All roads lead to Eros.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
There is a certain sense of satisfaction by the conclusion of “Salvage” that I wasn’t really expecting. Sure, Holden and Miller finally meeting was going to be an exciting moment but it was so well executed, and coupled with Julie Mao’s stunning reveal, that it’s something that is going to stick in my memory for some time. This feels like the conclusion of the first chapter of a story that we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of and it’s already so very satisfying.
The Rocinante finally reaches its destination, an asteroid that appears to possess no features of note, until they spot what we learn is an abandoned stealth ship similar in design to the one that destroyed the Canterbury, and that’s not even the most interesting part. What Naomi and Holden discover inside the engine core appears to be some sort of lifeform, maybe parasitic in nature, that has latched itself onto what was the ship’s most powerful energy source and feeds off of it when active. This is by far a huge leap for the series’ narrative thus far, I’m not saying it’s aliens, it could be a genetically designed bio weapon by humans, but it sure did look of alien design. Up to this point the thought of anything alien playing a part on this show felt foreign since it seems so grounded in a solar system that is well explored. It’s a show that doesn’t feel like it would need anything extraterrestrial yet the thought of that extra layer potentially around the corner has me excited all the same. Of course, it could just be a virus with no real intelligence that feeds off energy.
Holden’s reaction to this discovery is just about perfect. There’s no bull from him or his crew, only the spy contests, when it comes to doing the right thing and destroying that stealth ship. There were a million reasons to destroy it and only one to keep it around.
Other than that, the Anubis had little else to reveal, save a safe that isn’t cracked by the end of the episode. That safe makes me a little nervous considering what they discovered on the stealth ship but at the same time it must have passed decontamination so I imagine it can’t be that bad. Maybe there will be a message from Julie Mao contained within. A parting gift for Miller, a man she never knew?
While the Rocinante makes its way to Eros after its encounter with Anubis, which everyone keeps mispronouncing, Miller is also making the same trip. I love his little chat with the Mormon. Anything to do with the mormons or the LDSS Nauvoo has been fantastic so far. It’s been small teases here and there but the fact that Fred Johnson is part of that project, a plan to build a generation ship, is going to play back into the plot at some point into the future.
Speaking of Fred Johnson, he discovers what was on that disc he took a couple of episodes back. It was apparently a complete layout of The Donnager’s final battle. He’s digging for something but whatever he finds that really piques his interest isn’t revealed to us this week. Seems like it may have something to do with the engines on the attack ships but I’m not sure right now. I will forgive this particular tease since so much is delivered in this episode.
Meanwhile on Earth, Chrisjen fights for Holden’s life but is quickly brushed off. The big news that hits has to do with the Martian Ambassador that she used to gain intel in “Remember the Cant”. Chrisjen is told that the ambassador has killed himself. Chrisjen looks crushed but her resolve to carry on with the meeting is unwavering, which is once again a demonstration of her commitment to seeing through the situation with Jim Holden. She doesn’t have much this week but I thought that little scene was a strong character building moment.
Everyone eventually finds themselves at the Blue Falcon, a rundown hotel on Eros. Miller’s group gets their first and the spy alerts the Tac team to prepare and strike. This is a fantastically laid out scene with plenty of close up shots and tense looks from the Rocinante crew as they start to get the sense that something might be going on. That’s especially true of Amos who looked like he pretty much figured out an ambush was happening when the first couple of people had walked in.
The shootout itself was also well executed but I never got the sense there was any real danger for the Canterbury survivors as I can’t see this group getting cut down by any more members, at least for now. Miller’s timely arrival was, well, it just felt right. After all these episodes, it’s a little strange to see Holden and Miller interacting and I already like how the two personalities seem to clash but their common goal pushes them forward. I am curious if they are going to have a big information sharing session over a friendly cup of coffee or if there will be a great big ball of animosity building between Miller and the Cant crew.
The discovery of Julie Mao, in what I imagine is either a gestation state or death, was beautifully shocking. That’s a great makeup job. It definitely looks like something horrible had happened to her but the whole thing also looks strangely beautiful as well. It’s a stunning sight and it was a perfectly satisfying conclusion to Miller’s journey up to this point as his quest and clear obsession with Julie Mao couldn’t have ended any other way.
“Salvage” was a satisfying end to what feels like the first Chapter of The Expanse story despite the fact that we still have two episodes left. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess but that biological weapon/alien virus is the next big mystery.
