@@WillTaft I don’t actually agree with this. I’m not going to say anything about specific events in the books, but Alex’s part in them can be easily written around
@@funnylilgalreacts I think killing Alex was brilliant. It re-ups the stakes that were so high early in the series. The show has continuously reminded us of the danger of high speed travel. What better way to make that point than to kill a main character through mundane application of physics. It's also a great plot twist after Naomi was in danger all season. Bravo Expanse!
@@lassesipila6418 Well there was a time I got bitten by a German Shepherd, but that was a case of the poor guy panicking as opposed ot having a grudge.
Thankfully you were only holding a tissue when you found out about Alex…😢 Regardless of the controversy around Cas, Alex will be missed. Honestly one of my favorite scenes in the show is when Bobbie tells Alex the story of her rat, Mouse. Talking about how they both had to let something so very dear to them, the dream of Mars, die…because it was already gone.
A book insight about Amos (non spoiler) is that he doesn't see sex as part of intimacy and love language, more like a basic necessity to take care of. So the way he treats Clarissa in a sister way is just pure love as he knows it
@@invaderliz If you know more of his backstory from Baltimore - particularly with Lydia, which thankfully they left out of the show - you'll know why this is.
@@JunYuki True. So true. It's actually kind of hard for me to watch her in these episodes because she does it so well. Ugh, I just love her! She's phenomenal.
Alex's last words: "That was one hell of a ride." Works on so many levels, but in particular drives home the point that Alex died doing what he loved and saving someone he loved. With the real-world situation surrounding it, I cannot imagine a better way for the show to handle everything.
Yeah, I absolutely hate social media bullsh!t.... I've had quite a few shows where they kill off a character because someone pulls up something from a person's past causing harm to a character in my show. I believe I said at the time.... "Timmy called Martin a doodoo-head in school when he was little, we gotta get him fired now." If it was not for what happened on social media, Alex would not have died.
@@RedmoonIndustries Sadly it wasn't that far in the past as one of the affected women worked on the expanse set! Altough in my opinion the women should also have been fired, as she clearly used him for his fame and money.
So pleased that no one spoiled the Alex thing for you - There was lots of news about it before Season 5 began, so yes we did know that it was coming. Given that the death was effectively added in after filming had done (with only a bit of re-shooting) - they did a reasonable job of it.
They did reproduce part of the book with Alex's death. In the book it was a different character who died that way but it was after a big victory. Ripping it out from under us makes it hurt more. Also in the books Alex has a different fate. And I kinda like that we get both. For his character both are satisfying arcs.
Not to go into any spoilers, but I personally didn't enjoy reading many of the Alex chapters after this point anyhow, regardless of the show. In my opinion, if you had to remove one character from the novels and have it still stand, it would have to be Alex.
@@fredwin after reading the books, I completely agree. And he is potentially replaceable owing to the 30 yr jump. I already have ideas about a young fella inheriting a certain racing yacht
Spacedock did an incredible breakdown of the battle between the Roci, Drummer’s flotilla, and the Free Navy. There’s a lot going on in that battle and it’s fascinating to get the play-by-play. th-cam.com/video/h1AEHK8oQeA/w-d-xo.html In season six, be sure to post your reactions to the “One Ship” sequences in the episode X-Ray bonus features. They basically add another five minutes to every episode.
Note: those bonus short scenes are only available through the web interface (maybe also a FireTV). You can't get to them from a Roku or similar 3rd party standalone device.
there is another breakdown of the battle that points out stuff hard to spot like you can see the drives of the ships in the background where they are suposed to be during all the battle.. it was a quite surprising attention to detail for something that the vast majority of the audience wouldnt notice or care .. and even "trained eyes" wouldnt spot on a first view..it was like a reward for those who like to frame freeze edit: sadly the video was removed..i had the link but it says video not avalaible anymore.
somehow I always think of "Peaches, come on up!" being like your best friend getting you to sleep over their house when the parents REALLY didn't want to allow it.
Regards Alex, well you and everyone else have covered that pretty well, it sucks on both levels. Love Holdens face when he sees Clarissa, it's hilarious. And Clarissa's shy little "hi" just slays me, must have been so weird for both of them. And yeah, for all Marco's failings and dubious motivations, he is a brilliant long term planner.
Back in first episode of this season, Holden showed Fred Johnson a simulation of what Elvi saw when she fell through the artifact. It was those red lights that appeared near the end of this episode. Holden deduced that these were the aliens that wiped out the civilization that created the protomolecule. Those aliens are what destroyed the Martian ship as it went through the ring gates.
Interesting thing is that Bull has a MUCH bigger role in the books. He's actually a main character basically. In the show, Drummer got a lot of Bull's storyline because the role worked so well and people liked her a lot.
I really love how they decided to film the moment with Naomi in free float. Up close, instead of a wide view shot. It really adds to the panic and desperation of her in that moment and how scary it all is to her
So break down of special effects via wall of text time! Just after the intro, while Alex and Bobbie are are discussing the thruster firing, Alex has a holographic flight course up with a spot in the near future highlighted red with the note "Max Q". Max Q is a real world phrase that you will hear on NASA and SpaceX launches noting the max dynamic physical demand point of the burn, or max g forces of the launch. Bobbie also comments that they are "juiced to the gills and could stroke out" at the burn. Look closely and both Bobbie and Alex have a screen in front of each of them to their left. In this scene Bobbie's read out is green but Alex's read out is yellow. Cut to just after Naomi jumps off of the ship and we cut to inside the Screaming Firehawk. They just passed the same Max Q point on the halo flight plan. Here we finally see that the screen to the left is actually a health monitor (!) tracking blood flow in the brain. Bobbie's protest makes much more sense earlier. Not only that, but Bobbie is still in the green but Alex's monitor is orange. In post production, they made the story reflect that both the characters knew Alex could die. They went for Naomi's rescue first and foremost. After Bobbie rescues Noami and we cut to inside the ship, Alex's health monitor is red. After saying "what wild ride", he was gone.
Minor correction, on launch, "Max-Q" is the maximum aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle. That means as a rocket accelerates, the air resistance increases, but as the rocket gains altitude, the air pressure decreases. "Max-Q" is the point at which the air pressure begins dropping faster than the air resistance is increasing.
@@rodentnolastname6612 Minor correction. Max-Q is actually an all astronaut band, (named after the aerodynamic feature of a launch trajectory you so aptly described)
You also see on Alex's health monitor that there is a blaring red dot in his brain indicating an aneurysm. They flash by really quickly, but they're there. They do a great job of distracting us from it by giving us more important things to focus on (i.e. rescuing Naomi), much like Alex and Bobby didn't notice it because they were distracted by the same.
One of the best episodes, right? It's really nice to have someone else to cry with on this one. And you were so smart about it. You picked up on things way faster than I did. That recorded message that Naomi left for Jim (her farewell, assuming she was dead) was taped by Dominique Tipper in a single take. Woman has skills! Thanks for another fantastic reaction!
Looking ahead (can’t say looking forward) to the end of the show…. By watching other reactions to this wonderful show you’re already well on the way to handling “Post Expanse” life.😊 You’ve got the books to read, the entire show to rewatch…. so your Expanse friends (both in the show & here in TH-cam Land) Ain’t. Go’n. NOWHERE! 😘 Thanks for taking us along… it has been one hell of a ride….& the best is yet to come!! 🚀🚀 😎
I really love the sincerity in your reactions so I hope this lands as a compliment not criticism... the way you start sobbing while unironically exclaiming "the lasagna!" was so funny, like you couldn't script a funnier but more heartfelt moment in a movie ❤💔 thanks for sharing with us as always
Ive been waiting for this episodes reaction. The "you must always have a knife in the darkness" line lives rent free in my head. Also i love how this season introduced the ring entities at the beginning of the season and then showed them in world. The whole military life and laconia is ssuch a cool nod to sparta as well.
Balled my eyes out for this episode, it cut so very deep. Brilliant acting amazing performances from everyone. T Y once said that it was always the intention for the series to really show case how simple things we overlook on earth can kill you in space.
What a reaction!.... I think this is the first one I've seen with the Alex part and (you) not knowing about the controversy. I need to rewatch my copy of this episode because there is so much that happens in it. and Drummer!... need I say more :P
the turn around for the reshoots was very short. i can remember shoreh tweeting pictures in september when they were premiering the season in december. amazon even accidentally uploaded set photos with alex still in them.
