The Drinker Recommends... The Expanse

the thing about being a youtube critic is that every new day brings more recommendations and requests to review someone's favorite movie or tv show or video game or book series one guy even asked me to review american politics there's literally not enough beer in the world mates but one thing that's been dog in my recommendations list from basically the moment my channel took off is the expanse a show that i have to admit i knew almost nothing about at the time i didn't even know anyone that had seen it and i was kind of reluctant to invest dozens of hours of my life into something that i might not even enjoy but it turns out that peer pressure is a surprisingly effective tool given enough time and [ __ ] man if someone managed to get me to watch quigly down under i suppose it was time i gave the expanse a try and a few weeks later here i am now it pains me to say this because i know a lot of people really like and support this show but i was a [ __ ] [ __ ] for not watching it sooner the expanse is quite simply one of the best sci-fi shows in recent memory it's smart mature complex well-written brilliantly shot and perfectly portrayed by a cast of extremely talented actors who invest their characters with genuine depth emotion and gravitas it basically sets the benchmark for what i expect from sci-fi shows today and it makes an absolute mockery out of shallow pretentious garbage like star trek discovery [Laughter] i don't want to [ __ ] around and waste time with this one so let's begin the next installment of the drinker recommends the expanse is set a couple of hundred years in the future where humanity has managed to spread out and colonize the solar system we're not exactly into warp drive territory yet but we have fleets of ships plying their trade between major colonies and outposts the beginnings of terraforming on mars and colony ships preparing to venture out into deep space that's all great but it's also a time of heightened tension and danger earth and mars the two major superpowers in the system are stuck in a kind of interplanetary cold war as they vie for resources and influencing the belts a collection of moons and asteroids in the outer solar system that provide most of the raw materials for the inner planets life out in the belt is hard and usually very short a bit like growing up in any city in scotland then people toil away in terrible working conditions only for most of their wealth to get shipped off somewhere else needless to say the belters are getting kind of tired of this [ __ ] leading to the rise of the outer planet's alliance better known as the opa the opa want to see the belt become an independent nation on par with earth and mars and the more radical elements within the movement are willing to do almost anything to achieve their aim the series kicks off when a civilian freighter stops to investigate a derelict ship only to come under attack by an unknown enemy the only survivors are a small group of crew men that happen to be aboard the salvage vessel there's naomi an engineer from the asteroid belt who sympathizes with the opa amos a big beefy dude with a dark past who acts as her enforcer alex a former martian naval pilot and last of all holden the ranking officer from earth who eventually takes command straight away you can see that this is a mixed group of people from different planets and cultures whose loyalties and goals may not line up with each other in fact there's actually plenty of occasions where they come into open conflict but they're forced to work together for their mutual survival and eventually they form a close-knit friendship their paths eventually cross with miller a jaded detective on the hunt for a decent [ __ ] haircut miller's been hired to locate a missing rich girl who happened to be on board the derelict ship that holden's group discovered meanwhile on earth un diplomat christian begins to suspect that a third party is trying to manipulate them into going to war wait isn't that admiral chainsmoker from star trek beyond anyway the destruction of holden's ship triggers a rapid escalation of tensions between earth and mars both sides blame the other for what happened and mobilize their militaries for war while the opa uses the chaos to stir up resentment and support for their cause but as holden and the others run for their lives they begin to uncover a deeper conspiracy to turn a newly discovered alien life form into a weapon powerful enough to wipe out the human race as i think you've gathered from my brief summary there there's an awful lot going on in this show and honestly if i try to describe every major event and character that comes into play i'd probably still be talking about it this time next week also it would spoil the [ __ ] out of things for you and i really don't want to do that because this is a show that you definitely ought to watch the thing i really love about the expanse is that it actually feels like a show written by adults for adults instead of mentally deficient hyperactive children the world in which its characters exist is complex mature and often morally gray there are groups and individuals within each major faction vying for power and influence some trying to instigate a war and others to avert it some people are compassionate and moralistic doing everything in their power to avoid unnecessary loss of life while others see the end as very much justifying the means some are idealistic and dedicated to their cause others are jaded and cynical while some just want to be left alone but no matter what their outlook is the writing is so strong and well balanced that you can empathize with almost anyone's position even antagonists who do bad things are self-aware enough to recognize the impact of their actions but justify them with the knowledge that they're serving a higher purpose it's smart and thought-provoking and at times it actually causes you to question whether or not they might be right naomi starts out overbearing and mistrustful towards holden but gradually opens up as their relationship develops only to be plunged into doubt once again when she goes behind her companion's backs to assist the belts christian comes across as a hard-nosed diplomat willing to charm threaten or blackmail people into doing whatever she wants but slowly she emerges as a valuable ally determined to expose the misdeeds of her co-workers even if it means putting her own life on the line miller begins the story as a jaded cop willing to take bribes and overlook misdeeds if it means an easier life for himself but his search for the missing girl gradually rekindles the compassionate protective side of his character changing him into a decent caring man willing to sacrifice his own life for the good of others even characters like amos who seems like a big dumb bruiser stranded deep in naomi's friend zone turns out to have more layers to his personality and backstory than the entire cast of disney star wars combined the expanse is also a perfect example of diverse casting done right there are people of every sex and ethnic group imaginable represented in virtually every episode and it absolutely never feels forced preachy or contrived unlike the ham-fisted attempts of lesser shows that always come across as smug disingenuous and mean-spirited characters are allowed to be smart resourceful and dangerous regardless of their demographic makeup no one group is elevated at the expense of another and the writers never use it as a stick to beat you over the head with present-day social issues god damn it why can't we have more shows like this the world of the expanse also feels believable and well thought out in a way that so few others managed to achieve the problems of travelling and communicating over vast distances are a key component of many story lines instead of being glossed over with some [ __ ] technobabble for the sake of dramatic convenience battles taking place on one side of the solar system are over long before people on the other side are even aware of them gravity can vary wildly between different worlds and so do the humans born and raised there for example people from mars struggle just to walk in earth's heavy gravity while those from the asteroid belt literally can't survive its ships maneuvering at high speed can easily kill their passengers with the g-force if they're not careful while space debris can punch clean through the hull and human bodies it all adds up to a setting that feels grounded and realistic like this is how humanity really could be a hundred years from now space is depicted as a vast cold dangerous place where it's very easy to get yourself killed each faction and location has its own unique culture language technology and shapes mars is a rising power and everything about them is sleek clinical and futuristic earth's the dominant force in the solar system but there are civilization in decline their navy is powerful but ageing and neglected their people arrogant and corrupt the belters on the other hand are scrappy and resourceful getting around and cobbled together rust buckets that barely run it's also a world where life is often hard and unforgiving death can come without warning and people are forced to make tough choices just to survive like an evacuation ship that doesn't have enough space to get everyone out of a dying settlement so what do you do do you open your doors and risk being overrun to save a fraction of the population or do you cut and run to protect your own people these are the kind of difficult choices that characters often face in the expanse and needless to say sometimes there is no right answer for them ultimately the expanse is a show that really demonstrates what good science fiction can and should be it's proof that there are still smart talented and passionate writers working in hollywood and when they're just left alone to concentrate on telling a tight gripping and mature story without ulterior motives great things can still happen and my only question is why can't more shows be like this anyway that's all i've got for today go away now

