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[lt519]

I laughed at the FedEx containers.

Massive eye roll for me, but you know what, some shipping company has gotta be left standing after 150 years. Certainly won't be the USPS.

Feel so bad for those that can't watch due to that Netflix deal ):

On the raspy voices, I still find the sound mixing to be sub par on this show. It is very hard to hear what is going on, especially when they have suits on. I've got my TV turned up to 11 which rocks the apartment just so I hear the dialogue. Might just be the SyFy stream though, rewatching S1 on Amazon was way better. Kinda odd since I think it has some of the best visual effects on TV. Minor grievances though for what is one of the best shows on TV.

 

[GavinUK86]

Massive eye roll for me, but you know what, some shipping company has gotta be left standing after 150 years. Certainly won't be the USPS.

Feel so bad for those that can't watch due to that Netflix deal ):

On the raspy voices, I still find the sound mixing to be sub par on this show. It is very hard to hear what is going on, especially when they have suits on. I've got my TV turned up to 11 which rocks the apartment just so I hear the dialogue. Might just be the SyFy stream though, rewatching S1 on Amazon was way better. Kinda odd since I think it has some of the best visual effects on TV. Minor grievances though for what is one of the best shows on TV.

fyi, this is the only show i watch with subtitles on. yes the sound mixing is still sub par.

 

[Night Hunter]

I don't get the raspy voices complaint.

Isn't that just the actresses normal voice?

 

[SnowTeeth]

Yeah it's her normal voice but it's the internet, so let us all pick on something, anything for some hope of some external validation.

 

[ZehDon]

Just binged season 1 on AU Netflix, where they advertise it as a Netflix original? Anyway, blew me away. Best sci-fi show I've seen in... forever, really. Outstanding stuff. Hope we get season 2 soon so we can enjoy it too!

 

[kirblar]

Just binged season 1 on AU Netflix, where they advertise it as a Netflix original? Anyway, blew me away. Best sci-fi show I've seen in... forever, really. Outstanding stuff. Hope we get season 2 soon so we can enjoy it too!

That must be where the budget's coming from.

 

[DieH@rd]

That must be where the budget's coming from.

Nah, I think they are just big online distribution partner.

 

[kirblar]

Nah, I think they are just big online distribution partner.

If they're tagging it a "Netflix Original", that implies more than distribution.

 

[Paganmoon]

If they're tagging it a "Netflix Original", that implies more than distribution.

They tag anything they've got exclusive distribution deal for the region as Originals it seems.
If it was more than distribution, we'd be getting Season 2 episodes as they are aired in the US. As it stands, Netflix can't even answer when it'll be made available at all on their service.

 

[DieH@rd]

They tag anything they've got exclusive distribution deal for the region as Originals it seems.
If it was more than distribution, we'd be getting Season 2 episodes as they are aired in the US. As it stands, Netflix can't even answer when it'll be made available at all on their service.

SyFy shows [for example Arroverse] usually arrive at Netflix few days/weeks before next season starts. So Expanse S2 will not arrive to streaming anytime soon.


As for what has Netflix bought... it's only international streaming rights [but not for all markets].
http://deadline.com/2016/10/space-drama-the-expanse-streaming-netflix-1201834745/

 

[Beefy]

I have no problem hearing what the people are saying on this show.

 

[raindoc]

Goddamn. I just finished binge-watching S1 on Netflix and ordered all books from amazon. Any info when S2 will get an international release on netflix?

EDIT: just read it. no date. damn.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

I have no difficulty understanding various people and dialects either. English is not my first language.

Also, on the budget, yes: there is a lot more space shot screentime and sets allow for more CG and less practical effects now. There's a pretty clear jump in the editing and integration of things -shots, effects, scenes- that should be pretty obvious. Example is the extern-intern transfer on the OPA station (Tycho), where it goes from the outside, showing one hull and rotation, into a lower one, with a different rotation and orientation, until finally bringing it back onto Amos and Busdriver. There was no such extensive "cinematic" shot of that length and complexity in the first season.

So, question about the end there:

Spoiler

why didn't the stealth ship self-destruct? I thought they set that up last season as something that 'should' happen.

Also, dat preview.

