# The Expanse season 2 episode discussion (spoilers as it airs) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787 "2017-02-01T23:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/101 "2017-02-24T03:43:27Z")
Just curious to see if anyone noticed an easter egg, in the final few moments during the miller/julia scene, when he places her hand on the detonator, after he removes her hand, did anyone else think that image on the nuke was the serenity from firefly ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/102 "2017-02-24T09:44:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Just watched the latest episode. > > Wow…I did not see that coming. Wow. This is a great show, but if Miller is truly out of the show now, I will really miss him. He’s my favorite character on the show. Super disappointed. > > Great episode and a very, very powerful climax. Yeah, Miller had a great story. I don’t mourn fictional characters often, but I will mourn his story having an end. Venus being Eros’ destination was a little vague. I knew that wasn’t Earth, but I had to back up and look closely at the news tagline to be sure of where they impacted. Thanks for the spoiler, **zwede**. It makes me feel better, and it’s sufficiently vague that I think I’ll still enjoy the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/103 "2017-02-24T13:59:49Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > It looks like next week’s episode will be the start of Book 2, possibly with a bit of the Book 1 epilogue as well. However, they have been blending the books together, with characters not introduced until Book 2 already in the series. I agree. It looks like they pick up the Ganymede story beginning next week. I wonder how far they will get into Book 2 this season. I’m speculating that they might even bring in some teaser bits of Book 3, like they mixed in Book 2 stuff into this first season and an half. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/104 "2017-02-24T17:31:31Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > I suspect they’ll end with the opening scene of Book 2. > > Bobbie fighting the protomolecule supersoldier thing would be quite a climax, and it’d make a pretty natural cliffhanger for the next season. Why would they bother introducing Bobbie this season if they’re not going to show this scene? And I can’t think of any other satisfying climaxes before the end of Book 2. They are going to have to reeeeeeaaalllllly stretch out the Epilogue to Book 1 and backstory for Book 2 then… because we got 5 episodes to go this season ;). I mean, sure, we can look at what Prax is up to and how Ganymede is the farmland of the Belt… but that’s like, what… 1 episode? I am thinking that perhaps the Season now ends on when the Roci & Prax leave Ganymede after seeing the protomolecule in the lab where they were experimenting on the kids ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/105 "2017-02-24T17:55:36Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > They are going to have to reeeeeeaaalllllly stretch out the Epilogue to Book 1 and backstory for Book 2 then… because we got 5 episodes to go this season ;). 8 to go, actually. Although there are only 10 listed at the moment, it has been confirmed that season 2 will run for 13 episodes. Which makes me suspect that they might try to cram all of book 2 into season 2, since they’ve already done the work of introducing most of the new characters from book 2. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/106 "2017-02-24T19:06:09Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > 8 to go, actually. Although there are only 10 listed at the moment, it has been confirmed that season 2 will run for 13 episodes. Which makes me suspect that they might try to cram all of book 2 into season 2, since they’ve already done the work of introducing most of the new characters from book 2. Wow… I had no idea. In that case, I can definitely see how they may be able to do that. Which means the end of Season 2 is going to be absolutely fantastic (I just finished Caliban’s War myself)! ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/107 "2017-02-24T20:44:46Z")
Wow. Loved the latest episode. Sad way to see Miller go. Sad that he cut off the mike, and the crew. I really like how they were all coming together as a big, dysfunctional family. Would have wished them the opportunity to say goodbye. That said, I loved the end of the chase. And how the actors portrayed the 15-20G burn and the strain it put on them. Holden’s terse radio transmissions to the Nauvoo and Earth. Also, Fred Johnson and who I presume is Michio Pa were great. “You might well be the most powerful man in the system, right now.” “Oh yeah? Get me a coffee.” “Fuck off.” ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/108 "2017-02-24T21:43:39Z")
> [@Gukumatz](#): > > Also, Fred Johnson and who I presume is Michio Pa were great. The maybe-Michio Pa character (she’s simply listed on IMDB as “Col. Johnson’s Second in Command”) is the only casting I don’t like so far. I at first thought maybe they were trying to portray her as some kind of cyborg. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/109 "2017-02-26T22:54:15Z")
Am I the only one that thinks Miller isn’t completely out of the picture? Sure, Eros made quite a boom on Venus. But the protomolecule clearly has a survival instinct, and some impressive capabilities, like control over inertia. It may have put all of its resources into protecting some kind of inner core. Like… Julie and the surrounding area. I doubt the environment of Venus would pose any obstacle. We know that the protomolecule scans brains and runs them on whatever it uses for computation. It seems likely that Miller got scanned before the end, and he was right next to Julie, and Julie showed affection for him. If the protomolecule was looking to throw away useless cruft in order to save _something_, Miller would be the penultimate choice next to Julie herself. Plus, this quote seemed more like foreshadowing rather than a throwaway: “Or if we don’t die… that would be interesting.” Miller doesn’t seem the type to have a deathbed religious conversion, so it seems he thinks there’s a chance the protomolecule would save him. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/110 "2017-03-02T04:07:37Z")
