# 'The Expanse' - First episode available



## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

FYI,

It looks like the first episode of 'The Expanse' is available via Syfy.com / On Demand

It's also available via magical means.



> A thriller set two hundred years in the future, "The Expanse" follows the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history.


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## rorrim (Jun 21, 2005)

I watched it, and I can't wait to see the next episode. The first one was very well done. I'm not sure what the rule is for spoilers of an episode that has only been released online, so I won't go into anything here. The only downside I can see is that it appears to be a very expensive production which doesn't typically do well on SyFy in the post Battlestar Galactica era.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

Yeah I watched it too, there was a lot going on with the story and I was watching it while I worked. The VFX seemed VERY well done, I was impressed. 

I think I'll watch it again to better understand the world they are setting up.


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## Doggie Bear (Jan 16, 2008)

I've read (or listened to the Audible version) of the first three novels and really enjoyed them. One of the co-authors worked as a research assistant for George R.R. Martin, and they're part of the New Mexico fiction writing scene with Martin. Although the genre is very different from "A Song of Ice and Fire" (aka "Game of Thrones"), the storytelling structure and sweep is very similar, with a strong mix of action, intrigue, and politics. (Not as much sex, though.)

I'm curious about the TV adaptation, but I got rid of cable a year and a half ago....


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Doggie Bear said:


> One of the co-authors worked as a research assistant for George R.R. Martin, and they're part of the New Mexico fiction writing scene with Martin.


Huh, for some reason I always thought they were British! Learn something new every day...


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

The first ep is also available for free on Vudu.com. I snagged it earlier tonight during a sale buying frenzy. But, I'll have to wait til tomorrow to watch it. I've pretty much scorched my bandwidth usage for one day.

ETA: Amazon also has episode 1 at no cost.


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Other than via magical means, how can I watch the pilot in Canada?

Edit: Nevermind, looks like space.ca is also making the pilot available early.


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## dylanemcgregor (Jan 31, 2003)

This was promoted on Roku last night so we watched it and were pretty impressed with the first episode, although the previews they had at the end for future episodes looked kind of cheesy. Wonder what the options will be to watch this for us cord cutters, pay-per-episode only I assume?


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

I've read all the books and really enjoyed them all. I'm very much looking forward to this.

Is the full season going to be available anywhere besides SyFy? The way my cable channels work out it's a huge bump in monthly cost to get to a tier which contains SyFy (I can get SyFy with a smaller bump but then I lose BBCA  ... to get them both is a big jump  ) so I've been living without it.

Thanks for posting this, now I have something to watch tonight!


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Watched this last night on Vudu (amazon showed "The Expanse" in the search results but didn't show anything when I tried to select it).

Very well done! I was happy that they kept more of the "hard-ish scifi" (weightlessness, G's/vectors, etc.) than many TV shows do, just because it's hard to show. I was basically happy with the cast, except for


Spoiler



Amos. Haven't seen a lot of him yet but he doesn't look nearly as intimidating as I imagined he would.


 Definitely I'll put up $ to get this season when it comes out. As long as it's not on Hulu...


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

I watched the first episode on SyFy. Looks very interesting. A number of the male characters look the same. I hope they distinguish themselves a bit more in the next episodes.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

FWIW, episodes 3 & 4 are now available through Other Means...


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

Kind of pointless to watch those before watching Episode 2, but that should be available tonight I guess.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> FWIW, episodes 3 & 4 are now available through Other Means...


...and xfinity vod...


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

2,3 & 4 are now on Amazon Instant Video (not Prime) 1st episode is still free. Straight $2.99/ep (no season price)


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

As a book reader, I was really happy with it.

I was a little bit confused though, I thought



Spoiler



In the novel, Holden only had three other people with him when the Cant was destroyed -- Alex, Amos, and Naomi. In the ep, I thought I saw an additional crew member there in the Episode.

ETA: Looks like The Expanse Wiki reveals that I had forgot about 'Shed Garvey'


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Saturn_V said:


> 2,3 & 4 are now on Amazon Instant Video (not Prime) 1st episode is still free. Straight $2.99/ep (no season price)


I thought I'd seen a straight $20/season advertised somewhere. I'll have to look around. I guess at $3/ep for 9 episodes (first is free) that's only a $7 difference.


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## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

WHOA I love those books (listened to them in audio format). I will have to check this out.


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## JerryLBell (May 3, 2002)

It was a little confusing to follow as they were trying to introduce a LOT of characters that were not all co-located. I had to explain to the wife how making the tall, lanky guy more-or-less stand and support his own weight on earth was pretty nasty torture. And she had to shush me while I kept gasping at how good the zero g work was (especially the hair of the runaway rich gal at the start of the episode). I'm told that the show really picks up steam after the first couple of episodes, so I'm definitely planning on watching them to see.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I wonder if that's why they dumped the 3rd and 4th episodes online, so people would get hooked quicker..?


