With the fifth season of The Expanse now come to an end, it is time to take a look back at the last ten episodes of the delightful sci-fi show to see how it stacks up against those that have come before.
I’m a big fan of The Expanse and even dabbled into some of the books when I found the show, ya know, way back when it was still a SyFy (sci-fi? Skyfy? However, the hell they spell it now) original. Since Amazon picked up the series, I’ve continued to follow it, coming into the latest season a little late because it’s the kind of show I enjoy binge-watching in one or two sittings.
This season was a bit different. Without spoiling too much, we ended up with most of the core characters split up in some way, each following their own little trail as the story continues to unfold and tensions grow between Mars, Earth, and the Belt. It’s a tense season, though there are a few lulls here and there that seemed to drag on a good bit.
Overall, though, it does a good job of building on each of the characters. It was weird to see them so far apart at first, having grown so used to the camaraderie that helped make the series previous seasons so strong. We get to see quite a bit more about Amos, one of my favorite characters in the show, though Holden’s story does have a number of weak points in it. I used to really like Holden, but over the course of the past couple of seasons, my love for that character has died down a bit, and I’m not really sure why. There’s just something about him that I grew to dislike.
Anyway, Episode 1 and 2 do a really good job of setting up the rest of the season, though 3 does have some moments that drag on a bit. 4 pick things back up some, though, and then that momentum continues a good bit of the way through the last few episodes.
Episode 10 is the big ringer here, though, and what a gem it was. Again, I’m going to avoid spoilers, just because everybody might not have had a chance to watch it yet, but holy shit that ending was magnificent. I’m extremely intrigued to see where the show is going to go in the next season, and I’ve actually been avoiding reading the books any more than I already have because I kind of want to experience it all for the first time through the show, even though I’m sure some things will change along the way.
If you haven’t checked out The Expanse just yet and you’re a fan of iconic sci-fi shows like Battlestar Galactica, then you’re really missing out. The latest season had a few weak points, but all around it has continued to deliver on the promise of an epic space adventure that I can’t wait to see more of.
