The Expanse shows the dangers of treating extremism as a joke Salon 2/4/2021 The Expanse Amazon Studios The following contains
spoilers from the Season 5 finale of The Expanse.
Events depicted in Amazon s The Expanse, which just wrapped its fifth season, take place two centuries in the future when humankind has colonized Mars and cultivated a downtrodden working class in the asteroid belts between Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Apparently no amount of time diminishes the solid charms of a classic joke setup, because early on in the season an Earth admiral attempts to lighten a deposed politician s dark mood by telling his version of the classic A, B and C walk into a bar . . .
What The Expanse Learned from Game of Thrones
The Expanse launched in 2015, it was heavily sold as “
That comparison makes sense, particularly in the world of “peak TV” where it’s easier to sell a new concept as some “[x] meets [y]” combination of recognizable and marketable brand elements. Given that so much of modern television production has been defined by the search for “the next
Game of Thrones,” that comparison is an appealing one. However, it also provides an interesting lens through which to examine
The Expanse. What makes it similar to
Game of Thrones? What makes it different?
One of the standout characters of The Expanse's fifth season is Amos Burton, who returns to Earth to face his past and must then confront an uncertain future, too. We talked to actor Wes Chatham about the relationships that helped shape Amos' journey.
‘The Expanse : How That Amos Shower Scene Defied Expectations With ‘Power of Editing’
“That scene is not about him killing, kicking some dudes’ asses. It was about what’s going on in his head,” showrunner Naren Shankar tells TheWrapRoss A. Lincoln | December 16, 2020 @ 5:01 PM Last Updated: December 16, 2020 @ 5:48 PM
Amazon Prime/The Expanse
After a
relatively calm fourth season, “The Expanse” returned with a bang Wednesday via the first three episodes of Season 5 and with it a major storyline, plus a lot of personal growth, for Amos Burton (Wes Chatham).
As things kick off, the crew of the Rocinante have (temporarily) split up, with Holden on Tycho station while Alex, Naomi and Amos travel through the system to deal with various personal business. In Amos’ case, he’s headed back to Earth for the first time in decades after learning that Lydia, the woman who raised him in Baltimore, has died.
When recommending
The Expanse, I often highlight its rare ability to improve with every season. The show is now five for five, with the new season delivering more nail-biting action and a shift in the balance between Earth (the old political superpower), Mars (the upstart military colony), and the asteroid belt, which is home to a hardscrabble diaspora of miners, criminals, and spacefaring separatists. While the stakes were always high, they were high in the way of a blockbuster apocalypse: we don’t necessarily care about the body count or the size of the explosion. In season 5, those stakes finally feel earned. Without going into spoilers, the introductory episodes pack a serious punch, tying a massive interplanetary event into some deeply personal storylines.