IT IS BACK: The Expanse - Season 2!

2017 promises to be a very good year for all fans of TV series, and it's starting strong already with the second season of this rare gem: about space but without the bullshit opera, good on fiction but without not forgetting the science... Ladies and Gentlemen,  THE EXPANSE!

As a quick recap if you have not seen the first season: two centuries from now, Earth has colonized the whole solar system. Even if the "Earthers" must deal with a flooded planet, they are still the bully of the system. On Mars, meanwhile, a militaristic and draconian society defies it and tries to terraform the red planet. And in the rest of the solar system, the "belters" are Humans who have lived and worked their whole life on their archipelagos of stations and asteroids, trying to make a living and to reject the influence of Mars and Earth... 

That delicate equilibrium was about to be broken when a cargo ship named the Canterbury is destroyed, seemingly by Mars. At the same time, a seedy detective called Miller is hired to track a girl called Julie Mao. The two stories will inexorably attract each other and reveal a conspiracy, threaten war, and maybe even bring into the heart of the solar system a dangerous weapon from outerspace...

As an introduction for the second season, the producers have made a big statement by releasing a double first episode which follows exactly where we left off in the first season.

But first of all, the first minutes follow the footsteps of a Martian batallon in training on the red planet. The Martians were barely visible during the first season, or only as the bogeymen everyone was afraid about. It seems we are going to get to dive deeper into their politics and psyche from now on.

Naomi, Amos, Alex and Holden are still aboard the Rocinante, having escaped the chaos that was Eros station. They have with them Miller, who looks like he is still deeply in love with Julie Mao and probably feeling guilty not to have been able to save her. But now they have more pressing concern: they have between their hands the evidence of the "proto-molecule" which is at the center of the movie.

Meanwhile on Earth, the UN council tries to piece together what is going on in space, and they are not helped by the manipulations of Julie Mao's father who does his best to hide his track. And the only way he seems to be able to do that is by provoking a war between Earth and Mars.

Tycho Station is home to the O.P.A., the "union" of the Belters, with Fred Johnson at their head. This third player is trying to find a way to accomplish its goal between Earth and Mars. For the moment, the Rocinante crew is working with the OPA but for how long? It looks like their only way to shine the light upon the shady deals of some Earthers is to reach an anonymous station which may contain the secret about the proto-molecule.

This is the climax of these two first episodes and a clear reminder why I consider THE EXPANSE the greatest science-fiction series around by far. The Rocinante must attack the station, and in doing so, they depressurize completely their ship first. Why? i asked myself. Well, it's very simple: even if the shells of the enemy pierce the hull of the ship, since it's already depressurized, it won't explode! You may have some holes in the hulls to repair, but it's better than to be reduced in a thousand little pieces. Hence, guys, always depressurize before to go to combat in space! 

I hope I didn't give away too much, but at the same time I hope I contaminated you with the bug of this highly intelligent and addictive series. It's far too overlooked. It deserves all the attention and respect. Enjoy!