The Expanse

Wow: This was by far the biggest surprise for me in 2016. And apparently, I was somewhat late to the party, as the show already began to air in 2015. I'm an avid sci-fi fan, but I hadn't heard or read anything about 'The Expanse', and yet it's one of the most ambitious sci-fi (or generally high profile/concept TV) shows I've come across in recent years.

First, I believe a little (spoiler-free) information might be helpful prior to watching the show, because the viewer is thrown right into an incredibly detailed world where much is shown rather than explained (which is certainly an elegant choice in terms of storytelling and world-building, but there's so much going on and every shot is packed with so much visual information that it can be a little confusing during the first 2 or 3 episodes). So what you need to know is this: A couple of hundred years into the future, humanity is spread out throughout the solar system and divided into 3 opposing forces who are on the brink of an all out war for political power and resources (mainly water - which is harvested in the form of asteroid ice). The 3 fractions consist of the two superpowers Earth (governed by the U.N.) and Mars; the third party are the "belters", which is basically everyone unfortunate enough to be living on poor dwarf planets like Ceres or other large rocks in the asteroid belt (hence the name "belters").

Those belters are the future equivalent of the 3rd World population, as they represent the poor, exploited and underdeveloped colonies in the solar system. Many belters feel represented by the "Outer Planets Alliance" (short: O.P.A.) which is a radical group demanding more autonomy and fairer distribution of resources for the inhabitants of the asteroid belt, but is viewed as a terrorist group by Earth and Mars. Belters are badly affected by the harsh conditions in low (or even zero) gravity (which is often referred to as "low-G" or "zero-G"), as well as low oxygen levels and the strict rationing of water; their bodies develop less muscles and their bone structure has less density compared to that of humans born and raised on Earth or Mars. The belters' life expectancy is roughly half of that of humans living on Earth.

So that's the backdrop to the story told in 'The Expanse', and it all may seem a little complicated at the start, because the plot unfolds through several separate story lines. The key parts of the story are told through the eyes of three different protagonists: a high ranking U.N. official on Earth named Avasarala (played by Shohreh Aghdashloo); a cynical belter police detective named Miller (Thomas Jane) whose story starts on Ceres; and a young executive officer named Holden (Steven Strait) working on an ice freighter in space. Although those three don't know it (yet), their stories are connected - and that's all I'm gonna say about the plot, because this show deserves to be watched unspoiled.

Featuring visual and narrative elements that reminded me of almost every sci-fi film I ever loved - 'Alien', 'Outland', 'Serenity', 'Blade Runner' and many more - this is an R-rated space opera no sci-fi fan should miss. And although it probably can't compete with 175 million costing blockbusters like the new 'Star Trek' movies in terms of visual effects, 'The Expanse' looks fantastic. Given the insane amount of effects work involved, it must have been a very expensive affair for SyFy (who ordered the series from production companies Alcon Television and The Sean Daniel Company), and although I doubt they were able to afford the kind of budget HBO usually spends on shows like 'Game of Thrones' or 'Westworld', in terms of scope and complexity, this new SyFy show easily matches HBO's flagships (it appears Syfy is trying to get rid of its reputation as "shlock-channel").

The storytelling is meticulous and perfectly paced; the world-building richly detailed and always credible, and the patient viewer who doesn't demand everything be explained within the first episodes is rewarded with a thrilling, mysterious tale of adventure and discovery. The cast is terrific (especially Thomas Jane who seems to fit his character like a glove) and the writing manages the astounding feat to elegantly lead us through a very complex world and complicated story without ever feeling forced or weighed down by expository dialogue. Showrunners/writers Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (known for their Oscar nominated work on the screenplay for 'Children of Men') really have done a fine job bringing the series of novels by James S. A. Corey (aka Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) to life. Highly recommended to every sci- fi fan: 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

The Expanse is not an easy series to start. The first couple of episodes are slower because there are a lot of world building to do and character to present. That can threw off a lot of people, but if you keep watching, the series shows everything one can hope in a Sci-fi and space opera series. I also realized that the first slowest episodes are much better in a re watch when you know the characters and what is going on.

The first season is a more paused space opera, but in the 2nd season the brakes are off, the stakes are higher and its being an even more awesome show. The 5th chapter of 2nd season "Home" is one of the best chapters in the history of sci-fi without a doubt.

The series follow several mayor characters across the solar system:

Miller, a burn out cop searching for a missing girl in Ceres in the asteroid belt, Avasarala, a ruthless Earther politician who wants to stop a possible war between Earth and Mars, Holden, the 2nd officer in an Ice hauler who sees himself in a situation he never saw coming...

Later more characters join the plot with the same level of importance like Bobbie the Martian Marine, Fred Johnson, Tycho station head project and one of the OPA leaders and a lot of other complex characters.

The plot and characters at first feel disconnected and random, but when the series develops, you realize they they fit incredibly well.

The special effects are top notch with some incredible gorgeous shots, and and incredible attention to detail. That shows in how smartly they use real physics in a way that is almost a character and plot in itself.