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

It's sci fi so we'll watch, but all the comparisons to GoT (in space) go right out the window. GoT grabbed me right away and, even though there were a lot of characters/places/families/etc. I did not find myself lost at all. Maybe the pace at which they introduced things was a bit slower? In any case, I also had to stop and explain things to the better half, even though I was not 100% certain of things myself.

Here in Canada, on SpaceTV they have a follow up talk/interview show, kinda like The Talking Dead (but much smaller scale). After episode 2 they had the lead character (Holden) on, as well as taped interviews with other from the cast they did at one of the conventions.

Anything like that on SyFy? Although there were probably mild spoilers (very mild) it helps to understand things a bit better.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

madscientist said:


> I thought I'd seen a straight $20/season advertised somewhere. I'll have to look around. I guess at $3/ep for 9 episodes (first is free) that's only a $7 difference.


Available for $24.99 for the season (HD/HDX) on Vudu. But, for just $2 more I might go with Amazon anyway since it's more convenient.


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## vertigo235 (Oct 27, 2000)

Just finished the first 4 it's good.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I watched the first two episodes, and I really like it so far. It's nice to see a show on SyFy with a decent budget for a change. We haven't seen anything on this scale since BSG.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Just watched ep01....very nicely done.


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## madmari333 (Sep 24, 2010)

smbaker said:


> As a book reader, I was really happy with it.
> 
> I was a little bit confused though, I thought
> 
> ...





Spoiler



In the book they had the medic with them too.


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## lloydp211 (Nov 10, 2015)

These 2 episodes were excellent, but you really had to pay attention during the 1st episode. So many characters and story lines to introduce, it was easy to get lost.



Sent from my iPad Pro using Tapatalk


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

lloydp211 said:


> These 2 episodes were excellent, but you really had to pay attention during the 1st episode. So many characters and story lines to introduce, it was easy to get lost.


Really good. Are we able to start threads for them since they are on Amazon? Not saying I will necessarily but wondering about this protocol.


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

What sucks is to have to wait nearly 3 weeks for another episode. I will have forgotten much.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

I am SHOCK, just SHOCK.  REAL sci-fi on the Syfy channel. They must be throwing snowballs in Hell. This has become the must-see show, waiting for the next episode. :up::up::up:


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

teknikel said:


> Really good. Are we able to start threads for them since they are on Amazon? Not saying I will necessarily but wondering about this protocol.


they're all 4 available on demand and online, and repeats for 1 & 2 are running on syfy, so i would say starting threads would be ok.



Johncv said:


> REAL sci-fi on the Syfy channel. They must be throwing snowballs in Hell.


i know, it's almost unbelievable - quality production, decent casting, good writing - someone at syfy really messed up this time.

as much as i've enjoyed the first 4 eps, i also realize it's well within syfy's ability to screw this up at any moment (fingers crossed).


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

My DVR, for some reason, didn't capture the closed captions. Without them, I'm missing most of the dialogue. I gave up halfway through the first episode as none of it was making any sense at all.

I may have to see if I can find it online with captions.


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## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

TheSlyBear said:


> My DVR, for some reason, didn't capture the closed captions. Without them, I'm missing most of the dialogue. I gave up halfway through the first episode as none of it was making any sense at all.
> 
> I may have to see if I can find it online with captions.


Captions are present in the magical episodes. Not that I would ever acquire them or encourage anyone else to do so. And of course the Amazon episodes have them as well.


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

When the pilot came out online I watched the first 10 minutes and then stopped, waited till it "aired" on Space (Canada) with subtitles. 

If the DVR did not record with subtitles I'm guessing it aired without subtitles (or Closed Captions).


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

wprager said:


> If the DVR did not record with subtitles I'm guessing it aired without subtitles (or Closed Captions).


It also didn't record captions for Childhood's End. Not sure what's up with that.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

NorthAlabama said:


> as much as i've enjoyed the first 4 eps, i also realize it's well within syfy's ability to screw this up at any moment (fingers crossed).


There's always ratings to consider too. That's killed more series on syfy than anything else. And as much as I like Expanse, it's missing a lot of mass-appeal.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

wprager said:


> If the DVR did not record with subtitles I'm guessing it aired without subtitles (or Closed Captions).





TheSlyBear said:


> It also didn't record captions for Childhood's End. Not sure what's up with that.


Both shows had subtitles for me, so either he was recording different airings or the problem was at his end (or his provider's end)...


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

TheSlyBear said:


> It also didn't record captions for Childhood's End. Not sure what's up with that.


I had no problem with CC on either of those shows...or what Rob said


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

TheSlyBear said:


> My DVR, for some reason, didn't capture the closed captions...





TheSlyBear said:


> It also didn't record captions for Childhood's End. Not sure what's up with that.


sorry to hear your captions failed - you may want to troubleshoot, i also have captions for the expanse and childhood's end recordings, and with syfy vod for the expanse (haven't checked childhood's end on vod).


