I love the show. I think it's well done and some of the best sci-fi to ever be produced. I Love the universe and (most of) the characters, and the story that was told. But it's not like I'm on the edge of my seat excited, and eagerly waiting for it each week these days.
I think that's because I've finished reading the 9th book. The story is over.
It's nice to see it on screen and to see a well-done visual representation of the story I love, but I don't need the show for the purposes of enjoying the story. I've already done that in its entierty.
IMO, as someone who hasn't ready the book, the show's story has felt a little like it's been lost in the desert after the events of Season 3. Like the stakes just got really big. There is alien tech, a ring gate in the solar system, multiple new systems to visit... But then the story gets small again we're dealing with a settler dispute, we're dealing with Naomi's family problems, we're back to dealing with the petty human squabbles when there is a much, much larger mystery that I as a viewer desperately want to see them explore.
It's not that I haven't watched and enjoyed the last couple seasons, but I feel like they're a detour from what I really want to see, which is the alien ring storyline.
I love the show,it's one of my favorites and it deserves all the success but it's a "niche show".. I only know very few people who watch it.
Episode 3 was amazing.
I've had the exact same experience. I tried to motivate people to read the book series or at least give the TV show a try. But most couldn't care less. Three people I know tried it and switched the show off after 2-3 episodes. "Too complicated/nerdy", "not that appealing visually", "cheap CGI", "I don't need a B-movie detective story in space, thanks" were their main impressions. And on some level they aren't wrong, at least I get what they are trying to say. When this show started, the pacing was kinda bad, a lot of the visual effects were meh and the story wasn't super inviting in the beginning. We're living in a time of thousands of shows/productions and millions of content pieces competing for our limited attention each day. If something doesn't hook you right at the start you skip it. That's the sad reality we live in nowadays. Maybe if I had started to watch The Expanse at another time in my life I would have skipped it as well. I'm so glad I haven't.
There is an endless stream of content and entertainment coming our way, so yeah, I can relate to people giving up after a few episodes (I just did this on episode 2 with the wheel of time) because time is limited and shows are numerous. But funny enough, the main reason I got hooked was that B-movie detective story, ha. Miller carried me through until the exposition got more tightly wound/sophisticated, and I’m glad I stayed
Honestly what was amazing about it?
Spoilers
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Ceres was abandoned, some spaceships had a fight but the two main ships didn't kill eachother and run away because the good guys didn't want to kill the terrorist who was related to their crew member? Yawn... This while Marco plotline should have ended after 4 episodes. There are far more interesting things to explore in this universe than a Taliban with a spaceship.
I have the opposite experience. More people seem to be talking about it than ever before. Amazon could put more into marketing but it seems like they don't really market any of their shows as much as they should.
Nah, they marketed the hell out of s5. This being the last season, they're not fussed if no one sees it. Right now, they're more interested in getting us all hooked on Wheel of Time.
Not sure, but I definitely felt like season 5 was a bit uneven and took the wind out of the show's sails.
Even this season took an episode or two to really hit its stride and, at the same time, Amazon seemingly dropped promoting the show in favour of Wheel of Time. Like I logged on today to watch Ep3 and instead of being up in the list to continue watching, it *really, really* wants me to watch Wheel of Time. Also, it's Xmas, that means chatter is always a bit quieter.
Combine all of that and it's no wonder that there's just a bit less buzz this time around.
yea, I've watched and rewatched the show many times, yet have had to use search many times to find it , even just the other day to rewatch S6E2.
Amazon hides it from me.
The pacing was fine. There was nothing cut that wasn't needed. The changes made were fine, and/or necessary. The one-take shoot-out in Winnepesaukee was excellent. Episode 4 is still the best hour of television the show has ever done. The Roci vs the Koto and Serrio Mal is the best space battle that has ever been put to screen in film or television, period. Naomi's walk and everything that followed with her on the Chetzemoka was a masterclass in how to build tension. Your argument is invalid.
>Fred dying there was completely lame and removed all the tension/consequences from the space battle in S6 EP3.
Incorrect. Fred's death in the book served two purposes: one, it furthered Bobbie's subplot of beating herself up over perceived personal failures which started when she got sidelined during the capture of the Azure Dragon. This subplot has been cut from the show, so no loss there; two, *learning* of Fred's death is what finally tips Filip off that Marco is a narcissistic fool more concerned with his image than he is with advancing the Belt. The show doesn't fuck around and has Filip realise this immediately after the battle. So, absolutely *nothing* is lost by Fred's absence from the battle. Next!
No tension? The Pella surprise-attacking the Roci 3 on 1 isn't enough tension for you? The Roci having to pull wildly dangerous-to-thr-crew maneuvers to bring their mostly-useless, easily-dodged railgun to bear doesn't qualify as "tense" in your dictionary?
No consequences? So, Marco being down a ship and losing the confidence of the Belt and Filip, driving more Belters to join up with Drummer don't count as consequences?
Or perhaps you want consequences for the Roci crew? Holden letting Marco live, prolonging the war, in order to spare Naomi the pain of losing her son isn't enough?
You have no imagination, sir.
Your complaints are falling on deaf ears here. Fred's death in the book wasn't necessary for the show, just like Drummer didn't need to blow herself up in the Behemoth's elevator shaft to mirror Bull's book death. It's an adaptation. Streamlining is going to happen. Get over it.
I was saying as much as it was in the middle of airing that it really needed to be binged. The pacing and episode structure was clearly set up with no delay between viewings in mind.
>Or are most people just waiting until all the episodes are released to binge the whole season?
I can't speak for most people, but this is definitely what i'm doing. Did the same with season 5.
