I have to admit, I haven’t written about this season of The Expanse yet because, to be honest, three episodes at the very beginning was a lot to unpack and, to continue my line of honesty, none of it really grabbed me. Sure, it was good… but having the crew separated and off the Rocinante made this season feel disconnected, as if I was watch a very long stretch of exposition.
With “Gaugamela,” I’m completely back on board. Wow, this episode was eventful to say the least with character deaths, huge events, and a story that feels like its finally paving the way for the rest of the season.
Although I’m sure that this analogy is overused and tired, “Gaugamela” was The Expanse’s 9/11 and the ripples of this event are very real and will be felt for a long, long time.
If anything, this episode reminded me of how much I love Shohreh Aghdashloo and her character of Avasarala. She is such a multifaceted character, full of ambition and flaws and all played perfectly. She is an imperfect person who is perfect for the role that she was born for and, seeing her shoved back to the forefront as Earth is attacked made me feel like she had come alive again in the face of horrors. By gosh, I just love this woman.
The events on Tycho Station were no less eventful and seeing the often absent but no less important Fred Dawes fall to an assassination attempt was a heck of a thing. Fred, a lot like Avasarala, is not a good person but he was a necessity for the job he needed to do.
Now, with Fred dead, Earth in ruins, and a terrorist threat still at large, to say nothing of the crew scattered without a ship, The Expanse has really kicked over the anthill and unleashed chaos.
Three episodes too late, in my opinion, but it will be interesting to see where this goes from here.
Jason Gaston 