The Expanse 1x3 Reaction | Remember the Cant | Review & Breakdown

[@wxgrad]

Holy cow I just made this connection: the Canterbury (large ship) & the Knight (small ship) are both named from the Canterbury Tales with The Knight being one on the tales. D'OH!

[@EvilAnomaly]

"This is the kind of show you need a third or fourth or fifth watch through" Oh no...that'll get you the main stuff for sure but as someone who has rewatch this show 25+ times I'm still amazed by some of the minute details the authors/showrunners actually paid off even up to several seasons later that I didn't catch even the first dozen rewatches. Love this show for that...the entire world they built actually mattered with little of it being throw away like most shows. Objects, something in the background, what APPEARS to be a throw away line, a certain act done that seems not to be that big of a deal....none of it wasted. It's nice seeing reactors even be shocked by some of the pay offs that come down the road some to include things that take several seasons before they do!!! Look forward to how many you catch in your own first watch journey!!!

[@iDuckman]

Read the books? That's where I started, before seeing the show. Let me tell you, it helps. I think my favorite is 'Strange Dogs'.

[@NigelSmith72]

"What is their relationship?!!" Fascinating, is what their relationship is. Just fascinating :)

[@blackpaw29]

Did you notice the cactus Havelock was given on the sex workers shelf? love the attention to detail. He was a good guy.

[@hawkthorn33]

The story will weave itself it something grand, fear not. P.S. Episode 4 is widely accepted as the point of no return. You watch it and you are hooked.

[@brucer2152]

I agree with that. I was indifferent until I got to episode 4..and then I was hooked. It's very much like how Spartacus on s tarz was...it took the show runners and writers 4-5 episodes to get the flow.

[@hawkthorn33]

@@brucer2152 blood and sand was great. Would take a top tier editor to make it work on youtube,,,,

[@lyannastark628]

"We had a garden and we paved it." That hit me different this time.

[@lyannastark628]

Jared Harris as Anderson Dawes is so captivating. I have so many complex feelings about him, which I think is a testament to Harris's acting.

[@scambammer6102]

This is the episode that hooked me on the show, because of the quality dialogue and acting. Many people get hooked on the next episode. Don't worry about the complex plot. Nobody knows what's going on at this point. But the writers will tell you what you need to know. It's not that hard to follow.

[@rodentnolastname6612]

The viewer is supposed to be confused at this point. The audience is learning alongside the characters. We also don't know if all the puzzle pieces are even on the table yet. 🤔 and yes, she was right, you pick up a lot more on a rewatch, especially after a few reveals and info dumps.

[@lockstocknl]

Nice detail is that the reason Belters use a lot of hand signals is that they spend a lot of time in vac suites and comms can be spotty and unreliable. So all Belters can communicate using their signing language.

[@zachgaskins3731]

This is why Lopez gets frustrated at Naomi keeping her hands folded - for a Belter they can be just as much a tell as a facial tic.

[@raymondamador1487]

Spoiler.

[@lockstocknl]

@@raymondamador1487 how is this a spoiler?! It is only explained in the books, not the series

[@raymondamador1487]

@@lockstocknl It is explained in the series. Which part of the series would be a spoiler, for her. Telling her info that's found in the books or series, is a spoiler. She might choose to read the books. Either way you're ruining her experience.

[@lockstocknl]

@@raymondamador1487 chill dude, that Belters use hand signals is not a spoiler, it is not a main plot device in any of the stories and it doesn’t spoil any story line.

[@Dendood]

This is great. You should make one of those wall charts with sticky notes, photos and string. See if you can figure it all out ahead of schedule. When I was watching I had no clue where things were going. I tried, but quickly realized what ever I imagined was going on, the imagination of the writers were light years ahead of me. I'll just say, you have no idea how much fun lays ahead of you. As Gomer Pyle would say back in the day, "Surprise. Surprise. Surprise."

[@alabamahellbilly6731]

"Why are there children?" well you see when a mommy really loved a daddy.....

[@LeeCarlson]

Anderson Dawes presents as an unholy combination of Malcolm X and Don Vito Corleone.

