Gotta agree; this was boring and predictable.
Just wait until the next episode, where all the good guys get killed and the whole series shifts into being a sitcom about the rescued maids and cooks adjusting to live and love on the Moon.
I’m kind of liking the parts where Baltimore Timmy is at war with Rocinante Amos. There were a couple of moments where you could see Amos about to do the practical thing, but changes when he realizes that Peaches disapproves. You can see him using her as his off-site moral compass.
The way they have set up the character of Eric there is no way he would have been deferential to Timmy about that practical choice. He did not get to the top of the churn doing stuff like that. Once the rent-a-cop gang was walking away he would have given a signal and they would have been mowed down. The choice would have resulted in fewer deaths and both sides than allowing Peaches her kumbaya phase.
I’d like to see Naomi’s affect show more of the resolve that the character demonstrates by action.
Pretty much all the characters’ developmental arcs that had any arc were pretty jarringly out of line with where they had been going, yes even down to the Acting Sec Gen.
I thought this was a decent episode - not amazing, but not awful. The firefight at the mansion was totally predictable start to finish, but I’m willing to forgive some of that because it was filmed so well. The exterior shots were beautiful, the action was exciting even knowing who would live and who would die, and overall it was very well choreographed.
Agree on some points, not on others. You’re right about Erich - from his decision to leave Baltimore to letting the goons walk, his actions aren’t consistent with the character we were shown.
I’m unsure about Naomi - I’m annoyed by her whininess and frustration, which doesn’t match her usual confidence and practical nature. But on the other hand, she almost died, she’s in terrible shape physically and getting desperate, so this character development is probably realistic even if I don’t like it.
I disagree with you about the Acting SecGen. He was introduced as completely lacking in confidence and unsure of what to do, but trying to do the right thing. That kind of person is going to be malleable and easily influenced by perceived strength, so him going along with the hawkish general makes perfect sense to me.
I liked Amos’ continuing development. You can see the Timmy vs Amos battle in his face as he looks at the goons then looks at Clarissa.
She’s basically in a no-win situation. She has do something or else the Roci gets destroyed, but she doesn’t have access to comms or any other way of signaling aside from trying to disrupt the message and hope that helps. So it seems fairly in keeping with her character to me. It’s hard to be so confident considering the situation she’s in.
Except for the part where they need her to fly the ship…he doesn’t know her, he doesn’t know how she will react, so he did the cautious thing, but told everyone to hurry the F up before they came back with reinforcements.
I think you are putting more thought into than the writers did, or even than the character would have.
Still it is a good fanwank!
In light of that though a bit amusing that flying the ship into orbit anyway was pressing the start button. Which he did while she waiting for the roof to fully open.
As for Naomi. I’d think less wasting energy yelling and more the look of someone on a final leg of an Ironman in pain, but determined to get the next step done and the next even if one is a stumble. The “fuck”s quiet angry and veering towards resignation sometimes then back.
I’m not sure what I’d expect Dummer to be like torn as she is. But what is shown does seem her to me.
The writers (of the books, that is) are actually pretty good about getting characterization down, as well as growth over time. And you don’t get to be at the top of the churn in Baltimore without some ability to read people and situations. About the only mistake he made was showing just how much force he had available at his disposal so that the marauders could make sure they came back with MUCH more.
Actually, I think his first mistake wasn’t just inviting those 4 or 5 dudes into the house to take what they needed, and then ambushing them at the door without getting Amos/Timmy and Peaches involved.
Agreed. It’s extremely jarring how everyone suddenly writing Earth off; this disaster seems confined to the North American East Coast. Presumably life would be going on more or less as normal on the West Coast, to say nothing of Asia, Oceania, or South America. Yet, the seat of the UN has moved to Luna instead of say Vienna or Nairobi. If this is a global catastrophe they’re going a poor job of showing it.
I don’t get that at all. He’s just completely out of his depth and is faced with an impossibly difficult situation. The Free Navy doesn’t have military bases so there is no way to respond proportionally. They’re not a conventional planetary-state like Mars. MADD isn’t going to hold them in check. This is basically like Osama bin Laden was able to buy a small fleet of Soviet nuclear submarines instead of having to hijack airplanes. I’m glad Chrisjen is back in charge.
They did show maps and broadcasts that showed that other places were hit too. Africa, India, and SA, IIRC
Episode 10 - Nemesis Games
I liked the first half, the second half dragged a bit. The battle was exciting even if I could only tell who was shooting at who half the time. Naomi’s rescue was well done too (especially the sound editing).
IMO they handled Alex’s demise as well as they could have, given that I think they’d finished shooting when he got the boot. It looks like they took some general footage of him at super slo-mo to make him look dead, and refilmed a few scenes with the rest of the cast. It was still better than starting next season with some lame story about him dying off screen.
And regarding Erich (very mild spoiler for the novella Auberon set several years in the future):
I didn’t connect until now that he was the one-armed crime kingpin on Auberon, so I guess he did OK abandoning Baltimore for the Ring colonies.
Great episode and great season.
I wonder who will be the new pilot? Bull seems like the obvious choice, but I think Clarissa would be a better fit personality wise. They already have grumpy military types like Bull - Clarissa has a very different perspective that I think would be welcome.
I’m glad you brought that up, because that entirely slipped my mind as well. I too thought she was a friend of Amos’ from some point in the past.
Man, I think I’m gonna marathon all the episodes before season six starts. I’m forgetting things.
Didn’t they have an extended scene where Bull was drinking coffee from Alex’s cup, where the camera lingered on the name? I took that to mean he’s the designated “successor”.
I didn’t notice that at the time, but I read about it from some redditors, so yeah, that seems like what the producers intend.
Apparently they redubbed a few scenes as well. Probably the best way they could go. Though I’m not sure how Bull fits with the crew.
The ending was a definite Holy Shit! I was wondering how they would film the final scene and they nailed it.
Good question. Bull is the logical choice (he’s already a pilot). But you’re right that his personality doesn’t fill the gap. They need someone easy-going to counter the rest of the crew, all of whom are pretty tightly wound. Bull is just more of the same.
Bobbie and Clarissa are good additions to the crew, but they aren’t pilots. Bobbie could fill the role in a pinch, but she’s better on fire control. Clarissa is the person who fixes the ship, not the one who flies it. Neither of them would be believable as the amazing pilot that can get them out of situations where no one else could.
I assume they’ll go with Bull and try to fill in the personality gaps with the other characters.
Maybe they’ll find a way to rework Bull’s personality – maybe something like he was still grieving/in shock from Fred’s death, but now he’ll loosen up, and maybe turn into the “relaxed old veteran who’s seen everything” trope. That might work.
Clarissa was the one flying the Razorback as a racer, wasn’t she? That would make her a promising candidate in my mind