TV: The Expanse Season 4

[Seedtype]

Well at least the new book will be out this month. Just started rereading the last one.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

I've already pre-ordered Tiamats Wrath on audible, can't wait for it.

 

[bigdirty]

Finally got around to watching season 3. I really liked season 1, then season 2 took it to another level. Season 3 however convinced me that this is the best show out there right now. Can't wait for season 4.

Amos just has the absolute best lines in this show. That moment with him and Dr. Strickland... "I am that guy." Just so perfect.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Amos is GOAT! And he's even better in the books!

From what I understand we should be getting some footage soon. Some Amazon eployees on reddit leaked that they got to preview the trailer/teaser and that it will be released soonish.

BTW, if you haven't, f***ing read Tiamats Wrath, it's as good, if not better than Nemesis Games.

 

[NyQuil]

I find it funny that the only crew member in the show who is reminiscent of my vision of them in the books is Alex.

I pictured Amos as a big, bald, scary and scarred dude.

I pictured Naomi as a very tall, lithe Asian woman. (no gravity in space - short Belters are kind of funny)

And I pictured Holden as a little more grizzled and a little less pretty.

Now, they are described that way in the books IIRC but I still find it interesting.

Amos is particularly noteworthy because he's totally different and yet I'm equally invested in his character on the show.

He just has those batshit crazy eyes even when everything else about him is pretty normal.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Amos' looks some what different in the show (less tall, less bald, less barrel chested) but oh boy is he ripped beyond belief. He also keeps all of Amos' traits and personality (or lack there of) which is the important part.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Cas revealed official Expanse merch on facebook the other day. Right now it's limited to apparel, but I can imagine Amazon is ramping up production on other products.

 

[Osprey]

I spent the last few weeks watching the entire series (for the first time) and just finished Season 3. Here are my non-spoiler impressions.

I wasn't a big fan of Season 1. I didn't dig the detective noir plot line and hated the post processing that drained color out of scenes until they almost seemed black and white. I also had to adjust to some of the acting not being as good as I've become accustomed to by premium network shows. The season was OK. I had read that it was the weakest, though, so I kept with it.

Season 2 was a lot better. I liked that it felt less confined and had more action in space, the detective noir was eventually dropped, the picture was a bit more colorful, the drama really picked up and there was a clearer sense of the various factions. I especially loved the second half.

Season 3 was more of the same. I especially loved the first half. There was a big hiccup in the middle, though, when it suddenly jumped ahead many months and people were separated. I suspect that that was the start of a new book. It's a little weird to have that transition in the middle of the season and it took some adjustment. It felt to me like that second half should've been its own whole season. There were a lot of things that just didn't get explained or fleshed out very well, especially with regards to the new characters, like the cameraman and the girl with a grudge. I was left with a lot of questions about their backstories, motivations, capabilities and such. On the plus side, the whole ring idea was very interesting and different, I liked all of the jumping around from ship to ship and, thankfully, the producers seemed to completely abandon the color-draining post processing.

Overall, I like the series. I especially loved the stretch from halfway through Season 2 until halfway through Season 3. Those 10 or so episodes were most enjoyable and really made my binging more than worth it. I'm excited to see how the show benefits from fewer restrictions going forward. Longer episodes will probably make the biggest difference, while a bit less network sanitation might not hurt, either.

BTW, since this show was recommended to me by a few posters in the Star Trek: Discovery thread, I just have to echo that this is the much better show. It's not perfect, but it's far from a mess like Discovery is. It's smart, feels more like a realistic future, feels more expansive (no pun intended), doesn't revolve around one awful character, has zero fan service, doesn't hold viewers' hands and puts the story above everything. It's nice to actually have two good sci-fi shows, The Expanse and The Orville, at the same time, maybe for the first time since the 90s.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

I spent the last few weeks watching the entire series (for the first time) and just finished Season 3. Here are my non-spoiler impressions.

