The Expanse Season 5 (Amazon) TV Show Review & Comments

Casimir Harlow

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Thanks Cas, looking forward to this, didnt get into until late so watched all seasons this year, going to be hard to have to watch a few at a time mind, and that's if I can even find it on Amazon's wonderful menu system! How can such a company get something so simple so wrong!
 
Cas, many thanks for this. I'm a big fan of the Expanse and really pleased to hear that they don't seem to have let the standards drop. Let's hope that the final season, when it happens, doesn't follow your GoT comparison too literally!
 
I am impressed by how much it has evolved... Just hope they can hang the whole thing together in the end as it has become a bit disparate.
 
Cas, many thanks for this. I'm a big fan of the Expanse and really pleased to hear that they don't seem to have let the standards drop. Let's hope that the final season, when it happens, doesn't follow your GoT comparison too literally!

I was thinking that. It's very GOT in setup. But previous seasons of the Expanse have still had single arcs, which have helped provide a more satisfying whole, so perhaps not everything is resting on that final year.

Whereas GOT - however excellent - was always so disparate that only a cohesive, perfect final season could have actually tied it up into something of a meaningful whole. And we didn't get that, which sours the whole damn 8 course meal.

Still, it feels like there's a lot more than 20 episodes of story to tell, so I'll be sad when this all ends.
 
I am impressed by how much it has evolved... Just hope they can hang the whole thing together in the end as it has become a bit disparate.

Hah, I was just thinking the opposite. I agree each season starts quite disparate - literally with the characters often separated - but they all generally come together in the end for something momentous. I can't think of a year that hasn't ended very strongly. So if feels like they're already avoiding mistakes GOT made.
 
I love 'The Expanse'. Proper, intelligent Sci-fi with great production values. It's it own thing, not to everyone's taste, but it really works for it's audience. Excellent to have a show with many ambiguous characters - neither good nor bad, but doing what they need to do to get by. Lots of politics and intrigue woven into the stories, yet never difficult to follow. In many ways, its the logical successor to 'Blakes 7'.

Last season was one of the few shows to utilise 4K UHD with HDR10+

Rumoured to be Jeff Bezos' favourite show, and the reason it was saved and moved to Amazon Prime when the SYFY channel cancelled it.

Regards.
James.
 
Hah, I was just thinking the opposite. I agree each season starts quite disparate - literally with the characters often separated - but they all generally come together in the end for something momentous. I can't think of a year that hasn't ended very strongly. So if feels like they're already avoiding mistakes GOT made.

When you put it like that... yeah I think you're right - it's possibly that unease in the first 5 episodes that gets to me - like all the good work has been thrown out and we're back to chaos once more lol.
 
I love 'The Expanse'. Proper, intelligent Sci-fi with great production values. It's it own thing, not to everyone's taste, but it really works for it's audience. Excellent to have a show with many ambiguous characters - neither good nor bad, but doing what they need to do to get by. Lots of politics and intrigue woven into the stories, yet never difficult to follow. In many ways, its the logical successor to 'Blakes 7'.

Last season was one of the few shows to utilise 4K UHD with HDR10+

Rumoured to be Jeff Bezos' favourite show, and the reason it was saved and moved to Amazon Prime when the SYFY channel cancelled it.

Regards.
James.

True, which is why I was a bit surprised they're finishing with just one more season. I mean, I know it must cost a ton of money, but The Expanse alone keeps Amazon in the game as a serious streaming platform.
 
When you put it like that... yeah I think you're right - it's possibly that unease in the first 5 episodes that gets to me - like all the good work has been thrown out and we're back to chaos once more lol.

Yes, if there's any part of the Expanse that falls to formula, it's the traditional season-start mix-up, which almost every franchise employs before settling into the main event.

Still, it feels like they always have a plan, which is more than can be said for things like Disco!
 
Cheers Cas, but we're definitely going Spinal Tap 11 on this one!

I'm going to do the mother of all willpower jobs though and not start this until the whole season has aired. I won't be able to handle one a week.

Proper TV this, and to think it almost lost me in Season 1 as well. But it's turned into one of the greats with some of the best characters and story arcs I can remember in a sci-fi show.
 
Thanks for the Review, Cas. We are so ready to watch this!
For any Amos Fans (And who isn't?) The Novella "The Churn" is all about Amos's life in Baltimore pre- Rocinante, & explains why he is who he is.
 
