Tensions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt come to a boiling point in The Expanse‘s third episode, as “Remember the Cant” becomes the rallying cry of Ceres when word gets out that Mars destroyed the Canterbury. However, as the episode progresses, we see that confusion and secrecy are at the forefront of this brewing war. Was Mars really involved in the Canterbury explosion? And how deep does the OPA terrorism go in terms of interplanetary conspiracy? Murky allegiances prevail as the show begins to untangle a web of political intrigue.
Jim Holden’s (Steven Strait) message from the last episode does end up being broadcast on Ceres, and this, combined with the increased water rationing, have spurred Belter radicals to riot against the inner planets. From their perspective, Mars has declared war on the Belt by destroying its ice trawler, and Ceres has had enough of both Earth and Mars always taking advantage of Belter labor and resources. All of the violence and discontent brings us to Havelock’s (Jay Hernandez) startling death. Too bad, since the young, naïve cop was just starting to become endearing, learning (unsuccessfully) how to pass as a Belter, and becoming something more than the typical bland stand-in for the audience. Nevertheless, his death carries the broader implication that Belter prejudice and unrest will lead them down a bloody path in the days to come.
Amidst the rioting on Ceres, Miller’s (Thomas Jane) still trying to track down Julie Mao (Florence Faivre), who’s now suspected to be an OPA member. Although Captain Shaddid (Lola Glaudini) encourages Miller to just hand off the case to some other station, seeing as how Julie isn’t on Ceres, Miller ignores her and continues to investigate. It’s unclear as to exactly why he’s so interested in what seems to be a common missing persons case, but I get the feeling that he (1) dislikes being told what to do, and (2) can sense that she’s associated with something bigger than it appears. After all, the Scopuli was apparently full of OPA members, and was the flint that sparked Mars, Earth, and the Belters to gear up for war. We’re also introduced to a new OPA player, Anderson Dawes (Jared Harris), who apparently controls the Ceres docks to some extent. While Dawes seems reasonable in his disapproval of Belter violence, Miller suspects Dawes knows more than he’s letting on regarding Julie’s whereabouts, and might have even influenced her to join the OPA in the first place.
We’re finally introduced to the Martians, as they hold the Knight crew captive and interrogate them one by one. Through the questioning, we gradually glean some information on the crew’s backstories: Naomi’s (Dominique Tipper) well-educated and possibly OPA, Alex (Cas Anvar) was honorably discharged from the Martian Navy, Holden was dishonorably discharged from the UN Navy, and Shed’s (Paulo Costanzo) on the run from drug dealers. Amos (Wes Chatham), however, continues to be a complete mystery, besides his fierce loyalty to Naomi. While it initially seems like the MCRN’s trying to turn the crew against each other, we eventually realize Mars is just trying, like the rest of us, to figure out what happened. They definitely want to be cleared of the accusations that they destroyed the Canterbury, and believe that Naomi planted the distress beacon to goad Earth and Mars into a war. Finally, it’s revealed that a ship is heading for the Donnager; it’s suspected to be coming for Naomi.
Savvy politician Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) also spends the episode trying to make sense of the Martian attack. She believes that Mars is attempting to take Ceres, meshing with her earlier suspicions that Mars and the OPA are in league together. Avasarala wants to take action and redeploy the fleet as a sign of strength. When her suggestion’s shot down, she focuses her efforts on clarifying Mars’s role in this political mess. Her ruthless determination is made clear when she uses friend and Martian ambassador Franklin Degraaf (Kenneth Walsh) by leaking information to him about the Belter caught with Martian stealth technology. Since the Martian response to this leak was basically a panicked inventory of their technology hubs, it would seem that Mars did not give any tech to the OPA, nor did they destroy the Canterbury. That leaves the UN with an unsettling revelation: an unknown entity is trying to start a war.
Because of Avasarala’s manipulations, Degraaf is banned from Mars for being an alarmist and revealing key military information. In a chilling monologue, he tells Avasarala that he’s terrified for her. Chrisjen will do anything it takes to win, just like her father, who was seemingly killed under nefarious circumstances. Aghdashloo’s fantastic acting skills were definitely on display as her fond smile at sharing a childhood memory became a heartbreaking tremble when DeGraaf turned his back on her for her cruel deception. Aghdashloo’s presence is absolutely elevating The Expanse to another level.
In general, I am enamored by the female characters on the show, most of whom seem to hold positions of power and influence. While the cast is still primarily dominated by men, it’s still a treat to see that the women on The Expanse are blowing their male counterparts away in terms of character complexity, depth, personality, and acting ability. We’ve got the severe MCRN Captain Yao (Jean Yoon), the equally stern Captain Shaddid of the Star Helix, and the law-abiding detective Octavia Muss (Athena Karkanis). Naomi Nagata has already proven to be both a badass and a capable engineer. We still don’t know much about the enigmatic Julie Mao, except that she can apparently hold her own in a fight. I’m hoping that the writers don’t make the common mistake of equating strong female characters with physical strength, and instead present nuanced women with flaws and all. Chrisjen is a wonderful example of just that — a woman who is at once graceful and cold, gentle and calculating. More of these kinds of characters will make The Expanse must-see science fiction.
Other Thoughts:
The MCRN interrogator kept making allusions to Phoebe, claiming that the Canterbury stopped at this off-limits research station in between its ice runs. Another mystery to unravel, I suppose. On that note, I thought the pill he took to enhance his lie-detecting abilities was really cool.
I was going to say that Miller’s hair didn’t look quite so greasy this episode, but then we got that shot of his weird hair flip. Ceres really needs to get some water stat, if only so that Miller can take a proper shower. No wonder he wears that stupid hat all the time.
The Mormon missionary on Ceres felt out-of-place and kind of pointless.
I’m glad that Shed is providing a bit of much-needed comic relief in this mostly serious space drama.
Chrisjen and Frank’s discussion about Mars and Earth was interesting, as it portrayed Mars as a pioneering culture obsessed with progress and manifest destiny, while Earth’s more concerned with socialism and welfare.