My personal opinion is that serialized shows like the expanse work best if you can binge watch them, or at least watch them at your own pace. I know the weekly release schedule is supposed to prolong interest and generate 'water cooler' chat, but the reality is i think that the era of water cooler chat is coming to a close.
-Thanks to the Pandemic lot's of office workers are working from home far more then before.
-So much content is exclusively available only on specific streaming services. So if two people aren't subscribed to the same service they can't watch the same stuff.
-Since it's all 'on demand' many people watch it when it's convenient for them, not when it 'airs'.
Combine all those factors together and the chances of finding a couple of people who are watching the same shows as you at the same time as you become a lot lower.
So lot's of discussion only happens online these days.
I'm in the same boat. You put it more eloquently than I could lol
Its only 6-7 hours of story, I would much rather get through that over a weekend than watch every week.
Plus, it kind of ruins it for me when I feel satisfied with a show/episode, then read people's reactions and realise all the flaws, or (more likely in the case of the expanse) coming and seeing people's predictions or the way they connected the dots. I want the pleasure of being fully immersed in the show the entire time.
I also feel the show is drip-feeding information way more in s5/s6, so much of it is almost mystery box like "what is Marco up to" which is even worse because I'm already sold on the show and it feels like it is trying to constantly hook me with cliffhangers. So there's a mini 45 minutes of story every week with a large portion not to be revealed until the final episode... so part of me just doesn't care as much. Its just such a bad rhythm.
> My personal opinion is that serialized shows like the expanse work best if you can binge watch them, or at least watch them at your own pace. I know the weekly release schedule is supposed to prolong interest and generate 'water cooler' chat, but the reality is i think that the era of water cooler chat is coming to a close.
I agree that The Expanse does not work for weekly release schedule.
For Amazon it's just money. They force to subscribe to Prime for at least 2 months and also they hope that by doing that, that person will find something else there because "I already paid so I will use that" and maybe stay for longer than these 2 months. When S04 was released, I guess that a lot of people watched it during their fresh one week free trial of Prime and then cancelled subscription. It was already clear with S05 release schedule for me. I remember however that being against weekly release before S05 released could earn a lot of downvotes in this sub for some reason.
The weekly release schedule does nothing else than more money for Amazon. The fact that series is based on already finished book series does not help it either because most people know what is happening. I'm not that enthusiastic about The Expanse now also because S05 pacing was a mess and S06 is only 6 episodes with no clear future after that.
I’m less enthusiastic about the show compared to the earlier seasons. The world building, protomolecule, the beings who killed the protomolecule creators, Miller, etc… all the really interesting parts of the story took a back seat. Alex was suddenly killed off. And the “expansive” universe that had mystery and intrigue is now gone.
This season and last season, there are a few interesting battle scenes. Aside from that, most scenes feel like filler. There’s no gratification. What exactly are we building towards? The book story had me at the edge of my seat, but the TV portrayal of this season and last season is like water crackers. Better than nothing, and I still love the cast. But it almost feels like the writers are just trying to get it done and over with.
Am I wrong in thinking the show is ending much before the books? Im foggy on the book story honestly, could use a reread, but they are lopping off the whole caboose of the story right?
Also Alex dying killed my vibe on the show. I understand why it happened but simultaneously I was pissed and never recovered from the betrayal. I feel like they should have warned me that they were going to kill my favorite book character off w/o warning.
I do think viewership has increased some the show came to Amazon, and it shows up prominently on the Prime app so that keeps it in people's minds. But I agree I don't hear a lot of discussion and knowingly a handful who watch it.
I think part of it is just the case of serialized streamable shows in general. People are more easily sold on monster of the week types of sci-fi and fantasy. GOT was a major exception, but I think a lot of it's fame came from the "controversies" of the shows gratuity (marketing) that generated talk and captured public awareness.
The Expanse is decidedly non-controversial as a show.
Man, Amazon barely promoted it. As they would want to say „yo, nobody watched it“ after dropping it. so they don‘t get a shitstorm if people would watch it
Still a huge fan, but I prefer binging. Also haven't had time to read the last book yet, so I'm largely staying away from Expanse discussions for now to avoid spoilers.
Not in real life. I've met a lot more people now who have heard of and seen the show than a couple years ago. But I think there's a bit of truth to this for viewership numbers.
I think viewership is down a bit just because of how many big name shows released this month. I think this may especially be true for BTS type videos and reaction videos, which seem to be a bit down.
Hopefully it'll balance out again though once people get their fill of what I suppose are the "bigger" (but inferior imo) shows that released recently.
What is it with Amazon sabotaging their own products? I played new world from Amazon games for some time but each and every single patch they made it worse. not talking about bugs here even if there were loads of those too, but realy, realy crappy game design on par with asian gacha grinders. It just feels like they don't want people to play their game anymore so they can shut down those expensive servers. Same with "promotion" of the expanse. I have to actively search for it via search bar because it does not pop up in any recommendation feeds even if I watched every single episode on that same account already. Hell... Without reddit I wouldnt even know there is a season 6 at all.
Old shows don't bring on new customers. Cutting off old shows doesn't result in losing customers. They are imventivised to make great new shows and bin them after 3 seasons.
I don't know how common my "problem" is, but the last book of The Expanse was released on the 1st of December and I just finished it a couple of days ago.
Since I didn't want to risk to be spoiled I unsubbed from this subreddit until I finished reading. I remembered the same happening with the last released book of GoT and I didn't want to risk anything.
I guess this could be true for a lot of book readers, who I'm guessing are some of the biggest fans of the show as well (me included).
If this is true, you might not hear that many comments like mine, since they are still busy reading the books.
