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S06.E01: Strange Dogs


raven
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The tensions of war threaten to pull the Rocinante crew apart when they make a startling discovery on an asteroid. Avasarala and Bobbie contend with the devastration on Earth as Marco's rocks continue to rain down. In the Belt and on the run, Drummer and her family must make a heartbreaking decision. On Ceres, Marco and Filip's struggles turn inward.

Airdate 2021.12.10

Please keep your discussion to this episode only.  No book talk, thank you!

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That new opening was nice.

I really did like the episode, but not that much happened. The one downside of this show, if you can't binge it, sometimes there are kinda long downtimes.

I'm as always here for Avasarala and hope her role will be even bigger than in previous seasons. Who I really couldn't give less of a shit about is Marco's son and his whinyness / acting out. I don't even care that he'll most likely turn on his father and kill him by the end of the season.

7 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I finished Season 5 over a week ago. I'm in withdrawal now 😁

Well that was fast. But I fully understand. At least you'll only have to suffer through one season of only weekly episodes, unlike the rest of us who had to endure it for multiple seasons. 😆

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The Expanse returns for one last time and I already have one major question/debate.  Which hairstyle makes Marco look like an even bigger jackass the most:  unkempt and free or up in a man bun?!

Definitely a lot of set-up here and not the most gripping episode, but I'm curious to see how it all will play out.  Right now, it certainly looks like the Free Navy is still on the offense and the Grounders are barely keeping it together on the defense.  But now that the Rocinante gang seems to have figured out that some kind of ship is controlling the rocks being thrown at Earth, hopefully the tide might turn sooner rather than later.

Heh, of course Holden would avoid blowing himself up by simply whacking the device with a wrench until the countdown finally stops.  Hey, this approach has been working for him so far: why quit now?!

Clarissa is officially on the team, which is definitely causing some friction right now.  Interestingly though, we really haven't seen Holden react to her presence yet and it is mainly Naomi that has an issue with her being there.  Even putting her at odds with Amos.

Marco continues to be the worst, but Filip is still pretty lame too.

Drummer is still being a thorn in the Free Navy's side as well, which is always a good thing.  Although she continues to have to make some unpleasant decisions like letting go of an ally/family member who is loyal, but simply doesn't have what it takes to be a fighter.  It's never easy being the leader!

Bobbie and Avasarala are still together and still doing what they do best: bonding over how much they hate their jobs!

Monica's still here too!

Looking forward to seeing how this ends, but since it's only six episodes, I wish Amazon just went ahead and put out the entire season to binge.

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5 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

The Expanse returns for one last time and I already have one major question/debate.  Which hairstyle makes Marco look like an even bigger jackass the most:  unkempt and free or up in a man bun?!

When the topic is jackassery, the answer is always man-bun.  Always.

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I have not watched this episode yet.  I'm saving it for when I need a mood lift.  But I just saw that Alt-Shift-X has made a recap video of the first five seasons, so I'll be watching that right before I watch this one.  Here's the link to the Season 1 - 5 recap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc_YSphqqdI

And here's the link to Alt-Shift-X's summary of THIS episode

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiAEotTXr6Q&t=0s

 

Edited by WatchrTina
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This show knows me: two fantastic coats in the very first scene after the intro and cold open, he! Plus Avasarala in full war bling and a killer lipstick!

The Rocinante is not a lucky place its crew consider home. Alex was more than the pilot he was the heart of the ship, keeping the crew together. Glad the show acknowledges this and shows us the repercussions of his death.

Poor Michio was never cut for the warrior job. And poor Drummer has to keep making hard decisions. 

Of course an asshole like Inaros would never bother with mundane things like food supply. Ceres station gets a rousing speech and not much more. How long will it take for normal Belters to catch up with the harsh reality that they handed their fate to a narcissist who couldn't care less about them? 

Glad to know that even in the 24th century hitting obstinate tech into submission is still a valid option.

 

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12 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

 

Heh, of course Holden would avoid blowing himself up by simply whacking the device with a wrench until the countdown finally stops.  Hey, this approach has been working for him so far: why quit now?!

 

It reminds me of Fred Johnsons quote from last season when Holden admitted the machines on Ilus woke up because he just pressed a button. Fred “And this is how you go through life?” As he shakes his head in disbelief.

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On 12/10/2021 at 3:41 PM, MissLucas said:

Of course an asshole like Inaros would never bother with mundane things like food supply.

Causeing a new ice age on Earth isn't helping! I felt for Admin Person on Ceres, who is most concerned with people not starving. If the war turns the tide, perhaps they can defect.