 

[Morts]

I have no difficulty understanding various people and dialects either. English is not my first language.

Also, on the budget, yes: there is a lot more space shot screentime and sets allow for more CG and less practical effects now. There's a pretty clear jump in the editing and integration of things -shots, effects, scenes- that should be pretty obvious. Example is the extern-intern transfer on the OPA station (Tycho), where it goes from the outside, showing one hull and rotation, into a lower one, with a different rotation and orientation, until finally bringing it back onto Amos and Busdriver. There was no such extensive "cinematic" shot of that length and complexity in the first season.

So, question about the end there:

Spoiler

why didn't the stealth ship self-destruct? I thought they set that up last season as something that 'should' happen.

Also, dat preview.

The only stealth ship destruction I remember last season was when they torpedoed the one parked on the asteroid.

 

[Cornballer]

Ars Technica is doing a weekly podcast on the show, as well:

- Decrypted

We're such big fans of the space opera that we've chosen is as the next subject to cover in Decrypted, our culture podcast. Season 2 of The Expanse premiered this week in the US, and to mark the occasion we lined up an interview with Messrs Abraham and Franck to dig a little deeper into the solar system they've created for us.
One particularly interesting aspect of the show is that the authors have a massive amount of input into the TV show. That means the story is likely headed to the same destination, but the journey doesn't mirror the books perfectly. This was something that initially unsettled me until I learned to deal with "canon shock."

I'll be analyzing, debating, and dissecting The Expanse every week with a different guest, and we'll post the podcast on Fridays throughout the season.

 

[Cornballer]

A couple youtube vids from Syfy with the cast & crew talking about the first two episodes:

- Inside Season 2: Premiere
- Inside Season 2: Episode 2

 

[RS4-]

Lol the amount of people that hate Bobbie. She's too pretty or hot, she's not tall enough, she's too skinny.

Lol.

Sounds like they want Dwayne Johnson as the body, paste Frankie's head on after.

 

[Paganmoon]

Lol the amount of people that hate Bobbie. She's too pretty or hot, she's not tall enough, she's too skinny.

Lol.

Sounds like they want Dwayne Johnson as the body, paste Frankie's head on after.

Where are you reading that? From the moment they revealed the casting I thought she was as close as you could possibly get to Bobbie. I've always had my reservations about her acting though, as I've never seen anything with her before (other than some clip from a soap in Australia, and that didn't help alleviate my worries, but hey it's a soap).
But anyway, considering Holden is sort of wooden, Naomi and Alex also, Frankie could be in good company. The actors still need to find their flow with the characters I suppose, though Thomas Jane really grew on me as Miller in Season 1, and Wes is pretty good as Amos (even though he looks nothing, I mean NOTHING like book Amos).


So how's Frankie's acting so far?

 

[Xe4]

Where are you reading that? From the moment they revealed the casting I thought she was as close as you could possibly get to Bobbie. I've always had my reservations about her acting though, as I've never seen anything with her before (other than some clip from a soap in Australia, and that didn't help alleviate my worries, but hey it's a soap).
But anyway, considering Holden is sort of wooden, Naomi and Alex also, Frankie could be in good company. The actors still need to find their flow with the characters I suppose, though Thomas Jane really grew on me as Miller in Season 1, and Wes is pretty good as Amos (even though he looks nothing, I mean NOTHING like book Amos).


So how's Frankie's acting so far?

I think it's pretty decent. She hasn't been in too many scenes yet, though.

 

[suzu]

Before they announced the actress, several people seemed to have wanted or imagined Bobbie to be space Brienne. Which is pretty ridiculous to me. lol

But hey, there's space Jon Snow though. ;P

 

[Rumblebones]

Bobby reminds me too much of Ronda Rousey to not want to see her dead.

 

[Xe4]

Bobby reminds me too much of Ronda Rousey to not want to see her dead.

Geez. Aside from the fact that they look nothing alike (to me), don't you think that's a bit harsh? I don't like Ronda either, but I don't want her dead.

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Solid premiere and it wasn't hard getting back in the swing of things. Was pretty amazed by the budget. Not used to seeing sci fi visuals of this caliber on TV.

