So the expanse just finished its season finale, and from all accounts the series finale as well. So how did it do?
It was pretty well known if you pay attention to the Internet that the show was never going to cover all of the remaining book material, and so a key question was....would the show really feel like an ending? Ultimately I was pretty happy with it, its clear that our heroes "fight on" and that there is still much to do, but as a snapshot in history it feels a satisfying conclusion, one period of history ends, only for a new one to begin. We see where the characters are, and have a decent picture of where they are going from here.
I appreciated the final battle with Marco's disguise ploy, it was a nice touch and a great way to show off his brilliance one more time. Though you can hate him, you have to respect that the guy was a genius in many ways. It wasn't just the charisma, he was a very capable battle commander.
The "weird dog" arc to me was the issue of the season. Its a book in the series and I respect the desire to include it, but considering you never get any real conclusion on it...it felt unnecessary. I think it was enough to know that the "entities" were out there, and that they could be a major threat in the future, and just leave it out that. Lacona ultimately had no real place in the major story nor was it really resolved on its own, and so considering the precious few minutes of runtime we were going to get this season, I wish they had scrapped that piece entirely for more detail on the remaining stuff. Then if another season is actually resurrected, than by all means cover some of those aspects.
The part that was both my biggest frustration at the time, and yet looking back I think was perfect, was Holden's disarming of the warhead. You could see it as a plot contrivance, a way to let the villain linger until the last big battle. But ultimately I think it was a great way to show a key selfish moment for Holden, a balance to his normally extremely self-sacrificing nature. At the end of the day, he didn't really do it for Naomi, and he certainly didn't do it for the cause. He did it because he couldn't stand to be that person to the woman he loved. Holden does have a little hero complex, and cannot be seen as a villain to his lady, no matter who else it might help. It was the absolute wrong decision to make, Marco ultimately killed many more people because of it.... and yet its a very human and understandable moment for the character.
Of course I'm left basically demanding more expanse, but in a world where good endings for shows seem nigh impossible, I think this one did pretty well.
It was pretty well known if you pay attention to the Internet that the show was never going to cover all of the remaining book material, and so a key question was....would the show really feel like an ending? Ultimately I was pretty happy with it, its clear that our heroes "fight on" and that there is still much to do, but as a snapshot in history it feels a satisfying conclusion, one period of history ends, only for a new one to begin. We see where the characters are, and have a decent picture of where they are going from here.
I appreciated the final battle with Marco's disguise ploy, it was a nice touch and a great way to show off his brilliance one more time. Though you can hate him, you have to respect that the guy was a genius in many ways. It wasn't just the charisma, he was a very capable battle commander.
The "weird dog" arc to me was the issue of the season. Its a book in the series and I respect the desire to include it, but considering you never get any real conclusion on it...it felt unnecessary. I think it was enough to know that the "entities" were out there, and that they could be a major threat in the future, and just leave it out that. Lacona ultimately had no real place in the major story nor was it really resolved on its own, and so considering the precious few minutes of runtime we were going to get this season, I wish they had scrapped that piece entirely for more detail on the remaining stuff. Then if another season is actually resurrected, than by all means cover some of those aspects.
The part that was both my biggest frustration at the time, and yet looking back I think was perfect, was Holden's disarming of the warhead. You could see it as a plot contrivance, a way to let the villain linger until the last big battle. But ultimately I think it was a great way to show a key selfish moment for Holden, a balance to his normally extremely self-sacrificing nature. At the end of the day, he didn't really do it for Naomi, and he certainly didn't do it for the cause. He did it because he couldn't stand to be that person to the woman he loved. Holden does have a little hero complex, and cannot be seen as a villain to his lady, no matter who else it might help. It was the absolute wrong decision to make, Marco ultimately killed many more people because of it.... and yet its a very human and understandable moment for the character.
Of course I'm left basically demanding more expanse, but in a world where good endings for shows seem nigh impossible, I think this one did pretty well.
