SyFy The Expanse

[Skel]

Spoiler

We'll see - I'm not so certain he'll escape. While she was the first, the PM still went after all other living hosts. Oh, and then there's the fact that the rock just slammed into Venus. I expect that's definitely not the end of the story for either Julie or Miller, but the PM will have had to protect them in some capacity. Either a physical protection method as Miller is still an organic creature, or it protects his consciousness along with Julie's. Very excited to see what happens though, and while I'll be sad if this were to mean the end of the their characters, I don't expect that, and even if that happens the characters were very interesting and the rest of the show is still incredible.

In a way, always wondered how long a name like Thomas Jane would stay attached to a running TV show. I mean, he did do 3 seasons for the show Hung, so it's possible he could stay for the long term if his character were to, but I haven't a clue how long his character lives in the show's material. I both wish I did and am glad I do not... but I will start reading the book series after this season ends.

I'm not sure spoilers are needed at this point.. To the post.. I'm not sure Hung really counts as a show as it was on HBO and they normally get higher talent than say NBC. I am surprised that he was on this show as it didn't really feel like his type of stuff based upon his work record. I'm glad he's done it though as I've enjoyed it. I wasn't the biggest fan of this last episode. I felt that the ending did drag out a bit. I'm also not so keen on the 'did he, or didn't he' ending as we just did a close call last week. Starting to grind itself a bit. I'm sure this will pick up with Mars looking to finally enter the fray with boots on the ground.. sadly I've said this before only to have them almost do something.. here's hoping

 

[destrekor]

I'm not sure spoilers are needed at this point.. To the post.. I'm not sure Hung really counts as a show as it was on HBO and they normally get higher talent than say NBC. I am surprised that he was on this show as it didn't really feel like his type of stuff based upon his work record. I'm glad he's done it though as I've enjoyed it. I wasn't the biggest fan of this last episode. I felt that the ending did drag out a bit. I'm also not so keen on the 'did he, or didn't he' ending as we just did a close call last week. Starting to grind itself a bit. I'm sure this will pick up with Mars looking to finally enter the fray with boots on the ground.. sadly I've said this before only to have them almost do something.. here's hoping

Probably right on the spoiler bit.

I'm really surprised this thread doesn't get significant activity. It's a damn fine show. Hopefully as the seasons progress more and more fall in love with it, because I absolutely feel it is worthy of the larger viewing numbers that other big shows get.

Now, as for the discussion: I'd say Hung does count, because it's still a Cable TV show (Premium cable, but Cable nonetheless). Now, obviously HBO and the like have the money to support higher compensation for the bigger names, but big names do broadcast TV all the time, and while SyFy may be Cable but it's still partly in the Broadcast TV realm due to the way NBC operates. SyFy more often than not gets fewer viewers and big name actors for their less stellar hits, but the big shows, I think NBC does what it can to attract good actors for the shows they think are worth it. And some actors, in general, do just prefer having a single commitment and sticking to a show for awhile, it allows them to "settle down" instead of having to travel constantly. Plenty of big names on broadcast TV, let alone cable. And for long-term too. Or, on the equivalent these days, big names in series on streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

And yeah, I can understand the annoyance with the ending after last week's ending, but in a way this is just classic TV, especially classic serialized media. I'm sure the book chapters were similar, and you still find it in even streaming shows meant to be binged. It's becoming a little more common in these types of shows because it is known that some are going to binge it instead of watching it week to week. And either way, it gets me to make sure I tune in next week. lol

Everyone looks at TV a little differently. Myself, I don't see any grind, I haven't thought it existed in this show one bit. But it's not for everybody. There are definitely shows that grind on and on, and it takes some effort to feel ready to get caught up or watch that next episode. Like, ugh... do I have to? Can we skip to the good part? But honestly, I haven't thought that ONCE in this show. I've been excited at every turn, every plot element. I love the slow-calculating political elements - it's not a big action show. Remember Battlestar Galactica. Yes, these shows have plenty of action, but it's the slow, calculated elements that really drive the show. The political intrigue, the character drama, etc. Honestly, this is classic space opera. I sort of hate that label, but it can be used accurately and fairly to characterize the tone.