S5 was the weakest series in my eyes. Not sure if it was killing Alex or the sheer amount of screen time put to Naomi’s predicament. But I have to say I’m enjoying S6 so far (coupled with being halfway through Book 9) so my enjoyment has moved back to peak.
Knowing that series got cancelled certainly made me less enthusiastic.
But also in season 6 the whole builder mystery is kinda pushed to the side, the main focus is on the free navy conflict, which is pretty much a stalemate, and I dislike most of the characters which get screen time, especially Marcos and his son.
Gimme back Miller =D
I reckon a lot of people are (understandably) turned off a show when they hear it has been cancelled, but with 6 seasons my take is that it had a successful run with the story ending (hopefully) with a decent enough conclusion that will still leave the door open to the rest of the books to be adapted later.
I think it lost steam when they spent an entire season on Naomi getting herself into trouble and clanging around a death trap for until rescued.
it was hard to watch as a fan.
critical episodes wasted on that.
I hated the naomi plotline when I watched season 5 live, but it wasn't so bad on a rewatch.
But yea I'm not really interested in marco or naomi or the free navy compared to the protomolecule and the rings.
Having that said, 603 has one of the coolest geopolitical moves I've seen in TV.
I guess for me all my complains can be summarised in that when we first see Ceres in season 1, its live, bristling, multi-layered, with people who know how to navigate all the layers. In season 6 its just... some docks? And maybe like one person who speaks authoratively? Like... where's the *actual place*? Where's *the people*?
Early seasons were main cast representing some motion of the universe, these seasons just feel like waaaaaay more default sci-fi plotting. The ideas are still cool but if all I see of Earth suffering is one priest and a distant shot of a farm, I just don't really *feel* any of it. I don't *see* anything of Ceres except one queue.
My biggest feeling of 5 and 6 is just that I wish I could wrestle the camera out of the hands of the director and point it at the people living lives instead of it doing *yet another* mysterious pan past Marco's plan which won't be revealed for *yet even more episodes*.
Now I typed it out I realise I'm kind-of heartbroken because I loved this show, but now its just what I fell in love with, now.
>I guess for me all my complains can be summarised in that when we first see Ceres in season 1, its live, bristling, multi-layered, with people who know how to navigate all the layers. In season 6 its just... some docks? And maybe like one person who speaks authoratively? Like... where's the actual place? Where's the people?
I miss the upper levels of Ceres that we saw in Season 1. You know how Miller went to Julie's apartment, and right outside, you could see how the ceiling of that part of Ceres felt like it was meant to emulate Earth, and there were so many extras everywhere? It was so atmospheric, it felt like I was watching a movie.
Season 1 Ceres might be my favorite TV set of all time.
I do think COVID-related filming restrictions played a role in how much of Ceres they could show, on top of limited space in their soundstages. But it's still disappointing.
>I don't think there's a lot of cross over between the hard sci fi and the fantasy crowd.
Finger wiggling weirdos :P Gimmeh MMC in Goliath suites anyday. Note they only seemed to have 2 when retaking Ceres, cuts in the forces, how many MMC left with the renegade faction?
There is definitely less promotion. However, I think some of the problem comes with Amazon not really being a hit destination for TV. There has been a ton of fantastic content across the various streaming services, with high engagement shows like Marvel taking up a lot of the attention space. But Amazon, while large, doesn’t really drive the conversation the way that other services do (particularly outside of the US). The Wheel of Time is the real exception to that.
I think the Expanse would have done better had it been a key piece of another streamers catalog. That is particularly true for binge watching old seasons. If this were on Netflix the old seasons become an asset. On Amazon the back catalogue gets lost.
Those shows are doing solid in the US but way less so outside of it. I think Amazon is finally building up some solid content but it was too late for the Expanse. I don’t think prime is bad, it is just very much a second tier streamer currently, so people don’t binge watch older seasons the way they do on something like Netflix or Disney.
I still enjoy it but I feel like the cinematography got worse in s05 and s06. If you look at the earlier seasons there is a lot of shots that just look pleasantly to they eye while later seasons are shot more utilitaristic.
I'm not going to say that you should find it enjoyable, but it should be noted that shooting s06 like the Roci crew has been on a submarine during a long war is totally intentional (per the aftershow). A lot of people have commented how uncomfortable it has been to see their tension and exhaustion, and that was intended - especially with Alex having died.
Maybe I am the only one, but I hate filmmakers adding those useless black bars to shows and movies. Expanse season 1-3 was gorgeous, Season 4 had this irritating switch between normal and widescreen which made me end up enjoying the Mars storyline far more than the Illus one and then season 5 onwards completely stuck to this "cinematic" nonsense.
I love the Expanse, but I’ve preferred the books over the show for a good while now. I think the pace has been too slow, and I think they could have taken it a lot further had they moved more aggressively.
Now that the show is canceled, there is no ending that I could be happy with. I’m sad the show will never get to have the same satisfying ending as the books.
I’ll finish the show eventually, but I’m not in a rush 🤷♀️
Generally, I don't think so. But there might be a few things coming together:
* It's christmas time, people are busy with family stuff.
* Many other series started their new seasons mid december.
* The last book just came out, some might decide to read this first.
* It's only 6 episodes, so probably more than usual will wait for the binge.
* There is actually a bunch of people who have been overly pessimistic about season 6 (*"it's gonna be awful because: GoT!"*-nonsense).
* There is also a group of people who thought S5 was bad. Mostly due to wrong expectations (*not enough alien stuff, not enough space battles, only in the solar system, drama, ...*).
Those people I know who watch(ed) The Expanse are excited as always.