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I was thinking that. It's very GOT in setup. But previous seasons of the Expanse have still had single arcs, which have helped provide a more satisfying whole, so perhaps not everything is resting on that final year.

Whereas GOT - however excellent - was always so disparate that only a cohesive, perfect final season could have actually tied it up into something of a meaningful whole. And we didn't get that, which sours the whole damn 8 course meal.

Still, it feels like there's a lot more than 20 episodes of story to tell, so I'll be sad when this all ends.
The difference with The Expanse is that it is based on books that are published & great, and Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, who wrote them, are still involved in the series. To me, GoT lost its way once it moved beyond the actual Books.
 
True, which is why I was a bit surprised they're finishing with just one more season. I mean, I know it must cost a ton of money, but The Expanse alone keeps Amazon in the game as a serious streaming platform.
There is a 30 year gap between the events of Book 6 & Book 7. So all the main characters are much older by Book 7. "S.A. Corey" have called this stop after Season 6 "A Pause"; I believe they will recast everyone with Actors fitting the age of the Characters.
 
I'm sure the review's spoiler-free and excellent, but I'm not reading it until I've got through these 3 episodes! I cannot wait to watch this - been counting the days. This is the best thing on telly at the mo. And, by sheer coincidence, my projector screen's being delivered today. :clap: What a time to be alive.
 
Cant wait to get stuck into this but I am currently at the end of the season 2 having started a re-watch last week. Also they have hinted that season 6 might not be the last it just might not be back for a while (book readers will know why).
 
There is a 30 year gap between the events of Book 6 & Book 7. So all the main characters are much older by Book 7. "S.A. Corey" have called this stop after Season 6 "A Pause"; I believe they will recast everyone with Actors fitting the age of the Characters.

Cant wait to get stuck into this but I am currently at the end of the season 2 having started a re-watch last week. Also they have hinted that season 6 might not be the last it just might not be back for a while (book readers will know why).

I'm telling ya now, if they pause this show for 30 years and then do a Season 7 with the same actors
in 30 years time, it'll be the greatest TV thing ever :laugh:
 
I'm telling ya now, if they pause this show for 30 years and then do a Season 7 with the same actors
in 30 years time, it'll be the greatest TV thing ever :laugh:

Well maybe not 30 years lol but maybe 5-10 years, long enough to make the actors believably older combined with a smaller time skip. Also I suspect the last two might be movies.
 
Well maybe not 30 years lol but maybe 5-10 years, long enough to make the actors believably older combined with a smaller time skip. Also I suspect the last two might be movies.

yeah something tells me this show isn't going to end with Season 6. It's too big and it's too popular.
 
Thank you for the review Cas (will read after I have watched), watching the Expanse has been a joy in fact its so good it stated me thinking that perhaps one day we might get to see Iain M Banks Culture on the small screen.
 
I'm telling ya now, if they pause this show for 30 years and then do a Season 7 with the same actors
in 30 years time, it'll be the greatest TV thing ever :laugh:
Well maybe not 30 years lol but maybe 5-10 years, long enough to make the actors believably older combined with a smaller time skip. Also I suspect the last two might be movies.
I'm unfortunately no spring chicken - I'm hoping for maybe 2-3 years ;)
 
Thank you for the review Cas (will read after I have watched), watching the Expanse has been a joy in fact its so good it stated me thinking that perhaps one day we might get to see Iain M Banks Culture on the small screen.
That would be very interesting. Though The Expanse has more pure action than the Culture Books in general - if the Foundation series works, then maybe someone will give it a go.
 
I am massive fan of both the books and the show. Definitely been waiting for this. But as commented there are 8 books (with number 9 next year) and as show is pretty much a season a book. It will be a little strange that series 6 is the last - george
 
Hi Cas,

Thanks for the review, I am really looking forward to this, as many others are. This is far better than Discovery, although I am still watching that, seems to keep me reasonably entertained, although I miss Killjoys, for all it's failings, it had a sense of fun.

The great thing about the Expanse is it's ability to keep moving without getting stretched. Sometimes series can become convoluted or beyond reasonable imagination, this one has just kept growing and expanding in really interesting ways.

In terms of it being released weekly, I am actually all for that. Bingeing a season over one weekend has lost it's allure for me, call me old school, but it wasn't until I started using streaming services that I realised I like the weekly scheduling. The Mandalorian being the best example of that for me.

Good news there is still another season to come, bad news what will come next to keep me entertained. I love Sci Fi, so here's hoping there is another gem waiting in the wings.

Gordon
 

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