The Expanse is a sci-fi TV series based on a series of novels by James S. A. Corey. Premiering in late 2015, it ran for three seasons on SyFy before being canceled in the summer of 2018; it was soon picked up by Amazon Studios for a fourth season, released in late 2019, and as of this writing a fifth season is in production.
The opening of the first episode features this summary of the show's setting:
In the 23rd century
humans have colonized the solar system
The U.N. controls Earth
Mars is an independent military power
The inner planets depend on the resources of the Asteroid Belt
Belters live and work in space
In the Belt
Air & Water are more precious than gold
For decades, tensions have been rising
Earth, Mars & The Belt
Are now on the brink of war
All it will take is a single spark
One of the show's particular strengths is its great attention to detail; most episodes benefit from repeat viewings just because there is so much going on, both visually and thematically. In 2018 I started posting in-depth analyses of each episode on Twitter under the hashtag #SomeThingsINoticed. This page is intended to provide an easy way to locate those Twitter threads for specific episodes.
In the tables below you'll find a list of all the available episodes, with links to my Twitter threads, and the official synopses from Amazon. Clicking the title of each episode will open Amazon Video to actually watch the episode; as of this writing all four seasons are available for free if you have an Amazon Prime subscription.
Feel free to contact me on Twitter if you have any questions or suggestions. Enjoy!
| Episode | Title | Synopsis | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Dulcinea | James Holden and his crew investigate a distress call. Detective Miller searches for a missing heiress. | Part 1 |
| 102 | The Big Empty | Holden and crew fight for survival in a badly damaged shuttle, the Knight. On Ceres Station, Julie Mao proves more difficult to track down than Miller had anticipated after he discovers she has ties to the Outer Planets Alliance; an extremist political group fighting for the rights of the asteroid belt colonies. | Part 1 |
| 103 | Remember The Cant | Holden and crew are taken prisoner and interrogated aboard the Martian navy flagship, the Donnager. It's not long before they find themselves turning on each other. | Part 1 |
| 104 | CQB | Holden and crew are caught in the middle of a desperate battle as mysterious warships attack and board the Donnager. | Part 1 |
| 105 | Back To The Butcher | Holden and crew make a deal with an unlikely ally on Tycho Station. | Part 1 |
| 106 | Rock Bottom | Miller discovers revealing information on a hidden data cube. | Part 1 |
| 107 | Windmills | Holden and crew realize that they're not alone on the Rocinante and find themselves up against a Martian Marine blockade. | Part 1 |
| 108 | Salvage | The crew of the Rocinante discovers a derelict vessel, which holds a secret that may destroy human existence. | Part 1 |
| 109 | Critical Mass | Miller, Holden, and crew try to escape Eros, but are trapped as the entire station is put on lockdown. | Part 1 |
| 110 | Leviathan Wakes | Miller, Holden, and crew continue to fight their way to the Rocinante and off of Eros. | Part 1 |
| Episode | Title | Synopsis | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | Safe | James Holden and crew deal with the aftermath of their escape from Eros. | Part 1 |
| 202 | Doors & Corners | Holden and crew stage a dangerous raid in search of information about the protomolecule. | Part 1 |
| 203 | Static | Holden and Miller butt heads about how the raid was handled. | Part 1 |
| 204 | Godspeed | Miller devises a dangerous plan to eradicate what's left of the protomolecule on Eros. | Part 1 |
| 205 | Home | The Rocinante chases an asteroid as it hurtles towards Earth. | Part 1 |
| 206 | Paradigm Shift | Earth and Mars search for answers in the aftermath of the asteroid collision. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 207 | The Seventh Man | The preparations for an Earth/Mars peace conference tighten the tension on Errinwright. Bobbie's debriefing uncovers a deeper mystery after the attack on Ganymede. Anderson Dawes uses the flow of refugees coming into Tycho for his own ends, threatening to destabilize the uneasy alliance between Fred Johnson and Holden. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 208 | Pyre | Naomi tracks down signs of protomolecule and Fred Johnson's control over the OPA collapses. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 209 | The Weeping Somnambulist | Holden crosses his own ethical boundaries in order to sneak into the war zone on his hunt for the protomolecule and the people behind it. Bobbie becomes a pawn in the political struggle between Earth and Mars, but Avasarala recognizes her chance to expose the enemies of humanity on both sides of the negotiation. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 210 | Cascade | Holden leads his crew through the war-torn station on Ganymede. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 211 | Here There Be Dragons | Bobbie makes a decision that changes her life forever. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 212 | The Monster And The Rocket | A discovery pushes Naomi and Holden apart and sets the Roci crew against each other. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 213 | Caliban's War | The Roci crew is forced to fight to save the ship. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| Episode | Title | Synopsis | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | Fight Or Flight | The Rocinante crew deals with the fallout over Naomi's betrayal while caught in the middle of the war between Earth and Mars. Avasarala and Bobbie hatch an escape plan. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 302 | IFF | The Rocinante answers an unexpected distress signal. Bobbie and Avasarala find themselves being hunted by a mysterious captor. UN Secretary-General Sorrento-Gillis brings in a colleague from his past to lend an ear during this crucial time of war. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 303 | Assured Destruction | As Earth strategizes a costly ploy to gain advantage in the war against Mars, Anna struggles to convince Sorrento-Gillis to do the right thing. Avasarala and Bobbie seek refuge aboard the Rocinante. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 304 | Reload | The Rocinante tends to wounded Martian soldiers in exchange for supplies. Avasarala struggles with how to disseminate a key piece of evidence despite being in hiding. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 305 | Triple Point | The search for Prax's daughter comes to a head. Admiral Souther's followers plan for mutiny aboard the Agatha King. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 306 | Immolation | The final battle between Earth and Mars threatens the very future of humanity. A new monster is unleashed on Prospero Station. Anna receives the smoking gun she needs. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 307 | Delta-V | All eyes turn to the edge of the solar system as a mysterious new presence emerges. Naomi recommits to her roots. Drummer butts heads with a seasoned new commander aboard the Behemoth. A young Belter makes a name for himself. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 308 | It Reaches Out | An old friend taunts Holden with the answers he seeks. Naomi struggles to fit in. A mysterious low-level tech aboard the Thomas Prince enacts a terrifying plan. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 309 | Intransigence | The Rocinante seeks a new gameplan as they attempt to avoid capture. Melba's true motives are revealed. Naomi is torn between identity and ideal. Anna seeks a way to stay aboard the Thomas Prince. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 310 | Dandelion Sky | Holden sees past, present, and future. A ghost from Melba's past threatens her mission. Bobbie struggles to trust an old friend as she leads a group into uncharted territory. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 311 | Fallen World | Drummer and Ashford find themselves trapped with few options for survival. Anna tends to the wounded masses as Melba continues to hunt down her prey. The Rocinante crew struggle to survive as Naomi reunited with her true family. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 312 | Congregation | As survivors arrive on the Behemoth, two factions form over how to handle a life-or-death threat. Holden grapples with what he's seen and the choices he must make. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 313 | Abaddon's Gate | Holden and his allies must stop Ashford from destroying the Ring, and perhaps all of humanity. | Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 |
| Episode | Title | Synopsis | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | New Terra | The crew of the Roci investigates a strange protomolecule ruin on an alien planet. Bobbie copes with civilian life on Mars. Drummer and Ashford battle with piracy in the Belt. | Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 |
| 402 | Jetsam | Avasarala is blindsided while on a visit to Mars. The Roci crew continue their protomolecule investigation while tensions between the RCE and Belters reach a tipping point. Drummer and Ashford track down a terrorist. | Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 |
| 403 | Subduction | New alien threats emerge on Ilus as Naomi battles health challenges on the planet. Bobbie searches for a missing person on Mars. Avasarala faces a new challenge in the UN. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 404 | Retrograde | Drummer and Ashford confront a dangerous person from Naomi's past. Murtry hunts down a target. Bobbie's makes a life-changing confession. | Part 1 Part 2 |
| 405 | Oppressor | As tensions on Ilus reach a breaking point, Holden reveals a secret. Avasarala debates Nancy Gao while an emergency on the Roci forces Alex and Naomi into action. | Coming Soon |
| 406 | Displacement | The Roci crew prepares for an incoming disaster on Ilus. Ashford and Drummer close in on an enemy within the Belt. Bobbie takes on a dangerous job. | Coming Soon |
| 407 | A Shot In The Dark | Naomi and Alex work to keep the Barbapiccola in orbit amidst a power outage. Avasarala faces a tough decision. Holden and Elvi race to find a cure for a disease spreading on Ilus. | Coming Soon |
| 408 | The One-Eyed Man | Avasarala faces fallout for the UN's military mission. Ashford and Drummer make big decisions about their future within the OPA. A spreading illness on Ilus takes a toll on Amos. Alex and Naomi's attempt to rescue the Barb turns desperate. | Coming Soon |
| 409 | Saeculum | Holden and Miller race to save Ilus. Murtry puts his endgame into motion, putting the Roci crew's lives at risk. | Coming Soon |
| 410 | Cibola Burn | Ashford closes in on an enemy while uncovering a dangerous plot. Avsarala faces a crossroads in her personal and political life. The Roci crew works to reestablish life on Ilus in the wake of a deadly catastrophe. | Coming Soon |
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