Channel: The Critical Drinker

Views: 657,864

Keywords:

Id: RWtbI4t7cOc

Length: 9min 58sec (598 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 12 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/memoriesofgreen]

"Miller, A jaded Detective on the hunt for a decent haircut" - had me chuckling.

[u/Level1Roshan]

You know his point on ethnic diversity in casting is on point. I'd never even thought about it to be honest.

[u/JohnArtemus]

The best show streaming right now and it’s not even close.

[u/MintySkyhawk]

From the title I thought he was going to be reviewing various alcoholic beverages found in The Expanse.

[u/Oot42]

Quite well done, beside that he confuses the asteroid belt with the Kuiper belt… :D

[u/ladyofthelathe]

He's right about almost every movie he reviews and his predictions about movies bombing have not been wrong (Looking at you Terminator franchise, WW84). Just because you don't like what he has to say, doesn't mean he's wrong.

Anyway.

His Drinker Fixes (Insert film name) are also very good.

And he's spot on about The Expanse.

[u/toolschism]

His criticism of Discovery is so spot on. I started watching it just to fill the void of waiting for more episodes of expanse.

It's pretty fucking bad lol.

Edit: I saw they had a few clips of the bit on Ganymede where they are attempting to evacuate as many belters as they can. That entire sequence still breaks my heart every time. Not sure why I added this edit, but I got teared up just watching this stupid review. Thanks a lot.

[u/MilesJ392]

Excellent review of The Expanse and why it's great. Here's my favorite quote: "Even characters like Amos, who seems like a big dumb bruiser stranded deep in Naomi's friend zone, turns out to have more layers to his personality and character than the entire cast of Disney Star Wars combined." 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I couldn't agree more

[u/CulturalSock]

I forgot how that scene with Amos and the grenade is so fucking hilarious.