It breaks my heart when I think of where things were mid season three, when everyone was sort of co-operating and looking forward to a new age of peace. Stupid Marco, but he would not be so powerful if so many did not share views. Now the Free Navy is killing lots of people while still identifying as the victems.

I din't realize this dropped on Thursday! Last night I suffered through Star Trek: Discovery when I could have been watching this!! 

The show is as gorgeous as ever.

Edited by marinw
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I really enjoyed this episode. It reminds me of the Battlestar Gallactica episode 33. The non Free Army cast did a great job of showing how frayed their nerves are becoming because of Marco's continued bombardment/pursuit. Earth is in a desperate spot.

Shohreh's bookend narratives were great at setting up the high stakes for these episodes. I also like her new, short, hairstyle. And she can still work that jumpsuit.

Hard to believe Marco is even more narcissistic. 

Damn. Phillip killed probably the only person he could consider a friend.

Edited by xaxat
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5 hours ago, MissLucas said:

This show knows me: two fantastic coats in the very first scene after the intro and cold open, he! Plus Avasarala in full war bling and a killer lipstick!

There is obviously no money spared on Shoreh Agdashloo's costuming and wardrobe.

I had to cheer (on the inside) her first f***ing of the season. It wouldn't be "The Expanse" without her cussing...

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18 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Looking forward to seeing how this ends, but since it's only six episodes

What?? Nooo. That's so disappointing.

I found the overall look this season quite different. So dark and so much red, presumably echoing the colour of the Evil Force. 

Did I dream it or did the episode start with a little girl surrounded with strange creatures, some of which I expected to go full Jurassic Park on her. What was the point though? 

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

I really enjoyed this episode. It reminds me of the Battlestar Gallactica episode 33.

Yes! One of my favourites. The exhaustion and trauma on everyone's faces. 

Sad to see the new/old crew so brittle and short-tempered, with Naomi utterly loathing Peaches. I miss Amos following Naomi around adoringly, Alex making jokes, Holden in love with the coffee machine. Good times, good times. 😁

So glad it's back though. 

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Ugh.  Even a few minutes of Marco is too many.

Filip, you feeling a bit badly about mass murder?  Too bad.  I am still impressed with the casting - he looks like he could be Naomi's son. 

I don't like seeing the Roci family fracturing :(  It makes sense that there's pain and stress but I need them to come together.

I would watch the hell out of the Bobbi and Avasarala show, with Monica thrown in to be a thorn in their sides.  I just needs lots of the fabulous Chrisjen coats and other wardrobe items.

Did you all catch the bonus scene?  There's an interview with the showrunners in the media topic, I'll just quote a portion:

Quote

And you’ll get one of those, on one of the “X-Rays” [after-show shorts]—you get a little Amos-Bobbie X-Ray adventure. We have five X-Rays for episodes one through five. They’re great little short pieces that illuminate individual characters or pairs of characters. They pop up at the end of the episode, so if you just stop and click on an x-ray, it’ll take you to that content.

The first one is about Drummer and Naomi. The second one is Avasarala, the third one is Amos and Bobbie, the fourth one is Clarissa, and the fifth one is Holden.

I couldn't find the first one watching on my Roku and finally found the answer in a Reddit forum - you can see them if you're watching on a phone or browser.  I watched it on my laptop - it's called Ep 1 - Ankawala and is about 5 minutes long.  It's in Bonus Content.

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9 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

Did I dream it or did the episode start with a little girl surrounded with strange creatures, some of which I expected to go full Jurassic Park on her. What was the point though? 

They're showing you life on a planet in the Laconia system through one of the rings.   More detail would stray into book territory 🙂

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7 hours ago, MissLucas said:

The Rocinante is not a lucky place its crew consider home. Alex was more than the pilot he was the heart of the ship, keeping the crew together. Glad the show acknowledges this and shows us the repercussions of his death.

If only the actor hadn't been a sex-pest. Then Alex would still be alive. RIP.

39 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

What?? Nooo. That's so disappointing.

Yeah it is. On the other hand, the previous seasons kinda draged in the middle. So maybe less episodes for one book is a good thing? Fingers crossed.

39 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

Did I dream it or did the episode start with a little girl surrounded with strange creatures, some of which I expected to go full Jurassic Park on her. What was the point though? 

Yeah, it started on one of the planets through the ring gate. We also saw some seemingly inactive protomolecule structures on the planet.

Wondering if the protomolecule the martians took with them will be used to reactivate them. I mean why else would they show us the planet?

Btw. always funny how alien planets have all these weird exotic creatures, but the plants are always the same as they are on earth. I guess when it comes to plants our imagination is extremely limited. At least here we had these vines that moved on their own. But everything else: earth plants.

