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Tag: The Expanse

Watchable Dec. 6 to 12, 2021

SHOW OF THE WEEK: The Expanse (Dec. 10, Amazon Prime Video)

From left, Wes Chatham, Steven Strait and Dominique Tipper in “The Expanse” with Nadine Nicole
and Frankie Adams in the background. PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Amazon Studios

If you’re going to go out, might as well be with a bang than a whimper, which is how “The Expanse” does it in its supposed final season.

There’s been speculation the sci-fi drama could go on were it to find yet another host network — it was rescued by Amazon after Syfy’s cancellation at the end of its third season — but if this six-episode Season 6 is all viewers get, it’s acquitted itself well.

As it begins, we’re dropped into the middle of the war between the Free Navy — the renegade group of Belters led by Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander, rocking a serious man bun) — Earth and Mars.

Earth has found a way to destroy the asteroids with which Inaros has been bombarding the planet, killing millions, but at the expense of keeping its ships pinned down and unable to pursue Marcos.

I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that situation won’t last and that when the fight comes, the Rocinante is at the heart of it.

Dedicated fans will be gratified to see Holden (Steven Strait), Naomi (Dominique Tipper) and Amos (Wes Chatham) reunited aboard the Roci.

Though Alex is gone — killed off at the end of Season 5 after actor Cas Anvar was accused of sexual misconduct — he’s not forgotten, with his crew mates making it clear that he’s missed.

And that’s kind of important because without the bonds between these characters, “The Expanse” wouldn’t be the show that it is, one that its fans love so passionately they refused to let it die back in 2018.

It’s also a strength of this season that time is taken amid the action to check in with the characters and their relationships. Part of that involves grappling with the guilt they carry, whether it’s Naomi’s over the son she chose to leave with the Free Navy or Clarissa Mao’s (Nadine Nicole) over the many deaths she’s caused.

It’s a point worth making that violence has a spiritual and psychological as well as a physical cost.

“The Expanse” continues to give ample attention and agency to its female characters, not only Naomi and Clarissa but Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams), Camina Drummer (Cara Gee) and the indomitable Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo).

The downside is that, with just six episodes, plot developments really speed along, especially in the finale. There are also some loose ends, including an arc on the planet Laconia that gets a fair bit of attention but not a conclusion, as well as a key character we see abandoning the final battle and flying off solo to parts unknown.

But that’s also good news if “The Expanse” does get more seasons since it provides some built-in starting points. If this is all we get, though, it leaves viewers and the characters they’ve cared so deeply about in a good place.

Short Takes

Olivia Colman as Susan Edwards in “Landscapers” PHOTO CREDIT: Stefania Rosini/HBO

Landscapers (Dec. 6, 9 p.m., HBO/Crave)

One question nags at you when you begin to watch this miniseries: how could the innocuous-looking, somewhat dotty couple it portrays have murdered her parents, buried them in the backyard, and lived off their pensions and other money for 15 years? I only had time to screen one of the four episodes of “Landscapers,” but I presume that becomes clearer in the other three. Olivia Colman (“Broadchurch,” “The Crown”) and David Thewlis (“Harry Potter,” “Fargo”) play Susan and Christopher Edwards, a real-life British couple serving life sentences for the murders of  William and Patricia Wycherley in 1998. This isn’t the kind of crime procedural we’re used to seeing. It blends scenes of the Edwards, broke and living in France as the series opens, and of the Nottingham detectives who are on their trail with fantasy sequences involving actor Gary Cooper, with whom Susan is obsessed, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the miniseries production. In real life, the couple spent most of the money they stole from her parents on memorabilia of Cooper and other Hollywood stars. As played by Colman, Susan seems to have a tenuous grasp on reality but an unshakeable bond with devoted husband Christopher, which makes this a love story as well as a crime one.

Actor Will Smith observes swimming sea cucumber from a sub deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
PHOTO CREDIT: National Geographic for Disney Plus

Welcome to Earth (Dec. 8, Disney Plus)

There is a whole subgenre of TV shows about the wonders of the planet, but this one has something the rest don’t have: charismatic actor Will Smith as a guide. Smith, who’s got to be one of the most popular actors in the world, joins explorers on a tour of what Disney calls “some of the most thrilling spectacles on the planet.” In the first episode, which I screened, that involves climbing into a tiny submarine and plunging more than 3,000 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean — marine biologist Diva Amon says fewer people have been to the bottom of the ocean than have gone into space. Smith gets to see wondrous bioluminescent creatures as the sub hovers a few inches above the sea bed. And yes, it would be terrifying to know the only thing protecting you from death at the bottom of the ocean is about six inches of plastic. The episode breaks off from Smith’s adventure to profile other wonders that can only be seen in the dark, including a moonbow over the Iquazu Falls in Brazil. But as fascinating as those other sights are, I suspect viewers will be most engaged when Smith is onscreen. The show doesn’t have an overt environmental message, at least not in the episode I saw, but it’s impossible to watch this sort of program and not think of the threat to the Earth and everything on it posed by climate change.

