+3
This latest season is cementing The Expanse as the best thing to happen to science fiction in a long time. It exposes other shows' shortcomings by being almost unassailable in its quality. It's complete dedication to realism in its approach to life in space and its extrapolation of realistic future political machinations elevate to new heights in television sci-fi. The Expanse puts a clown suit on pretty much everything else in recent memory. Once the show finds its legs (mid season two, maybe), the actors lock into their roles, and you start to become aware of what a talented and diverse bunch they are. Life in space is given a realism unlike any other show in history. Space is portrayed as vast, lonely, and extremely dangerous. The people that live in the Mars colonies have trouble walking and moving on Earth, as their bodies have trouble adjusting to the gravity here. And the people that live in the belt, out in space itself, can't even go to Earth, as the gravity causes extreme pain or even death.
One reviewer I like to watch said, and I paraphrase... "The Expanse is smart, mature, well-written, shot brilliantly, and perfectly portrayed by a large cast of extremely talented actors, who invest their characters with genuine depth, emotion, and gravitas. It makes an absolute mockery out of the usual shallow, pretentious garbage that passes for sci-fi today, such as Star Trek Discovery."
He's right, and I think that may even apply to historical well-received and good shows, like Star Trek:TNG and BSG. It exposes Star Trek for its silly deus-ex machina driven contrivances, and BSG for its over-reliance on gimmickry such as The Plan and Who are the Cylons? The Expanse doesn't need any of that stuff.
Last night, as I watched yet another absolutely stellar episode chock full of engaging character development and political intrigue, I realized that almost the entire episode had been focused on character, with hardly any plot events, and yet I was on the edge of my seat and just glued to the screen. This show has multiple characters that qualify as some of the most complex and well-developed characters I have seen in a TV show. Then almost as if the show had read my mind, events spun out of control, with an amazing space battle and some jaw-dropping dramatic turns sending my wife and I into fits. The episode faded to black and my wife exclaimed "NOOOOOOOOOO - I need to see what happens!!!"
Best sci-fi show, hands down. I reiterate that it does take some time and unpacking to get going, but it is well worth it.