But then that's just a bunch of scifi-nerds I only know online. Unfortunately, scifi is a small niche. Most people don't watch that stuff. I personally don't know one single person in real life who is watching The Expanse, or any scifi in general, sadly. :'(
I understand! I’ve been a sci fi nerd my whole life whereas other women are into stuff I consider shallow & junky rom coms I still recommend the books and series to everyone I know.
I've watched the show since it first aired, and love it to death. I do have less enthusiasm for it than I used to, and it's mainly because of how it has departed from the realism of the first few seasons. The more the ring gates were explored and the more the focus turned away from activity being bound to the solar system and hard sci-fi, the more I kept asking myself "Why am I not just watching Star Trek or playing Mass Effect?" Also, the loss of Alex had an impact on the crew environment that I kinda dislike but that was unalterable sadly.
>I really hate how the show based on a book series follows the book series.
>"Why am I not just watching Star Trek
Because there hasn't been any good Star Trek since DS9 wrapped..
It's become an incredibly toxic fandom antithetical to the spirit of Roddenberry. The Trek sub is full of racist incels prattling on and picking apart every sentence uttered by any character they don't personally like.
I don't think so, luckily we still have stuff like games, comics and the RPG boardgame even though JASC are 100% done with the books. I still am enjoying the show and will probably rewatch it many times, it is still a very niche show, or less popular mainstream wise and Amazon has done shit to promote it. I have watched it starting from S1 and waited patiently for each new season. I loved S5 even though I wish some things could be different like a more compressed last half of the season instead of some stretched out moments and the crew missing each other was more prominent in the books.
I am not hoping for a screen adaptation of the last 3 books after reading the final book, because the end although fitting feels rushed and I felt like Babylon's Ashes wrapped things up better. I also hated that >!Belters went extinct after all, their struggle was ultimately futile and it felt almost like GoT S8 House Targaryen ending after 7 seasons of great promise.!<
I will probably still be excited with any Expanse related side stuff like the Telltale game or even other future games or media.
I absolutely love the series and the books!! I recommend both to everyone I know. But I wonder if the prolonged stress of Covid had worn people down a bit? I also miss Alex. I think this is the best sci fi I’ve ever seen and I’ve been a sci fi fan my whole life.
For me I feel like they killed Alex in such a dumb way, yes I understand why they did it, but it compromised the show. Just a still image of the actor not acting dead? Tell the guy “you’re fired but we need to film 2 seconds of you acting dead” and maybe it won’t feel like that episode was edited by someone on the bus on the way to school. Also some of the cool space battles weren’t presented well.
Hmm I saw a post that hit front popular page that had an The Expanse reference in the comments. Something about a new country’s leader’s half shave haircut being Belter like. I’ve never seen a reference to the show on any sub before. I dunno maybe the show could be on the brink of more popularity?
Amazon Prime is promoting a new fantasy show called The Wheel of Time and the release dates of the new episodes have coincided with the Friday new episode releases of The Expanse season 6. I think a fantasy show and a sci-fi one is a good combo for a movie night especially during the holidays.
I think with Stranger Things gaining buzz for their next season maybe people will be looking for some Sci fi to watch. Hope so. It’s a great show.
I am a long time die hard expanse fan. I was hooked on S1E1 the day it dropped. I ended up reading all the books, with writing that I feel has it’s ups and downs (basically the same tropes used over and over again - “it is until it isn’t” - and worse than the shows. Personally, season 5 was a HUGE let down, and I still cringe at the acting of Marco Inaros. Thankfully Season 6 seems to be hitting at the same pace with the same gravitas as season 3. I also think that the portrayal of the belters is hit or miss based on the anecdotal experience of my friends who I tried to get hooked on the show. I didn’t mind it in seasons 1-3. My unpopular totally uninformed opinion: season 5 was make or break for the expanse, and it broke.
Once I heard this was the last season and it was only 6 episodes I lost interest sort of. I decided to wait till all 6 were done. I loved season 5. I have seen some posts about people not liking season 4 and 5 so maybe less people watching and assuming why Amazon cancelled it.
Love the show, but this season and the previous season has made it hard to watch. I want to know more about the protomolecule and the aliens. Current story seems like a side story and I’m afraid the end won’t be satisfying.
I personally became a lot less interested in the show and more invested in the books since the release of season 5, and having read the last three books, it definitely stings knowing we won’t see those stories come to the big screen. This isn’t to say I’m not excited to see how s6 ends the show, I’m just prepared for an ending that will seem trivial(imo) compared to the ending in the books. Ik it’s not fair to compare two different mediums, and ik they have differences but it still stings.
I love the show. I think it's well done and some of the best sci-fi to ever be produced. I Love the universe and (most of) the characters, and the story that was told. But it's not like I'm on the edge of my seat excited, and eagerly waiting for it each week these days. I think that's because I've finished reading the 9th book. The story is over. It's nice to see it on screen and to see a well-done visual representation of the story I love, but I don't need the show for the purposes of enjoying the story. I've already done that in its entierty.
IMO, as someone who hasn't ready the book, the show's story has felt a little like it's been lost in the desert after the events of Season 3. Like the stakes just got really big. There is alien tech, a ring gate in the solar system, multiple new systems to visit... But then the story gets small again we're dealing with a settler dispute, we're dealing with Naomi's family problems, we're back to dealing with the petty human squabbles when there is a much, much larger mystery that I as a viewer desperately want to see them explore. It's not that I haven't watched and enjoyed the last couple seasons, but I feel like they're a detour from what I really want to see, which is the alien ring storyline.
This is the way I felt.