It's kind of hard for me to watch it week to week - I really just want to binge it. But knowing it's on, and it's a show on which I'm already hooked, I can't stop now. The shows that really grab me, if I catch them while still on TV I do that with. The actual cable-type shows I binge are the ones I either DVRd forever and just hadn't felt like catching up on yet (so, good shows but not terribly addicting), or shows I found out about or piqued my interest after they finished the series, or found I'd be into them after they've already had a few seasons. For the latter, I binge to get caught up and then watch the rest as they air. Others yet I like but tend to not watch week to week, so I get a few episodes piled up in the DVR and then watch a couple here and there, sometimes catching up, sometimes not.

 

[Skel]

Probably right on the spoiler bit.

I'm really surprised this thread doesn't get significant activity. It's a damn fine show. Hopefully as the seasons progress more and more fall in love with it, because I absolutely feel it is worthy of the larger viewing numbers that other big shows get.

I don't disagree.. This is still one of my fav shows on currently and everyone I know watches it and loves it. I don't think it's GoT in space, but it's def some of the best stuff out there right now

Now, as for the discussion: I'd say Hung does count, because it's still a Cable TV show (Premium cable, but Cable nonetheless). Now, obviously HBO and the like have the money to support higher compensation for the bigger names, but big names do broadcast TV all the time, and while SyFy may be Cable but it's still partly in the Broadcast TV realm due to the way NBC operates. SyFy more often than not gets fewer viewers and big name actors for their less stellar hits, but the big shows, I think NBC does what it can to attract good actors for the shows they think are worth it. And some actors, in general, do just prefer having a single commitment and sticking to a show for awhile, it allows them to "settle down" instead of having to travel constantly. Plenty of big names on broadcast TV, let alone cable. And for long-term too. Or, on the equivalent these days, big names in series on streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

Fair enough..

And yeah, I can understand the annoyance with the ending after last week's ending, but in a way this is just classic TV, especially classic serialized media. I'm sure the book chapters were similar, and you still find it in even streaming shows meant to be binged. It's becoming a little more common in these types of shows because it is known that some are going to binge it instead of watching it week to week. And either way, it gets me to make sure I tune in next week. lol

Everyone looks at TV a little differently. Myself, I don't see any grind, I haven't thought it existed in this show one bit. But it's not for everybody. There are definitely shows that grind on and on, and it takes some effort to feel ready to get caught up or watch that next episode. Like, ugh... do I have to? Can we skip to the good part? But honestly, I haven't thought that ONCE in this show. I've been excited at every turn, every plot element. I love the slow-calculating political elements - it's not a big action show. Remember Battlestar Galactica. Yes, these shows have plenty of action, but it's the slow, calculated elements that really drive the show. The political intrigue, the character drama, etc. Honestly, this is classic space opera. I sort of hate that label, but it can be used accurately and fairly to characterize the tone.

It's kind of hard for me to watch it week to week - I really just want to binge it. But knowing it's on, and it's a show on which I'm already hooked, I can't stop now. The shows that really grab me, if I catch them while still on TV I do that with. The actual cable-type shows I binge are the ones I either DVRd forever and just hadn't felt like catching up on yet (so, good shows but not terribly addicting), or shows I found out about or piqued my interest after they finished the series, or found I'd be into them after they've already had a few seasons. For the latter, I binge to get caught up and then watch the rest as they air. Others yet I like but tend to not watch week to week, so I get a few episodes piled up in the DVR and then watch a couple here and there, sometimes catching up, sometimes not.

The grind for me is they're starting to repeat themselves more and more. The proto is a problem, let's destroy it, oh no something happened.. fred isn't trusted but we need to trust him.. someone almost dies, but doesn't.. I get it's standard TV.. but that's part of the problem for me. The show started strong (that scene in zero g where the guy loses his head was brilliant) I can't help but feel that it worked better when they had a few different storylines going at one time. Now that everyone's together, it's just starting to run around the track. I'm hoping this is just a quick dip in the story, and it'll pick up. It's still good TV, but not as good as it started.

 

[Charmonium]

Good point about the crash on Venus but the PM has shown that the normal laws of physics don't necessarily apply so I have hope for Miller. I fully expect to see a terraformed Venus by the next season with Miller and Julie sipping PM Mai Tai's on the shores of a vodka and curacao ocean.