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## wtherrell (Dec 23, 2004)

Hmmm. I always knew Evan from Royal Pains would somehow wind up in outer space. 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Both shows had subtitles for me, so either he was recording different airings or the problem was at his end (or his provider's end)...


Yeah, probably a TWC DVR debacle. They need rebooting often or start to exhibit weirdnesses. This is the first time I've seen this particular weirdness.

(My "favorite" weirdness is when it "records" a show-length screen of black silence.)


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

The sound on this show is horrible. I can barely hear the dialog and then when they're in space helmets or on radios it's just worse.

I have no idea what's going on.

But the visuals are great.


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

cwoody222 said:


> The sound on this show is horrible. I can barely hear the dialog and then when they're in space helmets or on radios it's just worse.
> 
> I have no idea what's going on.


OK, so it's not just me. With poor hearing to being with, and without the closed captions (see earlier in topic) I haven't a chance of understanding what's going on.


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## BitbyBlit (Aug 25, 2001)

I'm not sure I buy into the "Game of Thrones in space" promotional claim, but I am enjoying this series so far.

They seem to be going to great lengths to make the physics realistic in this show, including (spoiler from Episode 3)...



Spoiler



...having the unknown ship approaching the Mars military vessel doing a reverse burn to decelerate.


This is great. But now when they throw in something like (spoiler from Episode 2)...



Spoiler



...having the wrench go flying away when the guy let go of it during the repairs...


...rather than me simply writing it off as them treating spacecraft like aircraft, I have to jump back to see if I missed something.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

wtherrell said:


> Hmmm. I always knew Evan from Royal Pains would somehow wind up in outer space.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


Have Royal Pains been canceled?


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

BitbyBlit said:


> This is great. But now when they throw in something like (spoiler from Episode 2)...
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Could have been hit by a small speck of debris passing by.





Johncv said:


> Have Royal Pains been canceled?


Not according to IMDB.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

teknikel said:


> Not according to IMDB.


IMDb is not a great source for series endings. A lot of series stay open ended there for quite some time.


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

TonyD79 said:


> IMDb is not a great source for series endings. A lot of series stay open ended there for quite some time.


Thanks for that tidbit. I guess that makes my answer ambiguous. My intent.


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## BitbyBlit (Aug 25, 2001)

teknikel said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> Could have been hit by a small speck of debris passing by.





Spoiler



That was one of the things I looked for when jumping back.

The other possibility was that the ship was accelerating. But while that would have made physical sense, it wouldn't have made logical sense. It would have been far safer for them to keep the engines off while working outside, not just to prevent wrenches from flying away, but themselves if their magnetic boots had gotten disconnected from the hull.

Plus, they had no idea where help was going to be. Until they received a signal from a rescue ship, they wouldn't have wanted to waste any fuel.

I went back earlier to see if I had missed a reason why the ship needed to be accelerating that would have preempted the reasons not to, and also watched the wrench flying away a few times to see if anything had hit it. I didn't notice anything, and ultimately concluded that it was a mistake.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

BitbyBlit said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> That was one of the things I looked for when jumping back.





Spoiler



They goofed one way or another. The ship was spinning, and it was under constant acceleration (there was even a line to the effect). So the wrench almost could have done what it did if that's all there was to the scene - *except* they were clearly seen tethered, floating, without themselves floating away. Either everything accelerates in that relative direction, or nothing does, you can't have it apply to a floating wrench, but not the floating men.

The wrench did respond as if the top was struck by debris off camera, as it didn't just float away, it spun away - with the top noticeable accelerating faster than the bottom. That's enough of an explanation to suspend my disbelief and not let it bother me.

Although the official answer appears to be:



VFX Supervisor via Reddit said:


> "Full disclosure here - we struggled with that like crazy. It simply was not our best work. The story point was OK, but I tried many many many things to make it rational, including having it oscillate as if some thrust force was working against it. The original idea was that it got sucked into the Epstein drive to convey how powerful the drive is, but that didn't work, so we just threw it out into space. Full truth - it's a throwaway effect. However - it does make Amos's "can you hand me the drill?" line funnier. We try but sometimes we **** up."






I'm just wondering how many people think we're discussion a major plot point. Boy are they going to be disapointed if they come back later and read this thread..


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## SWFan (Oct 6, 2002)

Just finished episode 4 and I'm impressed. Looking forward to continuing episodes.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

I really like this one and can't wait to see how SyFy screws it up!


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

3rd episode also recorded with no captions. Other shows I'm recoding have the captions.

This makes this show a no-watch for me. Maybe I'll catch it on Netflix at some point.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

TheSlyBear said:


> 3rd episode also recorded with no captions. Other shows I'm recording have the captions.
> 
> This makes this show a no-watch for me. Maybe I'll catch it on Netflix at some point.


