Screaming Firehawks, The Expanse returns soon, which means it’s time to revisit Season Five! So much transpired for our Earthers, Belters and Martians. These significant events shape the trajectory of the final season, like Miller steering Eros away from Earth and crashing it into Venus. Too soon?
Without further ado, let’s dive into what happened in Season Five of The Expanse, episode-by-episode.
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“Exodus” (S05E01)
Filip (Jasai Chase Owens), Naomi’s (Dominique Tipper) son with Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander), makes waves by boarding a science ship outside Venus to steal their files on the asteroids. Marco sent asteroids hurtling toward Earth in Season Four, cloaked with Martian stealth technology.
Fred Johnson (Chad L. Coleman) informs Naomi that he knows where Filip is while Holden (Steven Strait) reunites unexpectedly (at least for him) with Monica Stuart (Anna Hopkins) on Tycho. She wants to know if she can have a sample of the protomolecule, but Holden denies its continued existence.
Amos (Wes Chatham) rides aboard a Belter ferry bound for Luna, and he gets in a scuffle with some crewmen because he “is that guy.” Bobbie (Frankie Adams) conducts black market dealings on Mars, supported by Avasarala’s (Shohreh Aghdashloo) monetary resources. Bobbie plans to sell coveted, planet-destroying missiles at an exorbitant price.
Alex (Cas Anvar) flies the Screaming Firehawk to Mars, and we bear witness to more familial drama and tensions between him and his wife. After a sour reunion with his wife, Alex meets with Bobbie, ending on a dour note.
Naomi tells Holden she’s leaving to track down her son, and Holden, rightfully, supports her.
Amos arrives on Luna, wherein Avasarala ushers him into her office. She asks him why he’s going to Earth — Baltimore, to be exact. He discloses he’s going to organize the affairs of a childhood friend who passed away.
Then, Avasarala learns that a Belter ship might be responsible for the science ship’s disappearance near Venus, and she watches Marco give a rousing speech to his fellow Belters. We see there are only 12 days until Marco’s projectiles strike Earth.
“Churn” (S05E02)
We meet Drummer (Cara Gee) and her “Polyam Belter Fam” while the former berates some pirates as they attempt to raid a stranded vessel. Drummer inches closer to finding Klaes Ashford’s ship, the Tynan.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Amos meets Charles, the companion of his late friend, Lydia. We see that Charles packs his belongings while chatting with Amos, a.k.a. Timothy. According to Charles, Lydia’s mob friend, Erich, owns the apartment, hence why he’s packing. But not to worry; Amos-Timothy is on the case!
Holden receives a message from Monica about someone else having the protomolecule. When he shows up at her place, he notices she’s missing; the apartment sits in disarray, blood smears the walls and Monica’s phone is on her bed. Holden reports the kidnapping to Johnson.
Bobbie shows Alex her storage facility that’s chock full of black-market purchases funded by Avasarala. She believes some Martians sell Martian weaponry to Belters, a.k.a. Marco Inaros. Bobbie also thinks Admiral Sauveterre might be involved in the whole thing.
Monica hangs upside down in a shipping container, but she’s alive. Alex sits in on Admiral Sauveterre’s (Tim DeKay) lecture and asks the latter if he’d like to have coffee. Despite the admiral’s rejection, Lt. Babbage (Lara Jean Chorostecki) accepts Alex’s offer.
Amos visits Erich (Jacob Mundell), who essentially runs Baltimore now. While Holden, Johnson and Bull (José Zúñiga) search for Monica, we see her attempting to wriggle free in the shipping container on Tycho. Unfortunately, she punctures a hole in the door, and it’s only a matter of time before she loses oxygen.
Erich vows to let Charles stay in his apartment. But if he sees Amos in Baltimore again, it’s over!
Holden, Johnson and Bull find Monica right as she teeters on the precipice of life and death. Holden injects oxygenated blood into her veins and frees her.
We get some intermittent flashbacks featuring young Timothy and Lydia as the boy gets his first taste of violence. This outing provides backstory aplenty for Amos, and it’s lovely. He calls Avasarala to get her help in arranging a meeting with someone.
“Mother” (S05E03)
Avasarala recruits Admiral Delgado (Michael Irby) to her team, believing Marco plans to strike Earth soon. She asks Delgado to see about restocking the watchtowers to keep an eye out for danger.
Drummer sleeps with her Polyam Belter Fam and, upon waking, she learns the Tynan is close. The crew boards it and swipe some necessities, but Drummer fails to find Ashford’s backup files.
Monica, while in recovery, reveals footage from an attack on Ceres involving Cortázar. Monica struggles to piece together details about her assailants, so Johnson urges Holden and Bull to search Tycho since these attackers are still at large.
Naomi pulls into Pallas Station, where she reunites with Cyn (Brent Sexton) and Karal (Olunike Adeliyi). According to Karal, Filip wants nothing to do with Naomi, so there’s that.
Alex and Lt. Babbage have their coffee date, and the latter wants to know all about Ilus. She evades Alex’s questions about her and Sauveterre. After finding a device containing Ashford’s last words before Marco spaced him, Drummer informs her crew they’re pursuing Marco themselves.
They could capture him and split the significant bounty on his head.
We learn that the owners of that shipping container are dead, so something shady is afoot. Alex and Babbage share a goodnight smooch, wherein he discovers Babbage plans to leave on a “routine supply run” in the morning. Alex gets jumped by two strangers in his apartment, and they inject him with a sedative.
Thankfully, Bobbie knocks the intruders unconscious like the badass she is. Drummer decides to send Ashford’s audio files to Johnson.
