for a young man. who grew up in an environment of takers who had zero qualms about using violence to get what they wanted. Empathy might be hard to come by with Amos, but there is no reason to think he's incapable of ever being empathetic towards others. He actually explained once that he puts good people in the category of "those I try to protect".
Amos isn't a narcissist or sociopath, it's the effects of extreme childhood trauma (sexual abuse, psychological torture, regular torture, etc). His empathy is there, but almost completely disconnected.
Amos doesn't have a total lack of empathy. He's just buried it so deep for so long that he doesn't have any skills to interpret or use it. He keeps trying here and there. The moment with Charles and the cup of tea was a wonderful example.
We appreciate you, too. One of the best Expanse reactors ever
Thank you so much for watching and the kind words, my friend!
The way Avasarala puts on her jewellery like a warrior puts on armour. Shohreh Aghdashloo is so good!
There are so many great characters in this show, but she stands a little higher than the rest.
Was going to say the exact same thing. The way she did it showed how deeply recent events affected her. Such great acting.
My understanding is that dumping core is ejecting the plasma that's in the core, not the physical reactor. So it would be super hot and emit a lot of radiation.
Yes dumping core is just ejecting the material that is currently being used to power the ship. Its like an emergency measure if something goes wrong with the nuclear reaction. That would be a problem on earth on bigger reactors, but in space with small reactors its no problem since you arent contaminating anything. I believe Expanse ships use somekind of fusion reactors, that means the byproducts are most likely helium, which is inert, and tritium which is a beta emitter and radioactive but has a short half life. So in space its a non issue to dump the core.
You lose power and thrust, but you can restart the reactor afterwards.
@@ccrodrigues youre completely right, kudos ^^
correct. Though it is one of the few places where The Expanse plays a little fast and loose with physics. The big explosion that catapults them forwards as it is ejected would likely not happen without the containment of the reactor vessel and, even if it did, that's an isotropic thrust (going in all directions) so only a small part of it would push the Razorback. It would be less thrust than when it is focused in one direction with the drive cone.
In-universe, it does mean that the are down and out for a while. You can't just re-start instantly - it's going to take a long sequence of events and possibly even some minor repairs before you can start the drive again.
@@MattNolanCustom I do agree that The Expanse sometimes plays loose with physics, but in this case you alittle bit wrong. The big explosion is not a core itself its a torpedo. Most likely (since its a belter's ship that fired upon Screaming Firehawk) that was not a sophisticated guided torpedo of the Martian Navy (ones that Roci uses) or it is but it was just locked on a drive signature of SF or even just on a heat-seeking so it exploded at core.
Now to a thing that pushed Screaming Firehawk - that was a debrie from said torpedo that hit SF. There is no shockwave in vacuum of space only debries, pieces of plasma and whole bunch of rays transmitting a heat/energy after nuclear explosion.
And on the matter of restarting reactor - they had plenty of time while Belter's Ship catching on to SF and matching their speed. The Expanse rarely says about how much time is passed in flights but they SEEMS much shorter then they actually are, so to catch SF, match a speed, find a docking port and actually dock - they might spend hours upon hours.
@@helldvan ahah! That would make more sense, and also happen on-screen quickly enough to miss. I understand that there would have been plenty of time between the core dump and the belter ship finding and catching up with them again. Still not convinced that debris would push them like that though. More likely make lots of holes!
Tiny little culture nugget - Bobbie yells "Chee Hoo!" after blowing up the Free Navy raiders, which is a victory/excitement cheer unique to Pacific Islander cultures. Bobbie canonically is Polynesian (and Frankie Adams is from Aoteroa/New Zealand and also of Samoan descent).
"Monsters aren't afraid."
It's downplayed, but you can tell this is a gut-punch for Amos. His emotional range is pretty narrow, and fear isn't REALLY a part of that range, so this isn't QUITE the comforting mantra for him that Clarissa thinks it is.
