February 3: The Expanse 5x07

[kinetic_elaboration]

I am not exactly having the best evening but anyway, here are some thoughts on The Expanse.

I… have been wondering why the Nagata/Inaros family storyline, which was most of this ep, doesn’t do anything for me. I go back and forth between ‘it is not compellingly written’ and ‘it’s perfectly fine and serviceable but I just happen to not vibe with it.’ I feel like it should work, and in the scene of Naomi and Filip I felt like I almost understood it, almost felt it. But overall it just feels… so unrealistic to me. I don’t believe the emotional core at all.

I think it’s really about Marco. I mean Filip is boring and doesn’t have much of a character, and he’s so ragingly easy to manipulate it’s like he’s basically a cypher, but Marco is the weak link because I do not believe all these things we hear about him. Naomi talks about how he totally charmed and disarmed her and she subsumed her whole being to him and she sees the same thing happening to Filip, but I just fundamentally don’t believe that. THIS guy? He’s not charismatic. He’s not particularly smart or threatening either, to be honest. He’s a pretty blunt instrument. He’s a lot of tell and no show, in my opinion. He’s not the sort of evil person where you totally get it, of course people would fall for this or love him despite hating him or come under his spell. He’s just… flat.

So I don’t understand why Naomi ever dated him, had a kid with him, or committed terrorist acts with him. And without understanding or even fully believing it, there isn’t really any point to anything else.

Also I didn’t really get what she was doing at the end or, more importantly, where she was going. But it really suspended my science fiction disbelief, personally.

I like that we’re seeing some of the story lines come together, in particular the interactions with Bobbie and Alex, and their Mars story line, with Holden et al and that story line. The show desperately needs the Roci crew back together. Also I thought Bobbie was delightful as always (“They just itch a little, that’s all.”)

Chrisjen’s cameo felt like she was here to tell us how to find Carmen Sandiego. Not! Enough! Chrisjen! This! Season!

I do not understand why the reporter is, like, still here and has such a huge role. But also literally no one else in the Holden story line has made any impression on me so at least she’s a face I can recognize. I don’t know why or if this is intended but he really feels like the cheese standing alone for some reason. His