@TheSlyBear, contact your cable/sat provider they need to know that there is a problem with captions on SyFy channel that the only way it will be resolved. I assume "others" refer to shows on SyFy. If that the case you need to tell them that.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

The show is very well done from a production and performance angle. Just can't connect to it for some reason.


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## teknikel (Jan 27, 2002)

TonyD79 said:


> The show is very well done from a production and performance angle. Just can't connect to it for some reason.


How many episodes have you watched?


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

teknikel said:


> How many episodes have you watched?


Four.

Just can't connect with it at all. Wish I could. As I said, the quality seems high. The story just isn't hooking me.


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

I watched the first 4 episodes, but I'm going to go back and rewatch to figure out who everyone is. As someone else said, the guys all look alike. I thought episode 4 was the best.


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## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

stellie93 said:


> I watched the first 4 episodes, but I'm going to go back and rewatch to figure out who everyone is. As someone else said, the guys all look alike. I thought episode 4 was the best.


Yeah, it's the same as Doctor Who can't tell how old Clara is, Earthians can't tell Clark Kent from Superman, and ******* sheriffs have such trouble differentiating malefactors from victims. Belters are well on the way to speciation as is discussed in the first episode.


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

I like the smaller details, like discussion about decreased bone density in low gravity environments and it's treatments and effects. Sea levels have presumably risen, so the Statue of Liberty has walls to keep the water out. (Though they oddly have a Transamerica building clone in Manhattan ).

I downloaded copies and luckily subtitles were available for all. My hearing is Ok, but I don't like to miss details and when they toss in new words or whole sentences in "Belter Creole" it makes it harder to keep up. Subs help there.


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## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

I am enjoying it, but I should be enjoying it more. It has big ideas and is a legitimately interesting world. The problem is that the way it is being made kind of takes away from everything good. It's a little cold and doesn't earn any of what it thinks should be strong emotions. Also, shohreh aghdashloo is terrible in this show, so far. 

Also, as mentioned, the sound mixing is HORRIBLE. I have to constantly change the volume because it is way too loud one moment and the impossible to hear the next.


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## BitbyBlit (Aug 25, 2001)

kdmorse said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the information.

Once I realized it was mistake, it didn't bother me at all. I have to suspend my disbelief far more in most other shows.

It's just that they were so good about everything else that I had to make sure it wasn't me that was missing something.



kdmorse said:


> I'm just wondering how many people think we're discussion a major plot point. Boy are they going to be disapointed if they come back later and read this thread..


Well, you never know. Maybe that "throwaway" scene will become important later on.


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

BitbyBlit said:


> Well, you never know. Maybe that "throwaway" scene will become important later on.


Like a Coke bottle being casually dropped from a passing airplane...


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Idearat said:


> Like a Coke bottle being casually dropped from a passing airplane...


You must be crazy!


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## TheSlyBear (Dec 26, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> You must be crazy!


"Is the noise in my head bothering you?"


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## Idearat (Nov 26, 2000)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> You must be crazy!


I am not a god.


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## WinBear (Aug 24, 2000)

TAsunder said:


> Also, shohreh aghdashloo is terrible in this show, so far.


She looked amazing in that dress in the first episode though. 

Is the earth-side plot with her from the later books? I only read "Leviathan Wakes" and all the earth-side stuff that I recall was character flashbacks to growing up with very poly family arrangement.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

WinBear said:


> She looked amazing in that dress in the first episode, though.
> 
> Is the earth-side plot with her from the later books? I only read "Leviathan Wakes" and all the earth-side stuff that I recall was character flashbacks to growing up with very poly family arrangement.


Is this show base on "Leviathan Wakes"?  I have that book on my Kindel. What series of books is the base on?


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## WinBear (Aug 24, 2000)

Johncv said:


> Is this show base on "Leviathan Wakes"?  I have that book on my Kindel. What series of books is the base on?


The name of the series is "The Expanse" which is why the TV show is called that. The author of record is "James S.A. Corey" which is a pseudonm for Ty Francks and Daniel Abraham. One writes the maverick ship captain and the other the noir detective on station and then they edit each other for consistency.


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## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

Johncv said:


> Is this show base on "Leviathan Wakes"?  I have that book on my Kindel. What series of books is the base on?





WinBear said:


> The name of the series is "The Expanse" which is why the TV show is called that. The author of record is "James S.A. Corey" which is a pseudonm for Ty Francks and Daniel Abraham. One writes the maverick ship captain and the other the noir detective on station and then they edit each other for consistency.


And "Leviathan Wakes" is the first book of "The Expanse" series. Which now has five books with a sixth on the way. (I'm through four of them and loved every one so far.)


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

WinBear said:


> The name of the series is "The Expanse" which is why the TV show is called that. The author of record is "James S.A. Corey" which is a pseudonm for Ty Francks and Daniel Abraham. One writes the maverick ship captain and the other the noir detective on station and then they edit each other for consistency.


Seems like a weird way to write a book...

