I finally got around to catching the Expanse; got as close to binge watching the first season as I get, and am loving it so far! That said, the first episode of season two, Safe, was a marked reduction in quality, both subjectively and objectively.
Maybe it's because I watched the end of the first and start of the second seasons together, but it seemed all the new characters were competing to see who could say their lines faster and more robotic. It was quite jarring considering how natural and meticulous dialogue was during the entire first season. Plus, a there was a moment of passion that seemed to come from nowhere.
I've since watched a few episodes after this one and it's not near as apparent, so perhaps the production was simply rushed due to the show's meteoric popularity. Regardless, whomever directed Safe should not be allowed back, and hopefully the scenes with those Martian Marines will continue to be limited because of how unrealistic they were portrayed.
The good news is Miller is still awesome! I plan to read the books this show is based on someday, but for now it's one of the best sci-fi series out there.