I think that season 5 is the best season to date. I started binging The Expanse with you 10 days ago after the algorithm led me to your Firefly reactions. After watching you to this point, I'm looking forward to digging into your content more as soon as I finish season 6 with you. 😎
About the meteor shower hitting the ships at the ring: In one of this season's episodes, you could see something with a trajectory towards the ring on Marco's screen, which was designated as "MATEOx20K". Remember uncle Mateo? Remember what he did after spacing Diogo? It's those little details that make this show so worthful for unlimited rewatches...
I am watching through the series again, and it is neat how you pick up on plot points that don't play out until long after you have forgotten about them on a rewatch. If you remember, Avasarala had a belter on hooks in the first episode of season one that was smuggling Martian stealth composites. In season five, you finally get to see those stealth composites in use. There are little bits like this all over the series that you might not realize at first, but you get to see it when watching it again.
I watched this the night you posted it but haven't been able put into words how I feel. I think in end, it's just a bittersweet episode for me. We finally get the crew back together, only to lose a member in the process. Alex was such an integral part of the crew and it was such a sudden end to his story, from a pure storytelling perspective. When I first watched this, I was still shocked, even knowing that something was bound to happen to him given the controversy around Cas. It's also bittersweet knowing that this is the penultimate season, and your Expanse reactions will end soon 😥 . While there are still a lot of other reactions I look forward to seeing here, this one is special and I'll be sad when it's over. I can only hope that we'll get a miracle and the show will be renewed 🥺.
On a different topic that no one seemingly brought up, the reason the UN and Mars only has three ships guarding the Ring Gate is a bit complicated. For one thing, the UN and Mars just a few years ago had a nasty war that saw lots of ships on both sides get destroyed, then the RIng Gate appeared and the need for a large military by both major powers was no longer seen as needed, so Mars began downsizing a large part of its fleet to focus on colonisation instead. Finally, before the war with the Free Navy began, parts of the Mars fleet were sold off secretly to the Free Navy who took possession of a good number of Mars ship. And all of this is before the war began. Following the rocks hitting Earth, the UN recalled most of their fleet to Earth and the Moon to create a defensive perimeter around Earth, and in turn as we see, a good number of Martian ships had secretly defected under the guise of being destroyed. So, the forces aligned to defend the gate were minimal, it wasn't seen as at risk with Medina Station watching their backs, but then Free Navy loyalists took the station in secret and waited for the Free Navy to attack, catching the defending ships in a pincer attack.
I hope you’re in to reading, because those last 3 books that didn’t get made in to seasons are all BANGERS, to the point that everything they’ve shown on tv feels like a long prologue to those last 3 books
The Last Kingdom is one of very few other shows I watch all reactions to. I would *love* if Angela picked it up because I do love her reactions but I don't watch any of her other shows or any of the others I'm seeing suggested. Completely different genre, obviously, but everything else about it is very similar - great underrated character-driven show with a focus on interpersonal relationships, no "right" sides, and a protagonist doing his best to navigate the best way forward despite himself. Plus some really pretty men 😅 Also share the fact that it takes a few very information dense episodes for people to fall in love.
The actress who plays Clarissa, Nadine Nichole is from Michigan and roughly your age. So we can't dislike her too much. Cara Gee (Drummer) is an Ojibwe from Canada, so she is my favorite.
"This is going to hurt," then "Ouch." Yeah. Some great moments, like Bobbie finding Naomi. And a shocking one. Up very late tonight. Time for sleep. Hope you''re OK.
RIP Alex Kamal. See you, Space Cowboy. I'd hug you girl if I could. Just keep the snot rags away. :p Loved that Drummer helped saved Holden and the Roci. But the cost was Serg and her family unit. At least a few of them are staying with her. Marco's strategy to take out the ships at the ring was impressive.The ship disappearing into the ring was interesting. Looks like those entities are awakened. I was thinking that Naomi may have finally run out of option and could have died here. When it was all silent, I thought that was it, but then you hear Bobbie come in and save the day. Tears of joy! I was initially confused by what happened to Alex. I didn't see the blood floating around. I knew that something was going to happen to the character but that was very sudden, since all principle filming was done. But then Holden cleared it all up. I'm happy to see you not hating on Monica as much now. She's fun!
RIP Alex, giving his life to protect his found family. The juxtaposition with that and Drummer's polyfam loss was brutal. Great reaction as always, on to season 6! ❤️
When you say it's crazy that Chrisjen survived but Alex didn't, is because the brain damage accumulates, he did it many times, decades, while aveserala had the one time or so it seems.
As usual, will watch this in bits. But I’m here to scroll comments re Alex. Character vs Actor who played him 19:45 I’m glad I’m watching this reaction. I knew about the controversy and reshoots so I personally felt cheated and unhappy with Alex’s death. So it’s great to watch it with a fresh pair of eyes to gauge how I would’ve felt if his death came as a shock. Thank you Angela x 30:18. Well played with that brief reaction in a reaction (felt like I was watching Inception) Finally- started binging Last of Us. For your reactions (as well as Ty & That Guy podcast) And yes… BSG!! So Say We All Orville rocks too. And I’ve finally got my Apple TV to watch For All Mankind And as for Expanse books. Sped read books 1-5 prior to watching S6. So I knew Alex’s status in the novels anyway. Then I started to obsess about “The Admiral”and if he would make an appearance in S5 (only name dropped) Then sped read book 6 after S6 finished in Jan 2022. And enjoyed Booked 7-9 and novellas up to present. One more novella to read in early 2023. Then my journey ends Well until the geek meet up in Norway and the graphic novel Dragons Tooth. Everyone is still hungry for this universe
Thought about making a drinking game out of your predictions.......but I don't want to miss the rest of the video!!!😁 Fantastic reaction and conversation as always!!!
I had read about the trouble that Cas Anvar had gotten into and the decision to kill off Alex before the season started, and it still difficult for me to watch as well. Despite his flaws, I loved his portrayal of Alec Kamal. But I was still hoping they would recast the character. I think the as far as the show goes, keeping Alex was more important to the story and shouldn’t have been cut out simply because of the indiscretion of the actor that played him. But my heart went out to you when it happened. I knew this was gonna be hard for you, cuz it was hard for me as well even with the advance notice. As far as what to react to after you’ve finished The Expanse, Firefly TV and Movie, BSG and Farscape are all fine choices. But if you haven’t already watched it, also consider Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There are lots of seasons (7 of them to be exact) with much more that 10 or 12 episodes in them. It’s considered the ‘redheaded step-child’ of the Trek franchise because it didn’t follow the standard Trek formula,but IMHO it is the best written Trek show EVER. It has a bit of slow start before it really kicks in after season 3 (but so did The Next Generation) but once it finds it’s footing it goes at warp speed. It has soooo many great and substantial character growth moments from writers who really put a great deal of thought into what they were creating. As well as excellent performances from the main cast as well as the secondary cast members. So consider DS9 if you want a slightly different Star Trek that tells a fantastic story.
Yeah, this one was hard to watch. The speech Naomi gave in her Message to Holdin worked so great as a farewell to Alex. Even if it was recorded after the situation with Cas developed, the build up of her having mentioned it several times really flowed well. You should definitely read the books.
@Angela- Thanks for the outstanding reaction. I love that you are so invested in the characters and Story. I look forward to each and every video you release! I hope you'll choose the show Firefly a nice short 14 episodes and lots of fun. I think it would be the perfect next series to explore... Best regards, Mo-
Such wonderful reviews! You notice more details than I do, too, which is handy for me. I'm looking forward to the PC game "The Expanse: A Telltale Series" and would imagine you are too. :)
24:41 It's so very telling that Marco says "I made this happen". It's a great speech he's giving and he would only have to change one word - end it with "You made this happen" - to sound like an actual good leader
That was intense. And another weepalong, thank you very much 🙂. Yes, Alex's death is a real gut punch, buuut... maybe it was the best decision even from a storytelling standpoint. A reminder that space is not your friend and that no one is safe. I'm stoked to see what you choose next. My heart is a little more with BSG than Firefly, but that doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the respective shows. (Uncalled for Battlestar Galactica reference: if you ever choose a call sign, please make it 'snot monster'.) Anyway, on to the sixth season of the most awesome science fiction series of the new millennium. Cheers!
it took me few reviews to fully understand that space battle. It happened all so fast, but in a nut shell, I believe Drummer tried to overwhelm the belter ships with torpedos to give Rocci a chance at taking them out with railgun.
