In some ways episode 9, ‘Winnipesaukee’ is a companion piece to last week’s episode. There is an insular, isolated feel, and much of the significant shifts are emotional or moral. *Warning: some Spoilers Lie Ahead!*
For some of the characters, not a lot has changed and their roles continue to be message bearers. For instance, Holden (Steven Strait), Bull (José Zúñiga), and Monica (Anna Hopkins) are again merely recipients of the message from Naomi (Dominique Tipper), although they do get to debate its meaning. There is also a minor point of contention about whether chasing after Naomi is the wisest course of action, but Bull doesn’t press this too much. What’s interesting here is that there is tension, but a shared sense of purpose, for the time being, but it highlights that when push comes to shove, this crew will probably splinter. Holden would certainly much rather have the old band back together, but this does show that Monica continues to be a great and useful addition on a more regular basis.
Similarly, Alex (Cas Anvar) and Bobbie (Frankie Adams) are still stuck out in the Screaming Firehawk, and their main contribution has been to consider reasons why Naomi might be communicating in the way she is. There definitely seems to be a bit of a hole in the season here, with Alex and Bobbie being underused. Although they did get a bit of a focus early on with their quick Mars plotline, this quickly fizzled out into essentially sitting on the couch and commenting on the neighbours. This is a shame as this dynamic has always been good. It does create a bit of an opportunity though, as without Cas Anvar next season, they are going to have to find a way to put someone else in that pilot seat on the Rocinante. Having Bull do a lot of that work this season means he could easily be written into that role, but they must also find a way to bring Bobbie in full time.
As everyone races towards her, Naomi continues to be isolated and doing her own thing, desperately trying to survive. She is relatively low-key in ‘Winnipesaukee’, as she is mainly just continuing to figure out what she can do with very little access to the ships systems. Her main issue seems to be dehydration though, and there are a couple of clues that she is shifting focus from communication to survival, especially with the mysterious end scene. For this week’s plot she is essentially a bit of a pawn for other stories, none more so between Filip (Jasai Chase Owens) and Marco (Keon Alexander), with Marco using the opportunity to put all the blame on Naomi yet again to reinforce their tribe of two.
Although this season’s regular tribalism theme is relatively (!) settled on the Rocinante and Screaming Firehawk, elsewhere it is less so, with Drummer (Cara Gee) still fighting her conscience and instincts. ‘Winnipesaukee’ is quite an emotional episode for Drummer, as she starts it thinking that Naomi is dead, only for Oksana (Sandrine Holt) to give her some hope that Naomi is still alive. This plays into her doubt about their forced course of action with Marco, which looks like going off the rails at any second. While Marco can order her to go and destroy the Rocinante, you know that the likelihood is she will probably cause infighting on her own ship before doing that. Gee, as ever, is great here and delivers some of the best lines in the episode.
The big theme this week is morality though, which plays a big part in Earth events, both with Chrisjen (Shohreh Aghdashloo), as well as Amos (Wes Chatham) and Clarissa (Nadine Nicole). With the help of Erich (Jacob Mundell), Amos and Clarissa have made it to Lake Winnipesaukee, where they hope to take a ship up to Luna. While these scenes do end up with a successful launch and a firefight beforehand, that isn’t the main aspect of this storyline. There is a large amount of time here spent examining the morality and psychological side of what has happened on Earth, with the mass murderer Clarissa being an unlikely champion of doing the right thing, and saving as many innocents as possible. The dynamic between Erich and Clarissa is interesting here, as he is completely unaware of her past, so obviously sees her differently to the audience and Amos, and probably sees her as some ‘do-gooder’. A little of that curtain is drawn back for him during the shootout before their escape and he will no doubt think differently now.
On Luna, there is the opposite of Clarissa’s tribe building happening, with Chrisjen fighting against policies that focus more on the Earth ‘tribe’ in the short term. David Pastor (Sugith Varughese) is shaping up to be a reactionary Secretary-General and too eager to lash out at innocent civilian belters. The unusually subdued Chrisjen, having reluctantly accepted that her husband Arjun (Brian George) is dead, realises that will be wrong, even if only politically. While it is mixed in with practical strategy, she makes an emotional speech saying that any attack would leave people feeling as she does now, and would only radicalise the belt against them. Although not her intention, her resignation in protest of the plan has support and ultimately she gets offered the chance to lead once more. Chrisjen is an intriguing figure during this season, as she has been forced to confront some difficult moments. In ‘Winnipesaukee’ especially, she has let her husband go, and given up that hope, while also finding the moral questions more troubling than she may have in the past.
As always, The Expanse continues to highlight the human side of things, and it isn’t a simple ‘sci-fi problem of the week’ show. The sci-fi trappings are merely a means to an end, and ‘Winnipesaukee’ show that in abundance. Never ones to shy away from a storyline that highlights conflict, factionalism, or moral quandaries, The Expanse writers have once again delivered a nuanced, intriguing show. While this episode might not have the perfect pacing, and there is an ongoing question of how to handle Alex and Bobbie, it continues to supply the characters with ethical and moral choices with real consequences. How this builds to next week’s season finale is the big question though, leaving us wondering if really the proper conclusion will be the end of next season.
