The Expanse, Season 4 Review
Jan. 11th, 2020 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452I honestly, genuinely, truly loved the fourth season of The Expanse.
From a visual standpoint, it was absolutely stunning. The show has always been stunning, but they definitely took advantage of that Amazon money and everything just looks even more gorgeous, from the effects to the cinematography. It's just chef's kiss perfection. I also liked what they did with the ending credits of each episode too, with the visual of the Ring drawing in closer as one piece of an epic score used from the episode plays briefly before it transitions to the actual end credits. Brilliantly done. Also, was it just me, or was the score soundtrack even more epic this season? It always is, of course, but there was just something more to it than usual that I ended up getting legit chills.
When it comes to the overall storytelling arc of this season, I really enjoyed it. Obviously the structure was different from the previous seasons since now its new home is a streaming platform so it's made with binge-watching in mind as opposed to the week-to-week episode structure of network television. At first I wasn't sure how to feel about it, but I quickly got over it and after a couple rewatches I think it works incredibly well and the season flows quite smoothly.
There's a lot to really talk about, but I want to focus specifically on the storylines of Ilus and Mars, because they were two of my favorite of this season.
Everything about Ilus excited me because it was about the first time we, as the audience, get to follow our main characters onto an alien planet. This entire storyline was essentially just a space western on an alien planet, it had everything from the conflict between two factions of humanity fighting over claim of the land, gunfights, murder, and having to rely on each other despite these differences and hatreds in order to survive an unknown and dangerous terrain. Seeing the tensions between everyone and their personal vendettas, and then seeing Holden and his crew caught in the middle trying to be mediators and just being so done with the petty in-fighting when there's a bigger picture, I was captivated the entire time. Not to mention how weird it got later on, with the protomolecule structures, islands exploding causing earthquakes and a massive tsunami, death slugs, blindness plague, and ghost!Miller escaping the clutches of the protomolecule that was using him long enough to help Holden in the end? All of that was some good shit. The latter especially made me very emotional because, goddammit I love Miller and seeing him as himself and not controlled by the protomolecule was just, ugh, so wonderful, sad but beautiful at the same time.
And the Mars storyline was also fantastic because, well, we actually got to see more of Martian society. I know that this was based more on the novella, Gods at Risk, which I obviously haven't read yet but they managed to adapt parts of it into the fourth season coinciding with Cibola Burn. While Bobbie had a lot going on with her storyline by unexpectedly getting caught up with something shady (and she was a boss for recognizing the warning signs towards the end, that whole sequence in the finale was just amazing) and how it intertwines with everything else going on, I want to mostly talk about something else that happened that I felt was incredibly powerful. Everything that happened with Bobbie and what we see what happened with the other former Martian marines, it was quite a commentary of how veterans are often treated after returning home. Finding employment can be difficult and most don't have a support system, they often feel lost and lacking purpose as they try to reintegrate into society again. We see this with Bobbie as she went from being of the Martian Marine Corps to basically being demoted to being a mechanic, a job she basically landed out of luck. And then we get the issue regarding Mars and how the dream of the terraforming project has been crumbling since the Ring Gates opened and the peace treaty was initiated. Many Martians are feeling like everything they had believed in, everything they were taught, everything they fought for, generations of it being part of their cultural identity, was for nothing and want to basically give up and start anew elsewhere. It's all so poignant, and I really felt that.
Of course at the end, Bobbie discovers a shadier side of things and finds purpose again and reaches out to Avasarala, which is definitely setting up for what is to happen in the next season. But I just found the dynamic on Mars and how the society is basically divided, as some still believe in the dream of Mars while others have already given up, so fascinating.
One of the things I've always loved about The Expanse was how it focused on both the good and bad sides of humanity without being nihilistic or even misanthropic. There are no "good guys" or "bad guys", just people with different perspectives, different ideologies and opinions and viewpoints, and no matter what, even if it's a character doing something absolutely horrible things you could still understand their position and motivations for doing what they believe is the right thing, or are running on emotions making their decisions irrational by not seeing the bigger picture. This season truly amplifies this and even makes it a point that, even with a peace treaty, having a truce between factions doesn't erase centuries of hatred and prejudices. The tensions rise dangerously between Earthers and Belters on Ilus to the point of needless murder, Martians are getting in league with a Belter terrorist to go against Earth, Drummer quits the OPA because she believes in the truce and wants something better for Belters, and the Earth election showcases the divisions of Avasarala's concerns over people thinking that the Ring Gates are safe versus her opponent's emotional empathy towards Earth's citizens for wanting a new life.