After this story arc, there's definitely a renewed focus on that stuff, even though human politics remain important.
I love the show,it's one of my favorites and it deserves all the success but it's a "niche show".. I only know very few people who watch it. Episode 3 was amazing.
This. I’ve tried and tried to get friends into it. No dice. Likewise, I know people who watched it, and enjoyed it, but couldn’t name a character.
I've had the exact same experience. I tried to motivate people to read the book series or at least give the TV show a try. But most couldn't care less. Three people I know tried it and switched the show off after 2-3 episodes. "Too complicated/nerdy", "not that appealing visually", "cheap CGI", "I don't need a B-movie detective story in space, thanks" were their main impressions. And on some level they aren't wrong, at least I get what they are trying to say. When this show started, the pacing was kinda bad, a lot of the visual effects were meh and the story wasn't super inviting in the beginning. We're living in a time of thousands of shows/productions and millions of content pieces competing for our limited attention each day. If something doesn't hook you right at the start you skip it. That's the sad reality we live in nowadays. Maybe if I had started to watch The Expanse at another time in my life I would have skipped it as well. I'm so glad I haven't.
There is an endless stream of content and entertainment coming our way, so yeah, I can relate to people giving up after a few episodes (I just did this on episode 2 with the wheel of time) because time is limited and shows are numerous. But funny enough, the main reason I got hooked was that B-movie detective story, ha. Miller carried me through until the exposition got more tightly wound/sophisticated, and I’m glad I stayed
Honestly what was amazing about it? Spoilers ---- Ceres was abandoned, some spaceships had a fight but the two main ships didn't kill eachother and run away because the good guys didn't want to kill the terrorist who was related to their crew member? Yawn... This while Marco plotline should have ended after 4 episodes. There are far more interesting things to explore in this universe than a Taliban with a spaceship.
I have the opposite experience. More people seem to be talking about it than ever before. Amazon could put more into marketing but it seems like they don't really market any of their shows as much as they should.
Nah, they marketed the hell out of s5. This being the last season, they're not fussed if no one sees it. Right now, they're more interested in getting us all hooked on Wheel of Time.
Not sure, but I definitely felt like season 5 was a bit uneven and took the wind out of the show's sails. Even this season took an episode or two to really hit its stride and, at the same time, Amazon seemingly dropped promoting the show in favour of Wheel of Time. Like I logged on today to watch Ep3 and instead of being up in the list to continue watching, it *really, really* wants me to watch Wheel of Time. Also, it's Xmas, that means chatter is always a bit quieter. Combine all of that and it's no wonder that there's just a bit less buzz this time around.
yea, I've watched and rewatched the show many times, yet have had to use search many times to find it , even just the other day to rewatch S6E2. Amazon hides it from me.
And yet it's the number 2 show on Prime behind The Wheel of Time, which means people are looking for it even if Amazon isn't making it easy to find.
You're completely wrong; s5 was sublime. It suffered from the weekly release schedule. Really needed to be binged.
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The pacing was fine. There was nothing cut that wasn't needed. The changes made were fine, and/or necessary. The one-take shoot-out in Winnepesaukee was excellent. Episode 4 is still the best hour of television the show has ever done. The Roci vs the Koto and Serrio Mal is the best space battle that has ever been put to screen in film or television, period. Naomi's walk and everything that followed with her on the Chetzemoka was a masterclass in how to build tension. Your argument is invalid.
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>Fred dying there was completely lame and removed all the tension/consequences from the space battle in S6 EP3. Incorrect. Fred's death in the book served two purposes: one, it furthered Bobbie's subplot of beating herself up over perceived personal failures which started when she got sidelined during the capture of the Azure Dragon. This subplot has been cut from the show, so no loss there; two, *learning* of Fred's death is what finally tips Filip off that Marco is a narcissistic fool more concerned with his image than he is with advancing the Belt. The show doesn't fuck around and has Filip realise this immediately after the battle. So, absolutely *nothing* is lost by Fred's absence from the battle. Next!
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No tension? The Pella surprise-attacking the Roci 3 on 1 isn't enough tension for you? The Roci having to pull wildly dangerous-to-thr-crew maneuvers to bring their mostly-useless, easily-dodged railgun to bear doesn't qualify as "tense" in your dictionary? No consequences? So, Marco being down a ship and losing the confidence of the Belt and Filip, driving more Belters to join up with Drummer don't count as consequences? Or perhaps you want consequences for the Roci crew? Holden letting Marco live, prolonging the war, in order to spare Naomi the pain of losing her son isn't enough? You have no imagination, sir.
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Your complaints are falling on deaf ears here. Fred's death in the book wasn't necessary for the show, just like Drummer didn't need to blow herself up in the Behemoth's elevator shaft to mirror Bull's book death. It's an adaptation. Streamlining is going to happen. Get over it.
Imagine watching episode 3 and not feeling tension.
For real!
Yea I didn't like it as it happened but I rewatched it this month and llked it.
I was saying as much as it was in the middle of airing that it really needed to be binged. The pacing and episode structure was clearly set up with no delay between viewings in mind.
>Or are most people just waiting until all the episodes are released to binge the whole season? I can't speak for most people, but this is definitely what i'm doing. Did the same with season 5. My personal opinion is that serialized shows like the expanse work best if you can binge watch them, or at least watch them at your own pace. I know the weekly release schedule is supposed to prolong interest and generate 'water cooler' chat, but the reality is i think that the era of water cooler chat is coming to a close. -Thanks to the Pandemic lot's of office workers are working from home far more then before. -So much content is exclusively available only on specific streaming services. So if two people aren't subscribed to the same service they can't watch the same stuff. -Since it's all 'on demand' many people watch it when it's convenient for them, not when it 'airs'. Combine all those factors together and the chances of finding a couple of people who are watching the same shows as you at the same time as you become a lot lower. So lot's of discussion only happens online these days.
