Title: The Expanse Season 3 Episode 7: “Delta-V”
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
Platform: TV – Syfy
Director: Kenneth Fink
Writer: Naren Shankar
Rating: TV-14
Release: May 23, 2018
Cast: Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frankie Adams, Cas Anvar, Wes Chatham, Dominique Tipper
Feature image: Source
[Spoilers]
“We would be justified to seek vengeance, but instead, we will choose peace. We must choose peace.” Chrisjen Avasarala – The Expanse
Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is preparing to make an important speech. Chrisjen: “My fellow citizens. Our faith as a nation has been sorely tested. But the arrest of the traitor, Errinwright [and Sorrento-Gillis resignation] has given us the opportunity to choose a new future. [They have lost many and suffered much.] We would be justified to seek vengeance, but instead, we will choose peace. We must choose peace. [Chrisjen talks about the dawn of a new era, while we see the Protomolecule from Venus become the ring.]…and join hands with our brothers and sisters throughout the solar system, Earth, Mars, and the Belt, and dedicate ourselves to being one people with a shared purpose, as we have always done in the past. We will face the unknown together.” The Ring has a stable orbit around Uranus.
“Da ring, da freaking ring. All time about da freaking ring.” Manéo – The Expanse
Elsewhere in the system, a slingshot racer name Manéo (Zach Miller) is rocking out while he flies through the Saturn rings. A news report starts talking about his exploits but it abruptly switches to more news about the Ring. Manéo: “Da ring, da freaking ring. All time about da freaking ring.” Manéo’s girlfriend Evita (Bo Martyn) contacts him; she is lonely so she is hooking up with his brother. His brother is in the background wearing a thong. He tells his brother to be safe, so it’s nice he’s thinking about Manéo while he bangs his girlfriend. Manéo listens to sad music while more news about the ring scowls across his screen. Chrisjen is putting together a committee to study the Ring. Fred Johnson and Anderson Dawes are working together and sending a ship to the Ring. James Holden (Steven Strait) is also heading to the ring. Manéo suddenly gets an idea; he is going through the Ring.
A documentary crew is aboard the Rocinante to document the crew. Holden allowed them aboard because they will pay the crews legal bills. Mars is trying to get the Rocinante back. Holden is going to the Ring for work; it costs a lot of money to keep the ship running. Monica Stuart (Ana Hopkins), the reporter, interviews Holden. Monica: “A lot of people think you’re special.” Holden: “Special, I don’t know about special. Lucky maybe.” Her blind camera operator Cohen (Brandon McGibbon) uses a drone to film them. The drone catches them when they aren’t looking. She asks doesn’t Mars have a case about getting their ship back. Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar) slides down the staircase to answer that, “It’s a legitimate salvage.” When Holden talks about each member of the crew getting a quarter split, that causes Monica to ask about Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper). Holden says she is on a leave of absence.
Naomi is aboard the O.P.A.S. Behemoth, formerly known as the Nauvoo, the flagship of the Belter navy. Naomi is checking on some equipment when she sees a drug deal. She chastises one of the men for doing drugs while on duty. She joins the ship’s captain, Camina Drummer (Cara Lee). They are waiting for the ship’s first officer to arrive; he is one of Dawe’s men. Neither woman is happy about this. Naomi: “You know I got your back.” Drummer: “Damn well better, I’m your captain.” Naomi: “Nothing will change that.” Commander Klaes Ashford (David Strathairn) arrives and asks permission to come aboard. Drummer wonders if she has a choice, she doesn’t. Ashford has brought Diogo (Andrew Rotillio) with him. Naomi isn’t happy to see him, to Drummer’s surprise; he is now a lieutenant on her ship. Something Fred didn’t bother to tell her. The new uniforms Ashford and his officers are wearing amuse her. Ashford: “Certainly better than the clothes of indentured servitude.” Drummer: “Welcome to the Behemoth.” Ashford: “I can feel the love already.”
“No, I came here on a spaceship not on the wings of an angel. I’m able to appreciate the difference.” The Reverend Doctor Anna Volovodov – The Expanse
The Reverend Doctor Anna Volovodov (Elizabeth Mitchell) is aboard the U.N.N. Thomas Prince. A UN fleet is heading towards the Ring. Anna is talking to a scientist aboard the ship, Kolvoord (Chris Owens) about the Ring. It formed 187 days ago; right now, it is inert. Anna asks him if he thinks it could be alive. Kolvoord appears to be annoyed with her. Kolvoord: “Aren’t you part of the Godly contingent?” Anna: “No, I came here on a spaceship not on the wings of an angel. I’m able to appreciate the difference.” That gets him off his high horse and he tells her he thinks it’s mechanical, created by a higher intelligence. The only thing he knows for sure is he hopes it stays inert.
