The Expanse: Reload Show Only

May 2, 2018 9:15 PM - Season 3, Episode 4

Derelicts are salvaged and words twisted.

The Nauvoo is recovered. The Contorta, bound for Io, refuels and rearms from the debris of the war. Anna's UN speech for the Bobblehead is made bellicose by Errinwright. Martian survivors are saved, angered and redirected by the crew of the Contorta. Spaceships are repaired and bodies disassembled.

Books-included Season 3 thread

posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul (42 comments total)

"Dead people don't need their stuff." I love me some Amos.
posted by blakewest at 4:13 AM on May 3, 2018 [10 favorites]

I liked how Bobby was able to talk her way out of this bad situation rather than blasting through it, and Avasarala's two-pronged approach to distributing the damning video of Errinwright seems like a smart move.
posted by whir at 5:23 AM on May 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

"Dead people don't need their stuff." I love me some Amos.

Pretty much every great line this ep went to Amos.

"I think you and I had very different childhoods."
*flings down unconscious Martian* "Shit. Did I miss it?"
"Some things don't get fixed."

Saved one for Avasarala, though:
"This is going to be very tedious if you remain this dim."
posted by myotahapea at 9:17 AM on May 3, 2018 [15 favorites]

The first forty minutes of this episode were great: after that, On Demand failed me and refused to play. I’ll see the rest tonight.
posted by corb at 3:08 PM on May 3, 2018

I, too, am here for the Amos love.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 7:10 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

Do the on demand versions have the swearing? I've been DVRing it but the swearing is muted or removed on the broadcast version.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:33 PM on May 3, 2018

fiercekitten, the Amazon Prime distribution (and, AFAIK, iTunes and etc) is gloriously uncensored.
posted by cyrusdogstar at 9:30 PM on May 3, 2018 [2 favorites]

Having watched this, I have to say I really love Anna and her wife.
posted by corb at 10:47 PM on May 3, 2018 [5 favorites]

I was really hoping for evil scientist guy to be the recipient of the disassembling, rather than miscellaneous hapless (female?) underling.

Reassuring to see Jules-Pierre revert to opportunistic capitalist type, I was worried he may have a conscience there for an episode or so. This ep definitely lived up to the Game Of Thrones In Spaaaaaace vibe that I had it pinned for in season 1 (although has wandered to and fro from since).

I concur that Bobby, Amos, and Avasarala are the best. Probably in that order (also matches their places on the morality--amorality spectrum).
posted by threecheesetrees at 2:25 AM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

“Food. You put it in that big hole in your face.”
Then Bobbie’s expression as she has her first taste of red kibble … Reader, I cackled aloud.

“I knew Mars wouldn’t leave us behind.”

Yea, see, about that, kid …

I had a pretty low opinion of those Martian jarheads before they started their 3-on-1 beatdown of someone twice their age, and they didn’t do much to win me over after that, either.

“That’s recon gear, Loftis, she could force-feed you that gun if she wanted to.”
But sadly, no lateral cranial impact enhancement was carried out on Loftis that day.
(On first watch I literally thought he called her ‘Lochte’ and was ready to applaud the writers for a nice bit of trolling.)

I can’t be the only one to find the politicking tedious and galling without Avasarala there to mediate all the self-serving egotism.

Glad to see they’ve got Mao back on his evil path. I was starting to worry his sentimentality toward Mei after the loss of Julie would knock him off his supervillain pedestal. Perhaps he and Errinwright can share a cell now.