So Leviathan Wakes is the first book of the series and that's where we are now in the show? It doesn't seem like a big enough cast to do a series--half of them are dead already. I'll have to get the books. Thanks.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

stellie93 said:


> So Leviathan Wakes is the first book of the series and that's where we are now in the show? It doesn't seem like a big enough cast to do a series--half of them are dead already. I'll have to get the books. Thanks.


Well, there's an entire solar system's worth of characters so it's not like they'll run out .

I've read all 5 books published so far and really enjoyed them all. Hopefully the TV show does them justice.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

FWIW, I recently recorded the 1st 4 eps on SyFy channel and the CC and audio are fine on the 1st ep that I've watched, so far. I'm starting on the 2nd and it seems ok.

Show's actually surprisingly decent and yes, I'm surprised that the effects are actually not bad.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

TAsunder said:


> I am enjoying it, but I should be enjoying it more. It has big ideas and is a legitimately interesting world. The problem is that the way it is being made kind of takes away from everything good. It's a little cold and doesn't earn any of what it thinks should be strong emotions.


I feel pretty much the same way about it. I just finished episode four last night and, while I enjoyed all of them, I didn't love them. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why. It's cool future solar system they created, and there are some interesting characters, but for some reason it's just not gelling for me.


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## rorrim (Jun 21, 2005)

gweempose said:


> I feel pretty much the same way about it. I just finished episode four last night and, while I enjoyed all of them, I didn't love them. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why. It's cool future solar system they created, and there are some interesting characters, but for some reason it's just not gelling for me.


I'm hoping the character development gels a little more as they go on, but generally I like the show and look forward to the new episodes. I really like the lower tech in this show compared to other science fiction shows. It gives it a much different feel than the other shows on SyFy like Dark Matter and Killjoys. I've read and loved the books and they are, as usual, better than the screen adaptation but so far I am happy with the way they are portraying the universe in the show.


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

*The Expanse officially picked up for second season at Syfy*

http://www.blastr.com/2015-12-31/space-opera-expanse-officially-picked-second-season-syfy



> Riding a wave of positive critical buzz, Syfy has pulled the trigger on a second season of space opera series The Expanse.
> 
> The network (Corporate owner of Blastr -Ed.) has ordered a 13-episode second season, which is expected to premiere in early 2017. For those keeping count, thats three more episodes than we got in Season 1. If youre not watching it, you should be  it fills that Battlestar Galactica void nicely, with a splash of Blade Runner mixed in for good measure.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

Maybe i will watch it again prior to season 2. Down times that works.


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

Wait--have more than 4 episodes aired? When is this show on?


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## rorrim (Jun 21, 2005)

stellie93 said:


> Wait--have more than 4 episodes aired? When is this show on?


Only four so far, but the fifth is tonight. It comes on Tuesday on SyFy.


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

rorrim said:


> Only four so far, but the fifth is tonight. It comes on Tuesday on SyFy.


This is from "ars technica":

*The Expanse is the best new science fiction series in years*
Put simply, this show is your new crack.

http://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2016/01/the-expanse-is-the-best-new-science-fiction-series-in-years/


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Johncv said:


> Put simply, this show is your new crack.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

I am watching the pilot again and going to watch all the shows to try to sync up with this show better. 

I think I know why I didn't connect the first time. Too many characters in the pilot. Details of their lives when we never see them again. And the characters are not individual enough in looks or actions with a couple exceptions. Makes it hard to follow the story when you don't know the characters yet.


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## smbaker (May 24, 2003)

I'm a book reader, loved the book series. 

I'm not enjoying the TV series as well as I expected to. I think the multiple independent protagonists switching back and forth isn't working for me. I know it's worked for other shows (Game of Thrones being the most notable that comes to mind), but in this series every time I'm watching a Miller or Avasarala scene, I want to get back to a Holden & Crew scene. The Avasarala scenes in particular seem like a distraction to me. 

Regardless though, SyFy has done a much, much better job with it than I expected them to.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

smbaker said:


> Regardless though, SyFy has done a much, much better job with it than I expected them to.


 I agree. And that's why I am working at trying to grok it.

Update: I binge watched today. Show makes a lot more sense second time around but I'm still not feeling connected. I like it better but I wouldn't care if it were cancelled tomorrow.

I have decided it is the fragmented story telling and the scenes that mean nothing when watched that only mean something if you watch them again (like the opening scene of the first episode).

This is the way you write a novel. Maybe a movie. But not a series stretched out over months.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I think it's too disjointed for me to really want to pay attention. Too many characters and locations that don't seem to connect.

And the quirky PI, detective, whatever, just puts me off.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

RGM1138 said:


> I think it's too disjointed for me to really want to pay attention. Too many characters and locations that don't seem to connect.


I think it's all rather tightly connected...if you're paying attention to the socio-political environment, which ties it all together. But I guess I can see where people might not want to have to pay attention to that kind of background info. I know that a lot of people were confused by Blade Runner for that reason...