31 minutes ago, raven said:

I would watch the hell out of the Bobbi and Avasarala show, with Monica thrown in to be a thorn in their sides.  I just needs lots of the fabulous Chrisjen coats and other wardrobe items.

Maybe we can have a political spinoff after this show is done. I would throw all my money at Jeff Bezos for that (well I'd continue paying for prime at least).

31 minutes ago, raven said:

I couldn't find the first one watching on my Roku and finally found the answer in a Reddit forum - you can see them if you're watching on a phone or browser.  I watched it on my laptop - it's called Ep 1 - Ankawala and is about 5 minutes long.  It's in Bonus Content.

Yeah that scene was interesting. I only knew to look for it, since the wheel of time has something similar. Man it took me ages to find the animated shorts there. Having a huge bonus content section and then hiding them under two X-Ray menus is not intutive, amazon!

Edited by Zonk
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20 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

The Expanse returns for one last time and I already have one major question/debate.  Which hairstyle makes Marco look like an even bigger jackass the most:  unkempt and free or up in a man bun?!

Marco continues to be the worst, but Filip is still pretty lame too.

I vote man bun. But even so, the girl who told Filip that he’s better looking than his father needs her eyes checked.

And WTF has gotten into Filip, anyway? Is Daddy not giving him enough attention or something? Or is he just naturally a psycho with an anger management problem?

Damn, I wish I could dress like Avasarala and actually pull it off like she does.

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I had no idea about the bonus scene since I, too, watched on my Roku. I'll have to look for them. 

Is there any chance of more seasons after this one? 

1 hour ago, raven said:

Filip, you feeling a bit badly about mass murder?  Too bad.

Have a heart. The poor guy felt so bad about all the murdering getting thrown in his face that he had to throw a drink at a girl who didn't like him, then shoot his best friend. While "You've had a bad day" played in the background. He just needs someone to understand him. 

Seriously though, the first scene creeped me out when I realized it was Filip having sex. I don't know why, but I was picturing him as about 17 years old. TV 17 at least. Ick. 

If floating in space feels as good as Avasarala makes it look, I'm surprised you don't see people floating all over the place. If it feels anything like floating in water, I'd be doing it every spare minute. 

 

 

Edited by Melina22
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10 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Glad to know that even in the 24th century hitting obstinate tech into submission is still a valid option.

The ole Tandy Tap.

This show asks the question:  how does a rebellious teenager rebel against his parents when his dad is the biggest rebel in the solar system?

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I dislike the Marco/Filip plot so much it doesn't look like i am going to enjoy many of these episodes. We have 6 episodes this season and it sounds like we are going to have to put up with Marco right up until the last. Also I don't see how Drummer and crew can possibly survive this season, which I also find depressing. Maybe I will wait to binge watch the rest of the episodes instead of dragging it out - the "rip off the bandage" theory of TV watching.

Probably in the minority here, but I also disliked Game of Thrones, particularly for its "grim unpleasant people doing grim unpleasant things" aspect and it alarms me that the creators of The Expanse were heavily involved in GOT. Granted I don't like Hallmark movies, either, but I like to feel there is a bit of hope.

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32 minutes ago, WildPlum said:

 . . . it alarms me that the creators of The Expanse were heavily involved in GOT.

That's the first I've heard that.  Source?  The show was compared to GoT in the beginning (GoT in space, etc.) and JRR Martin is a huge fan of the show and helped with the Save the Expanse movement, but afaik that's the extent of it.

 

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@WildPlum I take  your points. One of the things I loved about the show until about season 5 was that is offered a vision of the future that was neither an apocalypse or an Star Trek/Orville Utopia. Of all the TV and movie futures I've seen this felt the most balanced and real.

Edited by marinw
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51 minutes ago, JZL said:

That's the first I've heard that.  Source?  The show was compared to GoT in the beginning (GoT in space, etc.) and JRR Martin is a huge fan of the show and helped with the Save the Expanse movement, but afaik that's the extent of it.

 

Ty Franck worked as personal assistant to G.R.R. Martin, wrote for Martin's Wild Cards series and was also involved as story consultant in the development of the GoT video game.

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2 hours ago, WildPlum said:

Probably in the minority here, but I also disliked Game of Thrones, particularly for its "grim unpleasant people doing grim unpleasant things" aspect

I'm with you on GOT and Hallmark movies. For me The Expanse has been a great compromise between too ugly and too saccharine. Marco and Filip are certainly a bleak, depressing storyline, and this episode definitely had a bleak aspect, but I'm hoping this season won't be entirely dark and depressing. Having some humour and genuinely liking some of the characters is so important. 

