These characters just don't make much sense to me. It may be that we haven't discovered what makes them tick yet, but it's off putting. The bizarre aggressiveness of Amos is so completely unwarranted and I just have no interest when he's on screen. "As far as I'm concerned Naomi is captain now"... where did that come from?
Much like the pilot episode, there are some serious issues with the script not adequately explaining the basics of this world and these people.
Similar problems crop up with Miller's plot line, but we can at least assume that his superior just doesn't like him much due to what we've seen of his work ethic and attitude. That doesn't explain why his partner, new to the job, immediately antagonises his new boss over his privilege.
Same as episode 1 - I just don't care about anyone other than Thomas Jane. The characters on the ship are overly aggressive and uninteresting, I don't care about the Mars - Earth conflict nor the things that they're fighting over (though the insight into gravity is a nice tough). I don't care about the belters. Needs to move a little more.
2 segments of the episode. Joe's segment investigating Julie's disappearance progresses a bit, but the other segment of a ship stranding, goes by slowly, with perhaps a bit more character fleshing-out happening. Not much happens there, but the next episode looks to progress things up a bit.
They sure hired so many hotheads for hauling ice lmao
Following with what happens in the pilot
I appreciate that they are including a lot of little touches that convey the flavor. The Coriolis gravity effect when pouring water, the ways in which the different environments have shaped humans into almost separate species. So far, they are hewing quite closely to the source material, and I'm liking it.
Too early to say anything specific about the quality of the show, but the colour grading is awful.
It's getting intense :) I think it should also already be easier to follow the story.
And they showed the Coriolis effect for the first time (obviously it wouldn't be nearly as strong but it's still cool).
Shohreh Aghdashloo, an Iranian woman who plays a powerful Indian Earther (Chrisjen Avasarala), has a voice deeper than any of the men with whom she interacts. And then she drops it another three octaves sometimes. It's taking me out of the immersion a bit. Her beauty defies her age of 63 years, and she's an accomplished actress - I just wish she'd keep her voice in her upper range.
Review by GabyBlockedParentSpoilers2017-11-05T20:56:12Z— updated 2018-10-27T20:17:00Z
Again, this shows paces like a book does, there is no story cut offs, there is no "all things from this ep get wrapped up" in it. Rather it's a continous flow of story. Each page moving us further in the story. In this episode we take a few steps: Mars and the Belt might be working together against Earth, they also destroyed a water ration ship heading for the belt, while the Belt enforces stronger rations against water theft, causing tension within the space stations to burn hotter. Just another reason for the Belt/OPA to hate Earth. Water is life. Water and Air are worth more than gold. The games of politics and interests are a high stakes game, and Mars just made them a life stakes game. For what purpose? Why now? What's in it for them? Is this a power move?
We get a closer glimpse into the missing young woman, Julie Mao, Det Miller is looking for. She is living with the Belters as part of her rebelliong against her father (both his wealth and his name). She's playing OPA activits as a big FU to her father. But she went missing after leaving the Station Ceres on the Scopuli, the same ship Jim and his crew found empty and in distress. But what has happened to Mao? And why was the Canterbury destroyed? None of it makes sense.
What's left of the crew of the Canterbury lies in a knife's edge. Their small ship is falling apart at the seams and they're trying to get it to hold together with duct tape, while trying to get to safety. On top of that, they are witnesses to a (possible) crime by Mars. Now Mars has arrested them, but will they live to see another hour? That final shot of the crew of 5 with red lasers points on them from the guns pointed at them. Killer.
Also, loved the scene when Avasarala learns of the prisoner's suicide. Using gravity to kill himself. Using the weapon she used to torture him to keep himself out of her reach. Took what was used to hurt him and turned into around to hurt something she needed: him.
Overall, good episode, moves story forward. Still trying to get a sense of where the story is going. But questions still remain: why is Julie Mao/The Scopuli so important? What is the bigger story? What role will Holden (and the Canterbury) have in all of this? Where they just in the wrong place and wrong time? Plots within plots?
Rating: Not as jaw dropping as the pilot, but tons of interesting tidbits and scenes that give a greater depth to this world. Overall at 7.8.