This season had so much, and even with it's slow build in tension there is just a lot to cover, so I might do another post talking about other things. But really, the highlights of this season were:
** The Ilus and Mars storylines
** "Holden? Don't put your dick in it. It's fucked enough already."
** Amos being, well, Amos, but also getting more of his backstory was heartbreaking
** Holden being so done with everything, and also beating the Murtry's ass twice
** Though Amos actually beating his ass in the finale, while we don't see it or the end result, his dangerously gleeful face right before he attacks is just glorious.
** DRUMMER.
** CINNAMON-TOGRAPHY. VISUALS. LOCATIONS. BEAU-TI-FUL.
** Miller being Miller again for a brief time to help Holden save everyone, that was so good and I liked how they handled that. I'm sad that he's gone, like officially gone this time, but that sendoff was beautifully done and truly, it's what he deserves after everything. I'll just miss those little banters, y'know? His and Holden's relationship was something I enjoyed seeing, whether it was him or proto!Miller or whatever.
** SPEAKING OF, the fact that we got the perspective from the protomolecule after visiting with Holden was super cool.
** DEATH SLUGS.
** The entire score soundtrack. Like I mentioned, it felt like they went even extra epic this season, which I did not mind at all. For instance, "To Ilus" from the first episode is probably incredibly fitting for the whole mood of the season, mixing a sense of wonderment and dread at the same time. And "The Wave" for the best ending sequence for episode six. I've rewatched that scene so many times, it still gives me chills with how it was filmed.
** ASHFORD! I loved him this season, especially his and Drummer's friendship which I found so sweet and lovely with how they portrayed it. But I'm sad he's gone. :( That ending for him was so sad, and the finale playing his shanty for part of the ending credits? OUCH. BUT SO GOOD.
Overall: I loved this season, in case you couldn't already tell from my gushing about it. I'm so glad that Amazon saved it, and that it was renewed for a fifth season already. I'm only hoping that it continues on to finish the book series, because while I haven't read them (yet) based on the vague things I've heard about what's coming, oh boy, I'm excited to see how the show manages to adapt that onto the screen. I love this show, this cast, the writers/authors, the music, the crew who work on this show. It's just so good and I'm just so, so, so happy.
From a visual standpoint, it was absolutely stunning. The show has always been stunning, but they definitely took advantage of that Amazon money and everything just looks even more gorgeous, from the effects to the cinematography. It's just chef's kiss perfection. I also liked what they did with the ending credits of each episode too, with the visual of the Ring drawing in closer as one piece of an epic score used from the episode plays briefly before it transitions to the actual end credits. Brilliantly done. Also, was it just me, or was the score soundtrack even more epic this season? It always is, of course, but there was just something more to it than usual that I ended up getting legit chills.
When it comes to the overall storytelling arc of this season, I really enjoyed it. Obviously the structure was different from the previous seasons since now its new home is a streaming platform so it's made with binge-watching in mind as opposed to the week-to-week episode structure of network television. At first I wasn't sure how to feel about it, but I quickly got over it and after a couple rewatches I think it works incredibly well and the season flows quite smoothly.
There's a lot to really talk about, but I want to focus specifically on the storylines of Ilus and Mars, because they were two of my favorite of this season.
Everything about Ilus excited me because it was about the first time we, as the audience, get to follow our main characters onto an alien planet. This entire storyline was essentially just a space western on an alien planet, it had everything from the conflict between two factions of humanity fighting over claim of the land, gunfights, murder, and having to rely on each other despite these differences and hatreds in order to survive an unknown and dangerous terrain. Seeing the tensions between everyone and their personal vendettas, and then seeing Holden and his crew caught in the middle trying to be mediators and just being so done with the petty in-fighting when there's a bigger picture, I was captivated the entire time. Not to mention how weird it got later on, with the protomolecule structures, islands exploding causing earthquakes and a massive tsunami, death slugs, blindness plague, and ghost!Miller escaping the clutches of the protomolecule that was using him long enough to help Holden in the end? All of that was some good shit. The latter especially made me very emotional because, goddammit I love Miller and seeing him as himself and not controlled by the protomolecule was just, ugh, so wonderful, sad but beautiful at the same time.