I never got a chance to mention this about earlier episodes, because I was 2 years behind, but one of the things I love most about The Expanse is that anytime you see closeups of display screens, phones, control panels, etc. they look like something that could really exist and work. I thought of this watching Holden tinkering with the reactor controls on the asteroid. It's always driven me crazy how in virtually every other sci-fi show, the displays are just geometric shapes or lines of unreadable data that make no sense. So obviously fake. Every piece of machinery and display panel on this show shows so much thought and logic. I particularly enjoy the way they can throw information from their handheld devices to other people or screens. 

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So  our first scene is watching a little girl acting like she's in a Disney film and has no problem talking to the animals.  It's not a good idea to treat Earth's wildlife like they are puppies, never mind an alien planet's wildlife, where the human population just arrived.

Even without the animals, the plant life alone could be extremely problematic and even deadly.

It's a cute scene  - but not one I would expect to see in The Expanse.

 

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6 hours ago, marinw said:

Avasarala has seemed to stop f*cking hating space. 

I love Avasarala - she was floating in space enjoying her lightness. Nothing, not even her jewelry, weighing her down.

Of course she needed Bobbi to help her get back on the floor.

Chrisjen is back where she belongs - running things.  And I can't be happier.  She is my favorite character.  

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While it is good to see some Belters talking like Belters, by this late date I don't remember what a lot of it means. Not like the first season+ where we were immersed in it. Yes, I still remember the swear words and a phrase here or there. I did miss it in the last 3+ seasons, it has really seemed like it has been de-emphasized.

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2 hours ago, Macbeth said:

Chrisjen is back where she belongs - running things.  And I can't be happier.  She is my favorite character.  

Then you might enjoy this article: https://gizmodo.com/the-expanses-shohreh-aghdashloo-on-whats-different-abou-1848176319

As for the hair, I'm stil surprised that most of the women on The Expanse have long hair-it takes a lot of water and other stuff to care for and it would float around in low gravity. I notice that the long-haied belters have elabrate hair styles.

2 hours ago, Macbeth said:

It's a cute scene  - but not one I would expect to see in The Expanse.

I was getting a Lost In Space vibe.

Edited by marinw
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This episode reminded me of a lot of the slow-burn episodes of season 1. I dug it.

As always, I loved catching up with all the characters. The Roci crew looks beat. Naomi clearly has a lot of PTSD from what happened to her last season (can't say I blame her). Amos is on edge, and Holden looks ragged. Clarissa is clearly still trying to keep her head down and stick close to Amos.

As my sister said, "Filip is having some challenges." lol At this point, it's hard to feel too much sympathy for him, though. Guess we'll see how his arc unfolds.

It's interesting to see how the Laconia stuff is getting incorporated. Those overhead shots of the planet's landscape were breathtaking.

Marco can still die in a fire.

Edited by Gillian Rosh
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Marco can not be pushed out the nearest airlock quickly enough. I loathe Filip, but I don't want him dead quite as much beacuse poor Naomi.

Drummer's arc continues to be fascinating. I hope she and her crew meet up with the Roci at some point.

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Filip is the latest in a long line of moody teenagers inflicted upon viewers of shows and movies. He’s like Kylo Ren with less power . He can die alongside his father for all I care .

Sad they wrote out Anderson Dawes with a throwaway line from ManBun Marcos. I am sure it has to do with being impossible to get time on Jared Harris’ calendar but still I wish they left him “alive”. 

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I hope that there is one parallel to GoT's final season.  As GoT resolved the Night King storyline fairly early in its final season, I hope the Expanse resolves* the Marcos/Filip storyline early in this season so the show can move on to Ring/protomolecule-related themes like Laconia.

*And by "resolves" I mean Marcos being killed slowly by Drummer . . .

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Being leader isn’t as much fun when you have to deal with mundane things like feeding your followers, is it Marco?  Maybe he’ll have a little more understanding of what Fred and Dawes became, administrators rather than revolutionaries.

Shut up, Marco.  Shut up, Filip.  I didn’t read this book because I hate these two so much.  Hopefully they’ll meet their ends by epi 6.

Great start!  It hurts that the final season is so short. It seems like a lot to squeeze into 6 hours. 

On 12/10/2021 at 7:43 PM, xaxat said:

It reminds me of the Battlestar Gallactica episode 33.

One of the finest hours on tv ever. 

On 12/10/2021 at 8:38 PM, wmdekooning said:

There is obviously no money spared on Shoreh Agdashloo's costuming and wardrobe

For which we are all grateful. We’ve missed her fabulousness for too long. 