[@swhaw]

The mystery is still going strong at this point, by the latter parts of season 1 the timelines start to make way more sense. It doesn't help that the travel times between locations is so long and a majority of the travel is cut from the show due to nothing happening in the days/weeks going from point A to point B as well as the delay when communicating across the vast distances of the void. At a certain point in the show they really emphasize that when a major event is happening and it makes it hard for one party to get real time updates since the delay between sending a message and receiving a message is 20 min (won't spoil anything about the who, what, where, and how of that since it is basically just how communication in space works in real life). Communications can only travel as fast as the speed of light and light even over vast distances is pretty slow. It takes roughly 8-9 min for light to reach us from the sun, and the outer planets are MUCH farther away. All this combined can make timelines a tad tough to line up but it gets easier as the show goes on. The first season is just tough to feel out and how long it takes for characters to actually realize what is happening like the Earth perspective which is happening seemingly much faster than the stuff happening between the Cant's explosion and the crew getting picked up by the Donnager. They had spent a lot of time in the shuttle after fixing the radio and when the Donnager send the message to alert them that they were on the way it was 80,000 Kilometers out. Not super far in the grand scheme of things since the Earth and the Moon are like 220,000 km apart roughly, so factor in all of that time on top of the time that they spend getting interrogated. It makes it really hard to pinpoint the timeline, especially since we don't know how long Avasarala spends between her scenes and how long it took her to get to NYC. I am also pretty sure Miller's timeline is pretty straightforward. It seems only a few days pass, while it is tough to tell how long the time gaps are they are less ambiguous and based around travel times and distance since he basically has been on Ceres the whole time. Basically the events while not necessarily happening out of order have a bunch of longer time gaps thrown in that are tough to determine. I hope that helps to put things into perspective. I made it as simple as I could without spoiling, Like I said it gets a bit easier to determine as time goes on as the puzzle pieces converge to form the grander narrative puzzle. I am loving the reactions so far, can't wait to see you get into the meat and potatoes of the show, you really aren't ready, I haven't seen anyone yet who has been ready lol. Feel free to ask questions if you are finding some of the vocabulary and worldbuilding tough to follow, rewatches are beneficial but the community is super helpful and are pretty tight lipped as far as spoilers go since the reveals are huge and they wouldn't want to miss people experiencing them for the first time. Factions, vocab, locations, we'll do our best to help :) like everyone says, the first season is the most dense because of how dense the world is. Notes about particularly confusing aspects are recommended but aren't needed. That concludes my TED talk lmao, sorry for the novel, this is my favorite show hands down so it is hype when new people get into it, especially since we need to build hype since it is criminally unkown/underrated since it aired first on scifi, while the audience has grown, we need more eyes on it to build the hype to get it picked up to get the last 3 books adopted lol. Keep up the good work, I'll be tuning in to watch your adventure unfold. :D

[@unbeheld]

The episode count should be 1x3 , cheers and enjoy the ride :)

[@avsbes98]

Looking forward to the next episode :) That's where most people get hooked.

[@blackpaw29]

You're not wrong, there's a lot to seen on rewatches. Great reaction! I find your author analysis a quite different and interesting perspective to the usual.

[@raymondamador1487]

Agreed.

[@FaoladhTV]

I'm having a lot of fun getting to re-experience the show from your perspective. Lots of good questions, with good answers on the way.

[@magus104]

Love Jared Whatshisname hes pretty great

[@scambammer6102]

dude has a knack for being in good shows

[@iDuckman]

Amos' background and the reason for his relationship to Naomi will be explored in detail in future seasons. For now, know that he's a cold-blooded killer with a strong protective instinct. Yes, Alex was a career Martian Navy pilot who just couldn't stay retired. At this point he is still loyal to Mars. Naomi was indeed OPA, and a dangerous member, but that's a complex story in itself. AFAIK, no one on _Canterbury_ knew of her past. Avasarala and the Martian ambassador are old friends. No hint of past romance -- she's totally in love with her husband. The dinner is one of those moments where you see her with her mask off. I admit, she's one of my favorite characters. Dobbs nails it. Somehow, Miller has become obsessed with the mystery of Julie Mao. Yes, we'll see her again. (BTW, the girl floating in space is not Julie. I'll say no more.)

[@stygggian]

there is a lot of setup for this series, and you have to pay attention, but I promise it is infinitely more than worth it.

[@daxeah8472]

Hang in there. I promise you the pieces will fit together and a timeline will emerge soonish. For sure by the end of the 62(not 72) episodes 😉

[@rodentnolastname6612]

There's a subtle reason they introduced a bunch 9f characters in The Canterbury, then blew it up. It removes plot armor from the cast. Tense situations have weight now. Our plucky heros might not make it out safe in the end. There's a reason The Expanse is called Game of Thrones in Space ... 😲

[@SciFiCatGuy]

If Game of Thrones and Battlestar Galactica had a secret love child, it would be The Expanse.

