The Expanse Season 6 (2022) TV Series Review — Disappointing, But An End At-least
The Expanse was one of my favourite ongoing series for several years when I found out about it (from a friend). It was around the time of Season 2 when Game of Thrones was another one of my favourite ongoing series — it was actually great back then. I’d often try to recommend The Expanse to people by saying that it’s like GOT but in space. I distinctly remember the awe-inspiring Season 3 and the sadness of its cancellation at the hands of Scyfy; I jumped in on the #SaveTheExpanse train, signed petitions, and shared them wherever I could. I also distinctly remember the elation of learning that Amazon picked this beloved series up and we will be getting several more seasons. All of us fans were brimming with hope that with Amazon’s deep pockets, there is limitless potential for the future of the series, especially considering where Season 3 left off.
For a while, it seemed like our wishes were coming true. Season 4 was a solid addition to the series and Season 5 had some of the strongest high points in the entire show (despite having some low points too). Unfortunately, we were naive to think that under Amazon and all the wealth that mega-corporation has under it, we would be getting a complete adaptation of the books till the end; businesses don’t work that way. While Jeff Bezos publicly showed his love for space and stories like The Expanse, the reality was that he was looking for a GOT level hit and this series was not doing it. The numbers were not only low, but they were also low enough that it just wasn’t enough to justify the production (the studio Alcon Digital were creating it), despite the critical acclaim and loyal fanbase. So, not long after, it was announced — much to my and other fans' dismay — that The Expanse would be ending after Season 6 and the final season would be cut short, partly due to the pandemic.
So here I am, penning (or typing) my thoughts about the final outing from the once amazing sci-fi series. It was a long preamble but perhaps I just didn’t want to get to the actual season I’m writing about because of the disappointment. Also, I don’t really have a lot to say.
Season 6 continues the Marco Inaros arc from Season 5 and concludes it but due to only 6 episodes, which I can’t fault Alcon Digital and the cast and crew for it, it was rushed a lot. The arc itself was waning my interest already, so this didn’t help. What made things worse was that the season was setting up things that we are probably never going to see regarding the protomolecule/the builders' arc. That was one of the reasons I fell in love with the series in the first place. Not getting anything satisfactory from that end was saddening and a part of me wishes that maybe if the series wasn’t picked up after Season 3, that amazing ending could have served as a better stopping point in retrospect.
But since that didn’t happen and we did get a few more seasons, I was still glad that at least we did get an ending instead of straight-up cancellation. It was a positive one leaving the viewers on a happier note despite some strong plot armours for characters who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten it in previous seasons. The cast delivered solid performances from Steven Strait to Shohreh Aghdashloo and everyone in between. The characters they portrayed would stay with me for a long long time because of their passion and, for the most part, the strong writing backing them. I will surely miss the Rocinante and its crew.
In terms of the audiovisual experience, the series has been kicking it out of the park from the get-go and this Season was no exception. Whether it’s the space-faring scenes, interior sets, or landscape ones regardless of dialogue section or action, The Expanse Season 6 did a great job with it. The beautiful soundtrack returned again and I will surely be missing it, especially the title theme/main theme.
Overall, I wish it wasn’t the case that a series I once loved so much was cut short yet again. I wish we could have gotten 10–13 episodes of Season 6 and then brace ourselves for the next leg of the story. Wishes seldom come true, though. While I can’t fault the production team for this outcome, and I applaud them for executing the final season within the confines of 6 episodes, I didn’t like it. It wasn’t awful either and had some satisfaction as opposed to not getting anything at all. It is what it is and I guess it’s time I finally start collecting all the books and then make time for the long read. And if I were to rate it, I’d rate the final season a 6/10.
For reference, this is how I’d rate the previous Seasons:
Season 1: 8.5/10
Season 2: 9/10
Season 3: 10/10
Season 4: 9/10
Season 5: 7.5/10
