The Expanse S03E08 'It Reaches Out' Reaction

Here we go guys... game changer?! I had some problems with the sound on this one - had to do lots of extra work to get audio even close to right, so please give me some love if it's not up to usual standards...!! :)

[@Jerry113]

the censored version was hilarous. "FORGET YOU! FORGET YOU!"

[@timetorise120804]

i lost my mind when I saw this shit live. that flip and burn 😲😲😲

[@17thknight]

No spoiler, but something to strongly consider while watching this episode: Holden never once (ever) saw Miller with that hat on.

[@jveezy209]

"Every plot development becomes a huge change in how you perceive the world of The Expanse." And this right here is why I love this series so much. It can be really easy for changes like this to stack up and make the show (and books) jump the shark or feel like it's not the same universe anymore. The authors and show writers keep adding game-changers every time you think you're getting comfortable with how the world works, but it always makes sense and stays grounded. Three seasons (and eight books) in and it's still unpredictable and better than ever.

[@belinda35_77]

"I'm not a mess" [Starts trying to reposition camera] "I can't decide" 😂 My fave S3 ep. I was waiting to lmao when Melba squashed his head like a pumpkin..you didn't dissapoint ! It even caught me off gaurd when I first seen it "Melba wtf did you just do" LOL Props for Ep title this week Mark lol

[@MarkWardReacts]

:D Not a mess!!! I stand by it! Charming or not!

[@S.E.Walker]

I have rarely been as tense during any show as the back half of this episode.

[@MausPonticus]

I honestly had sweaty palms :)

[@mycroft16]

This is one of my favorite episodes of any show, period.

[@DrEsky914]

Her name is Melba (the one who is killing her boss), and I don't think it is a spoiler to say, its Miller who is "reaching out"...So happy to get to this one!!

[@Tortuosit]

Miller acting is very awesome. Also those subtle fx.

[@SultanOfAwesomeness]

Belinda getting called out; I love it lmao. Good to see another reaction from you man!

[@adlerzwei]

Anna is a pastor so listening to people, talking to them, reading their emotions and giving them counsel is part of her job. I thougth that was obvious. ^^

[@MarkWardReacts]

adlerzwei yes as I said in previous comments though, I thought Melba’s manner was a bit too subtle for ANYONE to pick up on, psychologist, pastor or anyone! Just my opinion which we don’t all have to agree on.

[@adlerzwei]

@@MarkWardReacts oh yes maybe. I just remember her sitting alone and looking really nervous(or maybe sad) when I watched the episode but that's a few months ago. I haven't watched the full scene since, so maybe my memory got distorted over time.

[@MarkWardReacts]

adlerzwei if anything Anna should totally have been distracted by the hot woman having a conversation with her lol

[@kirkdarling4120]

Remember that Holden had never seen Miller with his hat on...so it's not all in Holden's head.

[@MarkWardReacts]

A few people have said this yeah! 👍🏼

[@mycroft16]

One of the most intense episodes of TV ever. That build to the end is just amazing. And yeah, they want you as confused as the characters with this ending. They don't have any more clue than we at this point what is going on. :D Someone else beat me to the hat comment... Holden never saw Miller wearing the hat.

[@113Branty]

Doors and corners kid, that's were they get you.

[@reverseBLT]

Naomi knows Holden, so she knows he wouldn't do that. Plus, she's a techie, so she can imagine some ways a message like that might be faked. As for the ending, trust what you think you witnessed, and wait for more info from upcoming eps.

[@MarkWardReacts]

Excited to see where it goes...! :)

[@idshanks]

I think this is one of the instances where the writers underestimated the probable future tech for this scenario. Look at deep fakes today - not yet convincing, sure... But in a couple centuries, given how far that tech already is? I suspect people of that time would be much more vigilant regarding the possibility of fakes.

[@ezrawyrd9275]

I love how casual you are, Mark! Never change

[@Mach1Greeble]

Remember when miller lost his hat...

[@MarkWardReacts]

Locksicles I’d forgotten but I even remember commenting on it at the time now you say it....!

[@belinda35_77]

@@MarkWardReacts Holden never seen Millers hat. Soooooo why is he seeing it now??

[@genghispecan]

On two points that don't require spoilers to explain.... 1) Anna, apart form being a pastor and Christian leader is a Dr. and Counselor; people are one of her specialties so it did not take much for her to pick up that something was seriously off with one of the crew. 2) As far as Naomi is concerned - she _knows_ Holden, and has shared an intimacy with him that extends well beyond simply working alongside one another or even fighting together in the trenches.

[@MarkWardReacts]

Both of these things require a heck of a lot of ‘intuition’ for me. I understand the reasons both of them might ‘get it’ - just not sure I 100% bought them. Love the show, but for me it was a slight imperfection and needed a little bit more from Melba to give Anna a reason to get up for example.

[@genghispecan]

@@MarkWardReacts Oh, I get where you're coming from and understand how it could appear to be too great a leap. Not everyone has the same ability to read others or easily place themselves within the head-space of another individual... it's no different than any other attribute that varies from individual to individual in any given human population. On the flip side, I can take the insight garnered from that level of communication for granted - I've worked on the front lines of psychiatric medicine for so long (inpatient and outpatient) that it's second nature to scan a room and everyone in it - it is extremely difficult to hide something from an experienced assessor who can generally pick up on specific cues within seconds....which can make people super uncomfortable, lol. Anyway - love the reactions!