Odds and Ends

Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis in “And Just Like That. . .”
PHOTO CREDIT: HBO Max via Bell Media

I’m not gonna lie, “And Just Like That. . .” (Dec. 9, Crave) is the show I’m most curious about this week. As a devoted “Sex and the City” viewer I want to know if this sequel measures up, especially with the absence of Kim Cattrall. I didn’t get an advance look, however, so I’ll just have to wait and see.

Crave also has the premiere of “1 Queen 5 Queers” (Dec. 9), which stars “Canada’s Drag Race” judge Brooke Lynn Hytes, leading panel discussions on sex, relationships, pop culture and other issues of interest to the LGBTQ community.

Global TV has a sneak peek episode of “Abbott Elementary” (Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.), an ABC mockumentary comedy about teachers in a Philadelphia grade school.

YouTube has the third instalment of “Bear Witness, Take Action” (Dec. 6, 7, 8), a series of short films made from the perspective of Black creators and hosted by Common and Keke Palmer.

Netflix’s offerings include the animation-live action hybrid comedy “Saturday Morning All Star Hits” (Dec. 10) starring Kyle Mooney of “Saturday Night Live” in a parody of 1980s and ’90s Saturday morning TV; “Voir” (Dec. 6), a series of visual essays celebrating cinema; the reality series “Twentysomethings: Austin” (Dec. 10); the comedy special “Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)” (Dec. 6) and a whack of other stuff.

If you like fish-out-of-water and/or redemption comedies, Acorn has the series “Under the Vines” (Dec. 6), in which a man bequeaths a failing New Zealand vineyard to his stepdaughter, a broke Australian socialite (Rebecca Gibney), and his nephew, a disgraced British lawyer (Charles Edwards, “The Crown”). Naturally, they make the illogical decision to give it a go.

NOTE: The listings here are in Eastern Standard Time and I’ve verified the times where possible, but it’s always best to check listings for your own area. The selection of programs reviewed reflects what I’m given access to by networks and streamers, whether reviews are embargoed, how many shows I have time to watch and my own personal taste. The Odds and Ends section includes some shows that I have not watched.

Watchable the week of December 14, 2020

SHOW OF THE WEEK: The Expanse (Dec. 16, Amazon Prime Video)

Naomi (Dominique Tipper) is determined to make contact with her son Filip
in Season 5 of “The Expanse.” PHOTO CREDIT: Amazon Studios

In a sense, there’s no better time for “The Expanse” to return for its fifth and penultimate season than right now, during a pandemic, when many people are locked down and have time on their hands. 

That’s because each episode of the sci-fi series is so densely packed with plot and character dynamics that it demands your full attention. 

It’s also not a good show to come into cold, so if you’re not up on past seasons I’d respectfully suggest a binge watch before you tune into Season 5, which begins with a three-episode drop on Dec. 16 with weekly episodes thereafter.

Once you dig in, it’s easy to see why fans are so passionate about the series that they launched a vociferous campaign to save it in 2018 after its cancellation by Syfy. Amazon came through with a fourth, fifth and, next year, a final sixth season.

In the meantime, everyone’s favourite Earthers, Martians and Belters have plenty to contend with a couple of hundred years into the future.

Besides the fact that the characters are still grappling with the potential dangers posed by the protomolecule and the Ring Gates, there are personal crises to address, especially for Naomi (Dominique Tipper), who’s determined to reunite with her son Filip (Jasai Chase Owens) and try to save him from his terrorist father Marco (Keon Alexander).

Bobbie (Frankie Adams) is on the trail of a conspiracy involving the sale of black market Martian weapons; Monica (Anna Hopkins) has intel that someone is trying to obtain what’s left of the protomolecule; Amos (Wes Chatham) has unfinished business on Earth; and then there are the asteroids that Marco has disguised with stealth technology and set on a collision course with Earth.

Holden (Steven Strait), Alex (Cas Anvar), Fred (Chad L. Coleman), Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and Drummer (Cara Gee) are all back too, along with a few new characters.

So yes, there’s a lot to absorb, but what else do you have to do?

Borealis (Dec. 15, 9 p.m., TVO)

A scene from the documentary “Borealis.” PHOTO CREDIT: Primitive Entertainment/NFB

You could call this documentary a biopic, where bio stands for biology. It documents in beautiful, lyrical, even spiritual form the life of Canada’s boreal forest, a life story that’s still being written.

In particular, it focuses on the trees in the boreal forests of Ontario, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, the amazingly complex relationships they have with their environment and what one observer calls the forest’s “eternal ability to replicate itself.”

That ability is under threat thanks to human activity and climate change. The fires that in the natural scheme of things are a means of renewal are becoming more frequent and burning longer; permafrost is melting as temperatures climb, and repeated droughts leave trees unable to defend themselves against predators like mountain pine beetles. 

