WiC Watches: The Expanse season 4

Photo: The Expanse: Season 4.. Image Courtesy Amazon Studios

Episode 401: “New Terra”

After months of speculation, the crew of the Rocinante is finally back. Boy, am I glad this show didn’t die.

Following what I perceived as a successful third season on SyFy, the show was abruptly cancelled, only having just skimmed the surface of what was to come. The show, based of the series of novels by a duo who write under the name James S.A. Corey, had just began to show the larger picture that the first two seasons of the show had been setting up. This is where we find our favorite gunship crew, preparing to venture into the unknown in order to expand (see what I did there?) humanity’s horizons.

Former Senator — now Chairmen — of the U.N. of Earth, Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), enlists the crew of the Rocinante to travel to one of the new planets that became accessible to humans at the end of season 3 — called New Terra by some, Ilus by others — and mediate a land dispute between the Earth-sanctioned company Royal Charter Energy (RCE) and the belter refugees that settled first. At least, that’s what Avasarala wants the system to think. The true purpose of the Rocinante’s involvement is the connection James Holden (Steven Strait) has with the proto-molecule. Avasarala believes there is still a threat from the proto-molecule and that Holden is the only one equipped to deal with it. Holden still speaks to the ghost of his lost friend Detective Miller (Thomas Jane) like he did throughout season 3. Miller is still dead, of course, but the proto-molecule is still searching for what killed its creators. This ghosts guides Holden in order to complete its task.

The episode itself involves a lot of reorienting. From catching the audience up on current affairs to deepening the relationship between Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tripper) and James Holden, the season opener does a great job of showing the time that has passed following the conclusion of season 3. Our boys Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) and Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar) remain the men we knew last season, but both seem on track to become more dynamic characters. Amos has a video chat with Clarissa Mao (Nadine Nicole); you know, the woman who tried to blow up the Rocinante to escalate the war between Earth and Mars while destroying Holden and his reputation. Amos, a violent yet protective man, shows her sympathy and even gives her advice to help being locked up in prison for life. He even calls her “peaches” at the end, and for those like me who’ve read ahead, it was very a special moment.

Alex’s new plotline does not involve flying a ship, incredibly. Now that the crew is stationed on New Terra, he must find new ways to make himself valuable to the team. This poses no problem from Alex and his big heart, as he quickly jumps in to help wherever he can, however he can.

The best part of the episode by far, for me at least, was seeing Naomi experience a planet for the first time. As a belter, she has never been down the gravity well, and even has to take very painful drugs to acclimate her body to the more intense gravity. Her drive and sheer will allows her to take her first steps on ground not made by humans. And not for nothing, but Dominique Tripper does a fantastic job showing her character experiencing things we’ve long been used to. The sky, the horizon, the ground, fresh air…they’re all new to her. If you could imagine yourself experiencing these things for the first time as an adult…well, you can’t really, since they are constants in nearly every human life ever. Yet Tripper convinces us that this is what Naomi is going through.

This season is going to be unlike any other The Expanse has done before, as the majority of it will take place on Ilus, and not in the void of space. The crew will face problems they can’t solve in the way they usually solve problems, Amos can’t fight his way out, Naomi can’t think her way out nor can Alex fly his way out. They must trust in Holden’s conversations with a delusional ghost in order to help the people, all of the people, on Ilus and figure out just what killed the creators of the proto-molecule.