So WTF was that thing on Ganymede standing over Bobbie Draper? :eek: Also I loved the backstory on the Epstein Drive. > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I hope they’re gonna recover the Nauvoo, though. Would be a shame to loose humanity’s first interstellar ship for nothing… I’m guessing they weren’t able to recover the Nauvoo given Fred’s comments. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/111 "2017-03-02T14:10:25Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > So WTF was that thing on Ganymede standing over Bobbie Draper? :eek: Also I loved the backstory on the Epstein Drive. > > I’m guessing they weren’t able to recover the Nauvoo given Fred’s comments. Heh, heh. You know, I’ve never been able to decide whether or not I like knowing what’s coming next. I had this same emotion with Game of Thrones before the show surpassed the books. Now I’m experiencing it again with The Expanse. Part of me would love to be surprised about the plot turns of the show, and yet another part of me loves knowing the plot ahead of time in order to better enjoy the details and not worry about trying to figure it all out. I guess I’m saying I simultaneously envy and pity you **alphaboi867**. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/112 "2017-03-02T15:00:01Z")
I didn’t quite make out what was happening in the final space battle. It looked like the Martians blew up an some sort of orbital station, and then they all died. Was that as implied as the battle on the surface, or did I miss something? ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/113 "2017-03-02T18:24:03Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I didn’t quite make out what was happening in the final space battle. It looked like the Martians blew up an some sort of orbital station, and then they all died. > > Was that as implied as the battle on the surface, or did I miss something? The space borne battle, I think the Martian ship got jumped by one of the stealth ships, the captain wanted better coverage on the ground confrontation, before the ship went into shadow. If they knew another ship was in the area, they would have had a better orbital position. Who actually shattered the mirror is one of those things, could have been either side. Bridge crew definitely looked like it was taken out, but the rest of the crew and ship, was left to the imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/114 "2017-03-02T18:28:51Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > So WTF was that thing on Ganymede standing over Bobbie Draper? :eek: Also I loved the backstory on the Epstein Drive. > > I’m guessing they weren’t able to recover the Nauvoo given Fred’s comments. Find out next wednesday, same bat channel, same bat day lol. Fred is a complicated guy, and anything about the Nauvoo is a spoiler at this point. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/115 "2017-03-03T18:11:12Z")
Just got caught up on the last two episodes. I’ve read all the books by the way. Fantastic two episodes. Said it before and I’ll say it again - the show just keeps getting better and is really in-stride now. I don’t think this is a spoiler but just in case… Ganymede is the agricultural lifeline to Earth, Mars, and The Belt. Crops are grown under the domes you saw in the episode and the “space mirrors” you see being destroyed are vital to growing crops on the surface. Net-net… a whole lot of people are about to face severe food shortages. There were Earth Marines and Martian Marines (Draper’s squad) on the surface of Ganymede. The Earth Marines appeared to be attacking the Martian Marines… or maybe they were under attack and running from something. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/116 "2017-03-03T19:09:15Z")
What the heck WERE those things. Can’t wait! Question for the bookworms ;p how many books are there in the series? Is it still on going? ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/117 "2017-03-03T19:19:16Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > What the heck WERE those things. Can’t wait! > > Question for the bookworms ;p how many books are there in the series? Is it still on going? I think there are 6 in total so far. The latest one, Babylon’s Ashes, I really did not care for. Honestly, the last two kind of left me “meh” as I really didn’t care for the direction they went in regards to a “bad guy”. I’ll be hard-pressed to consider any future books as must-read when released. I’ll probably still read them… eventually. The first 4 books… awesome. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/118 "2017-03-03T19:24:21Z")
Books are still going, the 6th novel came out recently. The books all follow the same characters, but put them in different settings to explore different aspects of the universe (and, eventually, some decent backstory and development for the main characters). There are also several short stories and novellas. I haven’t heard whether there was a specific grand plan like with Game of Thrones, though I suspect there isn’t. At least, not in terms of detailed plans for dozens of intertwining plot threads. In any case, there’s plenty of material for several seasons, with a few reasonable places to end the series if necessary. There’s also solid foundation for plenty of other stories set in the same universe. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/119 "2017-03-03T19:56:37Z")
Also, just to make it clear, the authors are releasing a book every year. That’s 6 books since 2011. 7th due this year. They intend for a 9 book series, and are hitting their marks, so it doesn’t seem like it’ll be a Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire type thing. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787/120 "2017-03-03T20:18:31Z")
\*Mostly \*hitting the marks. Books 1-5 all came out in June, but 6 was released in December, barely squeaking into 2017. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next book was 2018. But your point is valid, they’re doing fine with keeping up the pace. And regarding the source material, the show has already incorporated two of the short stories, _Drive_ (the flashbacks to Epstein in the latest episode) and _The Butcher of Anderson Station_ (Fred Johnson’s origin story from season 1). I hope they find a way to fit in _The Churn_, which covers Amos’ origins. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-expanse-season-2-episode-discussion-spoilers-as-it-airs/778787.md?page=7)