And I never really felt that the show dragged. OK, towards the beginning it was a little slow but I still felt engaged and was mostly interested. They could have moved things along a little better but it did have the benefit of building the mystery and suspense. That paid off later. But the back half of the season, superb. If you were to binge watch it, it would be one of those situations where you'd start watching at 6pm and the next thing you know the sun is coming up and you're wondering where the time went.

 

[destrekor]

Good point about the crash on Venus but the PM has shown that the normal laws of physics don't necessarily apply so I have hope for Miller. I fully expect to see a terraformed Venus by the next season with Miller and Julie sipping PM Mai Tai's on the shores of a vodka and curacao ocean.

This is beautiful.
I personally expect we'll be seeing more of him, but this is an opportunity for the show to make a decision. They weaved in the PM's potential, so we are prepared for a psych-out and almost expect it, but they could offer a shocker by way of letting the result be of our natural inclination, that surely it killed him. But then again, we must acknowledge the nature of the PM, in that it surely survived, it seems to be too strong to go out in such a way. Maybe crashing into the Sun would be a definitive end, but not a mere rocky planet. It probably welcomes such a thing, as most likely, it would have fought any effort to get it to steer itself into the Sun. But who knows, maybe it could create a Proto-molecule Sun, glowing the bluest of blues and beaming its molecular seed throughout the solar system. In this story universe, that feels within the realm of possible.

And I never really felt that the show dragged. OK, towards the beginning it was a little slow but I still felt engaged and was mostly interested. They could have moved things along a little better but it did have the benefit of building the mystery and suspense. That paid off later. But the back half of the season, superb. If you were to binge watch it, it would be one of those situations where you'd start watching at 6pm and the next thing you know the sun is coming up and you're wondering where the time went.

Agreed. I think there are fair criticisms of this show, as no show is absolutely perfect, but I personally either don't see them or they don't bother me in the long run. Media like books and TV rarely avoid the use of at least a few tropes. In many ways, these tropes are so ingrained in our mind -- where some are even actually part of our natural instinct, to need a hero and/or antihero for instance -- we often cannot even acknowledge them as they feel natural, part and parcel with the nature of storytelling. And for many of the ones we do notice, they are nearly required in many stories. Some weaved in better than others, but in general, it's almost like Creative Writing 301. We wouldn't notice it in our intro class, but in our latter years we would notice them, and be deft in their integration.

 

[Skel]

The Expanse site has some vids that have major spoilers (ish..) on if Miller is gone or not.

Spoiler

Seems he's gone as the videos are about saying goodbye to Thomas Jane

 

[Elixer]

Space Marines!

I need that next episode NOW! Don't leave me hanging!

 

[Newbian]

So were the aliens / converted humans or whatever it was taking control of the ships to start a fight as the captain seemed to not had ordered the ship to fire?

 

[ctbaars]

And Why did the MCR ship go to Ganymede anyway?
Great show but the plot seems to move faster than my mind sometimes.

 

[Skel]

So were the aliens / converted humans or whatever it was taking control of the ships to start a fight as the captain seemed to not had ordered the ship to fire?

Not sure I understand the question..

my understanding is the PM people were the ones that fired upon Mars. The Mars' captain didn't really seem to get the chance to fire/he froze up and didn't give the order. Not sure if the PM people want Mars and Earth at war, or if they were doing something else and it just happens to feed into war.. my guess based upon the show is they want Earth and Mars at war as that's been a driving story line.Did that answer the question?

 

[Newbian]

Not sure I understand the question..

my understanding is the PM people were the ones that fired upon Mars. The Mars' captain didn't really seem to get the chance to fire/he froze up and didn't give the order. Not sure if the PM people want Mars and Earth at war, or if they were doing something else and it just happens to feed into war.. my guess based upon the show is they want Earth and Mars at war as that's been a driving story line.Did that answer the question?

The problem is the space battle was hard to follow as we really don't see who was on what side and all we saw was 2 ships on one side and a ship and some kind of orbital platform on another just start shooting one another.

I thought maybe the alien stuff started it by taking over a ship and firing somehow but we don't know what caused it at this time.

 

[destrekor]

Was teh Nauvoo trashed? It was launched and sent off but never hit the target. If anything it's possible to recover the ship and put it back in dock. Wouldn't save anyone from the Mormons from getting pissed, but I don't think it's beyond repair... unless I missed something, which is always possible these days.