“I just sent out the master alarm. Which means you have between now and whenever my mechanic gets back.”
See, you have to pay attention to your terminal, Amos, or you miss all the fun.
posted by myotahapea at 5:35 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]

After watching this episode we started a re-watch from the beginning of the series. This isn't normal for me — the only other TV I have ever re-watched was The Wire and that was after a years-long period between — but we missed a lot the first time through. It was especially nice to see the characters being introduced again.
posted by exogenous at 7:03 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]

I am worried for Anna. if Errinwright discovers any sources of Ava's leak you know he will shut them down with extreme prejudice. he is SO evil...
posted by supermedusa at 8:30 AM on May 4, 2018 [4 favorites]

Yes, exogenous, this show stands up to multiple rewatches. There's so much going on! I think I'll be doing a complete rewatch before every new season from here on out.
posted by rikschell at 9:19 AM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Grumpybearbride and I are no good with the longer names on this show. We call Avasalra "Lagavuleeeen" because we loved the way she said it in which ever episode it was where she ordered Scotch.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:01 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

I used to think that Holden was the weak link on this show, but now I think it's Errinwright. I'm not sure why, but his attempts to be manipulative seem a little obvious and heavy-handed to me. Which is a shame, because the rest of the show works so well. And I loved the little detail of Avasarala wearing the same sort of Razorback jumpsuit that Miller found in Julie Mao's closet so long ago.
posted by Zonker at 12:47 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

'The Speech' was super icky and I completely sympathized with Anna's sense of betrayal.

The Mathesar looking Martian guy was annoy AF and a curious choice as "most level headed" by Avasarala to use as a messenger. Kelly McCormack (of Killjoys) had a cameo/bit-part here.

I dug Avasarala's fitting in Juliet Mao's spacewear. That little exchange with Bobbi stemming from it.

Generally happy with how Bobbi is portrayed so far. Girl (right now) really needs a real win real soon.
posted by porpoise at 8:22 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

What's the ruckus?
posted by OHenryPacey at 11:22 PM on May 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

sort of amused by Steven Strait's new guns. that's some serious zero-gree workout time, cap. that said, I'm coming around on him this season.

Avaslara-Bobbie is super-awesome. The relish with which Agdashaloo brings Chrisjen to us is glee-inducing.

I *think* the JPM-Mei headfakes are show only but they are terrific and [redacted, but it is minor and non disclosing and crossposted to book thread].
posted by mwhybark at 11:59 PM on May 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

I love how Avasarala finds the best outfit on either ship and works it. And that the Martians trying to take over the ship thing ends peacefully. Most shows/movies that would be a setup for a whole bunch of bravado and bloodshed, but here they let the characters act rationally. love it.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:16 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

“You wrote a wonderful speech. You should be front and centre.”
And with that line Errinwright crossed over from regular villainy to cartoonish super-villainy. It wasn’t enough for him to twist her words, he took pleasure in the cruelty just for the sake of it.

Anna’s ragey laughter-crying during her talk with Nono was such a perfect expression of having so many emotions coursing through you at once. I was sceptical at first of Mitchell’s casting as she’s different from the physical description of Volovodov in the books, but she’s killing it with TV Anna.

Avasarala started calling S-G the Bobblehead because he was incapable of making a decision without outside input; the fact he seemed determined to not understand why Anna was so upset at how he used her words gives a pretty compelling alternate definition as well. Douchebag is so blinded by his ego, smiling like a cat who’s had cream for supper as Errinwright tells him how much support he’ll have now. The head of the UN doesn’t care how many more die in this war as long as he gets the adulation he craves.

And Avasarala’s using Anna as a conduit for her message makes sense not just on the practical level. I have a feeling that even if she could have gotten that feed to S-G directly he likely would have tried to rationalise it or handwave it away, because the implications are too earth-shattering (heh) for him to grasp comfortably, and if he doesn’t trust Errinwright he’s got nobody to feed him his decisions anymore. Avasarala knows how totally he’s in Errinwright’s pocket without her around. Neither Anna nor the message alone would be enough to sway the Bobblehead, but the two together might just do it.
posted by myotahapea at 7:13 AM on May 5, 2018 [6 favorites]

I liked how Bobby was able to talk her way out of this bad situation rather than blasting through it...

Definitely! Especially after she made a point of telling Chrisjean that she wasn't there for her social skills. Bobby is an ongoing study of how the characters can change in surprising ways that are somehow still consistent with what we know about them.

