Fans of SyFy’s The Expanse got some good news late last week. At a well-timed appearance at the International Space Development Conference, Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon would be taking over production of the show’s fourth season. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the fourth season will likely continue where this third season leaves off on June 27th. It’s great to see good shows revived by a streaming service. I wonder if the fan response to last week’s episode entitled “Delta-V” was behind it.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 7: “Delta-V” – Time Waits for No Beltalowda
A solid chunk of time has passed since the previous episode “Immolation,” in which Errinwright’s treasonous war-mongering was put in place and a giant protomolecule…thing took off from Venus. Avasarala appears to be the new Secretary-General of Earth and asks for cooperation while a team of scientists, including Volovodov, make their way to Uranus to study “the ring.”
The ring, we find out, is the newest form that the protomolecule has constructed, and all parties in the Solar system are interested. Fred Johnson and Anderson Dawes represent the interests of the belters who have quite a bit of influence after the part they played in saving Mars from Mao’s protomolecule hybrids. The Nauvoo has been turned into a warship, now named the Behemoth, captained by Camina Drummer, Fred Johnson’s number 2 on Tycho Station. Naomi is also on the Behemoth, keeping a close watch on the crew.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 7: “Delta-V” – “Mars can sue me!”
Although Naomi is aboard the Behemoth and Prax returned to Ganymede with Mei, the rest of the crew of the Rocinante are still aboard that fateful ship. But, their presence is unwelcome by the Martian government who believe the ship is still theirs. Never one to back down from a seemingly unwinnable battle, Holden intends to fight the planetary government but covering legal fees is expensive. To help defray the cost of the trial, Holden has agreed to allow a documentary film-making team to make a film about the Rocinante and her crew. Surprise, surprise…it’s not going that well.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 7: “Delta-V” – “I don’t defecate where I masticate.”
Although nothing is confirmed one way or the other, the documentary film-maker implies pretty heavily that Amos is a former Baltimore mob boss named Amos Burton. The only answer Amos does provide is in the form of his clenched fist smashing the film crew’s remote-controlled camera. They may have touched a nerve, but, in addition to their camera, Amos also handily rebuffs both the female film-maker’s proposition and a follow-up proposition by the cameraman.
The film crew also pick up a tight-beam conversation between Alex and Bobbie, now formally reinstated in the Martian Marines. The two Martians have a good chat, and the camera picks up details about Alex’s divorce.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 7: “Delta-V” – Diogo’s Return
Anderson Dawes has done it again. Simultaneously pissing off Drummer and Naomi, he has assigned ex-pirate Klaes Ashford as the first-officer of the Behemoth and instated Diogo Harari as an officer in the belter navy. For those who don’t remember Diogo, he helped Dawes escape Tycho Station with the Protogen scientist Paolo Cortazar way back in season 2.
On top of the new crew assignments, Naomi and Drummer are also dealing with a drug smuggling operation aboard the Behemoth. Although a certain amount of drug use is condoned on belter ships, a shuttle pilot’s deadly crash shows that things are out of control. After identifying the smuggler and dealer, Captain Drummer is preparing to blow the dealer out of the airlock when Ashford steps in. He says that they must present a reasonable and judicial front to the “inners” so that belters can gain their trust and respect. After a bit of hesitation, Drummer changes her plan. Any contraband should be piled in the airlock over the next two days. After that, anyone caught with any will be sent to the brig.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 7: “Delta-V” – Melba Toast
A change in both characters and setting takes viewers to the Seung Un. A maintenance crew of two experienced belters and one nervous novice docks with the ship, and the nervous one, Melba, when left alone plants what looks like a bomb inside an access panel. When one of her fellow mechanics finds the device, Melba gets angry and bites down on what appears to be a capsule. She appears to gain super strength, and easily overpowers her crew-mate, lifting him up and crushing his skull against a bulkhead. Her gory work complete, Melba passes out next to her victim.
Not content with just a new setting, the episode’s end also featured a terrifying addition to The Expanse’s growing list of nightmarish things. The ring, mysterious and alien throughout this episode becomes pretty scary indeed when a belter racer out to impress his estranged girlfriend attempts to fly his ship through it. It seems, though, that his girlfriend will remain estranged. Upon entering the ring, although his ship seems to stay intact, the pilot’s body liquefies. It’s unclear whether this is a result of a change in momentum or some kind of force field that destroys organic life, but based on the name of this episode I’d guess the former.
The Expanse Season 3, Episode 7: “Delta-V” – It’s Miller Time
If that gruesome display wasn’t enough to get people talking, Detective Miller’s return was sure to be. Returning to his bunk after a shower, Holden hears someone muttering in his room. When he looks inside, he is surprised to find the man with the fedora waiting for him. As soon as he appears, though, Miller is gone. What does it all mean? I guess we’ll find out in “It Reaches Out.” One guess what “It” is.