 

[parrotbeak]

Bobby reminds me too much of Ronda Rousey to not want to see her dead.

Ronda would beat Mayweather at armwrestling.

 

[Kin5290]

Before they announced the actress, several people seemed to have wanted or imagined Bobbie to be space Brienne. Which is pretty ridiculous to me. lol

But hey, there's space Jon Snow though. ;P

Americans assume everybody to be white by default, unless they have an obviously ethnic name.

Bobbie was explicitly Space Polynesian in the books, so if she was cast with a white actress, whether that actress had the right build or not, it would have been bullshit.

 

[parrotbeak]

I loved the scene where they are arguing that Mars would have already struck by the time they knew anything. It reminded me of the last Hardcore History where Dan talked about how during the Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy and Khrushchev were communicating via letter transcribed over wire and it would take half a day to hear from the other side.

 

[suzu]

Americans assume everybody to be white by default, unless they have an obviously ethnic name.

Bobbie was explicitly Space Polynesian in the books, so if she was cast with a white actress, whether that actress had the right build or not, it would have been bullshit.

Yep. I'm really happy that the show is keeping it diverse like the books.

 

[RS4-]

I actually forgot that Bobbie was Polynesian in the books, I actually didn't think about her ethnicity until they announced the show and by then, I just figured she'd be Brienne of Mars.

Amos on the other hand, I thought he was African American lol. I didn't realize he was white until I read the Churn. I must've read a bit too fast during LW and such

 

[cjp]

I'm confused.

Ep2 "previously" recap spoilers:

Spoiler

I just put on episode 2 and it ran through the previously section. In this it played a clip of Chrisjen talking to someone about there being a shadow government. What episode was that from? I certainly didn't see it in 1 and I'm pretty sure it wasn't from the first season.

 

[lt519]

I'm confused.

Ep2 "previously" recap spoilers:

Spoiler

I just put on episode 2 and it ran through the previously section. In this it played a clip of Chrisjen talking to someone about there being a shadow government. What episode was that from? I certainly didn't see it in 1 and I'm pretty sure it wasn't from the first season.

Video on Demand and other streaming services have some missing content. SyFy cut some content for re-broadcast and that is what Video on Demand got.

 

[CopperPuppy]

Phenomenal start.

Any word on ratings? I'm scared to death of this being cancelled.

 

[Cornballer]

A few vids from Syfy:

- Promo for tomorrow's episode and this season
- Ep 3 Sneak Peek #1
- Ep 3 Sneak Peek #2

Please spoiler tag discussion as appropriate.

 

[diaspora]

I don't quite get Martian physical strength. Shouldn't they be a lot weaker than earth humans due to the lower gravity?

 

[Cornballer]

Any word on ratings? I'm scared to death of this being cancelled.

The premiere was about on par with the ratings from last season. The numbers weren't great. There are a number of externalities here that work in the show's favor (international sales, the studio that produces it, they're more interested in the aggregate time-shifted numbers, the premiere ended at about 11:35pm, etc..), but Syfy will be disappointed to not see some growth from last year.

 

[theifofdreams]

Its a shame that the lead dude is by far the worst actor of all of them...

 

[DrSlek]

Lol the amount of people that hate Bobbie. She's too pretty or hot, she's not tall enough, she's too skinny.

Lol.

Sounds like they want Dwayne Johnson as the body, paste Frankie's head on after.

It's strange, because she's exactly as described in the books. Physically large, attractive, and Polynesian.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

I don't quite get Martian physical strength. Shouldn't they be a lot weaker than earth humans due to the lower gravity?

Martians are weaker. But Mars marines have a lot of pride out of having to train a lot to be prepared to descend to earth if necessary. Or so they convince themselves. It would still be really tiresome for them to fight at 1 g without their exosuits.

Bobbie would beat a strong earther like Amos in a fight, but he would beat her in a marathon, Miller would probably die halfway through.

The point is that she is exceptionally strong for a martian so it is believable that she could take out earthers and martians alike.

 

[cjp]

Video on Demand and other streaming services have some missing content. SyFy cut some content for re-broadcast and that is what Video on Demand got.