I wasn't a big fan of Season 1. I didn't dig the detective noir sub-plot and hated the post processing that drained color out of scenes until they almost seemed black and white. I also had to adjust to some of the acting not being as good as I've become accustomed to by premium network shows. The season was OK. I had read that it was the weakest, though, so I kept with it.

Season 2 was a lot better. I liked that it felt less confined and had more action in space, the detective noir was eventually dropped, the picture was a bit more colorful, the drama really picked up and there was a clearer sense of the various factions. I especially loved the second half.

Season 3 was more of the same. I especially loved the first half. There was a big hiccup in the middle, though, when it suddenly jumped ahead many months and people are separated. I suspect that that was the start of a new book. It's a little weird to have that transition in the middle of the season and it took some adjustment. It felt to me like that second half of the season should've been an entire season. There were a lot of things that just didn't get explained or fleshed out very well, especially with regards to the new characters, like the blind cameraman and the girl who wanted to kill Holden. I was left with a lot of questions about their backstories, motivations and such. On the plus side, the whole ring idea was very interesting and different, I liked all of the jumping around from ship to ship and, thankfully, the producers seemed to completely abandon the color-draining post processing.

Overall, I like the series. I especially loved the stretch from halfway through Season 2 until halfway through Season 3. Those 10 or so episodes were most enjoyable and really made my binging more than worth it. I'm excited to see how the show benefits from fewer restrictions going forward. Longer episodes will probably make the biggest difference, while a little bit more grittiness, so that the show doesn't seem quite so network-sanitized, might not hurt, either.

BTW, since this show was recommended to me by a few posters in the Star Trek: Discovery thread, I just have to echo that this is the much better show. It's not perfect, but it's far from a mess like Discovery is. It feels more like a realistic future, is more of an ensemble show, feels more expansive (no pun intended), has less irritating characters, has zero fan service and puts the story above everything. I'm glad to have discovered it, so that, along with The Orville, I now have two good shows to get my sci-fi fix.

When season 3 had aired I had only somewhat started reading the books, so I to was completely "wtf" when Melba appeared. The show doesn't hold your hand like a lot of other shows, it treats it's audience like mature, intelligent adults who are patient enough to understand that there is more to come, or that not everything is going to be told via exposition. It also isn't afraid to go balls deep in to real science and be ok with not every one understanding or noticing it.

If you like the series I highly suggest you read the books. They are easily some of the best science fiction I have ever read. Right up there with Rendezvous with Rama, Three Body Problem and other very notable science fiction hall of famers.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

BTW, since this show was recommended to me by a few posters in the Star Trek: Discovery thread, I just have to echo that this is the much better show. It's not perfect, but it's far from a mess like Discovery is. It's smart, feels more like a realistic future, feels more expansive (no pun intended), doesn't revolve around one awful character, has zero fan service, doesn't hold viewers' hands and puts the story above everything. It's nice to actually have two good sci-fi shows, The Expanse and The Orville, at the same time, maybe for the first time since the 90s.

Agreed with your assessment. One can tell that the people who wrote the books behind the show were, at the very least, somewhat influenced by George R.R. Martin's take on speculative fiction. Having fewer restrictions could help elevate the show further, and I'm definitely excited to see where this goes.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Agreed with your assessment. One can tell that the people who wrote the books behind the show were, at the very least, somewhat influenced by George R.R. Martin's take on speculative fiction. Having fewer restrictions could help elevate the show further, and I'm definitely excited to see where this goes.

There's a reason for this, both Ty and Daniel are good friends with George. Ty was his assistant for some time and Daniel assisted him with projects. George admires their work a great deal and has already gone to bat for the TV show.

 

[RandV]

I spent the last few weeks watching the entire series (for the first time) and just finished Season 3. Here are my non-spoiler impressions.

I wasn't a big fan of Season 1. I didn't dig the detective noir plot line and hated the post processing that drained color out of scenes until they almost seemed black and white. I also had to adjust to some of the acting not being as good as I've become accustomed to by premium network shows. The season was OK. I had read that it was the weakest, though, so I kept with it.

.....

