8.5
"Conanmiller gives "The Expanse - Season 1 (DVD)" a 8.5."
Written by Conanmiller on 8 August 2018.
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The Expanse - Season 1 (DVD)
Approximately 200 years into the future we've finally managed to figure it out: earth is under the control of the UN, Mars is an independent colony with military power and a large portion of known space is colonised. Mars and Earth are the most powerful planets in the universe, but even they are dependent on the raw materials that come from the asteroid belt. This has resulted in a triad of power where the Belt is the centre of trade. The ice on Ceres, one of the Belt's harbour planets, is really important.
The Belters, the inhabitants of the Belt, are the main working force. Although they're invaluable, they certainly don't feel that way. In the eyes of Earth and Mars they're just workers and that causes a lot of frustration. The wealth acquired by the Belters goes straight to the other planets. Fresh air and water are more valuable than gold, but the Belters don't really profit from that.
Star Helix is the police force on Ceres. A detective called Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane, Hung) tries to keep the population calm and in check. This is made more difficult due to corruption and a growing amount of supporters of an underground militant force that fights for the rights of the Belters: the OPA. Josephus is tasked with the assignment to find the rebellious daughter of rich parents, Julie Mao. This assignment appears innocuous at first, but it is soon revealed that there's a lot more going on. Was Julie at the wrong place at the wrong time? Has she been kidnapped? The investigation will also have some personal consequences for Josephus.
Jim Holden (Steven Strait, Magic City) is an officer on the Canterbury, a spaceship that harvests ice for the oh-so-important water trade. On their way to Ceres, they pick up an emergency broadcasting signal from a cargo ship called the Scopuli. According to the law, they have to investigate, but the delay will have tremendous financial consequences. The rescue mission, however, has a lot of unexpected consequences for all of them.
On Earth, UN under-secretary Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Agdashloo, The Punisher) tries to find a diplomatic way to keep the peace between the planets. It is not entirely clear how far she is willing to go, or which side she supports. This depth of character is a recurring trait among most main characters.
Everyone has their own reason to try and prevent a war. Who's pulling the strings? Who actually gains from war? Then it turns out it's not just about humans, an alien life form is also involved, but it's not sure whether or not that life form is aware or unaware of the part it plays.
Truth be told, I didn't fully get to appreciate as many of the elements of the series, until I watched it a second time. This is something I rarely do, but this time I did it with delight. The acting is above average and the chemistry between characters is almost physically tangible. The Expanse can't be easily defined. It's not a normal detective-thriller in space with some science-fiction elements thrown in. This is just a good science-fiction show. A very good one, I may say.
Follow The ExpanseThe Belters, the inhabitants of the Belt, are the main working force. Although they're invaluable, they certainly don't feel that way. In the eyes of Earth and Mars they're just workers and that causes a lot of frustration. The wealth acquired by the Belters goes straight to the other planets. Fresh air and water are more valuable than gold, but the Belters don't really profit from that.
It's not surprising that the Belters no longer accept this inequality. The tension has been rising over the past several years. There are rumours that Mars wants to conquer Ceres, so that they have a monopoly on the water trade. If that happens, a war between Earth, Mars and the Belters is inevitable. Although there are quite a few who do everything in their power to avoid such a war, others see the war as an opportunity for more wealth and independence. And then a shipment with forbidden stealth technology is intercepted. For whom was this technology meant and for what purpose?There are rumours that Mars wants to conquer Seres, so that they have a monopoly in the water trade.
Star Helix is the police force on Ceres. A detective called Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane, Hung) tries to keep the population calm and in check. This is made more difficult due to corruption and a growing amount of supporters of an underground militant force that fights for the rights of the Belters: the OPA. Josephus is tasked with the assignment to find the rebellious daughter of rich parents, Julie Mao. This assignment appears innocuous at first, but it is soon revealed that there's a lot more going on. Was Julie at the wrong place at the wrong time? Has she been kidnapped? The investigation will also have some personal consequences for Josephus.
Jim Holden (Steven Strait, Magic City) is an officer on the Canterbury, a spaceship that harvests ice for the oh-so-important water trade. On their way to Ceres, they pick up an emergency broadcasting signal from a cargo ship called the Scopuli. According to the law, they have to investigate, but the delay will have tremendous financial consequences. The rescue mission, however, has a lot of unexpected consequences for all of them.
On Earth, UN under-secretary Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Agdashloo, The Punisher) tries to find a diplomatic way to keep the peace between the planets. It is not entirely clear how far she is willing to go, or which side she supports. This depth of character is a recurring trait among most main characters.
Everyone has their own reason to try and prevent a war. Who's pulling the strings? Who actually gains from war? Then it turns out it's not just about humans, an alien life form is also involved, but it's not sure whether or not that life form is aware or unaware of the part it plays.
The Expanse may be a bit slow for some people. The growing sense of an impending conspiracy is, however, soon felt. The storylines have a lot of depth, and all those layers provide credibility to all the different societies. There's a lot of action and excitement, but it took me quite a while before I was able to assess most of the main characters. The series is actually carefully constructed and avoids all of the overused clichés. The technique is credible and the budget is high enough to provide us with realistic scenery.The storylines have a lot of depth, and all those layers provide us with credible societies.
Truth be told, I didn't fully get to appreciate as many of the elements of the series, until I watched it a second time. This is something I rarely do, but this time I did it with delight. The acting is above average and the chemistry between characters is almost physically tangible. The Expanse can't be easily defined. It's not a normal detective-thriller in space with some science-fiction elements thrown in. This is just a good science-fiction show. A very good one, I may say.
© Syfy
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