Naomi makes a desperate attempt to save her son from Marco. On the Roci, Holden battles for the last sample of protomolecule.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of Amazon's The Expanse.
"Oyedeng" was written by Dan Nowak and directed by Marisol Adler
The scars of the past have proven lasting damage on so many players who are now deciding the fate of the entire universe. Naomi worries that her son has become just like Marco because that is the only influence he has ever known in his life. She feels trapped on this ship. However, she strives to reach out and connect with Filip. She can offer a different perspective. She can show how there is more than one way to be seen as strong in this world. Marco leads through arrogance and intimidation. He is an abuser of everyone around him. Naomi was trapped in that torturous cycle for a long time. Her dreams and desires became one with his. She lost her entire identity because he demanded that of her. If she stepped out of line, he targeted her as having a lack of love for the family they created and the cause they were fighting for. Naomi has so much love and empathy though. Some of her heroism across the system is known. Filip can read about it. Naomi can share her stories as well. Her impact is so much more vast than that though because of her personal capacity of taking the necessary actions to save lives and establish peace. It's still easy to yearn for the past. Naomi reminisces about it. However, the people involved have changed since that time. Marco has much more influence. He has the resources to radically change the power structure of the world. He is a terrorist with crowds cheering him on. It's despicable. He uses his son as a weapon. Filip is a way to further inflict damage on Naomi. It has to be done in his way though. He can't allow Filip to have an original thought that is solely his own. It has to fall in line directly with what Marco hopes to achieve. He blames his son for the disruptions to his plans so far. It's all an extension of having Naomi on the ship once more. These personal emotions are revealing new dynamics of their personalities. Filip wishes to understand the mother he never had. Marco still wants to blame and demean Naomi for failing to make the choice that he saw as the only viable option all those years ago. She made peace with that decision. She learned how to live with it. It wasn't good enough for her. She still struggled. She has found a new family and cause worth fighting for. She has emerged in her life with an empowered identity and a willingness to help. People look at her now and believe she will react the same way that she did many years ago. That isn't true. Cyn views her with sympathy and a willingness to help. He feels that he has failed her. He has spent a lifetime paying for that. And yet, he still lacks the courage to actually take any actions to make things better. He is still a loyal follower of Marco's. He still falls in line with whatever this menacing presence demands. Cyn believing he knows what's best for Naomi dooms him. He thinks he sees the disaster coming. Instead, she is taking bold action to save her family from certain destruction. She won't allow herself to be used as bait to lure the Rocinante into a trap. Her strength is just as remarkable. The skills of the Rocinante crew are always proudly on display. They take the bold actions necessary to maintain some peace in the world. They are still stubborn and prone to mistakes. Holden wants to destroy the protomolecule while also saving Naomi. He can't do both though. The pieces of the story this season are starting to come together in explosive ways. They are still quite far apart though. Naomi's pursuit of freedom is within her reach. She escaped Marco's world once. It was the most difficult decision she has ever made in her life. Doing so again is even more perilous. It's risky for her to make that final jump. She survives though. She can't walk away from this looming conflict. She still hopes to save Filip. This action may further show how strong her resolve has grown. She shows him a better way to stand firm in life. It comes from acknowledging the pain and lost of the past. That's necessary in order to move forward. It also requires better actions to be made now to ensure the same mistakes aren't repeated. Naomi is leaving her son behind with Marco once more. She hopes to save the Rocinante crew. That means something to her. It's a daunting fight at the moment. She is up for the task. She will face it head on. That's the person she has become. She is inspiring in that way while never trying to cover up her imperfections along the way. The people who reckon with what kind of leaders they want to be have much more integrity and perspective than those who demand power and respect in order to legitimize the delusions they desperately hold onto. All of those influences are extreme and persuasive though which leads to a heightened cost to this conflict as well.
The scars of the past have proven lasting damage on so many players who are now deciding the fate of the entire universe. Naomi worries that her son has become just like Marco because that is the only influence he has ever known in his life. She feels trapped on this ship. However, she strives to reach out and connect with Filip. She can offer a different perspective. She can show how there is more than one way to be seen as strong in this world. Marco leads through arrogance and intimidation. He is an abuser of everyone around him. Naomi was trapped in that torturous cycle for a long time. Her dreams and desires became one with his. She lost her entire identity because he demanded that of her. If she stepped out of line, he targeted her as having a lack of love for the family they created and the cause they were fighting for. Naomi has so much love and empathy though. Some of her heroism across the system is known. Filip can read about it. Naomi can share her stories as well. Her impact is so much more vast than that though because of her personal capacity of taking the necessary actions to save lives and establish peace. It's still easy to yearn for the past. Naomi reminisces about it. However, the people involved have changed since that time. Marco has much more influence. He has the resources to radically change the power structure of the world. He is a terrorist with crowds cheering him on. It's despicable. He uses his son as a weapon. Filip is a way to further inflict damage on Naomi. It has to be done in his way though. He can't allow Filip to have an original thought that is solely his own. It has to fall in line directly with what Marco hopes to achieve. He blames his son for the disruptions to his plans so far. It's all an extension of having Naomi on the ship once more. These personal emotions are revealing new dynamics of their personalities. Filip wishes to understand the mother he never had. Marco still wants to blame and demean Naomi for failing to make the choice that he saw as the only viable option all those years ago. She made peace with that decision. She learned how to live with it. It wasn't good enough for her. She still struggled. She has found a new family and cause worth fighting for. She has emerged in her life with an empowered identity and a willingness to help. People look at her now and believe she will react the same way that she did many years ago. That isn't true. Cyn views her with sympathy and a willingness to help. He feels that he has failed her. He has spent a lifetime paying for that. And yet, he still lacks the courage to actually take any actions to make things better. He is still a loyal follower of Marco's. He still falls in line with whatever this menacing presence demands. Cyn believing he knows what's best for Naomi dooms him. He thinks he sees the disaster coming. Instead, she is taking bold action to save her family from certain destruction. She won't allow herself to be used as bait to lure the Rocinante into a trap. Her strength is just as remarkable. The skills of the Rocinante crew are always proudly on display. They take the bold actions necessary to maintain some peace in the world. They are still stubborn and prone to mistakes. Holden wants to destroy the protomolecule while also saving Naomi. He can't do both though. The pieces of the story this season are starting to come together in explosive ways. They are still quite far apart though. Naomi's pursuit of freedom is within her reach. She escaped Marco's world once. It was the most difficult decision she has ever made in her life. Doing so again is even more perilous. It's risky for her to make that final jump. She survives though. She can't walk away from this looming conflict. She still hopes to save Filip. This action may further show how strong her resolve has grown. She shows him a better way to stand firm in life. It comes from acknowledging the pain and lost of the past. That's necessary in order to move forward. It also requires better actions to be made now to ensure the same mistakes aren't repeated. Naomi is leaving her son behind with Marco once more. She hopes to save the Rocinante crew. That means something to her. It's a daunting fight at the moment. She is up for the task. She will face it head on. That's the person she has become. She is inspiring in that way while never trying to cover up her imperfections along the way. The people who reckon with what kind of leaders they want to be have much more integrity and perspective than those who demand power and respect in order to legitimize the delusions they desperately hold onto. All of those influences are extreme and persuasive though which leads to a heightened cost to this conflict as well.
