Amos, Clarissa and a gang of thieves work together to leave Earth. Avasarala tries to head off a brutal military strike. Drummer's new family bonds are tested as Naomi's life hangs in the balance.
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.
"Winnipesaukee" was written by Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck & Naren Shankar and directed by Breck Eisner
The power structure of the world is crumbling. Actions that once seemed reprehensible in a morally structured society have started to seem like the only rational actions. It takes true conviction to maintain one's sense of honor during these traumatic times. And yet, the struggle endures. Painful choices are made. More people are made to suffer. The agony of waiting for even more destruction also feels unbearable. People must persist though. It's necessary for honorable people to survive and shine a light on the chaotic and destructive forces that wish to dominate the world. Marco hopes to spin a tale of Naomi once again choosing to abandon her family. It works on Filip as well. In reality, she is hoping to save her friends. She wants to prevent them from falling into this trap. All her actions may be in vein though. Everyone who hears the message is confused about what it could possibly mean. It took all her strength to alter the broadcast. It's a struggle for her to survive on this ship. She has to endanger herself to help the people she cares about. They are scattered across the universe. They are now converging on this location. It's up to them to decide just how far they are willing to go to rescue her and help the universe at large. Oksana needs to know that Drummer loves her crew just as much as she does Naomi. Drummer's first instinct is to mount a rescue mission of her friend. She doesn't want to turn her back on the people she once fought alongside. That feels like the only thing she can do because Marco now controls her crew. They take their orders from him. His command is to engage the Rocinante in battle. Of course, the Razorback will be the first to arrive at Naomi's location. She hopes to prevent them from engaging with her. The clues she passes along may not be enough. These connections are so meaningful and deep. The members of the Rocinante crew instinctively understand each other. They have been scattered across the universe this season. It's taken time for them to get back together. That will be arriving shortly. That only brings about fear in Naomi. This is the action she wants to avoid because it will only further cement Marco's power in the world. He rules through this chaos and destruction. He has armed himself with the most capable ships in the system. He is more than willing to embrace a certain amount of loss in each battle as well. The representatives from Earth operate from a strong position of morality. Avasarala is horrified to learn that the new Secretary General ordered a retaliatory strike on a defenseless station in the Belt. It's enough for her to resign in protest. Her concerns are dismissed because she is mourning her husband. Yes, that is a profound loss for her. It doesn't cloud her judgment. The government wants to craft the perfect response to this crisis by honoring the innocent who were killed. Avasarala is deeply connected to that plight and still feels the pull to engage in the responsible way. They have to be better than the terrorist who has an iron grip on the system. That simply has to be true. Otherwise, it is no longer the government she has proudly served for her entire life. Of course, Clarissa notes how that sense of compassion and diplomacy was lacking for generations. That absence caused things to get this bad. It doesn't even matter that new opportunities to prosper are on the horizon. These conflicts are still at the forefront of everyone's minds. It's justice that has to be served. Marco has his ideology. He is committed to the cause. He can't allow civilization to move forward without addressing the sins of the past. He prevents any kind of progress from happening in a meaningful way. More lives are lost because people are seemingly reduced to their tribal instincts. It's hard for people to rise above it and inspire the best in others. Clarissa wants Amos to believe in another way of conducting business. That may only intensify their plight to escape the planet. They succeed. They bring along people who also need that protection and safe passage. It's a good gesture that shows humanity still has the capacity to provide for one another in times of crisis. The countdown is ticking closer to the next major shift in the war for survival though. Everyone survives for the moment. And yet, that's all they are doing. It's life moment to moment instead of trying to build something greater. That's the true cost of war. The pain of the past is still felt by so many. It needed to be addressed in a way that reached out to everyone who was oppressed by the powerful in this world. The reckoning may never be enough. One person has been in charge of that vengeance. Marco dictates so much. People feel powerless and unable to oppose his methods. Naomi does the impossible. She will have to do so again to ensure that this story doesn't reach one more tragic ending before the season comes to its close.
The power structure of the world is crumbling. Actions that once seemed reprehensible in a morally structured society have started to seem like the only rational actions. It takes true conviction to maintain one's sense of honor during these traumatic times. And yet, the struggle endures. Painful choices are made. More people are made to suffer. The agony of waiting for even more destruction also feels unbearable. People must persist though. It's necessary for honorable people to survive and shine a light on the chaotic and destructive forces that wish to dominate the world. Marco hopes to spin a tale of Naomi once again choosing to abandon her family. It works on Filip as well. In reality, she is hoping to save her friends. She wants to prevent them from falling into this trap. All her actions may be in vein though. Everyone who hears the message is confused about what it could possibly mean. It took all her strength to alter the broadcast. It's a struggle for her to survive on this ship. She has to endanger herself to help the people she cares about. They are scattered across the universe. They are now converging on this location. It's up to them to decide just how far they are willing to go to rescue her and help the universe at large. Oksana needs to know that Drummer loves her crew just as much as she does Naomi. Drummer's first instinct is to mount a rescue mission of her friend. She doesn't want to turn her back on the people she once fought alongside. That feels like the only thing she can do because Marco now controls her crew. They take their orders from him. His command is to engage the Rocinante in battle. Of course, the Razorback will be the first to arrive at Naomi's location. She hopes to prevent them from engaging with her. The clues she passes along may not be enough. These connections are so meaningful and deep. The members of the Rocinante crew instinctively understand each other. They have been scattered across the universe this season. It's taken time for them to get back together. That will be arriving shortly. That only brings about fear in Naomi. This is the action she wants to avoid because it will only further cement Marco's power in the world. He rules through this chaos and destruction. He has armed himself with the most capable ships in the system. He is more than willing to embrace a certain amount of loss in each battle as well. The representatives from Earth operate from a strong position of morality. Avasarala is horrified to learn that the new Secretary General ordered a retaliatory strike on a defenseless station in the Belt. It's enough for her to resign in protest. Her concerns are dismissed because she is mourning her husband. Yes, that is a profound loss for her. It doesn't cloud her judgment. The government wants to craft the perfect response to this crisis by honoring the innocent who were killed. Avasarala is deeply connected to that plight and still feels the pull to engage in the responsible way. They have to be better than the terrorist who has an iron grip on the system. That simply has to be true. Otherwise, it is no longer the government she has proudly served for her entire life. Of course, Clarissa notes how that sense of compassion and diplomacy was lacking for generations. That absence caused things to get this bad. It doesn't even matter that new opportunities to prosper are on the horizon. These conflicts are still at the forefront of everyone's minds. It's justice that has to be served. Marco has his ideology. He is committed to the cause. He can't allow civilization to move forward without addressing the sins of the past. He prevents any kind of progress from happening in a meaningful way. More lives are lost because people are seemingly reduced to their tribal instincts. It's hard for people to rise above it and inspire the best in others. Clarissa wants Amos to believe in another way of conducting business. That may only intensify their plight to escape the planet. They succeed. They bring along people who also need that protection and safe passage. It's a good gesture that shows humanity still has the capacity to provide for one another in times of crisis. The countdown is ticking closer to the next major shift in the war for survival though. Everyone survives for the moment. And yet, that's all they are doing. It's life moment to moment instead of trying to build something greater. That's the true cost of war. The pain of the past is still felt by so many. It needed to be addressed in a way that reached out to everyone who was oppressed by the powerful in this world. The reckoning may never be enough. One person has been in charge of that vengeance. Marco dictates so much. People feel powerless and unable to oppose his methods. Naomi does the impossible. She will have to do so again to ensure that this story doesn't reach one more tragic ending before the season comes to its close.
