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95% Avg. Tomatometer 188 Reviews 92% Avg. Audience Score 5,000+ Ratings Hundreds of years in the future, things are different than what humanity is used to after humans have colonized the solar...
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The Expanse's truncated final season honors the series'...
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The Expanse Season 6 is an appropriate send-off to what is...
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Dec 15, 2020 · ‘The Expanse’? Anyone?” an anonymous commenter asked, plaintively summing up the frustration of that popular space opera’s fan base every time we fail to give the show its due.
The Expanse's truncated final season honors the series' characters and themes with a graceful conclusion. Read Critics Reviews
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- December 14, 2015
- Steven Strait
Dec 10, 2021 · From the intricately-structured first episode, "The Expanse" lays out a lived-in sci-fi universe that embraces the real-world physics of space travel, and the ways those limitations can exacerbate existing human conflicts like resource distribution and political power.
- There will always be another mystery and another war.
- The Expanse: Season 6 Images - NYCC 2021
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- The Expanse: Season 6 Review
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By Samantha Nelson
Posted: Dec 10, 2021 3:30 pm
The Expanse's sixth and final season will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Dec. 10. Below is a spoiler-free review of the entire season.
In one of the all too brief respites from epic space battles in the abbreviated six-episode final season of Amazon’s The Expanse, the Martian marine Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) effectively explains the thesis of the show while downing shots. “Our grandchildren will still be killing each other over this shit 100 years from now,” she says. “In the end the only thing that matters is fighting for who’s covering your flank. It doesn’t matter if they’re saints or assholes, but they’re your people. They’ll watch your back, and you’ll watch theirs or you’ve got nothing.”
Season 6 picks up right after the Season 5 finale, with Earth reeling from the asteroid attacks perpetrated by Belter leader Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) and his Free Navy. Beyond killing millions, the asteroids have caused a climate catastrophe, leading to massive food shortages that the Belters — who have always struggled to have enough air and water — see as justice. Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is back in control of the United Nations after her successor was killed in an asteroid strike and she is working with the Rocinante and Martian forces to strike back against Marco.
Avasarala has consistently been one of the series’ best characters as she swiftly cuts through the dissembling of other politicians while strutting in her impeccable outfits. She truly shines this season as she reckons with the person she was in The Expanse’s very first episode, when she was introduced torturing a Belter with the weight of Earth’s gravity, as the more compassionate woman she’s become. Much as Marco’s attack on Earth is meant to evoke Sept. 11, 2001, this season’s conflict imagines what might have been if America truly committed to winning the hearts and minds of the people of Afghanistan.
IGN's David Griffin gave Season 5 of The Expanse a 9/10, writing, "The Expanse Season 5 raises the stakes for its characters in new and fascinating ways, as the crew of the Rocinante embark on separate adventures. Wes Chatham's Amos Burton and Dominique Tipper's Naomi Nagata steal the season with captivating storylines and memorable performances. Keon Alexander's Marco Inaros also makes a splash, as the charismatic villain you love to hate."
That newfound softness doesn’t mean Avasarala is always on the same page as the Rocinante’s captain and perpetual reluctant savior James Holden (Steven Strait). When Holden comes to her with yet another existential crisis for humanity involving the Ring Gates, alien constructions that provide passage to habitable worlds across the galaxy, insisting that she share the information with Marco, Avasarala replies with weary exasperation, “You have to be the most naive person I’ve ever met.” Yet as is often at the core of the show, the two find a way to build a compromise on a foundation of mutual respect.
The fighting is both visually compelling and suspenseful given the high stakes.
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The biggest departure from the books the series has taken is the death of Rocinante pilot Alex Kamal in Season 5, a plot change made after actor Cas Anvar faced more than 30 allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Alex’s loss is felt by the characters, who take time to reminisce about his cooking and taste in music, but the writers have nimbly filled the void by adding the fugitive Clarissa Mao (Nadine Nicole) to the crew. Clarissa blamed Holden for exposing her father’s horrific experiments with alien technology and tried to kill him before being imprisoned on Earth. Now she’s seeking penance for her crimes under the gentle guidance of Amos Burton (Wes Chatham), a former crime boss who has devoted himself to the strong moral code shared by Holden and the Rocinante’s engineer Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper). Every character has some form of powerful emotional catharsis this season as they look back on how far they’ve come and try to figure out where they’re going, even as the world around them seems perpetually out of control.
The quiet moments of contemplation and questions about morality and justice might be the soul of the show, but The Expanse’s final season is also powered by some absolutely incredible space battles. The fighting is both visually compelling, involving railguns and a science fiction equivalent of paratroopers, and suspenseful given the high stakes and clever ploys being used by Marco and his forces.
Amos Burton
Bobbie Draper
Chrisjen Avasarala
James Holden
Naomi Nagata
Other -- let us know in the comments.
The Expanse ends well in part because it doesn’t try to provide a true ending to the conflicts it’s explored for six seasons. Instead, it just lets us spend a little more time with a cast of fantastic characters who can offer a little hope for humanity by always having each other's backs.
Review scoring
great
Amazon’s The Expanse balances epic space battles, intense political wrangling, and personal dramas to deliver a mostly satisfying end to an excellent series.
Samantha Nelson
Dec 10, 2021 · In the final season, Amazon’s The Expanse picks up from the season 5 finale and shocking death of Alex and becomes pure war story. Read more about The Expanse’s sixth season before it ...
Dec 10, 2021 · The Expanse Season 6 is an appropriate send-off to what is quietly one of the best TV series out there, and, even so, it still feels like the show is just getting started. Full Review | Dec 11,...
