The Expanse’s Latest Episode Sets the Stage for an Explosive Endgame

We’re at episode 4 of The Expanse’s six-episode remaining season, which implies all of the drama that’s been simmering is about to start out boiling over. Thanks to a pair of unique clips io9 debuted this week, we all know Amos and Naomi are going to confront Holden about one of many largest shocks in episode three, “Force Projection.” But a lot extra awaits us in “Redoubt.”

By now, it’s no shock we start with the Laconia storyline. So far its connection to the primary occasions of season six has been tangential, however in “Redoubt” we meet an necessary determine from The Expanse books in an exposition-heavy scene that takes place as Cara’s household mourns the sudden demise of her little brother, Xan. (We study he was hit by a dashing automotive—maybe pushed by the identical one who virtually mowed over Cara again in episode one? We additionally study that the offender will virtually definitely face a firing squad as punishment.) As a melancholy Cara watches over Xan’s physique, she’s out of the blue approached by Admiral Duarte, somebody we’ve heard talked about alongside the way in which however haven’t met till now. After all that build-up, he seems to be… kind of odd, however reasonably pleasant. He breaks the ice by speaking to Cara about Paris—she was imagined to be heading there along with her scientist mother and father after their time on Laconia. O after all, that’s not taking place now… is there even a Paris left?—however the little lady says she’s by no means been to Earth, and she or he doesn’t care about not going there. Duarte says he hasn’t been to Earth, both; as e book readers effectively know, he’s from Mars.

He quickly steers the dialog towards coping with grief, equating Cara’s unhappiness over shedding her brother to his personal unhappiness over shedding “the dream of Mars,” as a result of “having something you love that you can’t protect is terrifying.” To cope, he tells her, he “needed something to make it more than just death. I needed to make it a sacrifice… it’s to give something up and make it sacred. When you think about it like that it doesn’t fix anything, but it makes losing them hurt less.” Laconia helps him fill that void, and Duarte’s job, he says, is to “keep us safe, or at least try.” This tender however critically cryptic second is interrupted by the doorway of Cortázar—the protomolecule scientist, frantically chaotic as all the time—who bursts in inform Duarte “my new coordination protocol returned a coherent reply pattern,” which is large enough information that the admiral hurries away to see for himself. There’s a shot of the glowing blue factor orbiting Laconia, after which we see Cara wheeling Xan’s physique into the forest, and, effectively… you simply know she’s hoping the “strange dog” will have the ability to resurrect her brother prefer it did the lifeless fowl. Uh-oh.

Speaking of uh-ohs, Ceres Station is in turmoil after the water tank explosions we noticed final week. Station administrator Nico Sanjrini is attempting to maintain the Belter devoted in line , whereas additionally noting there’s no telling who truly brought about the catastrophe, after which begins main the assembled in a rousing chant of “Beltalowda!” The digital camera pulls again and we notice we’re watching a information report alongside the Ceres-adjacent Mars and Earth leaders, together with Admiral Kirino and UN Secretary-General Avasarala. These people know the mining fees, which killed a number of folks from all sides, have been Belter in origin—greater than doubtless set by Marco Inaros and his Free Navy on their approach out the door. They additionally know the Belters left on Ceres gained’t simply activate Marco. Unsurprisingly, Mars—a spot the place navy tradition has reigned supreme for generations—is able to strike again, with a plan to place Marco’s strategically essential Medina Station out of fee and take again management of the Ring itself. Avasarala isn’t into the thought; she thinks it’s precisely how Marco expects them to react, and says UN forces gained’t be part of the plan. When Kirino passes on the message, the reply is nearly instantaneous: Mars is “prepared to go it alone.”