Season 3 was more of the same. I especially loved the first half. There was a big hiccup in the middle, though, when it suddenly jumped ahead many months and people were separated. I suspect that that was the start of a new book. It's a little weird to have that transition in the middle of the season and it took some adjustment. It felt to me like that second half should've been its own whole season. There were a lot of things that just didn't get explained or fleshed out very well, especially with regards to the new characters, like the cameraman and the girl with a grudge. I was left with a lot of questions about their backstories, motivations, capabilities and such. On the plus side, the whole ring idea was very interesting and different, I liked all of the jumping around from ship to ship and, thankfully, the producers seemed to completely abandon the color-draining post processing.

Just an aside but it's interesting seeing the different perspectives people can have and how it effects your view. I don't generally notice the technical film making stuff, like this colour training or a higher caliber of acting. On the other hand I am extremely sharp at picking up on story and plot, or in this case maybe it's just a matter of accepting being patient with it. So the end result gives me a completely different viewing experience in the opening and closing story points through the first 3 seasons.

But yeah I ended up getting Amazon Prime for a shipment a couple months ago and had heard about The Expanse from here so decided to start on it, and damn am I ever glad I did. This is now the show that will fill the Game of Thrones void for me... at least till we see how good they do with The Wheel of Time series. I was actually a bit confused starting though when so many people seem to talk about how you have to be patient and stick through the 1st season because it gets much better after, because I was loving it right from the start.

Really my only complaint in the series is sometimes I find Holden/Straight is a bit too much, especially when you no longer have Miller/Jane to contrast against.

 

[Osprey]

Just an aside but it's interesting seeing the different perspectives people can have and how it effects your view. I don't generally notice the technical film making stuff, like this colour training or a higher caliber of acting. On the other hand I am extremely sharp at picking up on story and plot, or in this case maybe it's just a matter of accepting being patient with it. So the end result gives me a completely different viewing experience in the opening and closing story points through the first 3 seasons.

I think that I'm patient with the story, but, while waiting for it to pick up, I can't help but notice the other aspects. Once it does pick up, I get drawn up into it and am not as aware of the rest. That said, it's harder for me to ignore color processing, since that's just been a big pet peeve of mine ever since Spielberg popularized it in Saving Private Ryan. I'm sure that it bothers most people much less than it does me.

I was actually a bit confused starting though when so many people seem to talk about how you have to be patient and stick through the 1st season because it gets much better after, because I was loving it right from the start.

Well, FWIW, Season 1 still has a 95% audience score at RT. It's not like many people don't like it. It gets better after, but it's not like a huge improvement like from, say, TNG Season 2 to 3.

 

[Osprey]

I had meant to respond to this, but forgot...

The show doesn't hold your hand like a lot of other shows, it treats it's audience like mature, intelligent adults who are patient enough to understand that there is more to come, or that not everything is going to be told via exposition.It also isn't afraid to go balls deep in to real science and be ok with not every one understanding or noticing it.

There's a moment in one of the first episodes of Season 1 that really impressed me. Holden and Nagata are crossing a catwalk in zero gravity and start drifting away from it. Holden immediately latches a cable onto Nagata, then plants his feet into her back and pushes her forward. That, in turn, pushes him backward, toward the catwalk. He's then able to attach his magnetic boots to the catwalk and pull on the cable to bring Nagata back to the catwalk, as well. It's a brilliant use of real physics to solve a problem. Perhaps the best thing about it, though, was that it wasn't explained. There wasn't a bit of dialogue. Just about any other show would've had Holden spell out, "OK, this is what we're going to do," wasting precious seconds, and/or give explanation during or after the maneuver. Instead, Holden did what a real marine would've done, which is take charge and not waste any time explaining it to Nagata, who also didn't need to ask how he did it because she's smart enough to figure it out on her own. The scene just seemed to be done for the sake of realism rather than the sake of the viewer. It's the moment that made me go, "Woah, this is smart science fiction." It had my attention from that point on.

If you like the series I highly suggest you read the books. They are easily some of the best science fiction I have ever read. Right up there with Rendezvous with Rama, Three Body Problem and other very notable science fiction hall of famers.