This back and forth between Amos and Clarissa is SUCH an amazing story. A BIT less so in the show, but DEFINITELY in the book, and I'm glad they included what they could here. These two are a huge part of why I love this season.
Looking forward to seeing you watch the rest.
Thank you, as always, for your reactions!
Well articulated about the dynamic between Amos and Clarissa!
"I haven't felt fear since I was five years old"
-Amos
It's nice how perfectly the writing can make us change our minds and reactions to some characters, like with Peaches! She started out as a pretty hardline villain but we've seen there's more layers to her and you're no longer just angry at seeing her on the screen.
The actor playing Drummer (Cara Gee) was very pregnant when face to face with Marco in this scene (16:50) and had her baby belly up against him! They already knew each other before Expanse.
Yes, they're good friends irl. Keon Alexander (Marco) barely contained his surprise when she bumped him with her baby bump.
You read all of the comments, you say? Then read this: Love your reactions
Thank you, my friend!
My single favourite Amos moment. He realises he is becoming his old self (which in itself means he realises he has changed for the better) & the effect his crew have on him.
I love the interaction between Amos and Clarissa.
Early on when you hated her I just smiled and thought ‘you just wait’
Another fan has characterized Cyn's relationship with Marco as an abused wife's relationship with an narcissist husband. I think that's accurate.
Monica's reporting of what had happened on the Behemoth had always been available on Filip's hand terminal, but he'd never bothered to read it...he's been just that devoted to Marco, contented to know only what Marco told him.
That body Amos and Peaches found was probably the companion of the man they met at the fire (the man noted "nice coat" because, as you noted, he recognized it). I suspect they had been shot at by the prepper, with his companion catching a round.
Marco: "There will be thin years at first, but within a decade...." In other words, "A lot of you are going to starve, but my eyes will still be pretty and my hair will still be perfect."
I hope you're taking note of how each of Drummer's family is reacting and remarking about the situation. They are different and the difference will matter.
Peaches is afraid of being a monster. Amos thinks he's a monster because he's never afraid; but he _is_ afraid of being a monster...so he is not a monster. Here is the thing we see about Amos, though: His psychological condition has never really improved. He is still just as damaged, he's just learned to function at a high level following the model of others who are more normal. But because he's still damaged, he _needs_ that continued modeling. Amos hasn't really changed on his arc, we simply understand him better.
Hey, fellow Firehawk, agree with your points, but I'm not so sure about the last sentence. I would agree that he still has his core issues, but I thought that he changed over time. As our guide today said, he smiles more around Clarissa than he normally does.
More significantly he actually went out of his way to visit her in prison. He seemed surprised when she accused him of trying to help her. My read on that situation was that he went to see her without really deeply examining his own motivations, and some part of him was surprised when he realized that he really was there to try to help her.
A great writer by the name of Roger Zelazny wrote "I see desire as hidden identity and striving as its growth". I think Amos really wants to help Clarissa, and that represents personal growth for him.
See you around, Beratna!
I do think Amos has improved a *little*. He does eventually say "Holden never would have approved a move like that." When we first met him, he probably wouldn't have even reached that realization. Doing the right thing still isn't instinctual for him, but he is starting to be able to follow the example of others, when he's able to give it some thought.
As Angela would say, there’s "some space shit" coming.
I LOVE that scene of Clarissa going for the prepper-guy. Gives you a more in depth perspective of the insanity that's happening when the implant is activated. Interestingly, a lot of reactors first think it's some kind of protomolecule thing that she has and I don't blame them but me, as a fan and RPG player of Shadowrun and other cyberpunk-genre settings imediately thought "WHOA! Combat-Drug!" which isn't exactly what it is but quite close. I love the portrayal and how both the prepper and Amos notice something's happening at the last moment but are much to slow to really react in any meaningful way before the prepper gets overwhelmed and BLASTED by frenzied crazy and Amos is in shock for a moment right until everything is all over.