And the Mars storyline was also fantastic because, well, we actually got to see more of Martian society. I know that this was based more on the novella, Gods at Risk, which I obviously haven't read yet but they managed to adapt parts of it into the fourth season coinciding with Cibola Burn. While Bobbie had a lot going on with her storyline by unexpectedly getting caught up with something shady (and she was a boss for recognizing the warning signs towards the end, that whole sequence in the finale was just amazing) and how it intertwines with everything else going on, I want to mostly talk about something else that happened that I felt was incredibly powerful. Everything that happened with Bobbie and what we see what happened with the other former Martian marines, it was quite a commentary of how veterans are often treated after returning home. Finding employment can be difficult and most don't have a support system, they often feel lost and lacking purpose as they try to reintegrate into society again. We see this with Bobbie as she went from being of the Martian Marine Corps to basically being demoted to being a mechanic, a job she basically landed out of luck. And then we get the issue regarding Mars and how the dream of the terraforming project has been crumbling since the Ring Gates opened and the peace treaty was initiated. Many Martians are feeling like everything they had believed in, everything they were taught, everything they fought for, generations of it being part of their cultural identity, was for nothing and want to basically give up and start anew elsewhere. It's all so poignant, and I really felt that.
Of course at the end, Bobbie discovers a shadier side of things and finds purpose again and reaches out to Avasarala, which is definitely setting up for what is to happen in the next season. But I just found the dynamic on Mars and how the society is basically divided, as some still believe in the dream of Mars while others have already given up, so fascinating.
One of the things I've always loved about The Expanse was how it focused on both the good and bad sides of humanity without being nihilistic or even misanthropic. There are no "good guys" or "bad guys", just people with different perspectives, different ideologies and opinions and viewpoints, and no matter what, even if it's a character doing something absolutely horrible things you could still understand their position and motivations for doing what they believe is the right thing, or are running on emotions making their decisions irrational by not seeing the bigger picture. This season truly amplifies this and even makes it a point that, even with a peace treaty, having a truce between factions doesn't erase centuries of hatred and prejudices. The tensions rise dangerously between Earthers and Belters on Ilus to the point of needless murder, Martians are getting in league with a Belter terrorist to go against Earth, Drummer quits the OPA because she believes in the truce and wants something better for Belters, and the Earth election showcases the divisions of Avasarala's concerns over people thinking that the Ring Gates are safe versus her opponent's emotional empathy towards Earth's citizens for wanting a new life.
This season had so much, and even with it's slow build in tension there is just a lot to cover, so I might do another post talking about other things. But really, the highlights of this season were:
** The Ilus and Mars storylines
** "Holden? Don't put your dick in it. It's fucked enough already."
** Amos being, well, Amos, but also getting more of his backstory was heartbreaking
** Holden being so done with everything, and also beating the Murtry's ass twice
** Though Amos actually beating his ass in the finale, while we don't see it or the end result, his dangerously gleeful face right before he attacks is just glorious.
** DRUMMER.
** CINNAMON-TOGRAPHY. VISUALS. LOCATIONS. BEAU-TI-FUL.
** Miller being Miller again for a brief time to help Holden save everyone, that was so good and I liked how they handled that. I'm sad that he's gone, like officially gone this time, but that sendoff was beautifully done and truly, it's what he deserves after everything. I'll just miss those little banters, y'know? His and Holden's relationship was something I enjoyed seeing, whether it was him or proto!Miller or whatever.
** SPEAKING OF, the fact that we got the perspective from the protomolecule after visiting with Holden was super cool.
** DEATH SLUGS.
** The entire score soundtrack. Like I mentioned, it felt like they went even extra epic this season, which I did not mind at all. For instance, "To Ilus" from the first episode is probably incredibly fitting for the whole mood of the season, mixing a sense of wonderment and dread at the same time. And "The Wave" for the best ending sequence for episode six. I've rewatched that scene so many times, it still gives me chills with how it was filmed.
** ASHFORD! I loved him this season, especially his and Drummer's friendship which I found so sweet and lovely with how they portrayed it. But I'm sad he's gone. :( That ending for him was so sad, and the finale playing his shanty for part of the ending credits? OUCH. BUT SO GOOD.
