The Expanse Season 4 SUCKS! (Spoilers Galore)
OK, first things first: I haven’t read the books and I loved the first 3 seasons. The story was compelling and engaging, character development was adequate and the special effects absolutely breath-taking. I also loved the respect for physics, which I noticed in how they handle gravitational pulls and also when they execute slingshot maneuvers, etc. The show nailed it IMHO.
Then I got to season 4 and this is what I see:
- Roberta “Bobbie” Draper: The Martian tomboy with anger management issues and authority conflicts is now reduced to a bit more than a pariah back in Mars and ends up fighting… Martian drug dealers? To help her lil’ bro?? WTF!!??
- Shararamalan Kajagoogoo: Sorry, I just can’t spell her name. The old fart with the sandpaper voice, whom throughout the first 3 seasons was the epitome of cunning, self control and classy elegance, is now a disheveled old meatbag that keeps dropping the “F” word twice per dialog. Thank goodness that this time the show makers didn’t try to make her look “hot” by wrestling all those skin flaps into a space suit designed for women 72 years younger. Kajagoogoo demonstrates that she can overreact more than a Paraguayan soap opera “actress”.
- James “Cap” Holden: This dude began as a really flat character and ended even worse. A person who must *always* take the “good” course of action no matter what. I don’t recall a longer chain of “righteous” decisions since the last time I played DnD with a Lawful Good Paladin (and it was BGII, so go figure). BUT, to the point: During the first 3 seasons Holden witnessed, first hand, the powers of the protomolecule and is quite aware of how it reacts to violence:
o He witnessed a slingshot racer braking so abruptly that the pilot became red goo.
o He saw a ship getting disassembled to the last screw because it approached too fast.
o He saw a soldier using a grenade against the protomolecule and saw said soldier turned into marmalade.
So, now, in this new planet (“Ilus”) he discovers some protomolecule-derived structures, notices that it is activating so… what does he do? He a fires a f….ng torpedo at the thing. A torpedo!!!
- Amos and whatshername: So now Amos is involved in a relationship. So much WOW. Honestly I can name 12 inanimate objects with more chemistry than this couple, including sandwiches of tuna fish and peanut butter.
- Alex and Naomi: Were they here? They were? Where and doing what? Who cares. In any case, irrelevant.
Overall, I think season 4 (specially when compared to the other 3 seasons) is an insult to the intelligence of the average viewer and a clear example of what happens when lack of creativity meets with the need to produce another season to keep the money coming in. If this show is closely based on the books then this season is a good reason to discard the idea of reading the series… even if I could get it for free.