The Expanse - 2.07: The Seventh Man

[ctg]

Spoiler: S02E07

Fred Johnson didn't tell lies. He always knew he wasn't in the control of the Belt. And seeing his XO in contact with another Belt leader, the man who tried to get Miller killed, Anderson Dawes makes a lot of sense for why she instinctively took control on Earth's nukes without waiting a command.

The power corrupts. And an absolute power has very hard to resist. Hence the control of the "bargaining chips" should always been decided in the council rather giving it all to one man.

Julie's father is one of those people that power has corrupted over the time. He might be one of the richest man in the Expanse universe, but it hasn't given him clairvoyance. He cannot see that the events like First Contact change things. Would he have understood that things cannot kept wrapped in secrecy for ever because those secrets come back biting. Just like it has happened to us with all exposition on what Uncle Sam's intelligence agencies has been doing in their time without a clear and present control on the entities.

I believe Anderson Dawes is almost like him. He travels around the Belt and Outer Rim Planets as if he's the godfather. A benefactor that everyone loves. But at the same time he is controlling the black operations, while the Butcher is the mask.

How Machiavellian is that?

If you ask me I'm kind of glad that Holden has his boots secured on the ground and he listens his people instead of acting like a king. But I do understand why Dawes has become that sort of man, because being under the oppression isn't nice. It's something we have been doing ever since someone invented slavery.

The events shaped him to be the controller. So in way he is like Julie Mao's old man. A godfather of the outer planets. Someone Gunnery Sergeant Bobby should never meet on her way to Earth.

Will she meet Avasarala there? Don't know, but I suppose so.

 

[Gnrevolution]

Season 2 Episode 7: The Seventh Man

Preparations for the Earth/Mars peace conference lead to tightening tension on Errinwright.

Spoiler

For me another solid episode, albeit that we didn't get resolution on the Ganymede incident, I gather that will come in bits and pieces over the next few episodes as Draper remembers more. Great to see Anderson Dawes back, such a terrific character, as creepy as it gets with his rhetoric. Finally starting to see more of Bobbie, loved her f-bomb, along with more great quotes from Avasarala. Not sure where they are going with Naomi, she's definitely not 100% on Holden's side, what will happen when he finds out? And did she have anything to do with Dawes getting Cortazar off of Tycho?

Only disappointment for me was not enough Amos, but then there never is

 

[svalbard]

Season 2 Episode 7: The Seventh Man

Preparations for the Earth/Mars peace conference lead to tightening tension on Errinwright.

Spoiler

For me another solid episode, albeit that we didn't get resolution on the Ganymede incident, I gather that will come in bits and pieces over the next few episodes as Draper remembers more. Great to see Anderson Dawes back, such a terrific character, as creepy as it gets with his rhetoric. Finally starting to see more of Bobbie, loved her f-bomb, along with more great quotes from Avasarala. Not sure where they are going with Naomi, she's definitely not 100% on Holden's side, what will happen when he finds out? And did she have anything to do with Dawes getting Cortazar off of Tycho?

Only disappointment for me was not enough Amos, but then there never is

The Naomi storyline is bothering me. From what I have seen it does not ring true. Maybe the books explain it better.

Love the visualization of long distance combat. It adds a real sense of how far technology has come.

 

[Mr Orange]

phew... finally caught up on this series. and it definitely has not disappointed after series 1. a brief wrap up of what i thought about the last 7 episodes:

Spoiler

- the miller/julie ending left me a bit flat. pretty cheesy and a tad unbelievable. i was with it until she said "you belong with me" or whatever she said. i do wonder if any part of them survived the impact.
- loving bobbie's character.
- but amos has to be my favourite character of this series. some great randomness. his discussion with cortazar was a bit odd and out of place though.
- i was wondering when dawes would make an appearance and was pleased when he did. it was all a bit predictable before he showed up
- also really enjoying the earth scenes and avasarala emerging as ans @sskicker
- ganymede confused the hell out of me until bobbie explained it to her superior. i watched the battle at the end of ep 6 3 times and still had no idea what had happened. what the hell was the seventh man??
- holden's righteous anger is beginning to grate just a little bit
- and i hope naomi doesn't turn out to be an idealistic belter
- am really impressed again with the tech, world and development of characters in the show.
- like @Dave, i do think they might be missing something regarding biological tech (especially things like gene expression and CRISPR which would be standard by then i would have thought). of course, one could also argue it has been included, just below the surface.

 

[ctg]

ganymede confused the hell out of me until bobbie explained it to her superior. i watched the battle at the end of ep 6 3 times and still had no idea what had happened. what the hell was the seventh man??

Ganymede scenes are explained very well at the beginning of book 2. The UN troops are running towards Bobby's troops and they're firing. But they aren't firing at them, the Martian's. Actually they are on a panic run and they're being chased by one of those converted persons. And you'll see one of them looking at Bobby's visor. The scrapes and cuts on their armour aren't from weapon fire, but some biomechanical being that can slash through their plates.

 

[Mr Orange]

yeah i got that in ep 07 when bobby explains it and you get a flashback, and i noticed the gashes on the armour, i was just sure i was missing something at the end of ep 06 so rewatched it a couple of times

 

[Gnrevolution]

The Naomi storyline is bothering me. From what I have seen it does not ring true. Maybe the books explain it better.

I've been re-watching the first series recently, and there's a lot of foreshadowing and clues to what's going on (which would only probably be picked up if you have read the books. Naomi has a back story that hasn't been revealed yet, but it kind of ties in to what's going on, although that depends on whether (and by how much) they deviate from the books.

phew... finally caught up on this series. and it definitely has not disappointed after series 1. a brief wrap up of what i thought about the last 7 episodes:

Spoiler

-
- but amos has to be my favourite character of this series. some great randomness. his discussion with cortazar was a bit odd and out of place though. Again, Amos' back story would help explain (if they ever go into it).
- i was wondering when dawes would make an appearance and was pleased when he did. it was all a bit predictable before he showed up. Agreed the actor that is playing him is awesome! I think Dawes will play a much bigger part in the show than he does in the books, which is no bad thing!
- ganymede confused the hell out of me until bobbie explained it to her superior. i watched the battle at the end of ep 6 3 times and still had no idea what had happened. what the hell was the seventh man?? I think that this is intentional to keep the audience guessing, they will fill in the gaps as the season progresses.

 

[REBerg]

I just got caught up on this series, and I’ve now been officially converted to a future vision somewhat less shiny than that of Gene Roddenberry.

When a television series can generate extended discussions on the development of Humanity, you know you’ve got something beyond mere entertainment. That’s where The Expanse rises above such superbly entertaining series as Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead – even (gasp) Battlestar Galactica.

The extrapolation in The Expanse, carrying Humanity out into the solar system, complete with all its messy politics, is what makes this series more believable than others. Complementing the realistic side of the series is the pure, unadulterated sci-fi monster, the unstoppable Protomolecule. The combination is fascinating to watch.

I think Syfy has redeemed itself with The Expanse.

Spoiler

I don’t think that we’ve seen the last of Miller. A highly adaptive and evolving entity (for lack of a better word) like the Protomolecule, which can propel, navigate and radar-cloak an asteroid, must be capable of shielding itself from a planetary crash. Miller may no longer be human, but I’d bet that will return in some form.