The Expanse – Season Five (Spoiler-Free) Review

When I reviewed the fourth season of The Expanse last year, my main takeaway (after watching the first six episodes that had been provided for critics) was that it was shaping up to be a good, but not great season of the series. And upon finishing it, that was what it ultimately turned out to be. But the reason why it didn’t work as well as it could have was clear: The Expanse is at its best when its large and talented cast is allowed to work together in furtherance of a single major arc. Season four saw the cast of characters scattered throughout the galaxy, with several standalone arcs, seemingly far removed from each other. Avasarala was siloed in her quest for re-election – which she ultimately lost; Bobbie was dealing with smuggling on Mars, in an arc that had little bearing on much of anything going on outside of the planet; the Rocinante was out dealing with the major arc of the season, cut off from the rest of the characters and drowning in the show’s mythology through the ring gates; Drummer and the Belters were dealing with the emergence of Marco Inaros (who also happens to be Naomi’s ex and the father of her son, Filip) as a potential threat, but again, no one else in the series seemed to know or care about his quest for power or the happenings in the Belt. Everything felt disconnected and it all left me feeling a bit cold in the end.

But, like all great sci-fi shows, The Expanse knew what it was doing. We were given the disconnection of season four so that all those seemingly disparate storylines could find a way to connect in season five. And boy, what a connection it is. The Expanse is at its best when its characters are all cocooned within the same narrative arc, and that’s exactly what is in the works in season five. While I won’t give much away in terms of the overall season arc, I will say that each storyline fits perfectly within the overall season puzzle, and while the individual characters might not recognize their role in what is occurring, we can see it fairly clearly. And that’s a huge change from the disconnect of a season ago. Watching the nine episodes screened for critics, I found myself excited to see what would happen next – to see how Bobbie or Amos’s story might intersect with Holden’s. I was excited to see which characters might find themselves working together or might find themselves on opposite sides of an impending conflict. The time we have spent over the past four years getting to know and understand both the characters and the sociopolitical struggles among the three factions (Earthers, Belters, and Martians) makes each revelation in season five resonate deeply.

If there is an overarching theme to the season, however, it’s family – both that of blood and the found families made along the way. It’s something we’ve seen clearly in the structure of Belter ships in the past, and now it really hits home for all characters within the series. And if there are central characters within that theme, well, those would be Naomi (Dominique Tipper, finally given a chance to take center stage and crush it with a stunning performance), Drummer (Cara Gee, taking the reigns of the Belter side of the story and proving herself to be one of the series’ strongest assets), and Amos (Wes Chattham, who makes the most of the opportunity of getting his own storyline by adding new shades to The Expanse‘s most guarded character).

I suspect, based on where certain characters ended season four, you can guess who might be en route for family reunions in season five – that would be Amos and Naomi, who have arcs that pull them away from their found family, but ultimately allow us to get to know these two characters on a far deeper level than we have over the past four years. And then there’s Drummer, who lost her father figure at the hands of Marco at the end of season four – in one of the most gutting deaths The Expanse has dealt us – and has had to step in and pull her ragtag group of Belters closer, becoming the authority figure she never really wanted to be. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and Drummer’s head gets mightily weighed down. All three characters are tested throughout the season in ways we have never seen, and it’s fascinating that this deep into a run the series can continue to surprise and allow for deep character development.

And while I’ve spent most of the review discussing how crucial Amos, Naomi, and Drummer are to the central arcs of the story, that doesn’t mean the rest of the show’s deep cast don’t have key roles to play. Every major character – including the new additions to the series regular cast this season – play a part in the major season arc: Marco Inaros vs. The Inners. There’s a number of threads – some continuing from season four – that initially seem random but all of which begin to neatly tie together in a true masterstroke of writing. It’s one thing to craft a solid season arc; it’s another to have laid the groundwork for an arc over the course of an entire series (although mainly in season four) and have it pay off beautifully a season later. For all my whining about season four (and I stand by my assessment of that season on its own), I was so happy to see how the groundwork laid then is necessary to understanding the story in season five. Vague, I know, but this is something each viewer should experience themselves.

There’s a whole host of great action sequences, snappy dialogue (every exchange Amos has is pure gold), and a tension-filled struggle between the Belt and their oppressors that pulls in all the key players and racks up a sizeable body count. It’s a really great season of television and just the ride we need at this point in the year. I’m excited for fans to get a chance to experience it, and hopeful those who might not have taken the plunge yet give the show a go.

The Expanse premieres the first three episodes of season five on Wednesday, December 16, on Amazon. The remaining seven episodes in season five will air weekly. Nine of the ten episodes were provided for review.