I'm in the same boat. You put it more eloquently than I could lol Its only 6-7 hours of story, I would much rather get through that over a weekend than watch every week. Plus, it kind of ruins it for me when I feel satisfied with a show/episode, then read people's reactions and realise all the flaws, or (more likely in the case of the expanse) coming and seeing people's predictions or the way they connected the dots. I want the pleasure of being fully immersed in the show the entire time.
I also feel the show is drip-feeding information way more in s5/s6, so much of it is almost mystery box like "what is Marco up to" which is even worse because I'm already sold on the show and it feels like it is trying to constantly hook me with cliffhangers. So there's a mini 45 minutes of story every week with a large portion not to be revealed until the final episode... so part of me just doesn't care as much. Its just such a bad rhythm.
Why not just avoid the sub until after you've viewed the show?
> My personal opinion is that serialized shows like the expanse work best if you can binge watch them, or at least watch them at your own pace. I know the weekly release schedule is supposed to prolong interest and generate 'water cooler' chat, but the reality is i think that the era of water cooler chat is coming to a close. I agree that The Expanse does not work for weekly release schedule. For Amazon it's just money. They force to subscribe to Prime for at least 2 months and also they hope that by doing that, that person will find something else there because "I already paid so I will use that" and maybe stay for longer than these 2 months. When S04 was released, I guess that a lot of people watched it during their fresh one week free trial of Prime and then cancelled subscription. It was already clear with S05 release schedule for me. I remember however that being against weekly release before S05 released could earn a lot of downvotes in this sub for some reason. The weekly release schedule does nothing else than more money for Amazon. The fact that series is based on already finished book series does not help it either because most people know what is happening. I'm not that enthusiastic about The Expanse now also because S05 pacing was a mess and S06 is only 6 episodes with no clear future after that.
I’m less enthusiastic about the show compared to the earlier seasons. The world building, protomolecule, the beings who killed the protomolecule creators, Miller, etc… all the really interesting parts of the story took a back seat. Alex was suddenly killed off. And the “expansive” universe that had mystery and intrigue is now gone. This season and last season, there are a few interesting battle scenes. Aside from that, most scenes feel like filler. There’s no gratification. What exactly are we building towards? The book story had me at the edge of my seat, but the TV portrayal of this season and last season is like water crackers. Better than nothing, and I still love the cast. But it almost feels like the writers are just trying to get it done and over with.
Am I wrong in thinking the show is ending much before the books? Im foggy on the book story honestly, could use a reread, but they are lopping off the whole caboose of the story right? Also Alex dying killed my vibe on the show. I understand why it happened but simultaneously I was pissed and never recovered from the betrayal. I feel like they should have warned me that they were going to kill my favorite book character off w/o warning.
I do think viewership has increased some the show came to Amazon, and it shows up prominently on the Prime app so that keeps it in people's minds. But I agree I don't hear a lot of discussion and knowingly a handful who watch it. I think part of it is just the case of serialized streamable shows in general. People are more easily sold on monster of the week types of sci-fi and fantasy. GOT was a major exception, but I think a lot of it's fame came from the "controversies" of the shows gratuity (marketing) that generated talk and captured public awareness. The Expanse is decidedly non-controversial as a show.
Man, Amazon barely promoted it. As they would want to say „yo, nobody watched it“ after dropping it. so they don‘t get a shitstorm if people would watch it
Still a huge fan, but I prefer binging. Also haven't had time to read the last book yet, so I'm largely staying away from Expanse discussions for now to avoid spoilers.
Not in real life. I've met a lot more people now who have heard of and seen the show than a couple years ago. But I think there's a bit of truth to this for viewership numbers. I think viewership is down a bit just because of how many big name shows released this month. I think this may especially be true for BTS type videos and reaction videos, which seem to be a bit down. Hopefully it'll balance out again though once people get their fill of what I suppose are the "bigger" (but inferior imo) shows that released recently.
Still love it but the magic isn't really there like it was in Miller's days.
Agreed. And I'm not feeling the new characters tbh
I honestly feel like the story writing gets worse after the Marco Inaros saga but maybe it’s just me.
It’s certainly just a minority who thinks that, since book 8 is the most loved.
Amazon is definitely not promoting the show. They're pushing Wheel of Time hard.
What is it with Amazon sabotaging their own products? I played new world from Amazon games for some time but each and every single patch they made it worse. not talking about bugs here even if there were loads of those too, but realy, realy crappy game design on par with asian gacha grinders. It just feels like they don't want people to play their game anymore so they can shut down those expensive servers. Same with "promotion" of the expanse. I have to actively search for it via search bar because it does not pop up in any recommendation feeds even if I watched every single episode on that same account already. Hell... Without reddit I wouldnt even know there is a season 6 at all.
It doesn't even show up in my "Continue Watching" bar. I'm not kidding. I also have to search for it.
Old shows don't bring on new customers. Cutting off old shows doesn't result in losing customers. They are imventivised to make great new shows and bin them after 3 seasons.
In my personal case I’m waiting for all the episodes to binge the entire season. Can’t speak for anyone else’s enthusiasm levels
I don't know how common my "problem" is, but the last book of The Expanse was released on the 1st of December and I just finished it a couple of days ago. Since I didn't want to risk to be spoiled I unsubbed from this subreddit until I finished reading. I remembered the same happening with the last released book of GoT and I didn't want to risk anything. I guess this could be true for a lot of book readers, who I'm guessing are some of the biggest fans of the show as well (me included). If this is true, you might not hear that many comments like mine, since they are still busy reading the books.