Thanks for sharing your lasagna (reaction), as everyone can see it’s made with love.🙏 I was sad when Alex died. I was pissed at the actor when I read what he did. Consequences…yes. The writers/creators did the right thing. Firefly/Serenity…absolutely. Sent you a couple shirts from the show a few weeks ago. Battlestar Galactica has some wonderful space battles. And the music by Bear McCreary…let me ask, do you like drums? When starting The Expanse I was hoping it would be at least 1/2 as good as BSG. It surpassed my expectations.
"Holden...this is Drummer" is my second favorite line to "I am that guy." Remember when the call girl Gia taught Havelock the Belter sign language: "Big hands!" Holden's family was on a self-sufficient farm 'way in Montana. The fact that they had to be evacuated to Luna indicates how bad the astroid bombardment had damaged Earth. It took weeks for the Roci to reach Luna to pick up Amos. They would have done all their initial grieving over Alex during that time. I guess Amos can think of Peaches as kind of a sibling and even protege. You couldn't have noticed, but the micro-meteor storm that struck the UN battleship at the ring had been marked "Mateo" on Marco's tactical screens, in honor of Diogo's Uncle Mateo, who tossed rocks at the Martian cruiser. With only one contracted season to go, I don't think a new actor could have replaced Cas Anvar and make the role "his," and the character doesn't really play a significant role in book six. In the books, that is how Fred dies. I'm not certain the original concept didn't have Fred survive the shooting (as he did in the book) to die later of a stroke, and perhaps they that deathroom scene of Fred after deciding to kill Alex by a stroke...two stroke deaths would have been hard to sell. If you blow your nose really hard, you can blow snot out of your tear ducts. Don't ponder how I would know. Next season: DO THIS. There is a short video that accompanies each episode (except the finale). It's buried in the X-Ray feature. You have to be viewing the episode on an Internet device (not on a basic television). Pause the episode and click into X-Ray and then into Bonus features. Each video gives a bit more about the story and characters. I consider he first one, "Ankawala," rather significant (although not essential) to understand Drummer. There aren't any aliens on Firefly, and I strongly recommend it.
I still break down at the sound of Bobbie grabbing onto Naomi. The decision to add the effect to the voice, and pan it all the way to the left to make it feel like she was actually holding onto me, just takes it up a whole nother level. I am a HUGE fan of the expanse but I honestly havent even finished the series because I cant bring myself to watch the last 2 episodes.... Its a weird thing where I feel like if I dont watch them, then the show never actually ended. idk why.
Hearst! I swear I do not stalk the channel. You just release when I'm watching Ytube. Been really excited for this episode since S1 when I realized you were going to love the show.
When Amos dropped his bombshell on Holden, I laughed for a full minute or so. I laughed loud enough that my wife, upstairs at the other end of the house, heard me and asked later what I was laughing about.
All the votes for Farscape! Will always be my all time favorite show. Have met almost all of the cast and some of them more than once. Would be so amazing to get to watch it with you!
29:29 I don't get why you're apologizing for not wearing makeup. I think you look wonderful without it. Another excellent reaction. You're made for this, y'know. Hopefully you'd get to see and react to _a lot_ more shows and movies -- and maybe even other stuff, like games, anime, and other things -- in the future. Did Firefly win the vote? Another excellent show, imo. I'd like to toss my suggestion into the box, maybe something you'd consider checking out in the future: _Star Trek: Strange New Worlds._ A criminally-underrated show, imho. It is, by far, _the best_ show among the newer ones.
The series prior to this that really hit for me was Babylon 5. It kinda tries for realism but it's from the mid-90s so not quite up there on effects. And apparently the transfer to digital wasn't great.
I haven't really done a comparison of the various HD remasters/upscales, but from what I hear the Amazon version is maybe the best? Personally I own the series on DVD and I just watch that.
Babylon 5 is what i allways compare the Expanse to... it was annoying when people began to describe the expanse as "its Game of trones in space".. when there had been allready even more complex fantasy political-sociological series before. The expanse is the next step in an evolution of sci-fi ... Babylon 5 was one (if not the) of first bi sci-fi (or space opera as JMS said he never aimed for hardcore science) that used space setting for a really good and complex political and sociological history while trying to portray phisics realisticly... Then came Galactica wich while not that realistic it took the making thins look extremelly realistic and took the political and sociological writing to next level even if it failed in the overal arc (as its no secret BSG was writen on the go and not with a plan ahead like B5 was). The expanse is like the result of inspiration from B5 (there is several twitts of Ty praising JMS and saying comparing the expanse to B5 for him is one of the best compliments, also funny replies from JMS praising him and Daniel's writing) and BSG and other works.. and no doubt probably in a few or some years there will be another work that looks like a next step from the expanse that will get inspiration from it and the previous steps.. We could probably even throw Blade Runner in there before B5 for inspiration.. some friends of mine praised season 1 saying it had a lot of Blade runner vibes on ceres backgrounds
A lot of people consider The Expanse to be the spiritual successor to Babylon 5, so I would like to see her react to that show (and there's a lot of episodes so she'd get a lot of content out of it). But yeah, Firefly and The Expanse are similar too, in the ragtag family spaceship sense.
Hang in there Angela! This was a rough episode for many / most / all of us. Losing a member of the Roci family is heartbreaking. I understand why they had to do it, but in terms of the character, I really miss Alex. Stay strong.
I have been dreading you watching this episode Alex's death hits us all hard, such a sad moment. For 5 seasons everytime you mentioned Alex being awesome I was just sad knowing how quickly we lost him. He was there then he was gone 😞
@Angela- ??? would you consider doing a full livestream of the final series episode? It would be a great way to finish all your reactions. Best regards, Mo-
Setting aside the unpleasant nature of Alex's untimely departure, this is still my favorite single episode of the series. As a guy who read the books, heard the scuttlebutt while the season unfolded, I actually liked that I got to be surprised. I wish it hadn't been under these circumstances, but a surprise is a surprise. I didn't want a recast, it would have felt awful. 5-10 is The Expanse firing with all cylinders. It has an Empire Strikes Back ending, two absolutely incredible space battles, including Drummer For The Win!!! Naomi's desperate leap, spinning into the blackness scene is perfect acting, and the cinematography choices impeccable. Clinton Shorters score is incredible throughout the seasons, but he is masterful in this one. This season, in particular, is awesome on rewatches. For instance in Roci Vs. Zmeya, one of the torpedo's the Zmeya launches is blue (Epstein drive) and the rest of them are yellow (fusion drive). There are a bunch of other interesting clues scattered throughout. I still think you might call her Peaches yet, six more episodes to go...
47:25 Alex's death was the most random thing I've ever seen, I couldn't believe it, that didn't happen in my mind, I thought Naomi was going to die, but I will definitely miss Alex, without him the Rocinante crew isn't the same
Yeah, it kinda came out of nowhere and was kinda quickly brushed over. Suppose I understand the reasons why, in production. I guess they didn't really have the actor on board to act a death scene, so first he looks to be just fine and suddenly he's floating motionless and you're off to confirming your understanding of the situation when they're already talking about a funeral all of a sudden, no real emotional crew reactions to make it real. Not saying it wasn't a realistic portrayal of how that might happen, but as far as story-telling goes, this event was glued on top of a ready progression of events and wasn't really integrated into it.
@@lassesipila6418 it’s not just that it wasn’t integrated properly. The scandal came AFTER shooting was completed for the season. That scene where they talk about the funeral was an additional shot that they did after the main season shooting had been finished. The last scene with the diplomats and Chrisjen originally had Alex in it, as it was shot before the season wrapped up. They digitally removed him in post production.
@@rogerzhang5993 Ah yes, that'd do it. Such a shame, it would've been a really great character death, a real crowning, if they had had the opportunity to produce it properly.
I'm sure others have mentioned it, but check out the XRay of the next season as there's a set of short extras embedded in each episode. Whilst he's not killed off in the books I think this is better, narratively speaking. Now the stakes are very real and very personal for all the protagonists not just Avarasala, Drummer, Holden and Naomi. Rewatching this season, Inaros' plans are in earlier episodes: The torpedo carrying the protomolecule is seen veering off when the torpedoes from the Zymya are approaching the Roci. Inaros is seen looking at the Ring with projections of the micro meteorites.
I was worried about how you were going to hold up during this episode, but I also should've been worried myself too I guess... Because I bawled like a baby. Even though I knew both what was coming *and* the unfortunate behind the scenes events with Cas Anvar that led to the show's decision to remove him. I feel the decision to kill him off was the right one and the execution of it was done well however. Again though, it was still unfortunate as hell. Actions such as Anvars don't always have the consequences they should, so when they do we can count that as a win. It would obviously be better if those actions never happened in the first place though.