After final week’s near-miss with Marco and the Pella, the Rocinante remains to be en path to Ceres. With the harm evaluation full, Naomi’s turned her laser focus to a brand new undertaking: compiling all the information the Roci gathered on the Pella and sharing it with your entire fleet. “Someone will find that ship,” she tells Holden, and the implication hangs heavy within the air: Someone will discover it and destroy it, ending the job the Roci failed to finish. Elsewhere on the ship, Amos and Bobbie are noodling on restore initiatives, each nonetheless livid about that “dud” torpedo that hit the Pella, when the music they’re listening to adjustments over to some Hank Williams twang. “This is Alex’s music,” Amos realizes, they usually share a second crooning alongside and remembering their fallen good friend. Then, Peaches summons Amos to a different a part of the ship to point out him one thing she’s found: whereas checking and re-checking the remaining weapons to keep away from one other dud scenario, she’s uncovered the uncomfortable fact that the missile wasn’t a dud. As viewers effectively know, however all the opposite characters have but to find, it was in actual fact disarmed by Holden on the final attainable second. Amos, who’s already had some doubts concerning the captain of late, reacts stoically, however you recognize a confrontation is a-comin’.

The Roci crew is in turmoil, however that’s nothing in comparison with the scene aboard the Pella. Furious concerning the Free Navy ships that turned tail when the Pella was battling the Roci, Marco orders the captain of 1 ship to area the 2 most senior officers of the opposite ship. Then he turns to a startled Rosenfeld and says if the captain contacts her to attempt to get Marco to vary his thoughts… that captain will additionally be spaced. Meanwhile, beneath decks, Filip—who’s been demoted after immediately difficult his father—heads to his new project as a restore technician, working with an easygoing Belter who’s a bit shocked at having the boss’ son as his new underling.

Before they’ll get began, although, Rosenfeld pops by for a chat. She’s of the opinion that Marco and Filip’s ongoing squabble is distracting from the a lot, a lot bigger warfare the Free Navy is presently engaged in—as we’ve seen, Marco’s so emotionally unstable he’s ordering Free Navy captains to area one another—and tells Filip he must be the larger Inaros and apologize. He seems considerate however he doesn’t commit; as a substitute he settles into studying the ropes of his new job, patching the numerous holes within the Pella. When he fumbles proper off the bat, he blames his co-worker for distracting him by placing the information whereas they work, however he eases off his bitchiness when the person explains his brother’s a dockworker on Ceres, and he hasn’t been in a position to attain him for the reason that explosions. As they speak and get to know one another higher, Filip will get a glance in his eye we’ve seen him have earlier than—the look of somebody who’s beginning to notice his father isn’t truly the middle of the universe, even for Belters. (And in case you have been questioning what occurred to that “dud” warhead, effectively, it’s lodged into the hull of the Pella, ready to be found by Filip and his new buddy. Filip’s eyes widen when he sees that the show reads “DISARMED.”)

Aboard the Roci, or extra particularly on an area stroll outdoors the Roci, Amos and Holden are engaged on repairing the battle-damaged ship. This is the second Amos takes to deliver up you-know-what, saying he can’t perceive Holden’s alternative. Why was sparing Marco the appropriate factor to do? When Holden calls it “a gut decision,” Amos lays it on him: “If we’re not trying to win this fight I don’t know what I’m doing out here.” When Holden snaps again that he doesn’t want to elucidate himself, Amos wonders if possibly Holden is indignant as a result of he can’t clarify himself.

After that Holden is aware of his subsequent transfer must be coming clear to Naomi, and he admits why he did it: “I couldn’t kill your son.” Naomi is livid, saying if Holden determined to not blow up the Pella on account of Naomi’s emotions, that makes her answerable for all of the lethal harm Marco’s sure to do from right here on out. Though they’re upset with one another, Holden and Naomi are so good at expressing their emotions respectfully that it ends in tenderness. Naomi tells him she did the whole lot she might to avoid wasting Filip—and certainly she did, as we noticed final season—and made her personal alternative not to martyr herself within the title of motherhood: “I know I tried. Please don’t take that from me. It’s all I have left.”

