The Expanse S04E02 'Jetsam' - FULL REACTION!

Flotsam: the wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on or washed up by the sea. You know how with these guys you can find different aspects in the episode you can tie in with the title. Bobbie could almost be considered flotsam as she has pretty much been thrown overboard by Mars. I suppose the whole planet(Ilus) or more likely the alien buildings could be considered flotsam as they are the wreckage of the proto molecule builders civilization. Nice to hear I'm not the only one that thinks Nemesis Games is the best book of the series.

The scenes on Ilus were filmed in a quarry two hours north of Toronto.

Christopher Alexander

There's a theory in the Fandom that the protomolecule acts non-locally both in space and time, and Miller's hallucinations of Julie were their meeting echoing back in time to where he was

Kirby Glover

The aspect ratio shift is because the story on Ilus is thematically a western (frontier colony, homesteading belters, asshole sheriff, run-down saloon, ...) so they are calling back to the classic spaghetti westerns with the filming style as well

Beanie callback from S1E1. They also called back to the mushrooms growing on the water pipes from Season 1 when Miller and Havelock are tracking down the water theft and that Ceres Power employee takes a bite out of that fungi growing in the shaft.

EmwunGarand

I chalked up the Roci crew looking different to any lifestyle changes that happened to the actors when they thought The Expanse was cancelled. Naomi's haircut is explained by that, at least.

IJA

That is a fun theory about Holden's cancer meds and exposure to radiation! (All of the following is pure theory on my part, I've listened to the first four books but probably missed a lot of details so I don't think they say anything about it? I could be wrong on that front, I still need to actually read the books.) I've also wondered if cancer/radiation had something to do with Miller seeing Julie soon after his own radiation exposure. I had chalked it down to the hallucinations of a dying man at the time, but after rewatching, I sometimes wondered if Holden and Miller became some sort of antennae that the protomolecule could reach out to and manipulate more easily.

IJA

My only minor criticism of this episode is that they should have introduced Arjun2 up front instead of having us wonder who he is until he introduced himself to Bobbie. It was more like a reveal which shouldn't have been the case. Wondering who he was sort of took me out of the show. When Chrisjen sat down across from him in the shuttle she could have called him by his name - mystery solved. As far as weight, etc., Naomi really toned up, but I understand Dom did an exercise routine to prep for those workout scenes. Perhaps the other actors did as well.

bwr

I'm guessing the episode title "Jetsam" refers to the bodies of the colonists spaced by the pirates who stole the ship the Sojourner.

Ok lol. The term is usually something like, "look at all that flotsam and jetsam," when cargo washes up on shore. A sailor/mariner term, for junk thrown overboard on purpose (jetsam), and junk that fell overboard (flotsam). I think the weight loss is due to the months spent getting there (and I agree with Kat, they are definitely, lots of protein thinner). I can only imagine a diet, even with the Epstein drive, across that distance. Again, fabulous reaction!

Patrick Sheridan

Honestly, I wasn't looking at their faces, but their bodies... or, I think Steven Strait lost a little weight in his face, but I could also see it on his body, where I was not able to see a difference in Naomi and Alex' faces. Kat

Sonny Mike Olsen

I don't know if they did it on purpose but people in space look fatter than on earth because fluids pool in the face due to lack of gravity.

Matt Bradley

The definition of Jetsam is, goods cast overboard deliberately, as to lighten a vessel or improve its stability in an emergency, which sink were jettisoned or are washed ashore, which would describe the crash-site that Amos and Murtry were examining.

Bryce Carlson

They were making illegal focus pills, the goo is a precursor to the final product. (book knowledge). They are those pills the cops and detectives take to help them interrogate people. It heightens perception and increases intelligence and is very very regulated.

Matt Bradley

They changed actors for Avarasala's husband which was the worst part of the season for me. I am 10 minutes into watching and not sure if they noticed but it was jarring for me.

Matt Bradley

I personally love your Mass Effect references because I see the same; however, I think it’s like what Sonny mentioned where both are pulling from similar Sci Fi vibes from the origins of Sci Fi itself. Great reaction

Andromeda Galaxy

Book 4 which the season is based on always kind of felt like a stand alone novel, so the pacing is a bit jarring. It's the least favorite book in the fandom on average, and yet the adaptation is actually very well done since they set up for the events of book in S5. Also the original actor for Arjun already had prior commitments for other projects while the show was in limbo for renewal, so they decided to recast the actor. Lastly the New Terra scenes were mostly shot in a quarry in Ontario/Canada to give it that eerie alien vibe.

Unbeheld

Couple of things, the aspect ratio is different on the planet because they used an anamorphic lens to give the planet a different, eerie vibe than the rest of space. The pace of this season is also very different as the book it follows was a rather big departure from the previous ones, and the ones after it. It's a big pivot in the story, sort of a new season 1, again setting the stage for what is to come. They pull some stuff from book 5 here too, and the set up is fantastic for what's to come there.

Kirby Glover