God, I love this show.
posted by Mogur at 7:51 AM on May 5, 2018 [4 favorites]

As an aside, I think the reasons Amos carried the unconscious Martian up two ladders during a red alert was that he didn't have time to secure him somewhere and didn't want to kill him yet. Amos is developing, too!
posted by Mogur at 7:53 AM on May 5, 2018 [13 favorites]

-So I'm doing an weekly fan round-table for the show and giving all my answers in lang belta. Having a lot of fun with it.

-Also, I uploaded a new version of the song "Pampa (Dansa Ere Da Setara)", lyrics included. Writing songs in a second language is a triply experience.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 10:35 AM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

JPM's sudden sympathy for the children wasn't very convincing. Dude was so cold about his own daughter's death that we had no problem believing he would use others' kids as guinea pigs. But then we're supposed to buy that he's going to abort a project that he's sacrificed so much for just because of one plucky kid? Glad he flipped back to supervillain mode at the end.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 4:32 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

qxntpqbbbqxl, it seemed like Mai reminded JPM of Julie and he was reacting out of guilt and sentiment, and double-guessing his decisions. but the moment he saw a child as an opportunity rather than as a reminder of his own, he reverted. what bugged me, and it was the only thing i think was a bit off in this ep, is how JPM knew that Katoa's protomolecule was communicating with the rest of the protomolecule. it seemed a huge leap of logic. i wonder if i mised a part where his team had charted the same incidents that led the Roci crew to figuring it out? i just had to assume that they had so much data from their research that it clicked. but it seemed like lazy writing. the rest of the show was great, and i loved getting to see Drummer, who is my fave after Amos and Avasarala - though Bobby is quickly becoming the fourth.
posted by lapolla at 4:46 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

oh and, porpoise - Atticus Mitchell is also a Killjoys alumnus, as is Ted Atherton! (they don't seem like crossovers, as they all play different characters.) i do think he was an odd choice, but i enjoyed the familiarity.
posted by lapolla at 4:52 PM on May 5, 2018 [1 favorite]

how JPM knew that Katoa's protomolecule was communicating with the rest of the protomolecule. it seemed a huge leap of logic

Katoa says "bandwidth and distance irrelevant, limitations require input redundancy" and "disassembly reveals useful pathways." The ship above Venus was also disassembled... so I guess that's what JPM was going off of.
posted by BungaDunga at 7:29 PM on May 5, 2018 [7 favorites]

lapolla - I`d assumed that we're just seeing the 'TV Actors of Toronto' effect.

I mentioned it mostly because I have a crush on Kelly McCormack.

re: JP Mao, my personal split is whether he's proud of Mai because one of his toys turned out to be super duper awesome, and half that he actually has fondness for and enjoys protecting and raising girls.

Similar to Prax Meng's nurturing of plants, JPM could be ernestly and non pervy enjoying raising children, and he's enjoying nostalgia from raising Julie. Or a bit of both.

Reminds me of some themes from lots of old martial arts movies.
posted by porpoise at 7:48 PM on May 5, 2018 [2 favorites]

I think Mao likes spunky girls. Remember, he had other children, but Julie was his favorite - the rebellious daughter he loved so much he kept her racing pinnacle aboard his ship even after she was dead. He didn’t feed her to the experiment - he took the protomolecule from her corpse after she was dead, but it wasn’t his intention to harm her.

I think Mao wanted to help Mei in part because he didn’t see them getting any useful data and also because he genuinely delights in spunky girls. But once he realized it was working, that overrid his feelings. He has feelings, but he puts them to the side for his obsession.
posted by corb at 9:11 PM on May 5, 2018 [7 favorites]

I couldn't help wondering aloud during the episode if it was correct to refer to dumbass Martian Marines as redshirts.

Evil looks abounded.
posted by Thistledown at 7:36 AM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

because he genuinely delights in spunky girls

You know, I'm aware of the idiom 'kick in the shins' but I've never actually seen someone actually kick someone else in the shins (Mei kicking the nurse before running away).

Aside from the British sport/ martial art of Hacking (and the grevious shin wounds inflicted during Rugby scrums by cleats), or when I invented the swearing in ceremony for someone to a particular high office of a secret drinking society in college.