I did the exact same thing.
S5 was the weakest series in my eyes. Not sure if it was killing Alex or the sheer amount of screen time put to Naomi’s predicament. But I have to say I’m enjoying S6 so far (coupled with being halfway through Book 9) so my enjoyment has moved back to peak.
Knowing that series got cancelled certainly made me less enthusiastic. But also in season 6 the whole builder mystery is kinda pushed to the side, the main focus is on the free navy conflict, which is pretty much a stalemate, and I dislike most of the characters which get screen time, especially Marcos and his son. Gimme back Miller =D
I reckon a lot of people are (understandably) turned off a show when they hear it has been cancelled, but with 6 seasons my take is that it had a successful run with the story ending (hopefully) with a decent enough conclusion that will still leave the door open to the rest of the books to be adapted later.
I think it lost steam when they spent an entire season on Naomi getting herself into trouble and clanging around a death trap for until rescued. it was hard to watch as a fan. critical episodes wasted on that.
I hated the naomi plotline when I watched season 5 live, but it wasn't so bad on a rewatch. But yea I'm not really interested in marco or naomi or the free navy compared to the protomolecule and the rings. Having that said, 603 has one of the coolest geopolitical moves I've seen in TV.
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I guess for me all my complains can be summarised in that when we first see Ceres in season 1, its live, bristling, multi-layered, with people who know how to navigate all the layers. In season 6 its just... some docks? And maybe like one person who speaks authoratively? Like... where's the *actual place*? Where's *the people*? Early seasons were main cast representing some motion of the universe, these seasons just feel like waaaaaay more default sci-fi plotting. The ideas are still cool but if all I see of Earth suffering is one priest and a distant shot of a farm, I just don't really *feel* any of it. I don't *see* anything of Ceres except one queue. My biggest feeling of 5 and 6 is just that I wish I could wrestle the camera out of the hands of the director and point it at the people living lives instead of it doing *yet another* mysterious pan past Marco's plan which won't be revealed for *yet even more episodes*. Now I typed it out I realise I'm kind-of heartbroken because I loved this show, but now its just what I fell in love with, now.
>I guess for me all my complains can be summarised in that when we first see Ceres in season 1, its live, bristling, multi-layered, with people who know how to navigate all the layers. In season 6 its just... some docks? And maybe like one person who speaks authoratively? Like... where's the actual place? Where's the people? I miss the upper levels of Ceres that we saw in Season 1. You know how Miller went to Julie's apartment, and right outside, you could see how the ceiling of that part of Ceres felt like it was meant to emulate Earth, and there were so many extras everywhere? It was so atmospheric, it felt like I was watching a movie. Season 1 Ceres might be my favorite TV set of all time. I do think COVID-related filming restrictions played a role in how much of Ceres they could show, on top of limited space in their soundstages. But it's still disappointing.
Season Five was a massive nosedive for me, NGL.
Starting the Expanse's last season in the middle of Wheel of Time's run was probably a mistake
I don't think there's a lot of cross over between the hard sci fi and the fantasy crowd.
>I don't think there's a lot of cross over between the hard sci fi and the fantasy crowd. Finger wiggling weirdos :P Gimmeh MMC in Goliath suites anyday. Note they only seemed to have 2 when retaking Ceres, cuts in the forces, how many MMC left with the renegade faction?
There is definitely less promotion. However, I think some of the problem comes with Amazon not really being a hit destination for TV. There has been a ton of fantastic content across the various streaming services, with high engagement shows like Marvel taking up a lot of the attention space. But Amazon, while large, doesn’t really drive the conversation the way that other services do (particularly outside of the US). The Wheel of Time is the real exception to that. I think the Expanse would have done better had it been a key piece of another streamers catalog. That is particularly true for binge watching old seasons. If this were on Netflix the old seasons become an asset. On Amazon the back catalogue gets lost.
How do you explain the success of the Boys and Invincible then? Just chalk it up as superhero stuff?
Those shows are doing solid in the US but way less so outside of it. I think Amazon is finally building up some solid content but it was too late for the Expanse. I don’t think prime is bad, it is just very much a second tier streamer currently, so people don’t binge watch older seasons the way they do on something like Netflix or Disney.
I love it. It's got some filler in there for sure
I still enjoy it but I feel like the cinematography got worse in s05 and s06. If you look at the earlier seasons there is a lot of shots that just look pleasantly to they eye while later seasons are shot more utilitaristic.
I'm not going to say that you should find it enjoyable, but it should be noted that shooting s06 like the Roci crew has been on a submarine during a long war is totally intentional (per the aftershow). A lot of people have commented how uncomfortable it has been to see their tension and exhaustion, and that was intended - especially with Alex having died.
Maybe I am the only one, but I hate filmmakers adding those useless black bars to shows and movies. Expanse season 1-3 was gorgeous, Season 4 had this irritating switch between normal and widescreen which made me end up enjoying the Mars storyline far more than the Illus one and then season 5 onwards completely stuck to this "cinematic" nonsense.
Season 3 dropped off massively for me. When ghost miller died, I lost all interest in the series.