As others have mentioned, the producers and Cas Avnar parted company as a result of accusations made against him which left them with a problem about what to do with the character. They could recast, have the character suddenly leave, or kill him off screen all of which would have been noticeably awkward. Someone then realised that the matter of people stroking out as a result of a high-g burn had been mentioned several times over the course of the series and that it could be used here to bring the character to a somewhat more satisfactory end rather than just having him disappear. If you look at the final scene with Alex, it's all done with still shots. Quite a clever solution to the problem.
Another great Expanse reaction! I look forward to your reactions every couple of days. RIP Alex, Buh-bye Cas. Of course it’s more complex than that but that’s the way I look at it. As you said “consequences”. So many great moments in this episode, but the Rocinante vs Free Navy battle is one of the best space skirmishes I’ve ever seen. If you want to see a blow by blow incisive breakdown of the battle check out the Spacedock channel. For me it highlights how brilliantly rendered the battle was. And if you love the “space shit” than Battlestar Galactica 2003 series is the way to go. You will fall in love with the characters in that series too. Epic space battles with an invigorating musical score. Also great politicking too. Firefly is another great choice but I highly recommend the anime series Cowboy Bebop. It has a wonderful English dub and so much of its DNA passed over to Firefly. If you thought the name of the Laconia sounds familiar (or didn’t lol that’s ok) it is the Ancient Greek name of the territory controlled by the City State of Sparta. Ty and Daniel love their Classical History references!
@funnylilgalreacts I feel you about alax not going to lie I felt sad and mad when I first watched that scene, having just caught up in the books around the same time the ep aired but as I thought about it allot rent free in my head I came to the conclusion that how he went out was the perfect way to do so in that situation because up to that point no one had stroked out and technically that's how Fred when out in the books and as much as I miss alex from the show ("Alex the character")... he is still kicking in the books so I can just read them again
Season 5 is stressful because the crew is scattered, but it showcases the genius of the storytelling behind it because each main character we personally care about is also witness to every aspect of the world changing events at the same time, WITHOUT being obvious about what's going to happen next. It's genius
FIREFLY (and SERENITY) is a vacation from the heavy drama. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is a dramatic journey. Take from that what you will. BABYLON 5 is dated but it was a watershed moment for television storytelling, and it crystallized the modern era of long-form television novels, especially in genre fiction. Until BABYLON 5, the STAR TREK paradigm was the norm. Episodic television with no end in sight, reliant on its inherent formula, so the show could air indefinitely and perform well in syndication - that's what networks wanted. BABYLON 5 came along and changed all that by having a self-limited story, with a pre-planned beginning, middle, and end. Season 1 is ... messy. Season 2 works out the kinks. And seasons 3 & 4 are some of the best seasons of science fiction ever put onscreen. Season 5 is like going to a 24-hour diner with the last of your friends after a wild night on the town. And there is your brief oral history of BABYLON 4.
I'm liking how many people are talking about Babylon 5. I agree it is a very important series to the history of scifi television, and frankly television dramas in general. It really paved the way for all of the great series people now talk about in the late 90s up through present day.
I haven't read the books, but I think I heard that Fred Johnson dies the way Alex did, so they kind of merged those two deaths together, and then had Fred shot dead on the show.
Yes, the ending does have a very "Poochie died on the way to his home planet" feel when you go in knowing the background... it's a very different experience.
Amos wasn't saying you owe me one. Rather, he uses Holden as a judge of what's right and wrong. And in his mind, how Holden threatened Amos and then accepted him, is the same as Peaches. So he was just confirming his understanding of how that social rule works. Also, she _is_ Peaches now. Clarissa was the spoilt daughter. Melba was a character Clarissa played. Clarissa died in prison (or maybe died when she chose to attach Ashford) - that person is now Peaches.
Just throwing in my 2c, I would love to see you watch Firefly and then Farscape. Farscape was awesome, and was one of my favourites back in the day. and being an Aussie it was always fun to hear an Aussie accent in a TV series.
Loved your reaction to this series! The books are freaking fantastic and I really recommend the audiobook versions. The voice actor does a good job with the accents of the belters. PLUS, you get to experience a different fate for our beloved RIP pilot, Alex. If you are looking for something else to watch, PLEASE CONSIDER STARGATE UNIVERSE. It works even if you haven’t seen the other stargates and has lots of fun “Space Shit”. We really need more people reacting to SGU, cause it has characters you will LOVE! Peace and Scifi.
RIP Alex 😔 I actually think it's better that you hadn't heard about the actor controversy beforehand because we all knew it was coming, and I think that took something away from it. I am still pissed at the actor but will always miss the character. They did the Alex death scene post production and only got to add 1 or 2 scenes to explain it, I think they did a pretty good job with what they had. Bring on S6!
Thank you for not litigating the Cas Anvar situation. Like you said, consequences. The rest is beyond a reaction to the story, even if I would no doubt agree with you. Besides that, I think “snot monster” is a fine nickname. But seriously, thanks for the season. Great stuff!
not sure if anyone already mentioned this, but for season 6 don't forget to watch the x-ray shorts. together they almost add another episode. also watch the end credits to the end. small yet important thing happening there...
Drummer's action aboard Tycho Station (shooting the Black Sky insurrectionists) was much less emotional than most people think. Drummer was exercising Belter's utilitarian ethos and making certain that she would not have to supply food and imprisonment for those bad actors.
We can still grieve for the character. Alex was a huge part of the Roci family and regardless of how he was in real life, the actor played him well.
I am still heartbroken. He shouldn't be dead. But that's the way things went.... I'm so f*cking sad.
@@funnylilgalreacts yeah, I totally get that. There was no real, happy solution to this, and we should all be allowed to say that that sucks
@@arpeggioblue should have recast the part in case they ever try to adapt 7-9.
@@WillTaft I don’t actually agree with this. I’m not going to say anything about specific events in the books, but Alex’s part in them can be easily written around
@@funnylilgalreacts I think killing Alex was brilliant. It re-ups the stakes that were so high early in the series. The show has continuously reminded us of the danger of high speed travel. What better way to make that point than to kill a main character through mundane application of physics. It's also a great plot twist after Naomi was in danger all season. Bravo Expanse!
Amos basically talked "Dad" into letting him bring home a stray puppy. 🤣
A stray puppy which had attacked "Dad" before and originally strayed into the neighbourhood specifically to look for a chance to do that. 😃
@@lassesipila6418 Well there was a time I got bitten by a German Shepherd, but that was a case of the poor guy panicking as opposed ot having a grudge.
The retrofit of Alex’s death with Amos stating that that’s the way he’d choose to go out, well, that was fucking brilliant writing. Good save.
Thankfully you were only holding a tissue when you found out about Alex…😢
Regardless of the controversy around Cas, Alex will be missed. Honestly one of my favorite scenes in the show is when Bobbie tells Alex the story of her rat, Mouse. Talking about how they both had to let something so very dear to them, the dream of Mars, die…because it was already gone.
A book insight about Amos (non spoiler) is that he doesn't see sex as part of intimacy and love language, more like a basic necessity to take care of. So the way he treats Clarissa in a sister way is just pure love as he knows it
I think I would put it that he sees sex as purely transactional.
He’s an example of an Aromantic person.
@@invaderliz
If you know more of his backstory from Baltimore - particularly with Lydia, which thankfully they left out of the show - you'll know why this is.
@@invaderliz At first I misread that as Aromatic. LOL.
@Cbricklyne they implied it, rather than outright stating it, with Erich's "...oh"
Dominique Tipper's acting throughout this episode was absolutely phenomenal
Throughout the entire show, let's be honest. She's so powerful as Naomi.
@@Attelocin217 Oh 100%, but this episode, for me, was mind blowing.
@@JunYuki True. So true. It's actually kind of hard for me to watch her in these episodes because she does it so well. Ugh, I just love her! She's phenomenal.
Made her my top 2 chars in this one! Her and Amos. 😀
@@Attelocin217 I couldn't agree more. She definitely didn't start as my favourite, but holy heck did I love her at the end.
Alex's last words: "That was one hell of a ride." Works on so many levels, but in particular drives home the point that Alex died doing what he loved and saving someone he loved.
With the real-world situation surrounding it, I cannot imagine a better way for the show to handle everything.
Yeah, I absolutely hate social media bullsh!t.... I've had quite a few shows where they kill off a character because someone pulls up something from a person's past causing harm to a character in my show. I believe I said at the time.... "Timmy called Martin a doodoo-head in school when he was little, we gotta get him fired now."
