WARNING - Spoilers ahead, probably. Especially if you haven't seen seasons 1-3 of The Expanse.
I don't remember enjoying a rewatch of any series as much as The Expanse! (Season 4, as well as the previous seasons, are now available to watch on Amazon Prime.) As soon as I finished Season 4, I started the entire series again. It's like the series was designed to be watched again and again, just in the sheer density of goodies left for fans.
Here are my top reasons to watch the whole again and how to get the most out of the experience. (Click on the pictures to enlarge.)
1. The Soundtrack
Get the soundtrack if you haven't already. There are Belter versions of pop songs, beautiful instrumentals from Clinton Shorter, all that country music Alex is always listening to and so much more. It's an outstanding soundtrack at a time when most soundtracks I hear just haven't been that inspiring. The quote below (with link following) really gets at why the score is so important to make scene powerful.
[Ty Franck speaking]“I know Daniel had a real epiphany when he realized that all the prose
tricks to convey the emotional state of a scene could be replaced with a
good musical score. And I love finding ways to lay a scene out for the
camera instead of a reader. Cameras are very literal. It’s a completely
different way to think of story.” https://disquiet.com/2019/12/15/investigatory-synth-music/
 |
| Scenes that play with "The War" by Gerald Trottman, S2 Ep3. |
One of my favorite tracks, "The War" by Gerald Trottman, is played over several scenes cutting back and forth in Season 2, Episode 3 "Static." It starts with Diogo and Miller listening to a remix of the voices of Eros turned into a pop song. The song then builds in intensity as Alex goes through the battle simulation again and again, Drummer and Naomi dance in a Tycho club, and Cortazar tries to work out what it all means. This is one of my favorite scenes of both Alex struggling with the battle they just finished and Miller struggling to find his place in what's coming.
The Collector's Edition soundtrack is available streaming, MP3 format, and on vinyl here: https://www.amazon.com/Expanse-Collectors-Various-artists/dp/B082FB8JM2/
2. The Captions
Not only can you more fully enjoy Lang Belta, but you can read all the descriptions of the music playing. My favorite, "Investigatory Synth Music" from Season 4, Episode 2 at the crash site.
3. All Those Screens
This is easier to do watching on your computer, but take a look at the screens - in particular the hand terminals. From Amos's amusing contact list, to Avasarala's profanity-laden predictive text. The hand terminals are pure gold. And don't miss the computer screens! The screens from the Ceres Dating app that Miller is going through while he investigates Julie Mao's disappearance are priceless!
 |
| Hand Terminals!! |
 |
| Low Gravity Zero Pressure Ceres Dating app |
4. X-Ray Features
The beauty of The Expanse landing on Amazon Prime for Season 4, is the X-Ray feature which contains post show interviews, concept art, and most best of all - political ads from Chrisjen Avasarala and Nancy Gao. These are fabulous! (The previous seasons have some of the music tracks listed and cast information, but not much else.)
 |
| Political Video Ads for Avasarala and Gao - Avasarala did a little mudslinging. |
5. Cameo Appearances
 |
| Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham aka James S.A. Corey S1 Ep8 |
6. Avasarala's Outfits
 |
| It's what we all want to know, right? Amos, Season 4, Ep1. |
 |
| Chrisjen Avasarala played by Shohreh Aghdashloo. Costumes by Joanne Hanson |
Okay, maybe it's just me but I have to pause video just to stare in amazement at the gorgeous outfits Chrisjen Avasarala wears - all thanks to Joanne Hansen costume designer for The Expanse.
Have you rewatched The Expanse? What did you catch? What are your favorite scenes?
Comments
Post a Comment