Amph The Expanse (book and TV and...video game series?)

No, I think you're 100% right about them doing both Games and Ashes in season 5. My gf and I were discussing the three episodes we just saw and we both agree.

First 3 episodes of Season 5 spoilers ahead:

Spoiler: Season 5 and Books 7 and 8

A lot of things lead to them having doing this. For starters, the whole reason the cabal of Martian officers backed Inaros in the books was to hide the fact their true aim was to secretly leave the solar system for the gates and start their society on Laconia. If this is not their goal, it really doesn't make sense that they'd still be backing Inaros. Furthermore, there has to be a good reason Babbage (I think?) was asking Alex so much about how the alien structures activated. In the books Laconia had a "factory" on the planet. We think it's because in the show, they've already found Laconia and started settling there. In the meeting between the UN and Avasarala, it's already mentioned that more ships have gone through than accounted for. Furthermore, there's that whole speech the Martian Admiral gives about how a smaller force in Medina station can hold against a larger force outside. That's not relevant to anything from the Inaros war, but it is relevant to Persepolis Rising. There's also no reason to drop the idea of the Aliens who defeated the protomolecule being "angry" if they're not going to be including that as well.

Here's what we think: The people looking for the protomolecule that Fred Johnson has are the Martian Officers Cabal. They've already found Laconia, and they need it to activate the structures that they've found there. They're backing Inaros like in the books to give keep the Solar System governments distracted while they move all their stuff to Laconia. And then by the end of the season, they'll be established. I don't know how they're going to do the Laconia storyline: will it start at the end of this season or begin next season? Will it be a Laconia invasion that gets stemmed off by the Aliens who defeated the protomolecule? Will there be a time skip between seasons 5 and 6? I don't know, but I just don't see why they're showing half the Mars conspiracy stuff these last three episodes if it isn't going to be building up to Laconia.

 

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I also have to say it’s superior hilarious to have that intimate 1:1 time between Amos and “Chrissie”

 

Watch the episodes!!!

 

I gotta say...

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Amos' bag (episode 1) is the most Amos thing that ever did Amos! And I am here for it....

 

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Laconia is actually namechecked as being led to in one of the ring gates in the credits, pretty great

 

So...

Spoiler: This season and where the story will end

Watching the first three episodes, they're definitely only doing Nemesis Games (Book 5) in S5, so I expect everything to end in S6 prior to the time jump. Laconia will be used as a Martian escape hatch but we still won't know anything about what's going on there by the end of the series, imo.

Tim Dekay's Admiral, and the ship that his XO is shipping out on -- the Barkeith -- is the one that goes Dutchman at the end of Book 5. Similarly, the final episode is called "Nemesis Games," and the antepenultimate episode (episode 8) is "Hard Vacuum" which... I expect to be Pella-to-Chetzemoka and Episode 9 is "Winnepesaukee" which should be self-explanatory.

The only thing I'm wondering is if we're skipping Duarte entirely and Tim Dekay is just big enough to be the Big Bad and Sauvaterre is replacing Duarte's character.

 

I can't wait to see which of our predictions will come true, though I do think, outside of timeline, there is some similarity.

 

BTW, from my previous post (two ago).

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What an intense episode. I knew what was coming on Earth, but

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they also killed Fred Johnson AND blew up the Martian Parliament too? And now Marco Inaros has the protomolecule?

I wonder how much damage those 3 asteroid strikes will do to Earth. After the first one it seemed really bad but not cataclysmic-bad. But with 3?

I also wonder if they introduced Avasarala’s daughter just so she can hear how she, her grandsons, and her husband all died together

Also, now that the Ring had been made, even if Marco Inaros released the protomolecule on Earth or Mars, I bet it would do something very different.

I also wonder if he considers the rogue Martians who helped him to have a right to the worlds beyond the Ring, or if a schism might be coming.

 

I'm... intrigued by the book-to-show changes, as it radically affects everyone's endgames (assuming everyone is currently telling the truth).

 

I wonder how Drummer and her crew will react to

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Marco Inaros not only flinging the asteroids at Earth, but now killing Fred Johnson and stealing the protomolecule too

 

Well that episode didn't let up, did it?!

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Sad to see Johnson go. I wonder what that means for the OPA as I doubt we'll get Jared Harris back as Dawes, sadly.

The guy playing Marco Inaros does a great job in being charming, slimy, delusional and high on his own hype really well. He's incredibly short sighted though. The Belters were in the best position they've ever been in. Now they've got a massive target on their back with both the UN and Mars taking aim. The threat of the protomolecule will only go so far.

Putting Amos with Clarissa Mao is great. Amos is always great, but he's at his best when he has someone to play off against. Odds on Amos getting into a scrap with the hench dude that they saw in the courtyard on the way to Clarissa's cell?

 

In re: the belter computer girl.

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Of course that girl's a traitor! She already F'd with Tilly over on Discovery so I was naturally suspicious here...

 

Rewatching through the entire series, and God I wish that they had casted Frankie Adams in The Mandalorian instead of Gina Carano.

 

Babylon's Ashes and S5E4 spoilers:

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Fred's death really took me by surprise. I expect changes from the books, of course but I kinda thought they might not kill him off at all. I actually kinda liked his death in Babylon's Ashes, not only because it was an awesome battle (probably one of my favorites that I've ever read) but they were always making it obvious how dangerous high-g maneuvers were, and I liked that they showed the consequences. I also liked how it threw so much into chaos after that. So I'm really curious how the changes (including the protomolecule) are going to ripple out from here.

 

I swear to God one of the

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post asteroid strike news reports was the ****ing BBC almost pulled me out of it lol

 

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I don't recall that scene in the book, no.

I also don't recall Peaches being the one to take out the survivalist, but I'm fine with how that played out -- works better in the TV show, much like how they're structuring the episodes like chapters -- Alex, Amos, Holden, Naomi, Chrisjen... that works really well with how they're doing it on the TV structure.