WiC Watches: The Expanse season 4

Image: Amazon/The Expanse

Episode 403: “Subduction”

In the wake of the shooting, the settlement is more divided than ever. Murtry shows no remorse for what he did, and orders his team to not help the Belters after the lighting storm hits a building, knocking out the town’s power. With his suspicions unconfirmed, Murtry’s rash, violent behavior leaves no doubt that he’s the antagonist here. It’s a bit much.

It seems the rest of the settlement feels the same, or at least expected as much. Though some Belter folk are shown with grim faces following the murder of a fellow refugee, there is little grieving to be seen. People just go about their day as if nothing happened. Now I’m not sure if this is their natural way of handling death from growing up in space, or just life on an alien planet, but this is a major tipping point in the conflict between the two factions. Though it’s obvious to us that a line has been crossed, it feels as if this was just a way to drive that wedge deeper between the Belters and RCE. Murtry’s motives are murky and based off the claims of a man he just met, and the other Belters act as if it was only a matter of time before the “inners” started killing. Perhaps it was.

Holden, Alex ad Elvi attempt to stop an earthquake (Ilus-quake) started by the lighting storm. Now one might expect an older Holden to be calm and collected, thinking critically about the best way to protect the people of Ilus, but one would be wrong. After a failed attempt to get info from Miller on how to stop the natural disaster, he opts for the most human solution ever: he shoots a missile at it. This is peak James Holden. He throws 100% of whatever he can at stopping a problem. In this case, it’s a missile thrown at a billion-year old alien ruin which is at the epicenter of an Ilus-quake. I mean, it’s Episode 3 and we’re already seeing natural disasters stopped with armed warheads. I can’t wait to see what they throw at the planet next! Even Dr. Elvi Okoye, the voice of reason here, can’t convince Holden of the risks involved in taking this action. It’s made clear in that moment what Elvi thinks of Captain Jame Holden.

Naomi and Amos do what they can to help the settlement regain power. Naomi’s struggles adapting to life on solid ground continue, and she’s soon forced to head back to the Rocinante. Just in time too, as she’s the one that launches the missile at the Ilus-quake.

Did I mention how much Amos and Murtry glare at one another? It’s daunting how often they stare into each others eyes. They nearly come to blows in one scene, with a future fight basically guaranteed. The foreshadowing is blatant. It’s not hard to predict that these two will have problems given Amos’ violent past.

Bobbie must complete a task for the local gang that has taken David hostage. This forces her to divert from her strict Marine code, and we see her set aside her morals and values for the safety of a loved one. Bobbie is such a strong character, so seeing her show some vulnerability and break her code for her nephew is relatable. Her initial attempt to stick to that code doesn’t go as planned. As she reports David missing to the police, she discovers the detective helping her is also the one holding David captive. This is the first diversion this season has taken from the source novel.

Bobbie’s only relevance right now is her connection with Avasarala. I can’t see how they will connect these two developing plots, but I hope they loosen up before making that stretch.

The episode ends with Murtry gunning down more Belters. But this time, he caught them while they were planning to attack his team. The way he discovers this meeting is a bit of copout, as he’s shown listening in on a random conversation that just so happens to be about the secret meeting. It’s never made clear how he listens in, since the conversation happens outside, but perhaps things will be revealed down the line.