[@rodentnolastname6612]

@@SciFiCatGuy with a pinch of Firefly

[@dennistomsen5822]

@@rodentnolastname6612 And a mentor called Babylon 5

[@sigzil1985]

Its definitely worth watching with the subtitles on at first, you'll learn the belter lingo in no time :)

[@ThePharaz]

Think of this show like a roller coaster that after the initial drop all the cars split onto different tracks and some do loops, some travel mostly upside down, some do a corkscrew spinning as it goes, and some just meander around, but eventually they all come together though not in the same order and may even have new cars.

[@thontor]

I was shocked you were already on season 3 for a second there

[@AnnaAlexanderAuthor]

Thanks! I'm on 3 of a lot of things right now 😁

[@lyannastark628]

Anna really enjoying your analysis of this series. Based on your initial reactions I think you will really like this show.

[@pwph8361]

'Lots of words.....' love it. Don't worry, all will become clear.. ish.

[@arandomnamegoeshere]

Keep in mind that we don't get to see all perspectives and those that we do see are sometimes getting things wrong. Fun to noodle out. But don't feel bad if and when the pieces don't seem to fit. In fact... if they dont fit... you might be on to something.

[@hoos3014]

Don't worry about being confused; the characters are too! Season One is presented as a genuine mystery where both the audience and the characters are trying to figure out what's going on. Soon enough, you'll be presented with some exposition clarifying the timelines in your mind. Untill then, just soak in the story as you learn more about the history and culture of the three main factions. Taking this deep of a dive into worldbuilding was a risk, but it pays off in spades down the line.

[@jamesholland5761]

Great reaction! Don't worry the next episode is THE episode that sets the tone for the entire series! Looking forward to the next one!

[@richb313]

It really ramps up next episode.

[@davebcf1231]

The pieces will all make sense and fit together, just give it time. You're not meant to be able to figure it out yet. It's a mystery and the audience is left to piece it together along with the characters. There's very little wasted dialog in the show. It's all little pieces of the puzzle, and you're picking up on most of it even if may not seem like it yet. All of your questions will eventually be answered. Some soon, some not until later seasons. As a big sci-fi fan I liked it from episode one, but for a lot of people episodes 4-5 are where they really get hooked. Both book authors worked as producers on the show so they understood how important this early world building and set up was for payoffs later on in the series. They trust the audience to be smart enough to put the pieces together without being spoon fed everything in clumsy exposition, which is what makes the show so damn good. Hope you stick with it.

[@ducktape160]

That’s what happens when an actor becomes Magnum PI

[@RobinRice1]

Just started your Episode 3 -- you're going a good job so far putting this together. I'm enjoying your reactions.

[@michaelhoward142]

Good stuff, Anna. Your reactions and commentary always lift my mood and put a smile on my face. Thank you, dear lady. 🤗

[@StuartGreenley]

It's a fun mystery at the beginning!

[@blackpaw29]

Not a spoiler - from the books, the pills are focus drugs, aids him in reading body language for tells and lies.

[@raymondamador1487]

SPOILER

[@Hapsard]

​@@raymondamador1487 is it ever explained in the show?

[@kirkdarling4120]

@@raymondamador1487 Not a spoiler. I figured that out the first time I saw it.

[@blackpaw29]

@@raymondamador1487 Whut? No its not.

[@kirkdarling4120]

@@Hapsard I thought that was rather easily discerned when they zoomed in on Lopez' dilating pupils and then zoomed in on Holden's micro-expression tics.

[@DarkChaos87]

Season 1 - is the intro, story builder. Season 2 - questions slightly get answered, but more questions come. Season 3 - shit hits the fan. Season 4 - no good way to say anything without spoilers. Season 5 - nothing more to say without spoilers. Season 6 - re-read the points of S4 & S5. Otherwise, my most favourite TV Series. I wish we had a 'Slingshot Club'. This will be shown soon, and currently is not entirely a spoiler, as it is just a minor detail to keep in mind.

[@Yesquire0]

The Martians were accessing imbedded chips in each of our heroic crew people to verity their identity. It's an interesting detail given the current controversy about forcing chips on everyone analagous to how we elect to chip our pets.

