The more I watch "The Expanse," the more it reminds me of "Babylon 5," except for one important thing. Both series are very story driven and built around large events like wars and the appearance of alien phenomena, that affect multiple groups of people. They also continually introduce new characters in order to help us experience how these events unfold from multiple perspectives. However, unlike "Babylon 5," which had a very strong core cast, "The Expanse" doesn't offer many heroes I feel much like rooting for. Part of this is by design - the universe of "The Expanse" is much harsher and full of morally gray types. However, I think "The Expanse" simply isn't as good at drama on an interpersonal level.
This year is split into two very distinct parts. The first picks up from last year, following the crew of the Rocinante as they chase down Mei Meng (Leah Jung) and the rest of the kids being experimented on by Lawrence Strickland (Ted Atherton) and Jules Pierre Mao (François Chau). Meanwhile Avrasarala and Bobbie Draper race to stop the war between Earth and Mars from escalating. We're introduced to Rev. Dr. Anna Volovodov (Elizabeth Mitchell), a preacher and activist who becomes very important in the second half of the season, which is devoted to discovering the larger purpose of the protomolecule. Other new characters in this arc include Mao's other daughter Clarissa (Nadine Nicole), and Ashford (David Strathairn), an ex-pirate who becomes second in command of the new Belter flagship under Camina Drummer (Cara Gee).
"The Expanse" remains exceptionally good at worldbuilding, setting up several storylines that intersect and pay off in some very satisfying ways. I was happy to see Avrasarala, Bobbie Draper, and the Roci crew finally having the chance to interact this year. The show also figures out some clever ways to get characters from previous seasons back into the mix, and the newcomers are pretty strong. The scientific accuracy and attention to detail continue to impress. My favorite episode this season was the one where the entire hour was devoted to zero gravity emergency rescue efforts after a multi-ship disaster. Best of all, there weren't any storylines that fell flat the way some have in the past. Good performances were responsible for much of this, particularly from Elizabeth Mitchell and David Strathairn, who rocks the Belter accent.
Ironically, it's the main storyline that often feels the weakest. After three years the crew of the Roci are not nearly as engaging or interesting to follow as they should be. I've grown to appreciate Amos, especially through the touching friendship that develops between him and Prax. James Holden, however, remains terribly bland and generic. It's aggravating that in a universe of so many colorful characters, so much of the action has to revolve around the dullest, whitebread audience surrogate in the lineup. Aside from the usual action hero business, the only real character development he has is his on-again, off-again relationship with Naomi, and some pretty tepid business with a spectre who gives him cryptic directions. At least, the writing is consistently strong enough throughout that everything moves along at a good clip, but many developments would have had much more impact if Holden and other Roci characters were stronger.
Compared to the previous seasons, this year of "The Expanse" feels more straightforward and more streamlined. There aren't as many one-off characters or disparate locations to juggle, and payoffs happen more quickly. The shift between the two halves of the season is a little jarring, but perfectly in keeping with how the show has operated so far. I'm glad that the series will be getting future seasons, but this season ended in such a way that it wrapped up the whole series very nicely. Certainly there's room for more adventures, and plenty of loose ends that could use tying up, but "The Expanse" is already easily one of the most accomplished science-fiction shows of the decade.
However, I'm hard pressed to call it a great show. As rough as "Babylon 5" looks now, and as hokey as some of the dialogue is, I love those characters and would gladly watch many of the episodes again. There's coldness to "The Expanse" that makes it difficult to embrace in the same way. I admire it, and find it entertaining, but I rarely find it moving. They get the science right, but the humanity could use some work.
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