The acting is great for the most part. Specially Thomas Jane, who simply nails it in a way that makes Miller one of the most compelling and charismatic characters in TV in a long time.

So to summarize:

• Great plot

• Great Characters

• Stuning Special Effects

• Great use of real physics

• Hard to follow at the beginning, but with a great payoff later

• Great re watch value

• The series is gonna be a CULT SERIES, mark my words-

Starts a little slow but builds a whole believable universe. And WHAT a universe it is. Rarely does one come across characters and worlds with so much depth. Cannot recommend this show enough.

The Expanse is a sci-fi series that takes place hundreds of years in the future where humanity has colonized the solar system and where Mars has become an independent military power. Tensions between Earth and Mars have put them at the brink of war. It follows a space ship and it's crew as the race through the solar system exposing one of the greatest conspiracy theories in human history. I never watched this show while it was on cable but finally started watching it once Amazon Prime Video picked it up. I just heard so many great things about it and how it was one the best sci-fi shows ever created. I'm glad I finally gave in and watched it because I couldn't agree more...this is one of the better sci-fi shows I've ever seen! I'm so glad Amazon picked it up and continued the show. It got even better at Amazon because they gave them a bigger budget. It just finished the last season and ended on a great note. People are talking about a follow up movie so maybe there's still more to come. We can only hope!

Enthralling series: intelligent, intriguing and action-packed. 9/10

(Updated after Season 6).

Hundreds of years into the future, Earth has colonised Mars but Mars is now independent, and the two planets are in a constant state of distrust and unease. Caught between these two are the people of the asteroid belt and outer planets. James Holden, the executive officer of a freighter witnesses his ship, being destroyed by what appears to be a Martian warship. This heightens the tensions between Earth and Mars and sets Holden and his remaining crew on a quest across the galaxy to find the truth behind the incident. Meanwhile, on Ceres in the Asteroid Belt, a police detective is searching for the daughter of the wealthiest man in the galaxy. These are all parts of a conspiracy that that will threaten life in the Solar System.

Brilliant. I am not a huge fan of sci fi series (Firefly was the notable exception): they tend to rely too much on gimmicky inventions and faux science, at the expense of plot. The Expanse is different: the science and future history are incredibly believable. I'm no physicist but I found it difficult to fault the physics and technology involved. More than that, the futuristic nature of the series provides the background, not the story, so the series does not rely on it.

What the series does rely on is plot, and it is a great one. Starts out pretty slowly, so doesn't immediately pull you in, but after three episodes or so it is off to the races. The seemingly-parallel stories start to intersect, things start to make more sense (though, thankfully, not so much that the mystery disappears), the characters become more interesting and the action ramps up.

The story is then intelligently developed over the following seasons. Despite the many twists and turns, the plot remains solid, with no twists for twists sake and everything fits together very well. Even when one mystery is solved, another emerges to take its place, without feeling gratuitous.

Quite grittily told too: no characters are unexpendable, making the plot quite unpredictable.

Superb special effects and action scenes. The CGI is absolutely seamless and realistic, without being too ostentatious. Like the science, the CGI is the medium, not the message.

Performances are where the series does feel a bit lacking. The main characters - the crew of the Rocinante - are reasonably well played, though there are no stand-out performances. Some of the lesser characters are quite badly played though, with the worst culprits being Shohreh Aghdashloo as Chrisjen Avasarala and Shawn Doyle as Sadavir Enright. Any scene they were in made me cringe, with Aghdashloo being particularly irritating. She wasn't helped by her character being pretty badly drawn, with the worst dialogue and most grating mannerisms of any character in the series. The two factors - the character and her performance - just compounded each other.

The lack of character depth is a general weakness in the show too. The series is about the intrigue and action, much more than the people and their relationships, making character engagement less than complete (unlike Firefly, which was highly engaging because of the characters and their interactions).

This is a minor flaw though, as the plot and its roller-coaster momentum propel the show.

Amazingly, after five seasons, the series managed to get better. Most shows would be running out of ideas at that point but The Expanse managed to stay fresh and innovative. Season 5 is actually the best season of the lot, which says a lot. The show moves from our heroes vs weird science to a good old fashioned good guys vs bad guys war.

After the brilliance of S5 I was expecting great things from Season 6. Everything was set up for a great, climactic finale. While it isn't bad, S6 feels padded and unfocussed, like the writers didn't know to end it and/or didn't have enough material for a complete season.

Best evidence of this is the girl with dead bird sub-plot that takes up the first 5-10 minutes of every episode. This was totally pointless and was just there to take up space.

Even when things get wrapped up it's sometimes in clumsy fashion: tight situations that get resolved by some out-of-the-blue force or a technology that nobody knew existed before. Between the slow, meaningless girl with dead bird sub-plot and the action scenes that sometimes get resolved in quick, out-of-the-blue fashion, the pacing is jarring in its inconsistency. The writing in S6 is definitely looser than the rest of the series making S6 the weakest of all the seasons.

Season ratings: S1-4 9/10, S5 10/10, S6 7/10.