Some of the shots in this episode were stunnning. From those angles on Miller in the 'subway' to Avasarala in red, walking across a sea of white snow. Just breathtaking.
DONKEY BALLS I loved this episode :)
Nice to see Adam Jensen himself here.
I hope that adventure like lightheartedness that crew is having right now is intentional storytelling point. Including Miller conversation with Amos along side with "not seeing tragedy behind the comedy of Don Quixote" comment is a giant hint that current stand-in for main character gonna get reality check or pay the price personally. I don't mean Holden's death, I mean having his hands get abit red.
Because so far, majority of characters and factions felt morally gray. And Holden doesn't belong in that sort of story, yet.
Amos on the other hand has a potential to become very interesting character with viewpoint that is usually badly done and I, usually, don't give a shit about.
why are Jared Harris's nipples always so prominent??
Holden putting a gun to that guy's head and not wanting to kill the martians shows a certain sense of stupidity and weakness. I don't like it, he needs to grow up a bit and accept responsibility, and learn to play the game better.
Avasarala is so badass but also seems very cold (sometimes at least). However, I think she means well and now we're starting to see that some other politicians might be worse. Anyway, I like her character and the actress and she certainly gets stuff done!
ADAM JENSEN IS HERE YE BOI!
This episode is intense, not in action, but it weighted pauses and tension. From top to bottom, we are holding our breath to see when the knife will be dropped and on who.
Holden and his crew get a surprise stowaway who reveals the workings of space as controlled by the Martians, while are revealing at the last possible second that he is a spy for Earth, sent to gather intel on Johnson and the OPA, who Holden's crew has gotten into bed with, out of necessity. I'm still surprised that Holden and the crew are still alive. The number of times they've been able to just barely skirt past trouble or run through a mess of collateral damage is astounding. At this point, I think they must be immortal. Sometimes I'm not sure who is a bigger danger to them, the outside world or each other.
Back on earth, we get a clearer picture of Holden's family, history and what drives him (a sense of finding his place in the universe, but also needed to be a hero, a saviour, and the good person he was raised to be). We also get a clearer sense of Chrisjen, a woman who is trying to save people, though sometimes she has to take actions that are unethical, her major focus is to save people as she lives with the guilt and sadness of pushing her son to his death ultimately. The exchanges between Crisjen and Holden's mother is the weigth I've been missing from much of the acting on this show. You can feel the tension underneath their words, pulling you in.
Back on the belt, Miller catches a break and cashes out in search for Miss Mao, whatever her fate may be. In order to search for Julie, he has to leave his partner behind. Their goodbye is a bittersweet exchange. After Chrisjen, Miller is the most compelling character, and also great actor.
Best shots: Chrisjen overhead walking in red across a snow-covered white field
Those who said that it improved with each episode, for now, they are right
Review by N'Delamiko BeyBlockedParentSpoilers2016-12-21T12:36:00Z
Ah, gotta love those Donkey Balls.
While I am not precisely liking the dubious new addition to the ship's complement, because he feels treacherous, he sure does come up with some good ideas.
This episode had some beautiful moments.
While I am still not enjoying Chrisjen's wooden delivery of dialogue, I very much liked that we got to meet at least one of Holden's parents. It would have been a bit more interesting if we had seen the whole unit of them, but who knows why production felt just his body-mother was required. Frances Fisher does a great job, making a meal of a small role, and we get a great look at Holden's backstory. This late in the season though, I suspect we won't get anyone else's backstory until Season 2. I don't know about you, but I am chomping at the bit to find out Naomi's story.
Miller's sad and wistful goodbye to Octavia, as he heads off into the black chasing Julie Mao; the tense but funny process of getting into the lockbox to find the black ops codes to evade the blockade, these both give us more character depth. Miller is turning into a different kind of man, and the Rocinante crew's democratic, yet effective teamwork makes them a lot of fun to watch as they're grinding through trying to get to the bottom of Lionel Polanski, the Scopuli and the Anubis.
I'm also enjoying the little things in the show: The Belter's patois, although largely incomprehensible, is a nice touch that adds a lot of dimension to the Belter's as an insular, underdog group. That they evolved their own language, says much for the alienation they must have to the rest of the solar system. Jared Harris as Dawes, has the most beautiful sing song thing going on, and it makes his character a much more seductive and enchanting force in the story's play...
Regardless of the next few episodes, which i suspect will be relentless, Sy Fy has done a marvellous job of fueling this production. Despite a few obvious TV gaffs here and there, for the most part the show is really well put together, and the concepts, sets, action sequences and character development almost make you pause, because Sy Fy has gutted us more than once since Battlestar Galactica went off air. I say again, this is the best show I've seen on TV since BSG ended... and that Sy Fy is coming through for us, is something to celebrate.
This show is pure science fiction and it's commitment to creating a believable story, is tremendous.