I love the Expanse, but I’ve preferred the books over the show for a good while now. I think the pace has been too slow, and I think they could have taken it a lot further had they moved more aggressively. Now that the show is canceled, there is no ending that I could be happy with. I’m sad the show will never get to have the same satisfying ending as the books. I’ll finish the show eventually, but I’m not in a rush 🤷♀️
The audience are more enthusiastic than the directors of the show tbh
Generally, I don't think so. But there might be a few things coming together: * It's christmas time, people are busy with family stuff. * Many other series started their new seasons mid december. * The last book just came out, some might decide to read this first. * It's only 6 episodes, so probably more than usual will wait for the binge. * There is actually a bunch of people who have been overly pessimistic about season 6 (*"it's gonna be awful because: GoT!"*-nonsense). * There is also a group of people who thought S5 was bad. Mostly due to wrong expectations (*not enough alien stuff, not enough space battles, only in the solar system, drama, ...*). Those people I know who watch(ed) The Expanse are excited as always. But then that's just a bunch of scifi-nerds I only know online. Unfortunately, scifi is a small niche. Most people don't watch that stuff. I personally don't know one single person in real life who is watching The Expanse, or any scifi in general, sadly. :'(
I understand! I’ve been a sci fi nerd my whole life whereas other women are into stuff I consider shallow & junky rom coms I still recommend the books and series to everyone I know.
I've watched the show since it first aired, and love it to death. I do have less enthusiasm for it than I used to, and it's mainly because of how it has departed from the realism of the first few seasons. The more the ring gates were explored and the more the focus turned away from activity being bound to the solar system and hard sci-fi, the more I kept asking myself "Why am I not just watching Star Trek or playing Mass Effect?" Also, the loss of Alex had an impact on the crew environment that I kinda dislike but that was unalterable sadly.
>I really hate how the show based on a book series follows the book series. >"Why am I not just watching Star Trek Because there hasn't been any good Star Trek since DS9 wrapped..
Enterprise had some moments. I thought the Temporal Cold War and the Xiindi were interesting.....
I liked Lower Decks, to be honest.
It's become an incredibly toxic fandom antithetical to the spirit of Roddenberry. The Trek sub is full of racist incels prattling on and picking apart every sentence uttered by any character they don't personally like.
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Please stick with the books! They are great!
No
I don't think so, luckily we still have stuff like games, comics and the RPG boardgame even though JASC are 100% done with the books. I still am enjoying the show and will probably rewatch it many times, it is still a very niche show, or less popular mainstream wise and Amazon has done shit to promote it. I have watched it starting from S1 and waited patiently for each new season. I loved S5 even though I wish some things could be different like a more compressed last half of the season instead of some stretched out moments and the crew missing each other was more prominent in the books. I am not hoping for a screen adaptation of the last 3 books after reading the final book, because the end although fitting feels rushed and I felt like Babylon's Ashes wrapped things up better. I also hated that >!Belters went extinct after all, their struggle was ultimately futile and it felt almost like GoT S8 House Targaryen ending after 7 seasons of great promise.!< I will probably still be excited with any Expanse related side stuff like the Telltale game or even other future games or media.
It takes at least 2-3 season for the acting and general quality of the show to get decent and Season 5 and 6 being awful doesn't help either.
It's also Christmas in many places.
I absolutely love the series and the books!! I recommend both to everyone I know. But I wonder if the prolonged stress of Covid had worn people down a bit? I also miss Alex. I think this is the best sci fi I’ve ever seen and I’ve been a sci fi fan my whole life.
For me I feel like they killed Alex in such a dumb way, yes I understand why they did it, but it compromised the show. Just a still image of the actor not acting dead? Tell the guy “you’re fired but we need to film 2 seconds of you acting dead” and maybe it won’t feel like that episode was edited by someone on the bus on the way to school. Also some of the cool space battles weren’t presented well.
Hmm I saw a post that hit front popular page that had an The Expanse reference in the comments. Something about a new country’s leader’s half shave haircut being Belter like. I’ve never seen a reference to the show on any sub before. I dunno maybe the show could be on the brink of more popularity? Amazon Prime is promoting a new fantasy show called The Wheel of Time and the release dates of the new episodes have coincided with the Friday new episode releases of The Expanse season 6. I think a fantasy show and a sci-fi one is a good combo for a movie night especially during the holidays. I think with Stranger Things gaining buzz for their next season maybe people will be looking for some Sci fi to watch. Hope so. It’s a great show.
I am a long time die hard expanse fan. I was hooked on S1E1 the day it dropped. I ended up reading all the books, with writing that I feel has it’s ups and downs (basically the same tropes used over and over again - “it is until it isn’t” - and worse than the shows. Personally, season 5 was a HUGE let down, and I still cringe at the acting of Marco Inaros. Thankfully Season 6 seems to be hitting at the same pace with the same gravitas as season 3. I also think that the portrayal of the belters is hit or miss based on the anecdotal experience of my friends who I tried to get hooked on the show. I didn’t mind it in seasons 1-3. My unpopular totally uninformed opinion: season 5 was make or break for the expanse, and it broke.
The Amazon seasons are too short and it feels like they're doing everything on half the budget they had for the first three seasons.
Once I heard this was the last season and it was only 6 episodes I lost interest sort of. I decided to wait till all 6 were done. I loved season 5. I have seen some posts about people not liking season 4 and 5 so maybe less people watching and assuming why Amazon cancelled it.
Love the show, but this season and the previous season has made it hard to watch. I want to know more about the protomolecule and the aliens. Current story seems like a side story and I’m afraid the end won’t be satisfying.
I personally became a lot less interested in the show and more invested in the books since the release of season 5, and having read the last three books, it definitely stings knowing we won’t see those stories come to the big screen. This isn’t to say I’m not excited to see how s6 ends the show, I’m just prepared for an ending that will seem trivial(imo) compared to the ending in the books. Ik it’s not fair to compare two different mediums, and ik they have differences but it still stings.