7:19 That rotation really looked lucky, but the space suits are equipped with a rudimentary AI that calculated the exact thrust Alex needed to catch the Razorback. Trusting it on the other hand is a whole different matter when you're floating in space untethered...
Next season there are a series of mini-episodes in the X-Ray features for each episode - called One Ship. Don’t miss them!
Oooooo thank you so much for the heads-up, my friend!
@@WarpReactor I believe it was on only in PC app under X-Ray feature. Some people say it's now been removed and no longer available. But, loosly quoting great Al Yankovic, since there's Very Probably No legal way to watch it, Internet offers a TORRENT of other possibilities...
If you look at Avasarala's tablet when she's checking for any word from Arjun, the names in her inbox are Stephens, D (Darrin Stephens from Bewitched), Clegane, G (Gregor Clegane from Game of Thrones), Connor, B (Becky Connor from Roseanne), Banks, V (Vivian Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel Air), and Who, Dr. They're all TV characters that were re-cast at some point, just like Arjun.
That is amazing!
Thank you so much for sharing, my friend!
For any fan who would like a deeper dive into The Expanse (novels & series), I highly recommend the book: The Expanse and Philosophy, edited by Jeffery Nicholas. It's a small book of 22 essays by philosophers and behaviorists on the people and themes running through this work. Some essays include: Interplanetary Expansion and the Deep Future, Is Amos Evil?, Being Beltalowda - Patriotism and Nationalism in The Expanse, The Lives of Naomi Nagata - Intersectionality and the Impossible Choices of Resistance. LOTS of ideas to explore and well-worth the read.
I am 1000% reading this when I'm done!
Thank you so much for the info and for watching, my friend!
Interesting, never heard of it. Is it about the show or the books? If it's the latter, I'd recommend to first finish all books before reading it...
Seeing Chrisjen so shook really got to me! Great acting!
Speaking of the acting here on The Expanse, yes they do an exceptional job finding great actors. I wonder many times just how much is ut that the writers and directors play into this. Uust curious..
Dropping core is basically ceasing the reaction and ejecting the material out the exhaust. The engine is still intact, it’s just off
The best day of the week.
Best day of the week!
"The Expanse" is so good that it was cancelled two times and still it lived to Season 6, or at least to the half of it.
Thank you for your reaction videos btw. I’ve watched quite a few reactors do the Expanse and your analysis of the show has been one of the most intelligent and fun to watch. I’ll be so sad when we run out of episodes. May I suggest doing Andor if you need a show after this one?
As you said: everything's on the table.
I really love the background we get for Amos across the seasons. He started out as what we belive to be a local Jayne Cobb variation, but he's maybe the most intersting and complex character in the show and even more so in the novels... I mean... he's That Guy.
Once done with the show read the novels, *especially* the later ones...
Best regards
Raoul G. Kunz
'I would like to see who will be the one to wipe the grin from Marco's face'. I assure you that it will be quite a surprise.
When he said, "i need to get back to my crew" was so powerful he knows he going backwards and that look he gave when he said it. I was like dang I love these characters
I love that "poem" of Clarissa's. I mean, there's all kinds of holes in that logic, but something about it just lodged itself in my brains right away.
We know that Amos doesn't feel fear, he told Prax so a while back, so it kinda makes him a monster. I think it shocks him into realizing he's lost without his crew. Just a thought.
@@ohdarn693 he told *Alex* that in S3. Fear came back to him, albeit briefly, when he was blind on Ilus.
@@ohdarn693 I can't believe I didn't make that connection. Thank you for pointing that out!
(On the brige) in whisper: wow, ever see Marcos back down like that? No? Me either, kinda reminds me of that inner creature, the weasel 😂
monsters aren't afraid.....Amos said he hasn't felt fear since he was 5
oh, I almost missed Expanse day
EXPANSE DAY ✊🤘😎
It's Expanse day and they're a tribe of two!!
-You are correct in your later evaluation of the Razorbacks status, nothing of essential mechanics are lost. It was the content of the fusion core, the plasma, that was dumped.
