2-10. "Cascade"
Written by Dan Nowak
Directed by Mikael Salomon
First aired 29 March 2017
SYNOPSIS
Confined to her room at the Martian embassy, Bobby breaks out to see the ocean. Errinwright confesses to Avasarala that he was working with Jules-Pierre Mao on a weapons system. After Cotyar finds Bobbie, Avasarala approaches her with information about the weapon she encountered on Ganymede.
On Ganymede, Amos assaults Roma, an information dealer, in order to determine the whereabouts of Mei and Dr. Strickland, and they're finally found entering the oldest part of the station. Meanwhile, Prax realizes too much damage has been done to the station's ecosystem to repair. The Roci crew head for the location Strickland and Mei were last seen, and find evidence Strickland is keeping Mei alive. Waiting aboard the Roci, Alex learns that Ganymede is now a no-fly zone, and devises a way to rescue the crew without being detected.
ANALYSIS
"This has to be a mind game. You are the enemy."
Bobbie's escape is unexpected and fun and tugs on the heartstrings when we realize all she wants to do is see the ocean. I also really appreciate how Prax explains the cascade: real science is involved. And it's fascinating—if a bit disheartening—to witness the beginning of Holden's trip to the dark side, but I admire the writers for exposing a hero's flaws. Finally, kudos to Shawn Doyle for his performance when Errinwright confesses to Avasarala: watch the myriad of subtle yet telling facial expressions.
Best Scene: Another tie. Bobbie's encounter with Niko the "drug dealer" exemplifies how the writers humanize even the smallest parts—there are no throwaway characters on The Expanse. Also... Watch Bobbie's eyes as she sees the ocean for the first time: not only is her performance flawless, but her eyes are simply stunning. And the score... swoon.
Best Line: Naomi is furious with Holden for not stopping Amos' assault on Roma. "Every shitty thing we do makes the next one that much easier." Ouch.
Trivia: Some viewers complained that the ocean scene at the end of the drainage tunnel was bad CGI. In reality, everything in that scene was real: tunnel, ocean, sky and all.
Picking Nits: Prax promises Katoa's father he'll ask Roma to find Katoa as well, but he never does. Who forgot, Prax or Dan Nowak?
SCORE: 