Thanks. I just saw they released the missing scene on YouTube so I caught it there. Seems like a stupid thing to cut!

 

[BarrelMakingPenguin]

Still not completely sold on Steven Strait. I think he is the one hang-up I have casting-wise. There is just something about him I find...boring? I don't know. Can't quite put my finger on it.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Still not completely sold on Steven Strait. I think he is the one hang-up I have casting-wise. There is just something about him I find...boring? I don't know. Can't quite put my finger on it.

In my head Holden was always Ethan Hawke, I feel like the show is giving me the budget version.

 

[El Daniel]

Martians are weaker. But Mars marines have a lot of pride out of having to train a lot to be prepared to descend to earth if necessary. Or so they convince themselves. It would still be really tiresome for them to fight at 1 g without their exosuits.

Bobbie would beat a strong earther like Amos in a fight, but he would beat her in a marathon, Miller would probably die halfway through.

The point is that she is exceptionally strong for a martian so it is believable that she could take out earthers and martians alike.

So Martians are weaker yet Bobbie could defeat the strongest earther Amos (seen so far) in a physical fight? Makes no sense to me. I get your point though but that just seems like a stretch.

 

[Tony Redgrave]

In my head Holden was always Ethan Hawke, I feel like the show is giving me the budget version.

Ha, that's a great Holden image. I always imagined him as a good looking fellow but I think Strait is a little bit too tall and fit, which kind of breaks the everyman vibe he's supossed to give off.

Even though technicallty that could be said of all the other characters and their book counterparts, Holden is the one I'm having trouble accepting. Jane on the other hand is perfect as Miller.

 

[Kin5290]

So Martians are weaker yet Bobbie could defeat the strongest earther Amos (seen so far) in a physical fight? Makes no sense to me. I get your point though but that just seems like a stretch.

On average, Earthers are stronger than Martians due to the higher gravity. However, Bobbie is exceptionally strong for a Martian Marine, who train in 1g, and she also has the advantage of better training when it comes to violence.

To paraphrase book Amos, he is a talented amateur when it comes to the sport of violence, while Bobbie is a professional.

 

[Kin5290]

Its a shame that the lead dude is by far the worst actor of all of them...

It's accurate to the books, haha.

Holden is ... pretty milquetoast as a character. He's most interesting in how he becomes a

Spoiler

perpetual spanner in the works of great powers solely out of playing hard line Paragon.

 

[suzu]

Ha, that's a great Holden image. I always imagined him as a good looking fellow but I think Strait is a little bit too tall and fit, which kind of breaks the everyman vibe he's supossed to give off.

Even though technicallty that could be said of all the other characters and their book counterparts, Holden is the one I'm having trouble accepting. Jane on the other hand is perfect as Miller.

Naaah man. I appreciated the eyecandy.

Honestly, none of the Roci crew or Miller look exactly like their book counterparts anyway. lol

 

[RS4-]

In my head Holden was always Ethan Hawke, I feel like the show is giving me the budget version.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1248979/

That's how I pictured Holden lol, or was it Miller. Don't remember. Might've been Miller.

 

[Tony Redgrave]

Naaah man. I appreciated the eyecandy.

Honestly, none of the Roci crew or Miller look exactly like their book counterparts anyway. lol

Yep, that's true haha I'd loved it if Naomi looked like she does in the books and had called Holden on his bullshit when he started making advances on her but alas, different mediums and all.

Honestly, I'm pretty happy happy with the cast. The Holden thing might be that I don't really like the character so much or rather, I think he's the most safe al least interesting part of the whole series/books.

 

[jerry113]

Its a shame that the lead dude is by far the worst actor of all of them...

he's like low rent jon snow

 

[killer rin]

I laughed at the FedEx containers.

Same here. I had to pause just to make sure I was reading them correctly, and then chuckled

 

[Donos]

If I remember it correctly from the books Martian marines train at 1g. This also helps if you would ever have to invade/operate on earth.

I have settled with Bobbie actress but i still would wish someone with more "build". When they describe her in the books, she's not only tall and fit but a visible threat. Understand that it's not easy to find good actress+build+ethnic background. Hell I'm glad this series is airing at all.

From the comments here the quality is keeping up in S2.