Later, Holden enters the Roci kitchen simply as Bobbie—the one crew member who doesn’t know the reality—is blustering on about letting the Pella get away. After Bobbie storms out, Clarissa tells Holden she’s the one who truly informed Amos the reality concerning the dud. Then their dialog shifts to the continued cycle of violence they appear to seek out themselves trapped in. “Here we are, still trying to kill our way to a better tomorrow,” Holden says ruefully. Clarissa, nonetheless regretful about attempting to kill Holden (and truly succeeding in killing many others), says she’s haunted by all of the demise she’s brought about. “Killing someone is a terrible thing and you can never take it back,” she says, because the scene shifts to point out us Naomi taking a look at a video of Filip on her hand terminal. “Don’t ever feel bad about not killing someone.”

Elsewhere within the Belt, Drummer and her band of pirates are scoping out one in all Marco’s secret provide depots—principally an array of delivery containers lashed collectively to create a makeshift station. As they start to examine the cargo, there’s a firefight with a handful of Free Navy troopers who have been apparently there to collect provides for an imminent pickup, although from her publish on the Tynan, Michio insists no ships are incoming… but. As everybody hurries to maintain enterprise, another Free Navy man pops in and out the skirmish that follows, Josep’s arm is pinned underneath a crate. Michio—a skilled medic—hurries to assist, however the one factor to do is chop the arm off earlier than he bleeds to demise; regardless of the jittery blunder she made in battle earlier this season, she’s cool as could be whereas hacking Josep’s limb off (even OPA veteran Walker, who’s little doubt seen all types of carnage in his day, is impressed).

On Ceres, we get a take a look at what embedded reporter Monica was recording simply earlier than the explosion. Remember that growing old Belter with the cat she was speaking to? Well, the cat’s title is “Lucky Earther” as a result of she is “fat and lazy and I give her whatever she wants.” His voice-over continues over footage of the aftermath of the explosion. “I don’t hate anyone. I want air and water and freedom… it’s not the inners and the Belt, it’s the people who want more hate and the ones who just want to live. I’m so tired of the hate.” Avasarala doesn’t prefer it (“This makes us look weak”), however Monica presses her. “If you want the enemy to see you as human, you have to see them as human.”

While Josep recovers on the Tynan, Drummer decides it’s time to open a wide-band channel and throw the gauntlet down as solely she will: “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.” They pace off, towing the provides behind them. On the Pella, Rosenfeld breaks the information to Marco that whereas the primary two Belter officers have been spaced, the captain—who did ask for mercy for them—was not spaced as Marco had specified. “You were angry when you gave the order, I assumed you meant it rhetorically… [that punishment] would have made you look scared and weak. Now you look merciful.” Of course Marco’s not a fan of being spoken to love this, however as Rosenfeld factors out, “Somebody has to. Because all the people that used to are either dead or sulking around below decks picking up trash.” Then she pivots to a pep speak, telling him he can’t let the crew know he was shaken by the Roci confrontation. “You’re Marco Inaros. Things like this roll off you.”

Less onerous to shake, maybe: Drummer’s message to the universe, which inevitably hits the information feed aboard the Pella, the place we hear the remainder of her speech: “You stole from your own, you abandoned Ceres to the inners and left Belters to starve. You called yourself a champion and then you ran… I will always be the one who took back what you stole. Camina Drummer did this to you. Live shamed. Die empty.” When the ever-mercurial Filip hears his co-worker make a crack about how not less than it wasn’t inners who stole their provides, he leaps to his toes to offer a Marco-style speech, desirous to remind everybody that Drummer could also be a Belter, however she’s nonetheless their enemy. “This is war and it won’t be over until we are dead or victorious… there’s no turning back now!”

Only two episodes of The Expanse left after this! Ever! How is all this gonna wrap up in two episodes? The present streams Fridays on Amazon Prime.

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