The Expanse: High Quality Science Fiction Television

Contains spoilers for episodes 1-4.

In the last few years many small screen outings marketed under umbrella term "sci-fi" have seen the genre's reputation take a hit—or should I say laser. Quality has ranged from the meh to the atrocious, with stunning exceptions being 12 Monkeys and Continuum. Thankfully The Expanse makes three: confirmation perhaps that intelligent science fiction television is set to become a welcome trend.

The Expanse is incredibly sophisticated, in every aspect. I usually equate the Syfy network with clumsier outings where emotional elements of the narrative suffer and the camera work/editing is too blunt and formulaic. This series is so above and beyond (had to work in a reference) the expected standard that I thought it was a cable series. The Expanse is television at a filmic level; stylistically, the fusion of camera work, editing and soundtrack world-build beautifully.

The lighting, the motion, and the angles: all elements glide seamlessly together. Instead of being aware I'm watching a show, I feel like a story is happening in front of my eyes. 

Having never read the books, I can't comment on the plot transition, but the onscreen narrative is fantastic, and the understated dialogue in the scripts gives the impression a dozen thematic spider webs are rippling under the surface of every interaction.

The way the lines are delivered is also note-worthy (which I assume is the director's handiwork): no uncomfortable pauses or loud over-pronunciation from actors wishing they were working in theatre. Naturalness infuses the scenes, something many shows strive to achieve but never attain.

Three locations dominate the story: Earth, Mars, and the Belt (Ceres). Societies on the cusp of war are great fodder for intrigue, drama, and transformative character development. In The Expanse we meet both the grunts and those at the top of the food chain.

Cultural prejudices and philosophies that have sprung up over the years are among my favorite elements. Hearing the word “Martian” applied to humans living on Mars was startling: for a second I thought aliens were being introduced to the storyline, before realizing the humans on Mars seem like aliens to the other cultures. (For some reason I kept thinking of Dickson’s Dorsai, especially Donal, during the scenes with the Mars-ians.)

I hope we get to go to Mars soon. Earth feels like a cold paradise, empty of initiative and drive, but with the hubris of history, while the Belters are the grimy, mutated, underbelly survivors. Mars remains relatively mysterious, a closed society whose citizens (so far) display disdain for the other cultures.

The show simmers, a sense of apprehension cloaking every scene. War feels inevitable, but the leads are struggling to hold off the conflict. From the dissension on the Belt to the morally questionable political machinations on Earth, the audience is shown every culture, warts and all—except for Mars.

On the character front, Miller is my least fave, partly because I rarely click with the disillusioned detective character, and partly because he does the man-version of a breathless woman—you know, the husky, soft delivery of lines that people obviously dig since it’s practically part of the trope.

I like Holden. Great to see Steven Strait in a leading role, and the reluctant hero is one of my preferred character types. Martian officer Lopez was also fantastic; what a performance. Here's hoping he was injured and not dying at the end of episode four. (This show has no qualms killing off seemingly major characters without fanfare, a recent TV trend I can get behind.)

One of the most interesting relationships for me is the Naomi/Amos dynamic. I feel it’s inferred he has a psychopathic personality disorder, in that he cannot differentiate between good and bad reflexively, in terms of moral decisions, and Naomi is his compass. 

I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to Battlestar Galactica and I hope that doesn’t dissuade viewers (like myself) who found Battlestar too melodramatic and occasionally histrionic, dipping into bouts of grandiose dialogue. For me, The Expanse is a very different animal.

Criticism of the show as “too complicated” induces eye rolling. Dumbing down sci-fi is a contradiction in terms. The greatest works of the genre sweep the audience into an unfolding world. The misguided idea the audience should “know” everything in the first five minutes, and understand everything courtesy of an extremely limited perspective, is the antithesis of what makes science fiction great.

And to clarify—I don’t find the series complicated or confusing at all. I find it interesting, engaging, and highly entertaining. Within a sentence or two a character's role is made clear. Each scene offers information on the different societies, and the story. How can people be confused? The world is believable, and the endless shades of grey are fascinating. 

If I have any real criticism, I think the lead-in promotion was problematic. I’m a sci-fi buff, and even I nearly missed The Expanse. The hero pic of the girl floating in space made me think of Sandra Bullock in Gravity, and most descriptive text promoting the show online referenced a missing person or heiress, bringing the film with a part-dog Channing Tatum to mind. I filed the series under the “simple sci-fi” moniker: one of those shows that would be a who-dunnit in space. In no way did the promotion imply the scope and complexity that greeted me upon viewing the pilot.

The Expanse feels like a series created by people who love the genre, and who respect the intelligence of their audience. The future tech is cool but doesn’t overshadow the story, and isn’t used to fill in a lack of plot. The expansiveness (accidental pun) is riveting. 

Hopefully Syfy will continue to produce this kind of material, at this level of quality. I think a lot of the show’s success comes from a network placing their faith in the production team’s talents. Clever, entertaining, complex in an engaging way, and easily one of the year’s best new shows. Kudos to all involved.