[@MarkWardReacts]

Genghis Pecan as a teacher, I would hope I’m pretty good at it too... have to scan a room for 30 faces and check their understanding and focus! Anyways thanks man! :)

[@genghispecan]

@@MarkWardReacts lol, you definitely _get_ it!

[@allyourmoney]

They made it. Got a bloody nose, but they fucking made it.

[@kirkdarling4120]

Naomi not only knows Holden but also loves him, so she won't believe badly of her. Anna is a good pastor and counselor--she instinctively identifies people who are uneasy. But Miller gave Holden the clue: Doors and corners. And what "door" do we see here? We are seeing Miller "created" again and again as "The Investigator"--given the task to find out something--and he needs Holden (or at least the Rocinante) to do so.

[@bratimm]

Anna didn't know anything was up with Melba. She just saw that she needed help and went to talk to her.

[@peadarruane6582]

Remember as well though, this was in the period that the future of the show was unsure, and the showrunners still wanted to give a sense of conclusion if the #savetheexpanse campaign failed. So as a result the pacing of the show changes a fair bit over this period.

[@kallemort]

The show had been filmed months before the cancellation stuff, that didn't affect the pacing of the show. There might have been some uncertainty whether they'd get a 4th season since it hasn't been renewed when they were filming but that's pretty normal in the industry. They just decided to have a faster pace instead of a mid-storyline cliffhanger this time.

[@peadarruane6582]

@@kallemort I worded that poorly, you are right. But there were bona fide fears about whether they would be renewed etc. The actually hammer hadn't fallen yet, but they were covering themselves in case it did, instead of finishing up the book in the middle of next season which is what they did up to this point.

[@billross7245]

They way they did Miller was really cool , something about the eyes flickering, I'll have to watch it again, myself. I'd also like to hear Miller's ramblings again, because looking back there's some sense to it. Remember that Miller left his hat on Eros so Holden would never have seen it.

[@MarkWardReacts]

I had forgotten that, but you're not the first to point it out...! :D

[@billross7245]

@@MarkWardReacts correction: Miller left his hat on Ceres, not Eros, but anyway. I'm enjoying your reviews.

[@hperantunes]

You're not a mess! :)

[@MarkWardReacts]

Ha! Don’t worry, I know I am 😂

[@belinda35_77]

Btw, I called him a "charming mess"

[@serralinda73]

Holden would never destroy a ship with people on it like that - not to make a political statement.

[@syngyne]

That last shot is a little confusing, but they are through the ring.

[@MarkWardReacts]

syngyne well that’s what I thought...! :) I got one thing right! Go me!

[@Topplethepyramid]

Naomi knows Holden very well obviously. That's how she knew. Besides, have you seen what people can do nowadays with deepfakes?! So imagine how easy it would be to fake a "real" person in The Expanse's future!

[@MarkWardReacts]

Topplethepyramid I guess so... I just thought, I wouldn’t trust anyone!

[@bobriemersma]

Re-watch and pay closer attention to when "Miller" talks about "It reaches out."

[@MarkWardReacts]

I couldn't always make out exactly what Miller was saying to be honest... I'll try at some point!

[@Tortuosit]

@@MarkWardReacts Well I'd say sometimes you talk instead of listen :-D

[@MarkWardReacts]

Tortuosit of Tapiola I don’t know what you’re insinuating 😂

[@bobriemersma]

"Miller's" words are pretty important, a huge lore-drop in themselves. They are key to the rest of Season 3 and beyond. From right here in S3E8 so no spoiler: "You have a ship. See, you're a tool that goes places. I'm a tool that finds things. We're, uh, we're tools." "It reaches out 113 times a second. It reaches out, but nothing answers, so it builds the investigator, and the investigator looks, but he does not find, so it kills the investigator. It kills the investigator over and over. And then it builds the investigator again and again, until... Until it finds a door that wasn't there before." "It's those damn doors and corners. I mean, that's where they get you. You don't walk into the middle of a crime scene without knowing there's not somebody there to put you down. It's the thing you don't see coming. That's what it is." "So I'm at this, uh, unlicensed brothel, right? Egregious. Down in Sector 18. And this hothead rookie I keep telling him, you know, 'Watch your doors and corners, pal. You don't come rushing into a room with your dick hanging out.'" "Go into a room too fast, kid... The room eats you." This is the Miller Construct, the Investigator, an artificial intelligence. And in a desperate hurry to figure out how to communicate with Holden on a conscious level... telling him to go slow or be destroyed just like that Belter slingshotter kid. Who or what is "it?" That's the part we don't know yet until we get more information in coming episodes. We know the "why" because the Investigator told us: "It" needs Holden. Holden is a tool that goes places.

[@MarkWardReacts]

@@bobriemersma Thanks that's really helpful! :)

[@davedahl4461]

Watch Millers investigator monologue again. And remember when the protomolecule hybrid was on the Rocinante at the end of season 2?