Overall: I loved this season, in case you couldn't already tell from my gushing about it. I'm so glad that Amazon saved it, and that it was renewed for a fifth season already. I'm only hoping that it continues on to finish the book series, because while I haven't read them (yet) based on the vague things I've heard about what's coming, oh boy, I'm excited to see how the show manages to adapt that onto the screen. I love this show, this cast, the writers/authors, the music, the crew who work on this show. It's just so good and I'm just so, so, so happy.
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no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 03:43 pm (UTC)It was great to see more of Mars and its society. The commentary on veteran's treatment and how hard it is for them to come home was unexpected, but very well done. It's definitely one of the aspects of the season that really stuck with me.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 10:59 pm (UTC)It was very powerful, it wasn't something I expected either but it worked incredibly well considering how Mars is quite a military-based society. And we see the fallout of someone like Bobbie, who is basically a war hero, return home only to be greeted with ungratefulness, treated like shit and viewed as a lesser Martian despite all she's done and sacrificed for Mars during her service. I was angry on her behalf, as we were supposed to be.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 04:21 pm (UTC)I also really liked how it depicted Naomi's efforts to get planetside.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 08:55 pm (UTC)I loved that with Naomi, because she was so adamant about wanting to see other planets from other systems (and eventually, with Earth too, to see Holden's home and all that). I understood her stubbornness because this was her decision, she wanted to have that choice of being able to go planetside without worrying of any side effects. But that's the unfortunate situation when you're physiology is more used to space than on gravity. Some Belters can adapt while others cannot.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 05:24 pm (UTC)I love this show so fucking much, it's the kind of sci-fi that we need a *lot* more of.
I love Miller, too, and it was so good to see him finally break free and then get his rest. I've read all but the newest two books (got them for xmas!), and the things they've changed have, in my opinion, been done *very* well, without sacrificing stuff or fucking over the plot or anything. They're doing a really good job of compacting huge, *huge* books, and multiple storylines, into a coherent and comprehensive whole.
So much love. SO MUCH. :D
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 07:52 pm (UTC)I've loved Miller since the first season, so I'm glad he finally got his peace and it was beautifully done.
I haven't yet started the books, but hearing that the changes made actually make sense and doesn't sacrifice the plots or other things is very good to hear. I know adaptations often have to make allowances for deviating or not doing something that's in the books, but knowing that the authors are involved with the show it definitely gives me hope that the show will still go in the way the books are without worrying it'll completely derail the story or plot.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 08:39 pm (UTC)I'm excited (already) about season five, and the books i'm going to read soon (in the middle of another one at the moments), and am also rewatching from season one, just got back around to season four again, heh.
*dances*
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 06:06 pm (UTC)We watched the season an episode a night over the course of two weeks (we took a break when our stepdaughter was here) and I felt like the episodes had good ending spots and it was still pretty tight - they never went over an hour, I don't think? I thought that was smart, that going to streaming they weren't like "OMG 2 hours episodes all the time!!" - the writers still ran a tight ship.
Amos and Murtry in those final moments...yikes. No idea where the next season will pick up but if Amos has pummeled him to death, Holden won't be happy after his big "due process" speech. :|
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 07:37 pm (UTC)I really liked how they paced the episodes (without commercial breaks) but didn't go overboard with having unlimited time. They knew how to structure the season and the episodes, where to end them, and it was very nicely done.
I mostly just think Amos will just beat him into a bloodied mess, not really kill him, because he knows that that's not what Holden would want. I mean, he restrained himself long enough. But man, Murtry's face when he sees what he awoke after he threw that first punch, that was pure gold.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 10:02 pm (UTC)The Ilus storyline was great though. It was a bit ridiculous when at some point more and more dangerous stuff was piled on on top of all the dangerous things that were already happening but that aside, Ilus was the best thing about the season.
I'm curious what they will do with Cara Gee's pregnancy. They have just started filming so I fear that we won't get to so much of Drummer anymore :/
no subject
Date: 2020-01-12 11:10 pm (UTC)But overall, it was a very poweful storyline that really stuck with me after watching it, and then rewatching it again.
It was a bit ridiculous when at some point more and more dangerous stuff was piled on on top of all the dangerous things that were already happening
Well, that made sense because the planet was waking up due to Holden (and Miller) kind of being there activating things, and it amped up the tension between the groups and getting things set in motion. It was all great, everything.
I'm sure they can make something work for Cara Gee. If they can edit out Gal Gadot's pregnancy bump while filming Wonder Woman, they can certainly do the same with her scenes in the next season.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-14 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-01-14 07:03 pm (UTC)