While I agree with other comments that this season felt a little filler like, it was still great TV, so I find it ridiculous there are people seriously rating this 2/10 -- no way is this "terrible" TV.
Looking forward to season 5.
The budget upgrade with the move from Syfy to Amazon really shows, especially with the "planet" setting of the season. After the incredible fast-paced momentum of weaving plot/character/world-building together throughout Season 2 and 3 though, this one slows down considerably, becoming a transition season of sort, with some reset and plot-holding.
I think the season's biggest struggle is from having to separate several groups of characters, in which previously each one's plotting still shared the element of living through the protomolecule near-apocalypse together, into entirely different lives of their own, thus the levels of interest aren't the same (I gather from book readers that this is almost the consensus weakest book, to the point that some had hoped it would be done in half a season, so the fact that the quality remains good is promising). Also, after the murky moral dilemma and grey quagmires of seasons past, having a clear-cut traditional villain here, no matter how effective they are written and acted, is kind of a bummer. Still very absorbing and interesting though, with a slew of engaging new characters/situations, and the last few episodes capture the old "everything goes to shit and we need to sci-fi the hell out of these impossibilities immediately" atmosphere quite nicely.
Season 2 (A) > Season 3 (A) >> Season 4 (B+) > Season 1 (B+)
Season 4. If you read the reviews from "established" critics they all rave about the growth of the series and added fresh air that Amazon gave it. It´s kinda true. The first thing i noticed is how detailed the Rocci looks and you see it everywhere, the clear upgrade in visuals, giving a real impact since the crew are now exploring new worlds.
Storywise there´s a step back. It´s still The Expanse, the same great crew, the same great secondary characters, the story structure, but... it´s a notch down. It just isn´t as gripping and amazing as before.
Although being a notch down it still is the best sci-fi show currently on air and it´s cementing it´s position as one of the best ever.
This season was never going to be excellent because it, like the book, was more about setting the stage for what comes next. With that in mind, it was still a bit disappointing. One of the things which makes Expanse great is the attempt to respect physics, and that was sorely missing in season 4. Weightlessness was an infrequent luxury explained away by magnetic boots. Ships were able to accelerate while everyone was standing around. The ship coming to rescue Marco Inaros was able to change course as if it was flying through atmosphere.
The ending was also quite weak. Miller taking everything out so easily was just lazy writing.
So far it;s very good, I love to be able to binge it. Still love the cast, like the new addition. The beginning of episode 1 summaries well enough the previous seasons, at least it presents the main characters well. Amazon didn't ruin it.
This season is strange, if you take a step back from being a fan of the show then you see that almost nothing has happened.
From the start where the crew find a landing spot with a gangway exactly the correct height for the terrain! And it happens to be close to the settlement, but far enough away to be a pain to get to in an emergency.
Why don't one of the factions on New Terra bugger off a few miles away to stop the arguing? It's a big place after all. And why are they stopping people from exploring anyway? No real explanation why the loss of a few miners is such a big deal in the scheme of things. Surely the population of the Solar system is in the tens of billions?
The Earth election is just a hard nosed politician against an SJW. Nothing to see there.
The story on Mars is just a morality fairy tale put in there to give Bobby something to do in the show.
Don't get me wrong I still love the show and have rated most episodes 7+, but this isn't the Expanse I was looking forward too. Maybe I will just read the books instead.
I gave this series a 10/10 for the first 3 seasons, but could only watch 20 minutes of episode 1, season 4 before being completely disinterested and bored. Even the "previously" on.." didn't bring me up to speed on what was going on from season 3. It's only been a couple of months since I watched season 3. Something to be said for binge-watching a series after its ended.
Really poor season compared to the previous three... I agree with another comment that said this just felt like a huge filler season so let's hope that the next one blows us off your feet or I am afraid it will be the last one produced.
Seems a bit slower than the previous seasons, with some miced feelings about some characters. Overall another nice season that I enjoyed! Big fan of the series!
A full season boiling down to setting up for something big to happen next season, after 3 seasons of big stakes and interesting developments... it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed.
The show has done a good job at making characters complicated and exploring all sides. Showing us the moral complexity of right and wrong. However a lot of the characters and plot points felt very stiff and more generic in season four, making it hard to care for them.
As others mentions it felt very much like filler and lacked the magic that made this show popular enough to be revived in the first place.
Season 4 seems like a seminar of how to use the «F» word in every possible situation. Quite educating in this aspect, but meh in everything else. However it still looks like, feels like and smells like The Expanse. So i'll give it an 8/10 as a fan of the books, and hope next season is improved.
I love love this show! So much so, I rewatch it after I get to the end of the seasons currently available.
Shout by SilrogVIP 4BlockedParentSpoilers2020-04-08T10:56:12Z
Another great season, but with mixed feelings about several character.
Drummer gets better and better, probably my favorite character by now.
Avasarala isn't flawless, which makes her even better. Stellar acting too.
Amos is becoming more and more likable, without making him a sweetheart.Good job!
Bobbie got plenty of screen time and an interesting story arc. But I hope she reunites with the rest soon.
Nagata and Holden bug me with their lasting individual irrational tendencies though. The greatest disappointment though is that there is absolutely no development or story arc for Alex Kamal. He is always there to make some helpful comments, but he pretty much doesn't exist beyond that.