The Expanse - surprisingly good show from SyFy

GreenWarlock

I'm just going to drop a plug for the latest show onSyFy, The Expanse.

Howard Tayler, over at Schlock Mercenary, reviews this far better than I could so I will just link his review:
http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/the-expanse-tv-review

I checked out the show purely based on that review, and have no regrets. I suspect there are other forumites with a soft-spot for well rendered science fiction that will enjoy it too.

I don't want to give too much away about the show itself: set 200 years or so into our future, we have started colonizing the solar system, Mars and the Asteroid Belt at least, and this is the world where several independent stories will intertwine towards (I presume) a season finale. The joy of the show is in watching the world building, realizing how much you are taking for granted as things like zero-G are casually handled so well.

The characters do not yet resonate like those of Trek, B5, or Firefly - although 8 episodes in they are definitely growing. Part of the reason this show works so well for me though is that they don't stand out, they feel pretty much like 'ordinary' folks of this milieu that we just happen to be dropping in on (OK, one story revolves around the folks running the UN - they may be a little less ordinary )

I don't want to say more, lest I inadvertently spoil something. As I say, the joy (for me) is in the discovery, and I suspect we will each discover our own take on this show.

(Not having a TV, I picked up a season pass on iTunes - finally starting to pay for TV without waiting for the DVD box sets a decade later!)

GreenWarlock

And for those who prefer to binge-watch, the season finale dropped last night as a double-header, I thought there was one more week to go.

Now I have that long wait until season 2, but at least I know it got picked up for a renewal!

Nonnahswriter

I liked it too. Stopped watching unfortunately because I lost track of when it aired, and couldn't catch up after that. But I definitely recommend it!

Awong124

Yeah, it's not bad. It originally piqued my interest because Thomas Jane is in it, but the show is certainly good enough on its own that he doesn't carry it. I think that the production as a whole looks very professional and well done. The sets and effects don't look cheap or cheesy. I haven't watched the finale yet (it's on my PVR), but I like the story so far. I like The Expanse about as much as I liked Defiance.

the_spyder

So they keep on giving rave reviews in the commercials, so much so that I started recording/watching it. I've gotten through episode 3 or 4 so far and it just doesn't 'Grab' me. I don't find a particular failing, the story is good and intricate, the cinematics are superb, there are some top notch acting talents in there. And I do have the rest of the season recorded, but I just have trouble selecting THAT as what I want to watch. I keep on selecting something else on my watch list.

I'll have to give it a fair shake and watch all the way to the end of the season before I give final judgment.

I will say, there's one scene where the crew are on this big ship and getting boarded. The invaders are doing everything in their power to make sure that they don't reach the escape ship. They shoot all of the extras, I mean non-essential (to the story line) cast members and do their best to shoot the crew. Never once does it occur to them to destroy the escape ship or the bridge that leads to the ship. ???

GreenWarlock

Heads-up for binge-watchers, the first season is complete now; only 10 episodes.

I have loved this series as I enjoyed watching a hard-sci-fi show done well. Most of the criticism I hear seems to be that the plot and characters don't stand out, and in a sense that is a fair criticism - but I think in a good way. The ensemble cast is relatively large, and at the start of the season you don't know who is 'main' cast and who is supporting. The show deliberately makes no attempt to guide you, giving 'support' cast airtime and lines of similar weight to those who will turn into the main cast. This means you get to watch the show emerge from the world, which is no bad thing, as the world itself is a beautifully constructed and well-rendered thing to behold.

If you need a strong cast out-the-gate to relate to a show, then The Expanse is not for you. If you like to savor your shows, allowing them to tell a story at their own pace, without telegraphing each plot point too loudly, then this may be the show for you.

It has been a while since I invested in a mainstream genre TV show (probably over a decade now), and it is telling how the genre in general has matured. Unlike classic Trek, each episode is definitely part of a larger narrative, and you really do need to watch the whole show, in order, rather than pick-up-and-drop an episode on demand. I think this is a good development, but admit that I would hate every show to tell such an paced story. Sometimes, I like my SF junk food shows too - and this is definitely not one of those