September 3: The Expanse 4x09

[kinetic_elaboration]

Well, that was weird. I am not entirely sure what I watched. Yet again, this is probably partially because I was not paying enough attention. As I’ve said, the stuff on Illus is my least favorite stuff of the season, and that’s what everything was today. I feel like I can watch it and see that on a structural level, a lot of tensions are coming to a head, a lot of storylines are reaching or about to reach their climax (what with it being the penultimate episode of the season and all) but actually caring about any of this requires having built up feelings for these characters over time, which I did not particularly do.

Like, did I take some weird satisfaction out of Amos killing his fuck buddy? Yeah, actually, because I like reminders that Amos really is Like That, he’s a real guard dog who knows only violence and aggression, it is not just an aesthetic. He really is going to put his captain/ship/crew above everyone else, absolutely, every time. And I didn’t feel too bad because I didn’t really care about her and I never believed in their dynamic as like a real romance or anything. I never thought either of them would threaten each other’s existing loyalties. So in that sense I guess it sort of did have to end like this.

I think my favorite of the new characters is Elvi. I’m glad she got to meet Miller and have an important role. Did I understand what was happening with Miller? No lol.

I got that the Inspector was a part of the Protomolecule that was using Miller’s body and/or general Essence to take a corporeal form. I did not get that the real Miller also still exists? I’m not sure how I feel about that. I liked seeing him again but I really… I really did think he was dead. I feel like it’s a little weird that whatever happened to him did not actually kill him. And I’m a little confused as to why he still exists and yet not one word about his alleged Love of All Time who actually never knew him? How soon we forget. So, that came out of nowhere for me and I’m not immediately willing to concede that that is my fault. It smells of retcon.

Seeing him physically embody some Wall-E looking machinery was pretty cool though.

I didn’t care so much about the Roci/Barb stuff: that was action/adventure to me. I liked the little bit of interaction between Amos and Alex, which I miss. I feel like they were never in the same place this season?

Anyway… yeah. I think I really missed all the storylines I actually care for this season! I think the alien stuff is interesting but the information has been parceled out so intermittently and in such a frustrating way, always as if, to me at least, it was being given the least thought versus the 10,000 other things that are happening, that I was just kinda… waiting for real information to show up about it. And now it kind of has but I just… feel like it’s too little too late, maybe, or like it’s still incomprehensible to me? Mm, I’m sure I’m overthinking. It was weird! There were some interesting ideas there! I’m curious how the season will end.