If it was not for what happened on social media, Alex would not have died.
@@RedmoonIndustries The allegations against Cas Anvar went well beyond social media.
@@RedmoonIndustries Sadly it wasn't that far in the past as one of the affected women worked on the expanse set!
Altough in my opinion the women should also have been fired, as she clearly used him for his fame and money.
So pleased that no one spoiled the Alex thing for you - There was lots of news about it before Season 5 began, so yes we did know that it was coming. Given that the death was effectively added in after filming had done (with only a bit of re-shooting) - they did a reasonable job of it.
I couldn't remember if the reshoots were public now but I guess they are!
(There was a gag order.)
I kinda think it's better to know ahead of time honestly
They did reproduce part of the book with Alex's death. In the book it was a different character who died that way but it was after a big victory. Ripping it out from under us makes it hurt more.
Also in the books Alex has a different fate. And I kinda like that we get both. For his character both are satisfying arcs.
Look at you - keeping it vague. I almost commented who that character is, but it is best left unsaid.
Not to go into any spoilers, but I personally didn't enjoy reading many of the Alex chapters after this point anyhow, regardless of the show. In my opinion, if you had to remove one character from the novels and have it still stand, it would have to be Alex.
@@fredwin after reading the books, I completely agree. And he is potentially replaceable owing to the 30 yr jump. I already have ideas about a young fella inheriting a certain racing yacht
i lost it with the "his lasagna... its made with Looooove" lmao im so sorry 🤣
😭😭😭
Spacedock did an incredible breakdown of the battle between the Roci, Drummer’s flotilla, and the Free Navy. There’s a lot going on in that battle and it’s fascinating to get the play-by-play.
th-cam.com/video/h1AEHK8oQeA/w-d-xo.html
In season six, be sure to post your reactions to the “One Ship” sequences in the episode X-Ray bonus features. They basically add another five minutes to every episode.
Note: those bonus short scenes are only available through the web interface (maybe also a FireTV). You can't get to them from a Roku or similar 3rd party standalone device.
I have them on Roku. But I didn't have them on my phone or tablet.
Also, I highly recommend the battle breakdown on space dock!
there is another breakdown of the battle that points out stuff hard to spot like you can see the drives of the ships in the background where they are suposed to be during all the battle.. it was a quite surprising attention to detail for something that the vast majority of the audience wouldnt notice or care .. and even "trained eyes" wouldnt spot on a first view..it was like a reward for those who like to frame freeze
edit: sadly the video was removed..i had the link but it says video not avalaible anymore.
@@Shawn_M oh, that's new since the original airing. That's cool if they made that change.
Yeah that feature by Spacedock was incredible.
somehow I always think of "Peaches, come on up!" being like your best friend getting you to sleep over their house when the parents REALLY didn't want to allow it.
That's exactly the energy it has, kudos for pointing it out!
Regards Alex, well you and everyone else have covered that pretty well, it sucks on both levels.
Love Holdens face when he sees Clarissa, it's hilarious. And Clarissa's shy little "hi" just slays me, must have been so weird for both of them.
And yeah, for all Marco's failings and dubious motivations, he is a brilliant long term planner.
Back in first episode of this season, Holden showed Fred Johnson a simulation of what Elvi saw when she fell through the artifact. It was those red lights that appeared near the end of this episode. Holden deduced that these were the aliens that wiped out the civilization that created the protomolecule. Those aliens are what destroyed the Martian ship as it went through the ring gates.
Interesting thing is that Bull has a MUCH bigger role in the books. He's actually a main character basically. In the show, Drummer got a lot of Bull's storyline because the role worked so well and people liked her a lot.
I really love how they decided to film the moment with Naomi in free float. Up close, instead of a wide view shot. It really adds to the panic and desperation of her in that moment and how scary it all is to her
So break down of special effects via wall of text time!
Just after the intro, while Alex and Bobbie are are discussing the thruster firing, Alex has a holographic flight course up with a spot in the near future highlighted red with the note "Max Q". Max Q is a real world phrase that you will hear on NASA and SpaceX launches noting the max dynamic physical demand point of the burn, or max g forces of the launch. Bobbie also comments that they are "juiced to the gills and could stroke out" at the burn. Look closely and both Bobbie and Alex have a screen in front of each of them to their left. In this scene Bobbie's read out is green but Alex's read out is yellow.
Cut to just after Naomi jumps off of the ship and we cut to inside the Screaming Firehawk. They just passed the same Max Q point on the halo flight plan. Here we finally see that the screen to the left is actually a health monitor (!) tracking blood flow in the brain. Bobbie's protest makes much more sense earlier. Not only that, but Bobbie is still in the green but Alex's monitor is orange. In post production, they made the story reflect that both the characters knew Alex could die. They went for Naomi's rescue first and foremost. After Bobbie rescues Noami and we cut to inside the ship, Alex's health monitor is red. After saying "what wild ride", he was gone.
Minor correction, on launch, "Max-Q" is the maximum aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle. That means as a rocket accelerates, the air resistance increases, but as the rocket gains altitude, the air pressure decreases. "Max-Q" is the point at which the air pressure begins dropping faster than the air resistance is increasing.
@@rodentnolastname6612 Minor correction. Max-Q is actually an all astronaut band, (named after the aerodynamic feature of a launch trajectory you so aptly described)
You also see on Alex's health monitor that there is a blaring red dot in his brain indicating an aneurysm. They flash by really quickly, but they're there. They do a great job of distracting us from it by giving us more important things to focus on (i.e. rescuing Naomi), much like Alex and Bobby didn't notice it because they were distracted by the same.
One of the best episodes, right? It's really nice to have someone else to cry with on this one. And you were so smart about it. You picked up on things way faster than I did.
That recorded message that Naomi left for Jim (her farewell, assuming she was dead) was taped by Dominique Tipper in a single take. Woman has skills!
Thanks for another fantastic reaction!
This time last season, no one could have imagined the way you would giggle at Clarissa's arrival on the Roci.
Looking ahead (can’t say looking forward) to the end of the show…. By watching other reactions to this wonderful show you’re already well on the way to handling “Post Expanse” life.😊 You’ve got the books to read, the entire show to rewatch…. so your Expanse friends (both in the show & here in TH-cam Land) Ain’t. Go’n. NOWHERE! 😘
Thanks for taking us along… it has been one hell of a ride….& the best is yet to come!! 🚀🚀 😎
wasn't the last book also kinda open ended? with a big emphasis on "kinda"...
I really love the sincerity in your reactions so I hope this lands as a compliment not criticism... the way you start sobbing while unironically exclaiming "the lasagna!" was so funny, like you couldn't script a funnier but more heartfelt moment in a movie ❤💔 thanks for sharing with us as always
The death of Alex hit me harder than any death in a show that I can remember. He was such a good character.
Ive been waiting for this episodes reaction. The "you must always have a knife in the darkness" line lives rent free in my head. Also i love how this season introduced the ring entities at the beginning of the season and then showed them in world. The whole military life and laconia is ssuch a cool nod to sparta as well.
Balled my eyes out for this episode, it cut so very deep. Brilliant acting amazing performances from everyone. T Y once said that it was always the intention for the series to really show case how simple things we overlook on earth can kill you in space.
What a reaction!.... I think this is the first one I've seen with the Alex part and (you) not knowing about the controversy. I need to rewatch my copy of this episode because there is so much that happens in it. and Drummer!... need I say more :P
the turn around for the reshoots was very short. i can remember shoreh tweeting pictures in september when they were premiering the season in december. amazon even accidentally uploaded set photos with alex still in them.
I think that season 5 is the best season to date. I started binging The Expanse with you 10 days ago after the algorithm led me to your Firefly reactions. After watching you to this point, I'm looking forward to digging into your content more as soon as I finish season 6 with you. 😎
It's so great watching you react because your emotions are honest and it takes me back to watching for the first time. Thank you!
About the meteor shower hitting the ships at the ring: In one of this season's episodes, you could see something with a trajectory towards the ring on Marco's screen, which was designated as "MATEOx20K".
Remember uncle Mateo? Remember what he did after spacing Diogo?
It's those little details that make this show so worthful for unlimited rewatches...
Oh! No shit.... That's cheeky but such a great detail!
I am watching through the series again, and it is neat how you pick up on plot points that don't play out until long after you have forgotten about them on a rewatch. If you remember, Avasarala had a belter on hooks in the first episode of season one that was smuggling Martian stealth composites. In season five, you finally get to see those stealth composites in use.