Back on the Roci, Monica is asking Alex about his family. He is being evasive. She asks Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) some questions about his past while he is eating. It seems that there was a mob boss in Baltimore named Amos Burton. Amos thinks the name is common. Cohen’s drone buzzes to close to Amos so he smashes it. Later, Monica makes a play for Amos. His response, “I don’t shit where I eat.”
“For the good of the new Belter state, ke.” Captain Camina Drummer – The Expanse
Naomi is describing what they had to do to convert a generation ship to a warship when Ashford sees an old ‘friend’. He walks over to him and jumps him. He apologizes to Grigori (Brock Johnson) for what he did in the past. Ashford makes him forgive him. Drummer: “What is this about?” Ashford: “Oh we use to work together.” Drummer and Ashford discuss her being captain and him being the first officer. She knows he thinks he should be captain, he agrees because of his experience [he was a pirate] but because of the political situation within the OPA, she has to be. Drummer doesn’t want to work with him. Ashford knows that but it doesn’t matter. Ashford: “But my point, we both have orders to follow, that means we have to work together.” Drummer: “For the good of the new Belter state, ke.” A skiff is about to hit she ship’s hull, Naomi is able to remote control the skiff. The pilot of the skiff is dead. He was the guy Naomi saw buying the drug, pixie dust. Naomi reports it to Drummer, she blames herself for not reporting it earlier. Drummer knows this activity goes on, if he wasn’t a threat to others at the time, Naomi shouldn’t blame herself.
Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) was reinstated back into the Martian marines. She is aboard the M.C.R.N. Xuesen. She is talking to Alex. Bobbie is glad to be reinstated. While she was on Mars she visited Alex’s family. Bobbie: “Your kid was sweet. Your wife was….polite.” Alex informs Bobbie that his wife has filed for divorce. Bobbie asks him how he feels about it. Alex: “Kinda relieved, does that make me an asshole?” Bobbie: “Nah, the domestic side of things never held that much appeal to me either.” She confides in him that even though Mars wants the Rocinante back, she thinks he deserves to fly the ship; he’s a great pilot. He can fly her anytime. They sign off.
“I wouldn’t rub up with that narcissistic asshole with your junk.” Melba Koh – The Expanse
Anna receives a message from her wife Namono (Raven Dauda). The donations for the clinic from the UN is still coming in thanks to Chrisjen. She is worried about Anna being so close to the Ring. Namono also fears her and Anna being separated like this will become the norm. She and their daughter miss her. Anna misses them terribly too. A skiff leave the Thomas Prince for the supply ship U.N.N. Seng Un. Aboard the skiff are three contractors, the new girl Melba Koh (Nadine Nicole), Stanni (Ari Millen) and their supervisor Ren (John Kapelos). On the screen, a picture of Holden pops up. Stanni: “Hey new girl, like what you see?” Melba: “I wouldn’t rub up with that narcissistic asshole with your junk.” When they get aboard the Seng Un, Melba plants a bomb while the two men aren’t looking.
Amos is down below gardening with some of the plants that Prax left. Cohen comes down and interrupts him. Cohen: “So this is your spot?” Amos: “Until you came down the hatch.” Cohen asks Amos about the plants and he explains they were Prax’s plants. Prax was his best friend in the world. Prax and Mei went back to Ganymede to help rebuild it. Cohen asks why Amos didn’t go with him, Prax didn’t asks, Amos figures Prax knew he wasn’t one for rebuilding a society. Cohen uses this as an opportunity to hit on Amos. Cohen: “I heard you shot down Monica. Does that mean I have a chance?” Amos: “Like I told her, I don’t eat where I shit.” Cohen: “You live on a space ship.” Amos: “I don’t shit in the galley.”
