Let’s be honest: The first three episodes of The Expanse can feel like homework. You’re thrown into a cold war between Earth, Mars, and the “Belters” (asteroid miners). You hear a made-up patois called Lang Belta. And for a while, you have no idea who the good guys are.
This isn't a season you watch for closure. It’s a season you watch to earn the right to watch Season 2. The Expanse Season 1 Complete Pack
Then there’s James Holden (Steven Strait), the idealistic XO of an ice hauler. When his ship gets nuked by a stealth frigate, he becomes the most wanted man in the system. His plotline is All the President’s Men in zero-G. Every message he broadcasts starts a new war. Every decision he makes kills someone. Let’s be honest: The first three episodes of
Is The Expanse Season 1 perfect? No. The dialogue in the first two episodes is clunky. Some side characters feel like set dressing. But as a complete pack , it is a masterclass in planting seeds. And for a while, you have no idea who the good guys are
You watch Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo, stealing every scene in a sari and a foul mouth) torture a Belter on Earth while Holden freezes in the void. You see the conspiracy tighten like a garrote. And then, in the finale, you get the single best “genre shift” in television history. (No spoilers, but if you know, you know: “It reaches out.” )