There are little bits like this all over the series that you might not realize at first, but you get to see it when watching it again.
There was a broadcast that sounded a lot like Marco that Diogo's uncle was listening to when he launched all those ice rocks at the Martians.
I watched this the night you posted it but haven't been able put into words how I feel. I think in end, it's just a bittersweet episode for me.
We finally get the crew back together, only to lose a member in the process. Alex was such an integral part of the crew and it was such a sudden end to his story, from a pure storytelling perspective. When I first watched this, I was still shocked, even knowing that something was bound to happen to him given the controversy around Cas.
It's also bittersweet knowing that this is the penultimate season, and your Expanse reactions will end soon 😥 . While there are still a lot of other reactions I look forward to seeing here, this one is special and I'll be sad when it's over. I can only hope that we'll get a miracle and the show will be renewed 🥺.
We knew you didn't know. Been waiting for the whole season for this one. I forgot it was only episode 10.
Ah, Monica. Love that character. Always in the weirdest situation, but doing one hell of a job. Stellar journalist.
She's grown on me
@@funnylilgalreacts Don't worry, that's the general consensus I guess on Monica !
On a different topic that no one seemingly brought up, the reason the UN and Mars only has three ships guarding the Ring Gate is a bit complicated. For one thing, the UN and Mars just a few years ago had a nasty war that saw lots of ships on both sides get destroyed, then the RIng Gate appeared and the need for a large military by both major powers was no longer seen as needed, so Mars began downsizing a large part of its fleet to focus on colonisation instead. Finally, before the war with the Free Navy began, parts of the Mars fleet were sold off secretly to the Free Navy who took possession of a good number of Mars ship. And all of this is before the war began.
Following the rocks hitting Earth, the UN recalled most of their fleet to Earth and the Moon to create a defensive perimeter around Earth, and in turn as we see, a good number of Martian ships had secretly defected under the guise of being destroyed. So, the forces aligned to defend the gate were minimal, it wasn't seen as at risk with Medina Station watching their backs, but then Free Navy loyalists took the station in secret and waited for the Free Navy to attack, catching the defending ships in a pincer attack.
I hope you’re in to reading, because those last 3 books that didn’t get made in to seasons are all BANGERS, to the point that everything they’ve shown on tv feels like a long prologue to those last 3 books
The Last Kingdom is a show you need to watch! There's 5 seasons out right now and a final movie being released in April. Destiny is All!
The Last KIngdom is absolutely amazing.
I hope they actually get to where England forms as an actual nation. They got so close
I thought destiny was Saul 😂
The Last Kingdom is one of very few other shows I watch all reactions to. I would *love* if Angela picked it up because I do love her reactions but I don't watch any of her other shows or any of the others I'm seeing suggested.
Completely different genre, obviously, but everything else about it is very similar - great underrated character-driven show with a focus on interpersonal relationships, no "right" sides, and a protagonist doing his best to navigate the best way forward despite himself. Plus some really pretty men 😅 Also share the fact that it takes a few very information dense episodes for people to fall in love.
Is it? I stopped watching after the first season as I was so disappointed with the adaption from the novels. Maybe I should give it a second try.
Best Peaches moment ever Holden’s face hahaha
The actress who plays Clarissa, Nadine Nichole is from Michigan and roughly your age. So we can't dislike her too much. Cara Gee (Drummer) is an Ojibwe from Canada, so she is my favorite.
I was missing the wine at first, but then you had it lol
"This is going to hurt," then "Ouch." Yeah. Some great moments, like Bobbie finding Naomi.
And a shocking one.
Up very late tonight. Time for sleep.
Hope you''re OK.
Fun Fact: "Sagarmatha" is the nepalese word for Mount Everest, meaning "Goddess of the Sky".
RIP Alex Kamal. See you, Space Cowboy. I'd hug you girl if I could. Just keep the snot rags away. :p Loved that Drummer helped saved Holden and the Roci. But the cost was Serg and her family unit. At least a few of them are staying with her. Marco's strategy to take out the ships at the ring was impressive.The ship disappearing into the ring was interesting. Looks like those entities are awakened. I was thinking that Naomi may have finally run out of option and could have died here. When it was all silent, I thought that was it, but then you hear Bobbie come in and save the day. Tears of joy! I was initially confused by what happened to Alex. I didn't see the blood floating around. I knew that something was going to happen to the character but that was very sudden, since all principle filming was done. But then Holden cleared it all up. I'm happy to see you not hating on Monica as much now. She's fun!
When Bobbie saved Naomi I stood up and *screamed.* I was so unbelievably excited. It's such an amazing moment in the show.
I've been simultaneously eagerly awaiting and dreading(because of Alex) this reaction video.
RIP Alex, giving his life to protect his found family.
The juxtaposition with that and Drummer's polyfam loss was brutal.
Great reaction as always, on to season 6! ❤️
Have you seen Stargate SG-1? And it's Spinoff Atlantis? Still one of my all time favourites, they mix Sci-fi, action and humor really well!
When you say it's crazy that Chrisjen survived but Alex didn't, is because the brain damage accumulates, he did it many times, decades, while aveserala had the one time or so it seems.
As usual, will watch this in bits. But I’m here to scroll comments re Alex. Character vs Actor who played him
19:45 I’m glad I’m watching this reaction. I knew about the controversy and reshoots so I personally felt cheated and unhappy with Alex’s death. So it’s great to watch it with a fresh pair of eyes to gauge how I would’ve felt if his death came as a shock. Thank you Angela x
30:18. Well played with that brief reaction in a reaction (felt like I was watching Inception)
Finally- started binging Last of Us. For your reactions (as well as Ty & That Guy podcast)
And yes… BSG!! So Say We All
Orville rocks too. And I’ve finally got my Apple TV to watch For All Mankind
And as for Expanse books. Sped read books 1-5 prior to watching S6. So I knew Alex’s status in the novels anyway. Then I started to obsess about “The Admiral”and if he would make an appearance in S5 (only name dropped) Then sped read book 6 after S6 finished in Jan 2022. And enjoyed Booked 7-9 and novellas up to present.
One more novella to read in early 2023. Then my journey ends
Well until the geek meet up in Norway and the graphic novel Dragons Tooth. Everyone is still hungry for this universe
Thought about making a drinking game out of your predictions.......but I don't want to miss the rest of the video!!!😁 Fantastic reaction and conversation as always!!!
You look STUNNING without makeup. WOW!!
What amazingly beautiful skin! 😍
I had read about the trouble that Cas Anvar had gotten into and the decision to kill off Alex before the season started, and it still difficult for me to watch as well. Despite his flaws, I loved his portrayal of Alec Kamal. But I was still hoping they would recast the character. I think the as far as the show goes, keeping Alex was more important to the story and shouldn’t have been cut out simply because of the indiscretion of the actor that played him. But my heart went out to you when it happened. I knew this was gonna be hard for you, cuz it was hard for me as well even with the advance notice.
As far as what to react to after you’ve finished The Expanse, Firefly TV and Movie, BSG and Farscape are all fine choices. But if you haven’t already watched it, also consider Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. There are lots of seasons (7 of them to be exact) with much more that 10 or 12 episodes in them. It’s considered the ‘redheaded step-child’ of the Trek franchise because it didn’t follow the standard Trek formula,but IMHO it is the best written Trek show EVER. It has a bit of slow start before it really kicks in after season 3 (but so did The Next Generation) but once it finds it’s footing it goes at warp speed. It has soooo many great and substantial character growth moments from writers who really put a great deal of thought into what they were creating. As well as excellent performances from the main cast as well as the secondary cast members. So consider DS9 if you want a slightly different Star Trek that tells a fantastic story.
Yeah, this one was hard to watch.
The speech Naomi gave in her Message to Holdin worked so great as a farewell to Alex. Even if it was recorded after the situation with Cas developed, the build up of her having mentioned it several times really flowed well.
You should definitely read the books.
@Angela-
Thanks for the outstanding reaction. I love that you are so invested in the characters and Story. I look forward to each and every video you release!
I hope you'll choose the show Firefly a nice short 14 episodes and lots of fun. I think it would be the perfect next series to explore...
Best regards,
Mo-
Such wonderful reviews! You notice more details than I do, too, which is handy for me. I'm looking forward to the PC game "The Expanse: A Telltale Series" and would imagine you are too. :)
24:41 It's so very telling that Marco says "I made this happen". It's a great speech he's giving and he would only have to change one word - end it with "You made this happen" - to sound like an actual good leader
That was intense. And another weepalong, thank you very much 🙂.
