The Expanse: Season 1 Episode 7 Full Reaction and Review!
Hi everyone! Here is my first full length reaction and review - Season 1 Episode 7 of The Expanse! Just a reminder that the episode itself will not be visible in the video (due to copyright limitations). The video will solely focus on my reactions (though you'll be able to hear sound in the background) as well as my pre- and post-episode thoughts and analyses. I hope you all enjoy! Thank you again for your support!
All the best,
Molly
The Expanse Season 1 Episode 7 Full Reaction and Review! (YouTube)
Comments (8)
Oh... lol I'll watch it tonight. I'm taking it all slowly ;)
Haha well there's absolutely no rush! The videos aren't going anywhere!
Nice analysis as usual, Molly. Amos is a pretty enigmatic character; it takes a while to figure him out. He definitely has a pragmatism to him that seems to put him at odds with Holden, though it's not quite that simple. People have called Amos a sociopath, but that's not quite it, either. Amos has trouble distinguishing right from wrong in some sense, or at least he has trouble with empathy and with conforming to societal norms, but what makes him different from a garden variety sociopath is that he's self-aware. He knows he has this defect, and he struggles to overcome it. But he lacks the life experience or the role models from his childhood that would have taught him these things. He's a bit rudderless, at least at this point in his life. So he's left with an instinct for survival, but also the realization that it may not be enough. He's not dumb (Fred said his "type" was "slow on the uptake," but that's actually not the case); he's actually very bright, a good mechanic and someone who can think very pragmatically. But he doesn't really have a functional moral compass. He wants to do the right thing, but he doesn't know what the right thing is much of the time. So he looks to Naomi to provide that missing information. He's a fascinating character, and watching him grow (albeit in fits and starts) is one of the great pleasures of this series. Regarding Miller and his feelings for Julie, this is a matter of some disagreement among the fan base. My personal take is that he is more in love with the "idea" of Julie than he is with the actual person, whom of course he has never met. You'll learn more about this in upcoming episodes, so I won't say anything more for fear of spoiling things, but I think it would be safe to say at this point that his feelings for Julie are, to use a cliche, "complicated." But whatever else they are, they are pretty pure of heart. Miller wants to protect Julie, wants to put her on a pedestal; I don't think he necessarily sees himself in a tawdry relationship with her. I think his feelings are more paternal than lascivious. But there are those who disagree with me on this point. I'll be interested to hear your interpretation a few episodes down the line. But I can't say exactly how many, because... well, you know.
That's a really interesting take on Amos! Now that you mention it, the idea that he uses Naomi as a kind of moral compass makes a tremendous amount of sense. In the first couple of episodes, I was very curious as to why he seemed to follow her every order (and I could understand Holden assuming that they might have a more intimate relationship). I understood his point when he said that he usually listens to her because she's "usually right," - but this adds an entirely different layer to that statement. Your assessment of Miller's feelings for Julie is very much in line with mine (at least, at this point). I think it's fair to say that he's probably come to 'know' her as well as someone who has never met someone else can, thanks to the depth of his investigation. But having never actually interacted with her, has made it easy for him to idealize her, focusing on the qualities in her that he admires and pushing everything else to the side. I do agree his feelings are likely pure though. I'm not sure if I'd call them paternal, per se - certainly protective and laced with pride and admiration though (if that makes sense).
The line from Dawes is important to remember: "Maybe you haven't lost everything yet. When you do, you'll find your way home". Amos is very rational, he's all about doing what needs to be done and doesn't seem to form emotional attachments. It's just all matter of fact with him. I was going to mention the novella The Churn as well, but you mentioned it at the end of your commentary. I was about to say the same as Belinda, Amos is almost always right on what has to be done... he's just got no emotional attachment to the issue.... it doesn't seem to bother him if he has to hurt someone to save himself or his friends. The reason they share cast with Orphan Black is they were both filmed in Toronto :) "Jimmy always wanted to be a knight".... ties in nicely with naming parts of the show after a character that wanted to be a knight
I'm very interested in reading that novella (and the entire book series, of course)! I can certainly see what everyone was hinting at about Amos being an interesting character. With each passing episode, I've become more curious about him and have looked forward to seeing what he will do. I'm a little worried now about how he and Holden are going to get past their conflict in this episode! I feel badly for Miller if he still hasn't lost everything! Makes me even more suspicious that Julie's not going to be alive :(
Avasarala is always 10 steps ahead of everyone. She always dresses according to what she wants to convey(power colors/warm colors, big Jewelry/minimal jewelry ect..lol I told you those earrings were perfect! Amos might be the most intriguing character in this series, they all are, but Amos has a very unique philosophy about life..he's most always "not wrong' lol I never want to say too much, it's better to just let things unfold ;) Miller is off to find Julie,he's def not showing up in a Earthers hat, he's ready to embrace his belter heritage. Your face when Art showed up <3 The Capt. on the Cant, the belter Miller threw in the airlock(Mrs. S's Benjamin)Cap. Yao on the Donnanger(the morgue lady) are all OB alum..more to come lol The Expanse casting dept. is amazeballs!! Lots and lots of fantastic casting in this series! Well it's all about to kick off, the rest of the season is peddle to the metal!(my fav ep this season is #9) Just a reminder, eps 9 & 10 are meant to watch together as is S2 eps 1 & 2 are. They were shown together when they aired :) Thank you for the fantastic commentary Molly, I totally enjoyed this! XOXO
Huh? 8 & 9? Do you mean 9 & 10?