I'm definitely considering it now. I've heard of Leviathan Wakes and didn't realize until just now that it's the opening novel of the series. I wish that there weren't so many of them, since I'm a slow, infrequent reader, but I suppose that you get a lot more detail and world building that way.

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I am so f***ing glad they are keeping to hard science in this show.
- Niomi working out vigorously before heading to Ilus
- Niomi barely keeping it together, both physically and mentally on Ilus
- Landing via Teakettle
- Heatshield and the Roci's aftermarket landing addon.
- The Roci get's propelled forward/backwards from the keel mounted rail gun
- Vast multitude of heavy breaking burns after entering the atmosphere
- Roci landing an extremely far ways away from the colony to avoid catching it or anyone in it's burn



OMG, this is just pure bliss.

Thank you Amazon for saving this series!

 

[Blender]

I can't wait!

 

[RandV]

Looks amazing! Minor note but I take it Bobbi's doesn't stick with the Roci crew?

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Looks amazing! Minor note but I take it Bobbi's doesn't stick with the Roci crew?

Spoiler

She only shows up in CB at the very end where in which she is taken on by Avalsarala to investigate the presumed Martian diaspora, which of course comes true. I presume in this season she will take on her story line from Gods at Risk and a little bit from NG

 

[Osprey]

I finished the first three seasons just a week ago and was kind of glad that Season 4 is still many months away, at least, since I wanted to decompress. Watching those teasers is getting me hyped, though. Amazon is good at trailers.

 

[Seedtype]

Looks good, nice to see Amazon throwing their weight behind the show.

Book spoilers/speculation

Spoiler

I'm guessing they're ditching a lot of the space stuff that happened in the book, what with Naomi and Alex being on the planet as well.
That's fine, but I hope they still have the rescue of the miner's ship. That part was great in the book.

 

[Jussi]

Ok, can we take the book discussion out of this thread? Because sooner or later the board software is going to be updated again and the spoilers will be visible again or there's going to be some malfunction BECAUSE THERE ALWAYS IS ON THIS SITE!

 

[RobBrown4PM]

New trailer dropped!



AND!

‘The Expanse’ Renewed for Season 5 at Amazon

It also looks like Amazon continues to spell Ilus wrong!

 

[SJSharksfan39]

Getting so excited for Season 4. I was thinking about rewatching the third season, but now because of the Hype I might just rewatch all of it. It's been a year since I saw them all together. Also, it might made the tonal shift of season 3 go down a little easier than it did when I watched it originally.

 

[Osprey]

AND!

‘The Expanse’ Renewed for Season 5 at Amazon

Wow, that's unexpected and exciting news. Now, we don't have to worry that it'll be one and done at Amazon and can enjoy Season 4 as much as possible, without uncertainty over the show's future in the back of our heads. Also, it could be an indication that we'll be getting a two-season story arc rather than a Season 4 that has to rush to wrap every loose end up because the showrunners aren't sure of the show's future. Finally, it likely means that we won't have to wait so long for Season 5, since they can start production on it a lot earlier. Production on Season 4 started last Fall, so this news could mean a start on production of Season 5 this Fall and a premiere only a year after Season 4's (rather than the 1.5 years that is becoming typical of these high budget shows).

 

[RobBrown4PM]

Wow, that's unexpected and exciting news. Now, we don't have to worry that it'll be one and done at Amazon and can enjoy Season 4 as much as possible, without uncertainty over the show's future in the back of our heads. Also, it could be an indication that we'll be getting a two-season story arc rather than a Season 4 that has to rush to wrap every loose end up because the showrunners aren't sure of the show's future. Finally, it likely means that we won't have to wait so long for Season 5, since they can start production on it a lot earlier. Production on Season 4 started last Fall, so this news could mean a start on production of Season 5 this Fall and a premiere only a year after Season 4's (rather than the 1.5 years that is becoming typical of these high budget shows).

It helps to have the richest person in the world being not only the exclusive host of the series, but also one of it's biggest fans