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11 hours ago, WildPlum said:

Probably in the minority here, but I also disliked Game of Thrones, particularly for its "grim unpleasant people doing grim unpleasant things" aspect and it alarms me that the creators of The Expanse were heavily involved in GOT. Granted I don't like Hallmark movies, either, but I like to feel there is a bit of hope.

I thought "Chrissy's" final speech was all about hope. And if they remain true to the character, she'll deliver.

 

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On 12/11/2021 at 2:38 AM, JZL said:

This show asks the question:  how does a rebellious teenager rebel against his parents when his dad is the biggest rebel in the solar system?

By joining the Earth or Martian Military and becoming super conservative!

 

On 12/10/2021 at 9:23 AM, Tachi Rocinante said:

When the topic is jackassery, the answer is always man-bun.  Always.

Seak Baek (of Killjoys and briefly in Season Three of The Expanse) is one of the few men who can pull off a man bun.

 

On 12/11/2021 at 4:47 PM, WildPlum said:

While it is good to see some Belters talking like Belters, by this late date I don't remember what a lot of it means. Not like the first season+ where we were immersed in it.

IIRC, in season one the Belters were also distinguished by their tall, thin bodies, the result of growing up in low gravity. Think Doug Jones on Star Trek: Discovery. One of the first times we saw a Belter was when Chrisjen was torturing one, beacuse that's who she was at the time. Finding actors and extras with this body type proved to be limeting in who they could cast, so it was decided that Belters would be recognizable by thier tatoots, hair style, and clothes.

Edited by marinw
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Holden looked different to me at the beginning of the episode. I almost didn't recognize him.

Was that young Filip getting it in so angrily? Whoo, he's definitely jumped headfirst into puberty. Meanwhile, what's up with Marco trying to look like a space Prince impersonator? I kept waiting for him to bust out in a cover of Purple Rain, lol.

"You should find somewhere else to be." Thanks, Naomi. Good one to tuck away for future use.

I'll still be surprised if Filip isn't the one who ultimately takes Marco down by killing him. He hates living in his father's shadow. Or maybe Naomi will find herself forced to kill them both.

This episode is titled "Strange Dogs" but the title is only relevant to the scene before the opening credits. Huh? Who was the little girl?

Ditto comments upthread, again I am coveting Chrisjen's fabulous clothes and jewelry.

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35 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

This episode is titled "Strange Dogs" but the title is only relevant to the scene before the opening credits. Huh? Who was the little girl?

She's living on Laconia, one of the ring worlds with protomolecule remnants and she has a younger brother (who she thought was hiding in the bushes). I know that's just a summary of what's in the episode but the rest is spoiler territory.

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601 at Beratnas Gas: here is my 3000-word analysis, for the detail-oriented fan!

Complete with list and images of changes in the opening credits:

  • First rock hit on Earth: now there are departing ships in orbit.
  • A new shot of Baltimore, with a flooded city, rocks falling from the sky, dimmed sun.
  • A new shot of a devastated Earth, with a desperate figure, dying crops everywhere, falling rocks, dimmed sun.
  • A new shot of Mars from orbit, with departing ships (symbolically, the ships are headed downwards, also showing that Mars' "star" is no longer on the rise); the ships are labelled both MCRN and UNN.
  • A new shot of the asteroid Belt; one of the rocks has a label for the Azure Dragon (the spotter ship identified by Naomi).
  • A new shot of Ceres.
  • At the Sol Ring, there are no UNN or MCRN ships any more: it's Free Navy ships guarding it.
  • A new shot inside the Ring space, with the alien Ring station, and a label for Medina station. Are those whisps of cloudy matter linking the station to specific gates? Just fleetingly, there is a cross forming over the station sealed by a hexagon in the centre, what does this represent, something related to the Medina/Laconia metal works that Rosenfeld mentions?
  • At the Laconia Ring, there is the Barkeith that disappears in a red cloud (the final scene of 510).
  • A new shot of the newly colonized Laconia from orbit: we can see arriving ships, at least two moons, the odd structure in orbit glowing blue, and some night-side lights on the planet's surface.
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Ceres certainly looks cleaner in this episode than it did when Miller was wandering around. Of course, it is still made mostly out of Pelican cases and those are easy to clean, and we've really only seen the docks.

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On 12/11/2021 at 9:04 PM, Haleth said:

One of the finest hours on tv ever.

Do I hear 90 minutes? 🤩

I recall trying to re-watch BSG a couple years ago and it wasn't the same knowing who was and who wasn't.  Definitely worth another go.  It was almost as awesome as the Expanse.

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