-"I need to get back to my crew" is such a strong line for me. Amos knows himself, he knows his strengths and his limitations, and he is not a "good man". He handles that by attaching himself to people with good morals, his crew. I like how you mentioned Lord of the flies there, because like in that book Amos loses his civility when he is not in connection to his crew.
-Did you consider what Clarissas "mantra" would mean for Amos, who himself has said he hasn't been afraid since he was a child.
-As always, I love seeing your reactions my friend, and thank you for bringing me along!!
Amos wants to do the right thing, but he never learned what the right thing is.
To him, the right thing is first looking out for the people you love, second to do the job that needs to be done, third get out alive if you can - that's pretty much it. Anything else is just gravy on top. What he's learned since is that it's important to look out for everyone as far as possible, get help do do the job at hand if you can't do it yourself and the more people get out alive the better.
"dumping core" just means venting all the plasma inside the reactor all at once. It's a last ditch effort because it takes time to bring the reactor back up to fusion temperature. While that happens, you're mostly helpless.
after you finish the series, i HIGHLY recommend the books. they books and the show stay fairly close to one another, but there is a lot more depth to them. plus, the 3 books that are not part of the TV series...
Always found this season the hardest to watch. It’s calm in comparison to what’s come before, while at the same time having incredibly high stakes. Amos and Clarissa are stuck on a shattered Earth. Drummer is forced to be Marco’s attack dog. The Roci has a bunch of strangers crewing her apart from Jim. Alex and Bobby are a half way up shit creek in a busted boat and Naomi is constantly about to walk the plank. And some guy two steps up the seniority ladder from the janitor is now running the UN.
This… this is really bad. And it’s gonna get a lot worse.
Thank you for your reactions to The Expanse. Always, I'm looking for your intelligent comments and views. Love it!
Clarrissa's poem would have hit hard for Amos - "Monsters don't feel fear", because as we know, Amos hasn't felt fear since he was 5
Nope, I don't feel one iota of guilt for mercing that survivalist. Amos seemingly came over the fence in good faith to trade and complied with his commands and he was going to shoot Amos anyway, When you do that, killing the survivalist is now self-defense.
I don't feel bad about the survivalist, but Amos made up that story about the recycler, so I don't think he was there to trade.
Dumping the core in the Expanse is ejecting the plasma, rather than in star trek where the entire reactor assembly is ejected..
I wonder how many of us thought the same thing about Miller when Holden was in the room.
eh, never got the Monica hate, she comes in clutch multiple times and she's a real journalist.
I really like your analysis of the Amos & Peaches relationship and Amos’ self reflection.
On one hand, I find the character of Amos difficult to buy bc I have known a few narcissists and people with Antisocial Personality Disorder. A capacity for empathy is simply not there, even if they can credibly fake it. I remember hearing that a lack of empathy had a lot to do with the character, but we see glimmers of empathy again and again in Amos.
By the time I hit this episode the first time around, I was shipping these two so hard. I’m over that, now, and your relating Peaches/ Clarissa to Amos’ continuing development was helpful.
I for one, never bought commentor's armchair diagnoses regarding Amos. The main problem with Amos is that he learned that extreme violence is the best and usually the only way to solve an interpersonal problem. It is his Plan A. It is a perfectly rational and healthy response for a young man. who grew up in an environment of takers who had zero qualms about using violence to get what they wanted. Empathy might be hard to come by with Amos, but there is no reason to think he's incapable of ever being empathetic towards others. He actually explained once that he puts good people in the category of "those I try to protect".
Amos isn't a narcissist or sociopath, it's the effects of extreme childhood trauma (sexual abuse, psychological torture, regular torture, etc). His empathy is there, but almost completely disconnected.
Amos doesn't have a total lack of empathy. He's just buried it so deep for so long that he doesn't have any skills to interpret or use it. He keeps trying here and there. The moment with Charles and the cup of tea was a wonderful example.