[@blackpaw29]

I thought it might be a on the spot DNA check, do the books say one way or another?

[@kirkdarling4120]

@@blackpaw29 Those are chips, which is why the detector beeped differently for Alex. Their chips positively identified them, which is why the Martians could retrieve detailed intelligence on each of them. A DNA check would not be a positive identification.

[@blackpaw29]

@@kirkdarling4120 DNA is unique per person. Chips would be a lot easier to fake or spoof.

[@kirkdarling4120]

@@blackpaw29 Yes, chips would be a lot easier to fake or spoof, which is why it will be proven shortly that they are chips and not DNA.

[@ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

Almost there 😊☺️😊

[@cmlemmus494]

I'm really happy to see you reacting to another SF series. I love your opinions, but I'm not particularly into your recent series. @16:20 "There's lots of words." -- See, this is the kind of insight we expect from a professional writer. ;) Seriously, though, I'd recommend checking out "The Worlds of the Expanse (no spoilers)" [?v=VNjrI0YvZYA]. It brings in some information from later in the book series to better explain the politics without giving away plot points or character development.

[@raymondamador1487]

Medina area of Ceres is a very low income area that trades goods. So kids here are as normal as kids at Walmart.

[@magus104]

I thought perhaps with you being an Author yourself this could be an interesting set of reactions to see from a different perspective. But with the number of reactors Ive tried watching who just quit the show and the way you talk at the end of some of the episodes I get concerned you might be another one that just ends up bailing on the show before it really takes off

[@kognak6640]

I doubt it. Amount of views she's getting compared to other ones is going to keep her on track over these early few slower episodes. Next one is the hook and then main plot starts to progress in more focused manner.

[@grafffuller3265]

This is a political show, indeed. Some great ideas...for US to think about stuff...BEFORE this becomes our future (no offense James S.A. Corey). Stay tuned...this will make sense. Just keep watching...(at least till after S1:E4 CQB). Keep asking questions. You really need to know who's trying to start the war. Cannot wait to watch your next reaction to this series. Okay, we've binged all the ones that you have reacted to. Looking forward to your reaction to CQB. Ugh. So good. Thanks.

[@brezgatnik]

Remember the Cant :(

[@gilnorton3958]

This show was written for adults. Stay with it..... or don't!

[@bobriemersma]

By the next episode they've retooled the show for general audiences.

[@kirkdarling4120]

Gia said, "Hands big!" She took Havelock's hands. She emphasized it. How much more clearly could they have emphasized that hand gestures are an important part of Belter language? When they do things like that in this series, take note! This was more obvious than most of the writers' clues...because it's important! Captain Shadid called Julie Mao's father "Daddy Warbucks." There is a reason why "Daddy Warbucks" was called War Bucks. This is another clue. Lt Lopez, doing the interrogations, took a drug that enabled him to focus on the unconscious tics and tells of the people he was interrogated as he made provocative statements to them. He could read their unconscious reactions and determine whether they were lying. That's why the camera focused first on Lopez' dilating pupils, then on Holden's twitching mouth and lowering eyelids. Mars overreacted in banning DeGraaf from Mars. First, they overreacted to what he told them...which was, in fact, precisely his job. It's what ambassadors do. When we get intel that a country is don't something underhanded, we tell our ambassador to that country because we want him to demand "We know what you're doing...stop it!" to his counterpart in the other country. Mars overreacted, showed, their hand, and blamed DeGraaf for their own overreaction. The Martian captain was also overreacting in demanding that Holden implicate Naomi. They didn't really know whether she was an OPA operative...that was a guess (not a bad guess, but still a guess, and to a degree, prejudice). But they were willing to lose Holden's cooperation to pin it on her. Did you notice that even in the future, people are constantly videoing with their cell phones? It might have taken three rewatches before I noticed the Belter recording Havelock being skewered. This show becomes more and more of a fulfilling experience with each rewatch, which is why The Expanse fans follow reactors so intently. We love the rewatches, we gain ever more enjoyment through experiencing the show again with the reactors.

[@billross7245]

Not really a spoiler due to lack of context, but after several rewatches, this was the first time I caught the reference of "under that ridiculous hat, there's a Belter yearning to find his way home". Never caught that early reference before.

[@kirkdarling4120]

@@billross7245 Not a spoiler, but something to be remembered for later, like the other clues. Nothing is said at random in this series.

[@raymondamador1487]

Older comments contain spoilers.