There was plenty of tension on the previous episode of The Expanse. The rest of the Rocinante aren’t too happy that Holden disarmed the nuke that could have taken out Marco and end the war. Speaking of which, the elder Inaros is facing resistance from various sides including the EMC, Camina Drummer, and even from his own son. However, sometimes when someone like Marco is backed into a corner, that is when he is most dangerous.
“Why We Fight” serves as set up for the finale. It brings all the good guys together at Ceres where they form an uneasy alliance between members of the different human factions to take on the Free Navy. In addition, the MCR proceed with their attack on Medina and we receive a preview of the odds the heroes will be facing with the type of weaponry the station is outfitted with. With any luck, it will build to an epic showdown worthy of a last episode.
There are some fine character moments on the penultimate episode of The Expanse. Amos comes to terms with Holden’s controversial actions and is ready to put it behind him following a poignant speech from Bobbie…and a lot of booze and sex. We also see how Avasarala has evolved along with her view on Belters. She wrestles with acknowledging her past transgressions against the people to now spearheading their relief effort. Though it’s not lost on her the value of gaining some of them as allies. Chrissie has come a long way from when we first met her ruthlessly using the Earth’s gravity to interrogate a Belter.
Elsewhere, Drummer feels more isolated and alone than ever when she must let go of more of her family while also feeling the polarizing effects of her play against Marco. Some consider her a savior true to the people with others viewing her with disgust as an inner sympathizer and lackey. Filip becomes more disillusioned with his father witnessing how Marco’s actions negatively affect crew members on the Pella. The younger Inaros has a good heart trying to help out his former boss and friend but can never do anything right. His well-intentioned gesture results in only more grief and sadness.
The only storyline I worry not paying off in the end on The Expanse, are the events on Laconia. Cara predictably takes her younger brother to the “dogs” for the desired effect. As mentioned before, this plot seems independent of the rest of the series and with one episode left, I fear we may not get it’s tie in to the main narrative in a satisfying way.
There are still other novels in the source material that haven’t been covered and there is a significant time jump in the latter part. Though the series is ending next week, that doesn’t mean the story couldn’t go on. Maybe these openings on Laconia are a backdoor pilot into a new series or film under a different name setting up a final conclusion similar to the books. It’s a long shot but the TV series’ creators have stated there’s always a chance for more. Hopefully this subplot is more than a way to show what happened with the rogue group of Martians and the protomolecule sample.
The penultimate episode sets up the finale while showing how much these characters have developed over the course of the series through intimate moments.
New episodes of The Expanse are released Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.
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