Yes, Alex's death is a real gut punch, buuut... maybe it was the best decision even from a storytelling standpoint. A reminder that space is not your friend and that no one is safe.
I'm stoked to see what you choose next. My heart is a little more with BSG than Firefly, but that doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the respective shows.
(Uncalled for Battlestar Galactica reference: if you ever choose a call sign, please make it 'snot monster'.)
Anyway, on to the sixth season of the most awesome science fiction series of the new millennium.
Cheers!
it took me few reviews to fully understand that space battle. It happened all so fast, but in a nut shell, I believe Drummer tried to overwhelm the belter ships with torpedos to give Rocci a chance at taking them out with railgun.
Great reaction @funnylilgalreacts!
Thanks for sharing your lasagna (reaction), as everyone can see it’s made with love.🙏
I was sad when Alex died. I was pissed at the actor when I read what he did. Consequences…yes. The writers/creators did the right thing.
Firefly/Serenity…absolutely. Sent you a couple shirts from the show a few weeks ago. Battlestar Galactica has some wonderful space battles. And the music by Bear McCreary…let me ask, do you like drums? When starting The Expanse I was hoping it would be at least 1/2 as good as BSG. It surpassed my expectations.
"Holden...this is Drummer" is my second favorite line to "I am that guy."
Remember when the call girl Gia taught Havelock the Belter sign language: "Big hands!"
Holden's family was on a self-sufficient farm 'way in Montana. The fact that they had to be evacuated to Luna indicates how bad the astroid bombardment had damaged Earth.
It took weeks for the Roci to reach Luna to pick up Amos. They would have done all their initial grieving over Alex during that time. I guess Amos can think of Peaches as kind of a sibling and even protege.
You couldn't have noticed, but the micro-meteor storm that struck the UN battleship at the ring had been marked "Mateo" on Marco's tactical screens, in honor of Diogo's Uncle Mateo, who tossed rocks at the Martian cruiser.
With only one contracted season to go, I don't think a new actor could have replaced Cas Anvar and make the role "his," and the character doesn't really play a significant role in book six. In the books, that is how Fred dies. I'm not certain the original concept didn't have Fred survive the shooting (as he did in the book) to die later of a stroke, and perhaps they that deathroom scene of Fred after deciding to kill Alex by a stroke...two stroke deaths would have been hard to sell.
If you blow your nose really hard, you can blow snot out of your tear ducts. Don't ponder how I would know.
Next season: DO THIS. There is a short video that accompanies each episode (except the finale). It's buried in the X-Ray feature. You have to be viewing the episode on an Internet device (not on a basic television). Pause the episode and click into X-Ray and then into Bonus features. Each video gives a bit more about the story and characters. I consider he first one, "Ankawala," rather significant (although not essential) to understand Drummer.
There aren't any aliens on Firefly, and I strongly recommend it.
I think the protomolecule structure cortozar was referring to was a protomolecule shipyard.
I still break down at the sound of Bobbie grabbing onto Naomi. The decision to add the effect to the voice, and pan it all the way to the left to make it feel like she was actually holding onto me, just takes it up a whole nother level. I am a HUGE fan of the expanse but I honestly havent even finished the series because I cant bring myself to watch the last 2 episodes.... Its a weird thing where I feel like if I dont watch them, then the show never actually ended. idk why.
Alex was always the heart and soul of our Roci family. Always breaks my heart that it went down this way, goddammit Cas. 😭
One of my favorite episodes.
I only found out about all the behind the scenes grief by watching you. Hmm, add newscaster to your resume.
Even after Season 6, we fans have lots of Expanse content for you to react to!
Hearst! I swear I do not stalk the channel. You just release when I'm watching Ytube. Been really excited for this episode since S1 when I realized you were going to love the show.
When Amos dropped his bombshell on Holden, I laughed for a full minute or so.
I laughed loud enough that my wife, upstairs at the other end of the house, heard me and asked later what I was laughing about.
All the votes for Farscape! Will always be my all time favorite show. Have met almost all of the cast and some of them more than once. Would be so amazing to get to watch it with you!
Good show but there's a lot of filler episodes.
@@misterkite Yeah, that was common for the 22 episodes a season shows. I still love nearly every one of them.
29:29 I don't get why you're apologizing for not wearing makeup. I think you look wonderful without it.
Another excellent reaction. You're made for this, y'know. Hopefully you'd get to see and react to _a lot_ more shows and movies -- and maybe even other stuff, like games, anime, and other things -- in the future.
Did Firefly win the vote? Another excellent show, imo. I'd like to toss my suggestion into the box, maybe something you'd consider checking out in the future: _Star Trek: Strange New Worlds._ A criminally-underrated show, imho. It is, by far, _the best_ show among the newer ones.
I think people like Bull because he's a very different character in the books, where he serves the same capacity as Drummer in Season 3.
Cortazar is on a planet that the Martian separatists are calling "Laconia," and the structure he is talking about is one in orbit around that planet.
The series prior to this that really hit for me was Babylon 5. It kinda tries for realism but it's from the mid-90s so not quite up there on effects. And apparently the transfer to digital wasn't great.
I haven't really done a comparison of the various HD remasters/upscales, but from what I hear the Amazon version is maybe the best? Personally I own the series on DVD and I just watch that.
Babylon 5 is what i allways compare the Expanse to... it was annoying when people began to describe the expanse as "its Game of trones in space".. when there had been allready even more complex fantasy political-sociological series before.
The expanse is the next step in an evolution of sci-fi ... Babylon 5 was one (if not the) of first bi sci-fi (or space opera as JMS said he never aimed for hardcore science) that used space setting for a really good and complex political and sociological history while trying to portray phisics realisticly... Then came Galactica wich while not that realistic it took the making thins look extremelly realistic and took the political and sociological writing to next level even if it failed in the overal arc (as its no secret BSG was writen on the go and not with a plan ahead like B5 was).
The expanse is like the result of inspiration from B5 (there is several twitts of Ty praising JMS and saying comparing the expanse to B5 for him is one of the best compliments, also funny replies from JMS praising him and Daniel's writing) and BSG and other works.. and no doubt probably in a few or some years there will be another work that looks like a next step from the expanse that will get inspiration from it and the previous steps..
We could probably even throw Blade Runner in there before B5 for inspiration.. some friends of mine praised season 1 saying it had a lot of Blade runner vibes on ceres backgrounds
I love all 3 of the scifi shows your considering.
Firefly will offer the same The Expanse experience in terms of loving the crew, but in a shorter span. It's an amazing series.
A lot of people consider The Expanse to be the spiritual successor to Babylon 5, so I would like to see her react to that show (and there's a lot of episodes so she'd get a lot of content out of it). But yeah, Firefly and The Expanse are similar too, in the ragtag family spaceship sense.
@@fakecubed Babylon 5 is amazing in the later seasons, but initially it's quite rough.
Another good one is Star Trek - Deep Space Nine.
@@Reiswaffel I’m pretty sure she’s seen Deep Space Nine or else I would be right there with you recommending it.
Hang in there Angela! This was a rough episode for many / most / all of us. Losing a member of the Roci family is heartbreaking. I understand why they had to do it, but in terms of the character, I really miss Alex. Stay strong.
I have been dreading you watching this episode Alex's death hits us all hard, such a sad moment. For 5 seasons everytime you mentioned Alex being awesome I was just sad knowing how quickly we lost him. He was there then he was gone 😞
@Angela-
??? would you consider doing a full livestream of the final series episode? It would be a great way to finish all your reactions.
Best regards,
Mo-
Setting aside the unpleasant nature of Alex's untimely departure, this is still my favorite single episode of the series. As a guy who read the books, heard the scuttlebutt while the season unfolded, I actually liked that I got to be surprised. I wish it hadn't been under these circumstances, but a surprise is a surprise. I didn't want a recast, it would have felt awful.
5-10 is The Expanse firing with all cylinders. It has an Empire Strikes Back ending, two absolutely incredible space battles, including Drummer For The Win!!! Naomi's desperate leap, spinning into the blackness scene is perfect acting, and the cinematography choices impeccable. Clinton Shorters score is incredible throughout the seasons, but he is masterful in this one. This season, in particular, is awesome on rewatches. For instance in Roci Vs. Zmeya, one of the torpedo's the Zmeya launches is blue (Epstein drive) and the rest of them are yellow (fusion drive). There are a bunch of other interesting clues scattered throughout.
I still think you might call her Peaches yet, six more episodes to go...
