The Expanse (Seasons 5 and 6)
Feb. 14th, 2022 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakReaders, I finished the show, which, small quibbles aside, remained top notch impressive. I can now see why bimo told me she changed her mind on Clarissa Mao, and indeed so did I - that was an excellent redemption arc, with clear acknowledgement of responsibility throughout. Also, Amos acting essentially as her sponsor brought his own continuing struggle to live ethical, which he started by looking for the "right" people to follow, full circle. Incidentally, the show through the seasons provided enogh tidbits about what Amos' ghastly childhood was like to get the picture even before he revisited Baltimore, and yet it never felt like the easy equation of "abused childhood = no responsibility for adult violence", on the contrary, by making Amos' struggle and search of ways to act ethical a core part of his character, it went against this.
Naomi in the last episode basically saying that Clarissa's arc was what she hoped for Filip: while both Clarissa and Filip were children of evil fathers they were desparate to impress and who impacted their world view, I'd say the differences were larger than the commonalities. Clarissa was an adult woman when committing her crimes, she did have other influences than him, while Filip - without taking away his own responsibility for all the blood on his hands - was basically a child soldier with all that impliies. As the audience, though not Naomi, knows, Filip did travel his own road to realisation and breaking away (though not yet redemption), but unsurprisingly, but it strikes me as realistic this could not happen a season earlier when she tried to reach him. He hardly knew her. BTW, that the show let Naomi end her attempt to reach Philip with her escape instead of, to quote her, "martyr herself for motherhood" by staying on the Pella was a still unusual but excellent choice. (What with sympathetic female characters who are mothers usually get depicted as putting up with everything for the sake of their children.) Not to mention that her whole escape-and-saving-the-Roci-from-the-trap sequence was one of the show's most intense "character who has everything set against them still does not give up" episodes.
In terms of the political developments, I can't help but compare and contrast of how The Expanse never falls into the trap I mentioned re Falcon and Winter Soldier, where there is no medium and no alternate political actiivism than the terrorist one, whom our heroes therefore have to act against even if they understand the original motivation. In The Expanse, the entire series makes it clear why Marco Inaros happens, but he's never the sole representative of the Belt he claims to be, and by building up Camina Drummer throughout the series the show avoids the "villain has a point, villain commits mass murder, therefore point invalid" fallacy. Not to mention the sci fi equivalent of the white saviour trope, neatly avoided in the great bait-and-switch with Holden and her in the last but one scene. Chrisjen Avalasara herselb bringing up the torture of her introduction scene in s1 and saying "the reason Belters see me like that is that I was like that" , and her awareness that helping exploited Belters now mid war does not negate the preceding 100 years also contributes to this, and fits with the general themes of responsibility, of change (both character change and political change) being possible but only if you work for it, and keep working for it.
One thing that stuck out like a sore thumb and which presumably was an aborted arc - was this show supposed to go on longer? - is the entire Stephen King lilke subplot with Cara on Lanconia, last seen running away with her recently ressurected brother. (Cara may be too young to have read Stephen King, but her parents clearly did.) So I don't know how this was supposed to contribute to the main plot.
Bobbie Draper and her relationship with "the old lady" (tm Bobbie) remained a highlight throughout. After the show killed off Alex at the end of s5, I was a bit afraid Bobbie would die in the season finale, but no, we got to keep the other Martian. Speaking of poor Alex, though, his off screen death and then everyone realising he died and having to cope with the loss for the remaining show reminded me a bit of Joyce Summers in BTVS - we don't see the moment of death itself, and it is a stroke, not a deed-by-villain, but it is quietly gut wrenching precisely because of that.
In conclusion, truly a superb sci fi epic from start to finish, and I'm very glad I waatched.
bimo told me she changed her mind on Clarissa Mao, and indeed so did I - that was an excellent redemption arc, with clear acknowledgement of responsibility throughout. Also, Amos acting essentially as her sponsor brought his own continuing struggle to live ethical, which he started by looking for the "right" people to follow, full circle. Incidentally, the show through the seasons provided enogh tidbits about what Amos' ghastly childhood was like to get the picture even before he revisited Baltimore, and yet it never felt like the easy equation of "abused childhood = no responsibility for adult violence", on the contrary, by making Amos' struggle and search of ways to act ethical a core part of his character, it went against this. Naomi in the last episode basically saying that Clarissa's arc was what she hoped for Filip: while both Clarissa and Filip were children of evil fathers they were desparate to impress and who impacted their world view, I'd say the differences were larger than the commonalities. Clarissa was an adult woman when committing her crimes, she did have other influences than him, while Filip - without taking away his own responsibility for all the blood on his hands - was basically a child soldier with all that impliies. As the audience, though not Naomi, knows, Filip did travel his own road to realisation and breaking away (though not yet redemption), but unsurprisingly, but it strikes me as realistic this could not happen a season earlier when she tried to reach him. He hardly knew her. BTW, that the show let Naomi end her attempt to reach Philip with her escape instead of, to quote her, "martyr herself for motherhood" by staying on the Pella was a still unusual but excellent choice. (What with sympathetic female characters who are mothers usually get depicted as putting up with everything for the sake of their children.) Not to mention that her whole escape-and-saving-the-Roci-from-the-trap sequence was one of the show's most intense "character who has everything set against them still does not give up" episodes.
In terms of the political developments, I can't help but compare and contrast of how The Expanse never falls into the trap I mentioned re Falcon and Winter Soldier, where there is no medium and no alternate political actiivism than the terrorist one, whom our heroes therefore have to act against even if they understand the original motivation. In The Expanse, the entire series makes it clear why Marco Inaros happens, but he's never the sole representative of the Belt he claims to be, and by building up Camina Drummer throughout the series the show avoids the "villain has a point, villain commits mass murder, therefore point invalid" fallacy. Not to mention the sci fi equivalent of the white saviour trope, neatly avoided in the great bait-and-switch with Holden and her in the last but one scene. Chrisjen Avalasara herselb bringing up the torture of her introduction scene in s1 and saying "the reason Belters see me like that is that I was like that" , and her awareness that helping exploited Belters now mid war does not negate the preceding 100 years also contributes to this, and fits with the general themes of responsibility, of change (both character change and political change) being possible but only if you work for it, and keep working for it.
One thing that stuck out like a sore thumb and which presumably was an aborted arc - was this show supposed to go on longer? - is the entire Stephen King lilke subplot with Cara on Lanconia, last seen running away with her recently ressurected brother. (Cara may be too young to have read Stephen King, but her parents clearly did.) So I don't know how this was supposed to contribute to the main plot.
Bobbie Draper and her relationship with "the old lady" (tm Bobbie) remained a highlight throughout. After the show killed off Alex at the end of s5, I was a bit afraid Bobbie would die in the season finale, but no, we got to keep the other Martian. Speaking of poor Alex, though, his off screen death and then everyone realising he died and having to cope with the loss for the remaining show reminded me a bit of Joyce Summers in BTVS - we don't see the moment of death itself, and it is a stroke, not a deed-by-villain, but it is quietly gut wrenching precisely because of that.
In conclusion, truly a superb sci fi epic from start to finish, and I'm very glad I waatched.