[Removed spoiler tags - no point anymore lol]

I wanted to revisit this, because it seems like we still haven't been shown officially whether this is the case or not.

I did read somewhere that the reason they had to use the tugs to orient the ship before launching it, is because the maneuvering thrusters were not operational yet. So the Nauvoo was simply a big ass ship with a missile with a bullet trajectory (a missile with engines that didn't have any gimbals).

Without the ability to maneuver, there's no way for the ship to make a new course.

I don't know if this is true or not but I suspect it is. I skipped around a few past episodes to see if I can find a character saying this, but I think it must have been either at the very beginning of the season, or in some conversation in the first season. However, it does appear to be confirmed that it was remotely controlled.

And I rewatched the Nauvoo launch sequence again. It's really quite breathtaking. The mission control aspect is amazing, I loved listening to it go on, as it sounded like real-life mission control audio. Oh, and this show is still amazing with the scientific accuracy. There was a moment in the launch sequence that sees one of the gantries glowing because it was being heated up by the exhaust, then it starts cooling down. Technically it started losing its incandescence too fast, but I guess that was intentional, so as to allow viewers to see what was actually happening (it heated up and then cooled down). So they knew the science but had a real reason to consider fudging it a little. As opposed to just ignoring the science and doing whatever they wanted. In TV and movies, even with the scientific accuracy in mind, you still need to dial it back sometimes for the sake of story/plot. Especially awesome here is one of the most obvious cases of inaccuracy wasn't plot crucial, whereas they otherwise try to keep real science driving some plot points.

 

[ringtail]

Seems the show is returning on Feb 1st. For those that missed it last season, here's recap of season one... with cats!

link

SciFi me, I just couldn't get into it because it's JUST SO FRIGGIN' PANDERING AFTER THE NEGRO thing. It's really all about that.

 

[destrekor]

SciFi me, I just couldn't get into it because it's JUST SO FRIGGIN' PANDERING AFTER THE NEGRO thing. It's really all about that.

wut

 

[jhansman]

I'm just about done with S2, and really enjoyed it so far. I don't always understand what's happening at a given moment, but that's OK, so long as the general plot is clear. Never was a Trekkie or fan of any of the other space dramas that have come and gone, so this is my first time sticking with one. Great visuals, good acting, excellent character array. Looking forward to SE3. Hoping that Miller didn't eat it and shows up in the next season via the magic of science and imaginative writers.

 

[Skel]

SciFi me, I just couldn't get into it because it's JUST SO FRIGGIN' PANDERING AFTER THE NEGRO thing. It's really all about that.

 

[Skel]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but season 3 is happening.

 

[JEDI]

read the plots of all the episodes.

the asteroid Eros was made maneuverable and no one noticed?
plus someone added a cloak so it couldn't be shot down when it was sent to crash into Earth?!

if the rest of the show is as non-sensible as this sub-plot, i'll skip.
or was the plot summary inaccurate?

 

[destrekor]

read the plots of all the episodes.

the asteroid Eros was made maneuverable and no one noticed?
plus someone added a cloak so it couldn't be shot down when it was sent to crash into Earth?!

if the rest of the show is as non-sensible as this sub-plot, i'll skip.
or was the plot summary inaccurate?

It's not nearly that simple. Without context, yeah it's a mess, but with context, it's great!

 

[MaxDepth]

After The Expanse, Syfy needs to start work on The Gap Cycle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gap_Cycle

 

[Malogeek]

The Expanse is like a TV version of a Peter Hamilton epic. I'd loev to see the Commonwealth on a show.

 

[Malogeek]

Last episode was great. Shohreh was fantastic during the Earth/NCRN meet, she put everyone in their place lol

 

[Fenixgoon]

holy shit this week's episode was amazing.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I just wish there were more than 13 episodes in a season.

 

[destrekor]

I just wish there were more than 13 episodes in a season.

Yes, this so much.

But I'm glad they don't, because there would be filler. They're trying to stick to the plots in the books, even if out of order at times.

But hopefully this doesn't end up like Game of Thrones, where it gets ahead of the books. It seems at least that the co-authors are writing at a faster pace and look to keep well ahead of the show.