47:25 Alex's death was the most random thing I've ever seen, I couldn't believe it, that didn't happen in my mind, I thought Naomi was going to die, but I will definitely miss Alex, without him the Rocinante crew isn't the same
Yeah, it kinda came out of nowhere and was kinda quickly brushed over. Suppose I understand the reasons why, in production. I guess they didn't really have the actor on board to act a death scene, so first he looks to be just fine and suddenly he's floating motionless and you're off to confirming your understanding of the situation when they're already talking about a funeral all of a sudden, no real emotional crew reactions to make it real. Not saying it wasn't a realistic portrayal of how that might happen, but as far as story-telling goes, this event was glued on top of a ready progression of events and wasn't really integrated into it.
@@lassesipila6418 it’s not just that it wasn’t integrated properly. The scandal came AFTER shooting was completed for the season.
That scene where they talk about the funeral was an additional shot that they did after the main season shooting had been finished.
The last scene with the diplomats and Chrisjen originally had Alex in it, as it was shot before the season wrapped up. They digitally removed him in post production.
@@rogerzhang5993 Ah yes, that'd do it. Such a shame, it would've been a really great character death, a real crowning, if they had had the opportunity to produce it properly.
@@lassesipila6418 yeah… I get you, should have been a sendoff. But I focus my disappointment to the actor, he really fucked up.
I'm sure others have mentioned it, but check out the XRay of the next season as there's a set of short extras embedded in each episode.
Whilst he's not killed off in the books I think this is better, narratively speaking. Now the stakes are very real and very personal for all the protagonists not just Avarasala, Drummer, Holden and Naomi.
Rewatching this season, Inaros' plans are in earlier episodes:
The torpedo carrying the protomolecule is seen veering off when the torpedoes from the Zymya are approaching the Roci.
Inaros is seen looking at the Ring with projections of the micro meteorites.
I was worried about how you were going to hold up during this episode, but I also should've been worried myself too I guess... Because I bawled like a baby. Even though I knew both what was coming *and* the unfortunate behind the scenes events with Cas Anvar that led to the show's decision to remove him.
I feel the decision to kill him off was the right one and the execution of it was done well however.
Again though, it was still unfortunate as hell.
Actions such as Anvars don't always have the consequences they should, so when they do we can count that as a win. It would obviously be better if those actions never happened in the first place though.
As others have mentioned, the producers and Cas Avnar parted company as a result of accusations made against him which left them with a problem about what to do with the character. They could recast, have the character suddenly leave, or kill him off screen all of which would have been noticeably awkward. Someone then realised that the matter of people stroking out as a result of a high-g burn had been mentioned several times over the course of the series and that it could be used here to bring the character to a somewhat more satisfactory end rather than just having him disappear. If you look at the final scene with Alex, it's all done with still shots. Quite a clever solution to the problem.
Another great Expanse reaction! I look forward to your reactions every couple of days. RIP Alex, Buh-bye Cas.
Of course it’s more complex than that but that’s the way I look at it. As you said “consequences”.
So many great moments in this episode, but the Rocinante vs Free Navy battle is one of the best space skirmishes I’ve ever seen. If you want to see a blow by blow incisive breakdown of the battle check out the Spacedock channel. For me it highlights how brilliantly rendered the battle was.
And if you love the “space shit” than Battlestar Galactica 2003 series is the way to go. You will fall in love with the characters in that series too. Epic space battles with an invigorating musical score. Also great politicking too. Firefly is another great choice but I highly recommend the anime series Cowboy Bebop. It has a wonderful English dub and so much of its DNA passed over to Firefly.
If you thought the name of the Laconia sounds familiar (or didn’t lol that’s ok) it is the Ancient Greek name of the territory controlled by the City State of Sparta. Ty and Daniel love their Classical History references!
@funnylilgalreacts I feel you about alax not going to lie I felt sad and mad when I first watched that scene, having just caught up in the books around the same time the ep aired but as I thought about it allot rent free in my head I came to the conclusion that how he went out was the perfect way to do so in that situation because up to that point no one had stroked out and technically that's how Fred when out in the books and as much as I miss alex from the show ("Alex the character")...
he is still kicking in the books so I can just read them again
Oh just wanted to add I think you will be fine who finally ends up in the "char" in the end
I have a theory about the last scene.
The bracelet was a magical item, like in RPG, and would have protected them if it was kept dressed.
Season 5 is stressful because the crew is scattered, but it showcases the genius of the storytelling behind it because each main character we personally care about is also witness to every aspect of the world changing events at the same time, WITHOUT being obvious about what's going to happen next. It's genius
When you get to season 6 there are 5 vignettes imbedded in the episodes (under the X-Ray). 25 minutes of extra content.
FIREFLY (and SERENITY) is a vacation from the heavy drama. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is a dramatic journey. Take from that what you will.
BABYLON 5 is dated but it was a watershed moment for television storytelling, and it crystallized the modern era of long-form television novels, especially in genre fiction.
Until BABYLON 5, the STAR TREK paradigm was the norm. Episodic television with no end in sight, reliant on its inherent formula, so the show could air indefinitely and perform well in syndication - that's what networks wanted. BABYLON 5 came along and changed all that by having a self-limited story, with a pre-planned beginning, middle, and end.
Season 1 is ... messy. Season 2 works out the kinks. And seasons 3 & 4 are some of the best seasons of science fiction ever put onscreen. Season 5 is like going to a 24-hour diner with the last of your friends after a wild night on the town.
And there is your brief oral history of BABYLON 4.
I'm liking how many people are talking about Babylon 5. I agree it is a very important series to the history of scifi television, and frankly television dramas in general. It really paved the way for all of the great series people now talk about in the late 90s up through present day.
@@fakecubed "We live for The One. We die for The One."
@@AngeloBarovierSD Yes.
I haven't read the books, but I think I heard that Fred Johnson dies the way Alex did, so they kind of merged those two deaths together, and then had Fred shot dead on the show.
Yes, the ending does have a very "Poochie died on the way to his home planet" feel when you go in knowing the background... it's a very different experience.
Amos wasn't saying you owe me one. Rather, he uses Holden as a judge of what's right and wrong. And in his mind, how Holden threatened Amos and then accepted him, is the same as Peaches. So he was just confirming his understanding of how that social rule works.
Also, she _is_ Peaches now. Clarissa was the spoilt daughter. Melba was a character Clarissa played. Clarissa died in prison (or maybe died when she chose to attach Ashford) - that person is now Peaches.
Just throwing in my 2c, I would love to see you watch Firefly and then Farscape.
Farscape was awesome, and was one of my favourites back in the day. and being an Aussie it was always fun to hear an Aussie accent in a TV series.
Loved your reaction to this series! The books are freaking fantastic and I really recommend the audiobook versions. The voice actor does a good job with the accents of the belters. PLUS, you get to experience a different fate for our beloved RIP pilot, Alex.
If you are looking for something else to watch, PLEASE CONSIDER STARGATE UNIVERSE.
It works even if you haven’t seen the other stargates and has lots of fun “Space Shit”. We really need more people reacting to SGU, cause it has characters you will LOVE!
Peace and Scifi.
You spent five seasons loving Alex. Cas Anvar doesn't get to take that from you.
RIP Alex 😔
I actually think it's better that you hadn't heard about the actor controversy beforehand because we all knew it was coming, and I think that took something away from it.
I am still pissed at the actor but will always miss the character. They did the Alex death scene post production and only got to add 1 or 2 scenes to explain it, I think they did a pretty good job with what they had.
Bring on S6!
I like how Bobbie check on Naomi like she is a gun or some military equipment, she don't get things done with her people skills xD
"Could use some cleaning and buffing out the scratches but otherwise good to go! I'm gonna get some chow. Anybody want some?"
- _Dr. Draper_
Thank you for not litigating the Cas Anvar situation. Like you said, consequences. The rest is beyond a reaction to the story, even if I would no doubt agree with you.
Besides that, I think “snot monster” is a fine nickname. But seriously, thanks for the season. Great stuff!
Unrelated, but nominating Midnight Mass for a limited series palette cleanser… or just because I want you to watch it. Ok, I’ll stop.
The Expanse gives me some of the same vibes as playing Descent FreeSpace 1 & 2 for the first time.
not sure if anyone already mentioned this, but for season 6 don't forget to watch the x-ray shorts. together they almost add another episode.
also watch the end credits to the end. small yet important thing happening there...
Drummer's action aboard Tycho Station (shooting the Black Sky insurrectionists) was much less emotional than most people think. Drummer was exercising Belter's utilitarian ethos and making certain that she would not have to supply food and imprisonment for those bad actors.