The Expanse season 6 review: An ending in need of more time

It’s hard to believe anyone, Amazon executives included, thought a six-episode final season was enough to wrap up The Expanse. At the end of Season 5, the universe was plunged into war. Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander), who led the U.N. force against Earth, saw him unite the Belter communities. The Rocinante crew finds themselves facing threats from every side as the season begins.

It’s impossible to wrap your head around the plot in one season. Unfortunatelly, The Expanse can’t help but buckle a bit under the pressure; there’s no way around the fact that viewers deserved a bit more of the space-faring series.

[Ed. note: This review includes minor spoilers for The Expanse season 6]

Season 6 functions as a war tale, with characters moving in a propulsional fashion from one battle to another. The main problem is that it doesn’t have the time for the pensive due diligence that classic films like Pathways to GloryOder All Quiet at the Western Front (and Expand seasons in the past) excelled at; it’s a war movie that is uninterested in why any of these factions are at war, simply because it doesn’t have any time to expand on those ideas.

You will find moments of depth throughout these six hours. Despite the extratextual reasons for Alex’s death last season, The Expanse His death is something writers are well aware of. In “Strange Dogs,” the first episode of the season, we see Naomi still dealing with not only guilt but PTSD after barely surviving her escape from Marco in season 5. But too often the show’s trademark methodical world and character building gets dropped in favor of plot machinations. Lazy backroom sex scenes for Filip or a blink-and-you’d-miss-it apology from Holden stand in for deeper exploration of motivation. Those decisions never feel out of character, but there’s little time for foundation and even less of the usual deliberation for individual choices.

Marco Inaros in red light in a still from The Expanse

Three characters from The Expanse standing at Earth looking at wreckage (not pictured) from a comet in a still from season 6 of The Expanse

Avasarala, Inaros and Inaros are the most common victims of Default Characterization. They represent two sides to one complex coin. These two leaders were previously two complex portraits, which each had to be portrayed well by actors. They both hate injustice and are more concerned about power than the well-being of their followers. Avasarala battled her fierce edge for five seasons. Eventually, she worked with Avasarala to overcome her egoism and build a new future. Inaros was the inevitable result of a system which never cared for people like him. He was a leader better suited to insurgent violence and leadership than he was. Both felt equally good and bad. But in season 6 they’re whittled down to a dichotomy we’ve come to expect from Star Wars. This choice leaves them with a little bit more of their uniqueness, making Inaros look a little inept while Avasarala looks more magnanimous.

The pace can make the rest of the season feel a little dizzying, but the show’s usual thrills still make an appearance. While its usual taut drama goes a little slack, there’s still epic space battles and political maneuvering throughout. Cara Gee, the drummer of Drummer and her rebellious band of Belters is still strong in the face danger. Bobbie (Frankie Adams), however, never backs down. It all ends in the end The Expanse is a smart science fiction that’s interested in the fate of humanity, and how that can be impacted by just a handful of people in the throes of their feelings.

The end is what fans remember when they look back. Game of Thrones they’re filled with a righteous fury, at creatives seemingly abandoning the project and sense along with it. It was the end. The Expanse Even though it is not a source of such anger, the show does not inspire any. This season is a disappointing and insufficient departure from a complexly constructed series. It’s sad to see a world built with the breadth of the universe have no room to breathe.

The good news is there’s certainly room left to grow in the ExpandThe universe is incredibly rich with books and an interactive game that will take you back to the beginning of the story. As the opening of “Strange Dogs” shows, there’s a bunch of new worlds on the other side of those rings, and each one has new life — for humanity, for the ecosystem, and probably for the protomolecule as well — that could spin out new stories. You can bet someone will do it. The ExpanseGive them a little more time.

This is the sixth and final season. The ExpanseAmazon premieres the film Dec. 10

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