But I guess, where else would a (Mei Meng is supposed to be ... 4? Leah Madison Jung looks closer to grade 2 or 3 so 7 or 8?) aim a kick at?
posted by porpoise at 6:37 PM on May 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

correct to refer to dumbass Martian Marines as redshirts.

never moreso. one assumes this might could overwrite fanon, in the end, it being the will of the collective in the service thereof.
posted by mwhybark at 7:38 PM on May 6, 2018

Wait, were those dummies martian marines or martian navy? I got the impression they were just shipdudes, not badass powered suit shitkickers like Bobbie.

Still, I'm liking how the motley crew is working out, although I'm sort of uncertain of their overarching goal this season other than "don't get killed in the war", which.. I mean, fair enough, it's a worthwhile goal.
posted by Kyol at 3:10 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

(and definitely on the "TV Actors of Greater Toronto / Vancouver Regions" front - after a while you see them in so many little bit roles and you start to hope that maybe this time Roger Cross will play against type...)
posted by Kyol at 3:13 PM on May 7, 2018 [1 favorite]

"Shit...Did I miss it?" was one of Amos' best lines in the show so far. Perfectly delivered, and it just spoke volumes about the character, and how he views the world so differently than the rest of the crew. Amos saw that situation coming from a mile away, likely the second they found the martians alive, but also knew that it wasn't even a thing that would hassle him. It was almost inconsequential. When the martians started kicking the crap out of Alex, both my wife and I were like "Oh shit, they don't know about Amos. They're fuuuuuucked." And both got really mad when Amos didn't answer his phone.

Honestly, I was expecting a more difficult time, or more problems finding bullets. I mean, it makes sense in a serendipitous way, but it also felt a little lazy. If it was relatively that easy to get bullets from a debris field, I would imagine more belters, pirates, or other opportunists kicking it nearby. I felt like this was the kind of show where 'finding bullets' was going to take the better part of an episode, and be an ordeal.

I know that the Expanse was originally designed as an MMO by one of the S.A. Corey halves, I'm hopeful it comes around full circle and that actually happens.
posted by furnace.heart at 12:29 PM on May 8, 2018 [4 favorites]

I played the Expanse board game at the weekend. It's an area control game, so you're mostly moving small wooden cubes and cardboard discs around a map of the solar system, but it's still pretty fun.
You play as the UN, Mars, Protogen, or OPA, and have to spread influence around the inner planets, belt, and outer planets to score points. The Rocinante crew play a minor part - whoever's in last place gets to use the Roci to take an extra bonus action.
I was the OPA and did pretty badly (so had control of the Roci for most of the game). Mars kept bullying me so I blew up their 2 battleships 😎
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:43 AM on May 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

furnace.heart, I'd agree about the bullet-salvage seeming cheap, except for the facts that (1) the Roci (Pinus Contorta?) was RIGHT THERE near the battle and so could jump in quick, and (2) a whole fleet's worth of belter salvage ships were otherwise engaged with the Nauvoo. I love that the writers actually think out this shit.
posted by rikschell at 1:02 PM on May 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

And they did mention that moving the salvaged ship away from the debris field would be a really good idea, because they kept expecting one side or the other to show up (look for survivors, look for enemy intel, etc). I presume regular belter salvage crews would also wait a good long time before they tried scavenging from dead UNN or Martian Navy ships for the same reason.
posted by Mogur at 4:20 PM on May 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

Especially Martian Navy, now that I think about it. I would wager that only the truly desperate would risk pissing off the Martians.
posted by Mogur at 4:22 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sorry, last one, I swear. I just remembered the captain of the Donnager reminiscing fondly about the two years she spent cleaning up the Belt. I would also bet that some of those pirates were just belters who got caught with salvaged Martian Navy gear...
posted by Mogur at 4:25 PM on May 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

IT'S BEEN SAVED!!!
posted by Lexica at 10:57 PM on May 25, 2018

I would also imagine that Martian bullets would be manufactured slightly differently than other bullets, not to be special just that they'd have their own spec, so there may not be much of a market for salvaged Martian bullets unless you also had Martian guns that could use them.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:18 PM on February 24, 2023