The fourth episode of The Expanse’s third season showed viewers that Holden and his crew might be some of the only people in the solar system, along with Anna Volovodov, who actually want peace. Everyone else featured in “Reload” seems intent upon destroying large swaths of humanity.
The Expanse’s fourth episode showed viewers that Jules-Pierre Mao’s humanity is quite limited indeed. A brief glimpse into his softer side in “Assured Destruction” was pretty much wiped away by his heartless display upon seeing two lab assistants turned into a gooey mess by Mei’s protomolecule-enhanced friend Katoa. It seems that Mao’s brief flash of humanity only pertains to Mei.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 4: “Reload” – Three Amigos
Holden and company, low on fuel and other resources elect to salvage what they need from disabled Martian ships left to drift. They find a good candidate for salvage but find three of the crew alive on board. The Martian guests wear out their welcome quickly when they try to violently gain control of the ship.
They manage to beat the crap out of Alex, but a tense exchange between Bobbie, still wearing her amazing Martian battle suit, defuses the situation quickly by calmly stating her greater firepower. The would-be Martian mutineers surrender, and Holden, after repairing their ship, sends them on their way along with Avasarala’s message of Errinwright’s betrayal.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 4: “Reload” – “Oh yeah, the OPA!”
An appearance from the Belters shows that Drummer and a convoy of Belter ships are bringing the Nauvoo back home, having previously set it adrift in an attempt to to knock Eros off of its collision course with Earth. I guess the Mormons want it back…
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 4: “Reload” – “Mission Accomplished!”
His Excellency Secretary General Sorrento-Gillis delivers the speech that Volovodov wrote for him but does a little riffing at the end that ratchets the speech up into an all-out call for a crusade against Mars, race-traitors that they are.
Volovodov can’t take the dishonesty of the job anymore. She calls her wife and tells her she’s coming home, but a last-minute transmission from the Pinus Contorta that shows Errinwright admitting his responsibility for the attack on Ganymede gives her pause. The altruistic speech-writing doctor/pastor desperately wants to reunite with her family, but positive proof of treason is hard to leave alone, especially when the fates of three different human civilizations hang in the balance.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 4: “Reload” – Final Thoughts
I’m glad that Holden is getting, at least peripherally, involved in putting an end to the war. I worry about Mei at the hands of the less-than-sane duo of Strickland and Mao, but based on Mao’s protective nature, at least where Mei is concerned, I think she’ll probably last long enough for Holden to end the war and then head to Io to pick her up. If I were Prax, though, I probably wouldn’t feel like betting on that.
I’ve enjoyed watching Errinwright use Sorrento-Gillis as a puppet. It’s good to see greedy and fame-hungry politicians brought low by their own ambition, so I hope that Volovodov’s interference allows just that.
