[Early Access] The Expanse - 1x7 Windmills - Group Reaction + Discussion

Yes they will be released 1 and 2 have been released i am working on the others this weekend. - Nahid

The Normies

OMG!! THank you for that awesome explanation of stuff!! this clears soo much up. This is truly an amazing show Great stuff for SyFy - Nahid

The Normies

Wow. This is a great show. I'm really enjoying how the three story lines are all circling around the central mystery and how decisions made in one story line impact and are interpreted in the others. Well done Syfy channel! I'm trying to watch along and resist jumping ahead of the schedule. Any chance additional full reactions will be released?

TRK2

Hey Guys, I'm continuing to enjoy these. It's really fun watching people who are relatively new to the whole Expanse thing trying to figure out who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, because one of the great things about this show is that it's not obvious. Apparently one of the rules in the Writers' Room for this show (one of the show runners said this) is that everybody has to have a reason and a justification for what they do. Nobody in this show is pure evil. Even the people who do really bad things believe they're doing them for good reasons. I love that about this show, because it makes everybody realistic. So you take someone like Anderson Dawes. He grew up poor and suffered a lot, as most Belters do, and because of that, he dreams of an independent belt with people paid a fair price for their work and for the ice and minerals they provide to the system. It's a worthy goal, and a good dream, and Dawes and the OPA are working to change the system, and also doing good things to take care of their people when they can. But Dawes is also a terrorist, and he and the people he leads commit a number of violent and criminal acts in the name of those worthy goals. He's also power hungry, tricky, and ruthless... but also has a lot of charisma. You can see why he's a leader, and somebody you'd want on your side. But you always have to keep an eye on him, because you can't trust him and a lot of what he says is not exactly the truth. In other words, he's just like you would expect a leader of such an organization to be. Fred Johnson is also an OPA leader, and you'll see as time goes on how he takes a different approach to stuff than Dawes does. About Basic Assistance: Earth is overpopulated and a lot of the work that needs to be done is done by automation. People from places like Mars think Earthers live cushy lives and have everything they need, but the reality is that there's a huge class divide (sound familiar?) -- the "elites" do live in relative comfort, but there is a substantial population living on Basic Assistance, which is a government program that basically feeds and clothes and houses them (but it doesn't give them money -- basic assistance provides the goods and services they need for a minimal existence, but it's not exactly living the dream). There's also an underclass of "off the grid" type people who don't register for "Basic" but live on the streets in tent cities and stuff and barter for things. Holden's family is a poly-amorous collective that have banded together to hold a bunch of land (their family farm) which they would otherwise have to turn over to the government. What they're doing is sort of on the edge of legality; one of them (Tom, who you saw briefly) is a lawyer (I think) who is constantly fighting the government in court for the right to stay there. James Holden is a genetic mix of all eight of his parents, which apparently is possible with the technology of the day. Finally: "Windmills," the title of the episode, has many meanings. Some of it you guys got, but one part you didn't relates to the antique book Chrisjen saw at their home. It was a copy of the Cervantes story Don Quixote, which is about a Spanish nobleman who basically loses his mind and imagines himself a knight ("Don Quixote de la Mancha") who sets out on a quest to right the wrongs of the world. At one point, he gets into a jousting match with some windmills, which he imagines to be evil giants. You may have heard the phrase "tilting at windmills," meaning foolishly fighting imaginary enemies -- that comes from Don Quixote, and that's the otherr meaning of the title of the episode. By the way, Rocinante, the name they give the ship, is also from Don Quixote -- it's the name of his horse. Lots of hidden meaning and subtext, right? It's pretty crazy. Hope some of that info helps you put all of this together a little. Oh, and just FYI, episode 8, next week, is where shit starts to get real. Can't wait to see you check it out! ETA: Damn, I got a little carried away there, didn't I? I do love this show, in case you can't tell. :) Hope that wasn't too boring. I'll try to keep it shorter in the future!

Tony Camas

6:16 Most people on Earth get 'Basic Assistance', they simply can't provide enough jobs for everyone anymore.

You guys should totally try to work "donkey balls" into everyday conversation as much as possible, like your own version of the cat game from Super Troopers. Meow.

You guys may want to make time to watch eps 9 & 10 together because they are basically one long episode. Hold on to your butts!

Tim Arnold

Another great reaction guys. Thanks Nahid for these. Not long now till the end of Season 1, can't wait to see what you guys think of things that are about to come. :D

Asadullah Khan