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I think it's all rather tightly connected...if you're paying attention to the socio-political environment, which ties it all together. But I guess I can see where people might not want to have to pay attention to that kind of background info. I know that a lot of people were confused by Blade Runner for that reason...


I really enjoy Blade Runner, but this seems to require more effort. I do like it, but I'm getting old...


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## ehusen (Jan 7, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> I really enjoy Blade Runner, but this seems to require more effort. I do like it, but I'm getting old...


Apropos of nothing, Roy Baty's birthday is Jan. 8, 2016.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

I agree about the somewhat confusing characters and I don't like the jumping around between scenes, which helps add to the confusion. I don't have time to rewatch eps.

That said, I finished the 1st four eps and actually found the show reasonably enjoyable. I really liked the CQB ep w/the Martian ship. Unfortunately, earlier when I was digging around for random info, including on the MCRN Donnager, I found http://expanse.wikia.com/wiki/Donnager, which spoiled a plot point for me. Bummer. What's there isn't a spoiler if you finished CQB.

I'll start a thread for ep 5, if it doesn't exist already.


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## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

Episode 4 hooked me, but my wife had the opposite reaction. She said I should just watch it without her.

The sound mixing is still incredibly infuriating. If I turn it up enough to hear what people are saying, then the music they insist on playing half the time while the people are talking is way too loud.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

I'm watching on Amazon since we don't get SyFy and it's incredibly frustrating to not be able to watch all the episodes as soon as I want. I remember it wasn't so long ago we were all confused at this crazy idea of dumping an entire season of the shows out at the same time... now just a year or two later it's annoying when you have to wait week to week.

At least, for some shows.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

madscientist said:


> I'm watching on Amazon since we don't get SyFy and it's incredibly frustrating to not be able to watch all the episodes as soon as I want. I remember it wasn't so long ago we were all confused at this crazy idea of dumping an entire season of the shows out at the same time... now just a year or two later it's annoying when you have to wait week to week.


Sometimes I'd "stock up" on the heavily serialized shows and watch them in three episode blocks. Agents of Shield, Fargo, Downton Abbey. Not as painful as week-to-week unless you do the water cooler discussion thing.


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Are there no episode threads? I wanted to ask what was the whole story line with the uncle and his nephew? Were these new characters? Did he really open up his helmet on a space walk to pull a thread of something from his hair? What, exactly, did he do at the end? (the answer would be spoilerish for previous episodes so use spoiler tags)

Overall, I'm really getting -- not exactly bored but maybe annoyed? -- by the show. It's just not engaging me on any level. I've had to re-watch scenes, I've gone online and read episode reviews/synopses just to catch up on what I've clearly missed. I'm just losing the desire to continue to do all that extra work to keep up (feel like I'm in a tough university course but I don't really need the credits and the course content isn't really all that compelling).


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

wprager said:


> I wanted to ask what was the whole story line with the uncle and his nephew? Were these new characters? Did he really open up his helmet on a space walk to pull a thread of something from his hair? What, exactly, did he do at the end? (the answer would be spoilerish for previous episodes so use spoiler tags)


Establishing groundwork for the escalating hostility between factions; Mars, Earth/Luna and the Belters.



Spoiler



Uncle hurled a captured asteroid at the Martian Navy ship that busted him and impounded their cargo. One of the ships was destroyed. I don't think Uncle Mateo booted Diogo out of cruelty, but just knew he couldn't make it back safely after the MCRN revoked their access through restricted Martian space.


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## cherry ghost (Sep 13, 2005)

There's a thread for Episode 5

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=536057


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

cwerdna said:


> I really liked the CQB ep w/the Martian ship.


Anyone watching the "Inside the Episodes" videos at http://www.syfy.com/theexpanse/videos/all/5486? I watched the ones for eps 3 and 4, w/4 being CQB.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

For those who might be confused by some plot points, the ep recaps at http://www.syfy.com/theexpanse/episodes might be helpful.

I also started a thread for ep 6.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

The next two eps that air the night of 2/2 will be the season finale. http://www.syfy.com/theexpanse/videos has a sneak peak (2.5 minutes) of the finale.

It looks like they're also doing a marathon on that day, rerunning all the eps prior to the finale.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I just started watching this a few days ago. I had recorded it but never got around to watching it. I'm up to episode five and am really enjoying the show.


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

Bump...

Season 2 starts February 8, 2017


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

On the clip it says Feb. 1???

Not the way I pictured Bobbie.....


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

I was going by the dates on Thetvdb.com and Tvmaze.com. They both say Feb. 8.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Malcontent said:


> I was going by the dates on Thetvdb.com and Tvmaze.com. They both say Feb. 8.


Erm...you realize Syfy is the one who's actually showing it, right?


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

Looks like a new 'Expanse' novel was released on December 6th.