“If we ever want to be accepted as equals with the great nations of Earth and Mars, we must act with greatness.” Commander Klaes Ashford – The Expanse
Back on the Behemoth, Naomi watches Drummer and some of her men drag the drug supplier down the hallway towards the airlock. Drummer plans to toss him out the airlock as a lesson to the crew. Ashford rushes over there to stop Drummer from doing it. Ashford: “We’re not pirates or rock hoppers anymore. We’re citizens of the Belt,” Drummer: “Oh come on.” Ashford continues, “And we have to start acting like members of a society that obeys the rule of law; not like the animals that the inners have always portrayed us to be. If we ever want to be accepted as equals with the great nations of Earth and Mars, we must act with greatness.” Naomi agrees with him. Drummer doesn’t toss him out the airlock and instead gives the crew a few hours to toss their drugs into the airlock, no questions asked. Ashford warns them that if caught with any drugs after this, they will be court marshalled. Drummer doesn’t like Ashford speaking for her. After she huffs out, Ashford stops Naomi. She tells him she still sides with Drummer. Ashford asks Naomi why she is aboard the Behemoth, what she thinks. Naomi: “I think this is our time; time for the Belt to stand up. If not now, it maybe never.” Ashford tells her to tell that to Drummer, she needs to hear it from someone she trusts.
Evita contacts Manéo, she tells him that if he pulls off entering the Ring, holding her breast, she tells him these will be waiting for him. That’s all the encouragement our lovesick horndog needs. He is near the Ring now.
Ren and Melba are ready to leave the supply ship when he remembers he forgot something. He sees scratches on the panel where Melba hid the bomb. He opens the panel and finds the bomb. He tries to reason with her and tells her they can disarm the bomb and not tell anyone. Melba tells him she is sorry. She does something to activate extra strength. She picks Ren up and smashes his head against the ship. The surge in power seems to sap her strength.
“You say you’re not special, it’s obvious that you are, and I think that you like that you are.” Monica Stuart – The Expanse
Aboard the Rocinante, Cohen is using his drone to mess with the ship’s control panel. Monica tries to interview Holden again. After he gives another innocuous answer to her, Monica calls him out on it. Monica: “I think that your liars, all of you.” Holden: “Hmm, okay.” Monica: “You say you’re not special, it’s obvious that you are, and I think that you like that you are.”
The M.C.R.N. Hammurabi contacts Manéo and tells him to turn around. He lies to the Hammurabi that he is turning around. Instead of turning around, he speeds towards the Ring. Manéo: “Baby today, I do this for you. Today, I make history. Me! Manéo Jung-Espano.” [Splat!!] Manéo’s ship quickly decelerates and the sudden stop makes his body break apart into a bloody mess.
“There’s no laws on Cerés, just cops.” Detective Joe Miller – The Expanse
Holden is washing his face when he thinks he hears something. He turns around and sees Detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane). Miller: “There’s no laws on Cerés, just cops.”
After Holden captured Mao, Errinwright exposed and arrested, and the Protomolecule pods heading to Mars destroyed by Fred Johnson, one chapter of The Expanse ended. This episode was the beginning of a new chapter. Thus, this episode functioned as a season premiere. We found out where our heroes are now located. Holden, Amos, and Alex are still aboard the Rocinante, with a nosy documentarian and her shady camera operator filming them. Naomi is the Chief Engineer aboard the O.P.A.S. Behemoth. Her captain is Camina Drummer and the first officer is Commander Klaes Ashford, one of Dawes’ confidants. Chrisjen is the Secretary-General of the UN, replacing Sorrento-Gillis. The Martians reinstated Bobbie back into the Martian Marines and she is aboard the M.C.R.N. Xuesen. Prax and Mei are back on Ganymede. Anna is aboard the U.N.N. Thomas Prince and aboard that ship, a mysterious woman named Melba Koh. She appears to be a terrorist since she planted a bomb on the U.N.N. Seng Un. Everyone heads towards the Ring, including a Belter racer, who foolishly enters the Ring to impress his cheating girlfriend. The only thing he gets for his trouble, shredded to death. At the end of the episode, an old friend appears, Detective Joe Miller, apparently back from the dead.
Even though the episode was setting up the show’s new story arc, it did so swiftly and efficiently. The episode introduced new characters and ships without losing a beat. It was a fun and enjoyable episode. The major humor came from Manéo. His adventures intercut throughout the episode were funny. The new chemistry between Drummer, Naomi, and Ashford was interesting and fun. We learned some new facts about Amos quite possibly being a former crime boss, and that he is irresistible to both sexes. With the fantastic news about the show getting a fourth season on Amazon, instead of the new arc being sad, now it’s exciting. I can’t wait for the rest of the season.
Grade: A-
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