[star rating=”4.5″] THE EXPANSE. Based on the novels by James S.A. Corey. With Thomas Jane, Florence Faivre, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper and Wes Chatham. Netflix.
DYLAN DATE reviews
It’s not easy for science fiction to survive on television and for a while there it looked like there was going to be another casualty.
Based on the book series by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse takes place in a realistic future where humanity has colonised Mars, several moons, and asteroids throughout the solar system.
Three main factions have arisen. The UN, who control Earth; Mars, who has declared independence from Earth; and the Belt, a broad term covering those born in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, an oppressed working class who have begun to rise up against Earth and Mars.
Three distinct storylines
The first season of The Expanse follows three distinct storylines and part of the enjoyment comes from seeing them come together. In a delightfully film-noir-inspired narrative that takes place on the asteroid station, Ceres, we follow Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane), a hard-boiled Belter detective complete with trilby, on the case of missing Earther debutante-turned-Belter-radical, Julie Mao (Florence Faivre). Through him we see how civilian life is torn apart by the politics that play out on an interplanetary scale.
Meanwhile, James Holden (Steven Strait) is one of several survivors left adrift when their ice-hauler is destroyed in an unprovoked attack by a mysterious ship. Moral and righteous, he feels responsible for keeping his crew alive as they draw the attention of the system’s major players and are swept up in a conspiracy that threatens the entire human race. While all he really wants is a good cup of coffee.
There is a real bond between the crew members. Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar), with his Martian drawl, is the heart of the group. Dominique Tipper plays the extremely capable Belter engineer, Naomi Nagata. The character that steals the show for me is Amos, the crew’s mechanic. He is equal parts compelling and terrifying, with a complete lack of empathy, violent tendency, and a dark past. He could easily come across as a goon but Wes Chatham plays him with nuance, and his character arc is one of the best in the series.
Finally, we have the political machinations of Earth, Mars, and the Belt. This narrative can be complex at times but Shohreh Aghdashloo manages to make it exciting with her portrayal of formidable UN Secretary-General Chrisjen Avasarala and her fight to discover the truth behind the impending war between the three factions.
Expect action, intrigue, suspense, and above all, the very human struggles of good people trying to get by in a harsh and unforgiving environment.
Game of Thrones in space
The Expanse has been called Game of Thrones in space, which is an apt comparison. Even though it is a genre drama, there is a much here that would appeal to a wider audience: design, writing, filmography, acting, CGI and practical effects that wouldn’t be out of place on the big screen; and lore that is rich, detailed, and believable.
In May, after several episodes of season 3 had aired and received rave reviews, SyFy announced that the show would end with the current season’s finale.
The response from the fanbase was massive, with an online petition that, in a little over a week, garnered almost 140 000 signatures. Fans also paid for an aeroplane banner bearing #SaveTheExpanse to fly around Amazon headquarters and for a model of Holden’s ship, the Rocinante, to be flown to space. Several celebrities also voiced their support on social media. The cast and crew themselves got involved, and there was a real sense of camaraderie as thousands of viewers around the world campaigned for the show.
Amazon ultimately saved the day, with CEO Jeff Bezos making the announcement at the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference.
It has yet to be announced where South Africans will be able to watch season 3 onwards, but the first two seasons can be streamed on Netflix.
What: The Expanse
Where: Netflix
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