*'Babylon's Ashes'*

Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse): James S. A. Corey: 9780316334747: Amazon.com: Books


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## kaszeta (Jun 11, 2004)

Malcontent said:


> Looks like a new 'Expanse' novel was released on December 6th.
> 
> *'Babylon's Ashes'*
> 
> Babylon's Ashes (The Expanse): James S. A. Corey: 9780316334747: Amazon.com: Books


Yup. Just finished it. Still enjoying the series.


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## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

It's supposed to be out on Audible soon. Can't wait!


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## kaszeta (Jun 11, 2004)

jakerock said:


> It's supposed to be out on Audible soon. Can't wait!


It's been out on Audible since the book released


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## jakerock (Dec 9, 2002)

kaszeta said:


> It's been out on Audible since the book released


Doh! I knew it was going to be available soon. Didn't realize how soon. Bought! Thanks.


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## kaszeta (Jun 11, 2004)

jakerock said:


> Doh! I knew it was going to be available soon. Didn't realize how soon. Bought! Thanks.


Enjoy!


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I'm going to have to go back and re-watch the entire first season. It was a pretty complex story, and I can't remember all the details.


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## Howie (May 3, 2004)

Other than I liked it, I can't for the life of me remember the first thing about season 1. I'll at least have to watch the season finale again to stir my memory before the new season starts.


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

I watched the series and then read the books (haven't started the last one yet) and I remember stuff pretty well, but no idea where the series left off except that it was a little different from the books.


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## Howie (May 3, 2004)

I Wiki-ed it and now I remember. The guy with the funny haircut.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

The first TV season covers about 75-80% of the first book, but they pull in a few small things from future books as well IIRC.

Thanks for the heads-up about book 6, I'm excited to get to it!


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

gweempose said:


> I'm going to have to go back and re-watch the entire first season. It was a pretty complex story, and I can't remember all the details.


You should read the first book in the series, the show used about 1/3 of the book did make some changes to move the show, but look like it going to use the storyline in the book. Just add, this is best Scfi show on the ScFy channel.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

I picked up the BluRay recently and watching it again. I've missed a lot of detail watching the streaming version, like the homage to Alien in episode 3, "CQB"


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

Adam Savage interviews EP Naren Shankar. Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff on Season 2





And Amazon Prime gets Season 1 sometime this month. (announced for 12/14)


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

New Season 2 Trailer

THE EXPANSE | Season 2 Trailer #3 | Syfy


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## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

Saturn_V said:


> Adam Savage interviews EP Naren Shankar. Lots of behind-the-scenes stuff on Season 2
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The audio is a little glitchy.

THE EXPANSE | Season 2: The Expanse, Expanded | Syfy


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

madscientist said:


> The first TV season covers about 75-80% of the first book, but they pull in a few small things from future books as well IIRC.
> 
> Thanks for the heads-up about book 6, I'm excited to get to it!


I watched S1 a few weeks ago and just finished book 1. I didn't see any of the Avasarala storyline in book 1 so I guess it's in the future books?

Now that I know how book 1 ends, I'm curious to see how closely they follow that storyline since there were some changes made in the TV series.


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## UTV2TiVo (Feb 2, 2005)

Sounds like I need to read book 1 and book 2 before season 2 starts in February.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Not sure if this was linked previously but I ran across this brief blog post from Ars Technica about the changes from the book to the screen (there are some spoilers).

What changed when The Expanse went from book series to television

I guess the book timeline doesn't change that much if they are pulling in material from book 5 into season 1 of the TV series?


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

I don't think that they pulled material per se from book 5 into season 1, and I don't think that's really what the article says. What it says is that a statement made by a character in the first season may be an allusion to or set up for a major plot point that doesn't actually happen until book 5.

I'll be honest: when that character made that statement in season 1 I immediately thought of that book 5 plot point as well. However, I hope I'm not right. The real impetus for that eventual plot point hasn't even happened yet where we are in the TV show: it doesn't happen until book 2. Having it be on the table now before that event happens is, IMO, a significant, and for the worse, change.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I just started re-watching season 1 to gear up for season 2. This really is an excellent show, and several notches above the kind of stuff that Syfy typically puts out. I enjoy shows like Dark Matter and Killjoys, but this has superior writing, and clearly a much higher budget. It's probably the best show on Syfy since BSG.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

madscientist said:


> I don't think that they pulled material per se from book 5 into season 1, and I don't think that's really what the article says. What it says is that a statement made by a character in the first season may be an allusion to or set up for a major plot point that doesn't actually happen until book 5.
> 
> I'll be honest: when that character made that statement in season 1 I immediately thought of that book 5 plot point as well. However, I hope I'm not right. The real impetus for that eventual plot point hasn't even happened yet where we are in the TV show: it doesn't happen until book 2. Having it be on the table now before that event happens is, IMO, a significant, and for the worse, change.


Ah, thanks for the correction. I kinda skimped that blog post as I haven't read the rest of the books yet. I just started on The Butcher Of Anderson Station so it'll be a little while until I get to book 5.