“The forests were best when we left them alone,” says one of the doc’s mostly unseen expert voices.

The film — directed by Kevin McMahon (“Waterlife”) — ends on a hopeful note, with the planting of new trees and the suggestion that humans, with all their cleverness, will imagine a new way to interact with the forest.

“We can’t live without forests,” says another voice. “We won’t be able to breathe.”

And yet this doc, in its beauty, provides a chance to take a breath and to reflect.

Total Control (Dec. 17, Sundance Now)

Rachel Griffiths as Prime Minister Rachel Anderson and Deborah Mailman
as Alex Irving in “Total Control.” PHOTO CREDIT: Sundance Now

It’s nice, from time to time, to get a window into cultures outside our North American norm.

This political drama divides its time between Australian capital Canberra and the outback of Queensland, and between white and Aboriginal points of view.

The series was co-created by Oscar nominee and Australian native Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”), who stars as Prime Minister Rachel Anderson. But the key role is played by Aboriginal actor Deborah Mailman as Indigenous senator Alex Irving. 

After Alex becomes a national hero for confronting a gunman who was about to kill his estranged wife, she is recruited by the PM as a means of shoring up falling poll numbers with an election just around the corner. Alex reluctantly takes the post as a means of helping her fellow Aborigines get a fairer deal from the federal government but must walk a fine line between being a political team player and not seeming like a sellout to her people.

Rachel appears to support Alex’s goals, but other more conservative members of the party are less enthusiastic.

Intertwined with Alex’s story is a plot about a young Aboriginal woman who dies in jail and a fellow inmate with a video that implicates the guards and the prison system as a whole.

If you’ve watched Australian detective series “Mystery Road” on Acorn TV (and if you haven’t, it’s worth checking out), you’ll recognize a few faces here, including Mailman’s and “Mystery” lead Aaron Pedersen’s. 

Odds and Ends

Avraham Aviv Alush and Shahar Tavoch in “Valley of Tears.” PHOTO CREDIT: Hollywood Suite

Pay movie channel Hollywood Suite is showcasing a drama series during its free preview, the Israeli-made “Valley of Tears” (Dec. 19, 9 p.m.). Reportedly the most expensive show ever made in Israel, “Tears” takes place during the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Egyptian and Syrian forces attacked in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, aiming to recapture territory lost to Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. We see several days of battles through the eyes of characters such as Avinoam (Shahar Tavoch), a wiretapper who is mocked and ignored when he tries to convince his commanding officer Yoav (Avraham Aviv Alush) that the Syrians are about to attack; several members of the Black Panthers protest group (the Israeli one, not the American one) who also belong to Israeli tank crews; and sidelined female officer Dafna (Joy Rieger).

A new adaptation of the Stephen King novel “The Stand” debuts on the CBS All Access streaming service on Dec. 17. I haven’t heard yet whether it will also be available on a Canadian network or streamer down the road. It stars James Marsden (“Westworld”), Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard, Owen Teague (“It”), Odessa Young, Amber Heard, Greg Kinnear and more.

If you appreciate the artistry and athleticism of ballet, “On Pointe” (Dec. 18, Disney Plus) is a docuseries that follows students at the famed School of American Ballet in New York City, and its production team includes heavy hitters Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Then there’s the Netflix drama “Tiny Pretty Things” (Dec. 14), which unfortunately got left off my screener list, but you probably already know it’s about a young dancer (Kylie Jefferson) who joins an elite ballet school in Chicago after another dancer is murdered. The cast is loaded with Canadians, including Brennan Clost, Jess Salgueiro, Paula Boudreau, Morgan Kelly and John Ralston, plus American-Canadian Lauren Holly.

Speaking of Canadians, CTV is airing a special, “Celebrating Greatness”(Dec. 18, 8 p.m.), that features highlights from 20 years of Canada’s Walk of Fame inductions plus interviews and archival footage from Canadians you’re sure to have heard of, including Shawn Mendes, Drake, The Weeknd and Alessia Cara.

If you haven’t burned yourself out on holiday rom-coms yet, Amazon Prime Video has “Palm Springs” (Dec. 18), which is actually a summer rom-com and a Sundance Film Festival hit that we’re just getting in Canada now. It stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti.

Speaking of holiday viewing, there’s lots to see this week. CBC has “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (Dec. 14, 8 p.m.); “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (Dec. 19, 6:30 p.m.); “The Great Northern Candy Drop” (Dec. 19, 7 p.m.); “Shrek the Halls” (Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m.); “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (Dec. 20, 7 p.m.); and “Home Alone” (Dec. 20, 8 p.m.). CTV Drama Channel has made-in-Canada, same-sex rom-com “The Christmas Setup” (Dec. 18, 8 p.m.) while CTV Comedy Channel has a Christmas episode of “Corner Gas Animated” (Dec. 14, 9 p.m.).

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