Make no mistake, the tension created by Captain Kirino of the Hammurabi trying to decide what to do with the Errinwright recording was executed brilliantly as was the mutinous discussions among Souther, Mancuso, and Shaffer on the Agatha King. Viewers have to simply file these details away for later fulfillment.īut that’s hard to do in an episode filled with mutiny, fits of conscience, and military regulations among both the MCRN and the UNN. Their interaction likely foreshadows a decisive moment to come in the assault on the Helium-3 refinery. The same is true for Amos as he teaches Prax to shoot, you can see the worry on his face that he has turned this compassionate scientist into a cold revenge-seeker. The sense of impending but unfulfilled action permeates the rest of the crew, too, with Alex receiving words of encouragement from his son, Melas, carrying through on a background story that helps us engage with the Martian pilot but also makes us wonder where these family details are leading. It doesn’t become you.” If that was supposed to push Holden back towards wanting to save humanity again, fine, but in this case bold actions speak louder than pretty words. Avasarala admonition to Holden doesn’t really tell us anything new: “You are not a child. Certainly Avasarala’s admission that Earth needs a sample of the protomolecule is important both for Holden’s truce with Naomi and for the overall political game in which Avasarala is involved, but the banter about adults and children feels a little self-indulgent here. Holden likewise had a scene that was no doubt meant to carry more weight between him and Avasarala, but it ended up just marking time. Those hoping for reconciliation for the couple were at least partially placated by Holden’s concession, “I can’t hate you for doing what you thought was right.” But this bit of back story felt like The Expanse was shoehorning in a bit of Naomi’s past from the novels, and it didn’t feel all that persuasive other than the sincerity with which Naomi apologizes, not for what she did but for the way she did it. Naomi’s decision to share the fact that she had a child with an idealist in the OPA to explain to Holden why she shared the protomolecule with Fred Johnson was heartfelt, and Holden’s reaction was admirably both full of understanding and muted by the still fresh betrayal. The most cathartic scene happened also to be the most out of place, paradoxically enough. So while “Triple Point” is a win for compelling action and emotional depth, it’s a bit of a misfire in terms of pacing and cohesion. Placing more reflective moments for Naomi, Prax, and Alex beside this military drama was disorienting even though the insights themselves were quite welcome. On the one hand, the cooler heads prevailing in war was inspirational, but on the other hand, the death and destruction caused by an admiral desperate to hold onto his power threw everything into chaos. This is one of those episodes of The Expanse that’s hard to judge. This The Expanse review contains spoilers.
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