I'm OK with most of the changes they made in the TV series but I'm not sure about changing the circumstances around the Scopuli distress call. They should have left it the way it was in book 1.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

Although it doesn't air until February, cordcutters can buy the On Demand version of Season 2 now. (Amazon, iTMS, VUDU) $24.99 HD, $22.99 SD. Shut up and take my money.

And SyFy just uploaded this handy recap of Season One.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

madscientist said:


> I don't think that they pulled material per se from book 5 into season 1, and I don't think that's really what the article says. What it says is that a statement made by a character in the first season may be an allusion to or set up for a major plot point that doesn't actually happen until book 5.
> 
> I'll be honest: when that character made that statement in season 1 I immediately thought of that book 5 plot point as well. However, I hope I'm not right. The real impetus for that eventual plot point hasn't even happened yet where we are in the TV show: it doesn't happen until book 2. Having it be on the table now before that event happens is, IMO, a significant, and for the worse, change.


Well, I'm progressing a bit faster than expected. Though I must admit I didn't find book 4 (Cibola Burn) that interesting. Hopefully book 5 is better. I should be able to get that read over the weekend so I'll be able to better understand the references made in the TV series.


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

stellie93 said:


> On the clip it says Feb. 1???
> 
> Not the way I pictured Bobbie.....


Finally around to watching the trailer and I agree, I thought Bobbie would be a bit more intimidating. But I guess the number of actresses that can pull that off is rather small.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Saturn_V said:


> Although it doesn't air until February, cordcutters can buy the On Demand version of Season 2 now...


Looks like season 2 begins airing on Feb 1st.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

Double episode premiere night too. 
"Safe"
"Doors & Corners"


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

Saturn_V said:


> Double episode premiere night too.
> "Safe"
> "Doors & Corners"


Huh. I recognize the title references but aren't those incidents from later in the books?


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## bonscott87 (Oct 3, 2000)

Don't know if it was posted earlier but Season 1 was added to Amazon Prime (so free with Prime) a few weeks ago. Just now getting thru it myself.

Our local Alamo Drafthouse and actually showing the Season 2 premier double episode on the big screen followed by a live Q&A with case and producers. Looks like it will be at all the Alamo's across the country. Ours is sold out.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

logic88 said:


> Huh. I recognize the title references but aren't those incidents from later in the books?


"Doors and Corners" is a Miller truism referenced in Book 3. I don't see it out of place since


Spoiler



Miller is still alive in this version of the story as opposed to dying on Eros in the book.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)




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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I enjoyed the double episode last night. I'm glad I decided to watch this show.

I had recorded the first season last year, but never watched it until late Summer or Autumn.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

Got up three hours early just to watch it. (purchased on Amazon, the episode was available at 2AM)

Well worth the wait and the missed sleep.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

For those who are into such things, Boom Comics is doing a four-issue miniseries called Expanse: Origins, plotted by the writers of the book. The first issue came out this week. Each issue covers one of the Rocinante crew members (Holden is first up), telling a story of their pre-Canterbury lives.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Oddly enough, when I was away at CES, my TiVo Bolt+ recorded S1 E1 as a suggestion.

I looked and it seemed like SyFy channel is rerunning S1. Next ep that's airing is S1 E4, "CQB" which was one of my favorite eps of season 1.


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## MacThor (Feb 7, 2002)

Thanks for the heads up. I binged S1 & S2 on Amazon Prime and S3 is still not available. Hopefully I can catch it in reruns.


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

I do see a 4K S3 entry on amazon (but it also says not currently available). I hope this means 4K will be available once they decide to release it.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

Expanse Season 3 debuts on Prime on Feb 8th. (no date yet on Season 4 premiere)
Amazon Sets Launch Date For 'The Expanse' Season 3; Season 4 To Debut In 2019

The Expanse: UHD on Prime


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

I made the mistake of starting Persepolis Rising before knowing that it was the start of a 3-book arc. The middle book is coming out March 2019 but the last book doesn't have a release date set yet.


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## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

so is season 3 a new season or just a rerun?


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Season 3 is the season which already aired on SyFy last year.

Season 4 will be the first new season airing on Amazon sometime this year but no official date is announced yet.


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## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

logic88 said:


> I made the mistake of starting Persepolis Rising before knowing that it was the start of a 3-book arc. The middle book is coming out March 2019 but the last book doesn't have a release date set yet.


Thanks for the warning  I'm 1/2 way through the one before Persepolis Rising after reading them all back to back. Does it not finish at all ? I'd be OK with a natural break but not a mid "scene" one


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## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

JohnB1000 said:


> Thanks for the warning  I'm 1/2 way through the one before Persepolis Rising after reading them all back to back. Does it not finish at all ? I'd be OK with a natural break but not a mid "scene" one


There is a break with some minor resolution. But it's mostly like how we're left hanging at the conclusion of Empire Strikes Back. I'm going to wait until the last book arrives before going back to the series.


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