May 13: The Expanse 3x10

[kinetic_elaboration]

Back to the Expanse after a two-week break. This sure is a show. As often happens, I’m not really sure what to say about it. It has this weird habit of going in one ear and out the other. I keep blaming the lack of exposition, which makes it hard to follow what’s happening, and I do think that’s a big part of it. But I think it’s also the more general but related problem of it just… not ever really explaining anything. Or explaining too little, too slowly. The experience of watching, in my opinion, is of layering vague experiences on top of vague experiences on top of vague experiences. The mystery never seems to expand or build or to be going toward anything. It’s just… mysterious. And I don’t really care. I understand so little; there’s nothing to grasp on to. Makes me actually somewhat miss the war storyline.

I am particularly frustrated because I just finished the episode and it ended with such a high degree of nonsense that I’m not even going to try to interpret it. I want to respect going all in on alien stuff but this was just… gibberish to me, honestly.

This felt like one of those episodes where nothing much happens… the show juggles so many storylines and characters that it has many episodes like this. I’ve seen structures of many simple stories inching along side by side done well. But these don’t even really feel like they’re inching a lot of the time.

I wanted to be more interested in the Holden and Miller stuff than I was, but that ‘I’m a hyper intelligence and you’re an amoeba’ thing was off putting. Okay. Well what do I do with that.

I hated that so much of this episode was devoted to Anna, the worst character ever created. I dislike her more every time she’s on screen. Her soothing voice is so irritating to me. I 100% clocked that the random Lieutenant was going to commit some sort of violent act (either suicide or homicide) and then he did, and it definitely was her fault, but it was played more as like ‘oh… she’s so sad… she’s learned a lesson.’ Which I get, in that he was a throwaway character and she’s a recurring character, he absolutely can be in service to her plot, but I saw it coming to such an extent, was frustrated by her total selfishness, and by how despite this she is STILL treated so kindly by the narrative, that it just increased the degree of annoyance she inspires in me. I suspect I’m supposed to like her and that’s why I hate her so much.

I do kind of like Tilly. At least one person has a sense of humor. Her and proto!Miller, a little bit.

It was nice to see Bobbie again. I’m always surprised to say that. She really took a while to grow on me. But then she did! Pretty much the only character to accomplish that progression.

But when will her BFF Chrisjen return from war?

Only three more episodes in this season. I hope it’s building up to something coherent.