The Expanse “Godspeed” manages yet again to make blood pressure levels rise as the Nauvoo is launched toward Eros and the Roci responds hostilely to another ship found to be attached to the space station. Chrisjen outmaneuvers the deputy secretary and Julie Mao’s father and despite the best laid plans of Col. Johnson, and the OPA belters, Eros shrugs its way out of the Nauvoo’s path.
This episode manages to put enough suspense in the last few moments of the destruction of Eros that it turns into a nail biting exercise. Miller’s decision to die while holding the damaged explosive device and its timer was enough to keep everyone on the edge of their seat.
The action building up to the move to blow Eros into a million little pieces of protomolecule space debris shows the mechanization behind stopping a war and the decision to control the spread of the new life form.
Chrisjen shows once again what a masterful games person she is. Deftly playing Jules-Pierre Mao against Deputy Secretary Errinwright. She does such a good job that later in the episode Mao reveals to his accomplice Sadavir Errinwright that she knows they are working together.
Mao cuts off the partnership after telling Sadavir that he is too concerned with his own governmental position to be useful.
Miller has convinced Col. Johnson to destroy the Eros using the Mormon “ark” Nauvoo. The two eject the religious denizens and using the OPA troops outfit the ship and set it up for blast off.
Meanwhile Diogo and Miller are put together, along with more Belters, to help the Eros to detonate with some well placed explosive devices. The former cop and the lad who sold water before still have that fluctuating love/hate relationship.
When Miller opts to stay behind and manually blow up the last device however, it is clear that Diogo’s estimation of the ex cop has gone up considerably.
As Holden and his crew oversee the operation they find another ship tethered to the Eros. A group of medical personnel have landed, they say, to offer aid to the suffering people on the stricken space station.
The leader of the group recognizes that the Roci is a Martian vessel and thinks that Holden and his crew are Martians. Holden tries to bluff the man into leaving.
Miller finds one of the medical staff from the ship in an airlock on Eros. The man has been infected with the protomolecule and now Holden must stop the medical ship from not only transmitting what they have found but stop them from leaving.
With a threat of more contamination from the medical crew, Holden blasts the other ship into oblivion.
Even with the slow build up to the final moments of “Godspeed” the ending, with the slow near miss of the Nauvoo and the realization that the Eros space station dodged the collision, was tight and darn near exhausting to watch.
After getting set to see Miller self destruct via the explosion of Eros, it was surprising to see him get a reprieve. (It was also a surprise to see Holden and his crew ready to risk their lives to save Miller.)
The Expanse has managed to continue on the same vein as season one. It intrigues, entertains and sets the pulse racing in the quiet of space. The protomolecule has clearly moved the space station out of harm’s way and it is, apparently, getting stronger and more intelligent by the moment.
The series airs Wednesdays on SyFy. Tune in and catch this popular and addictive show about Belters, Martians and folks from Earth all on the edge of going to war while a new life form threatens everyone’s existence.
Cast:
- Thomas Jane – Joe Miller
- Steven Strait – Jim Holden
- Cas Anvar – Alex Kamal
- Dominique Tipper – Naomi Nagata
- Wes Chatham – Amos Burton
- Frankie Adams – Bobbie “Gunny” Draper
- Shohreh Aghdashloo – Chrisjen Avasarala
- Chad L. Coleman – Col. Frederick Lucius Johnson
- Nick E. Tarabay – Cotyar
- François Chaux – Jules-Pierre Mao
- Shawn Doyle – Sadavir Errinwright
- Andrew Rotilio – Diogo