Naomi and Filip finally reunite, and, as expected, Marco brainwashed the crap out of his son. At the same time, Johnson receives the files from Drummer, the group hatch a plan to ambush the Zmeya when it pulls into Tycho. That’s the ship that was supposed to whisk Monica away.
Filip, Cyn and Karal knock Naomi unconscious and commandeer her ship because that’s what sons do. Avasarala receives Ashford’s files courtesy of Johnson — just as Delgado was losing faith in their mission.
Finally, Marco’s asteroid strikes Earth, decimating a beach with one lone man on it.
“Guagamela” (S05E04)
Bobbie and Alex take the Screaming Firehawk and trail Babbage’s seemingly innocuous supply run. They receive a UN alert about the asteroid striking Earth. Amos waltzes into a UN Penitentiary to visit Clarissa Mao, a.k.a. “Peaches.” He finds Clarissa (Nadine Nicole) in her cell, hopped up on blockers that inhibit her body mods.
Suddenly, the prison goes into lockdown due to the asteroid attack, so Amos stays put. Avasarala attempts to contact Secretary-General Gao (Lily Gao), but the latter avoids her calls. Sec-Gen Gao sits aboard a plane after a conference in Asia.
However, Avasarala gets through and urges Gao to implement the watchtowers in case more asteroids speed toward Earth. Unfortunately, the blast from an asteroid knocks Gao’s plane out of the sky. RIP Sec-Gen Gao.
On Tycho, Sakai (Bahia Watson), one of the Belters working for Johnson, shoots Johnson and flees. Johnson bleeds out, but before dying, he tells Holden his protomolecule sample resides in his quarters. RIP Fred Johnson.
While Monica searches for Johnson’s protomolecule sample, a crimson spider-like machine lurches toward her, on the hunt for the protomolecule too. Sakai’s fellow Belters involved in the Tycho coup escape the station, and Monica subdues her. Holden tells Sakai she will help them track down the protomolecule sample.
Avasarala reels from the attacks against Earth, so she joins Delgado at the premier bar on Luna. They observe while the watchtowers catch and destroy an asteroid before impact.
Filip holds Naomi captive aboard her ship while they’re en route to Marco. The long-awaited reunion occurs, and Marco believes Filip lacks a “mother’s love,” so Naomi will remain a prisoner.
Marco takes responsibility for the attacks on Earth and Mars via a broadcast.
He claims everything beyond Earth and Mars, including the Sol gate and ring worlds, in the name of the Belt. Oh, and Marco has the last protomolecule sample, no thanks to Sakai and her Belter pals.
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“Down and Out” (S05E05)
Amos and Clarissa wake up after the explosion while the prison continues to collapse. A guard helps Amos and Clarissa escape, and they encounter two other guards. After finding the stairwell chock full of debris, they enlist the aid of an inmate with uninhibited mods to open the elevator doors.
Holden leaves Naomi a message, but he fails to get through to Amos and Alex. Bull and Holden interrogate Sakai, who remains mum regarding her Tycho coup d’état. Holden and Bull assemble a team to pursue the Zmeya.
Amos spots a panel that might conceal something helpful, and we see there’s a ladder lurking behind it. One guard shoots holes to act as finger hooks, and the group ascends the ladder.
Bobbie and Alex follow the Barkeith, Babbage’s ship, behind a cluster of asteroids called the Hungaria Group.
Meanwhile, there’s drama aboard Daddy Marco’s ship. Marco tells Filip it’s acceptable to harbor hatred toward Naomi, while Naomi chastises Cyn for not having a tighter grip on Filip, for letting Marco influence the boy too much.
Naomi conceals a knife and tries to stab Marco on the bridge, but Filip senses she’s about to do something bold, so he escorts her to her quarters.
After two guards and the inmate, Tiny, meet their collective demise, Amos and Clarissa embark on a journey to, well, somewhere. Naomi surreptitiously contacts Holden and warns him that Marco sabotaged the Roci‘s reactors. Holden shows Bull the message, and they decide to stay put. Naomi also informs Holden that Marco holds her captive.
The Barkeith meets with Belter buyers, and two Martian frigates remain behind after striking a deal.
Bobbie and Alex attempt to flee, but the Barkeith blocks their signal. Desperate, Alex does an emergency core dump, and we see the Screaming Firehawk spin out into space, signals jammed and wholly alone.
“Tribes” (S05E06)
Avasarala sits in her office, crying because her husband Arjun hasn’t responded to her. David Paster (Sugith Varughese), the new Secretary-General (formerly in the transportation department on Earth’s Parliament), reveals he wants Avasarala on his provisional cabinet.
Amos tells Clarissa they should make their way to Baltimore, purposely avoiding any UN bases they encounter along the way. Clarissa is a fugitive, after all.
After the reactors situation levels out, Holden and Bull pursue the Zmeya. Monica asserts she’s joining the team, and Holden receives Naomi’s new and equally daunting message.
Bobbie and Alex float aimlessly in space, and, unfortunately, another ship tries to take advantage of them. However, Bobbie kills the crew, and Alex swipes what they need to get the Screaming Firehawk running again.
Meanwhile, Amos and Clarissa wander through the snow-covered woods find a lone house, wherein a survivalist dwells. Marco invites Drummer to board his ship to discuss a potential allyship as the former rallies Belter factions to his cause. He extends his hand in partnership and urges Drummer and her Polyam Belter Fam to ponder his offer.
Clarissa kills the survivalist with lightning speed, engaging her mods. After the incident, Amos, covered in blood, carries an unconscious Clarissa into the house.
Drummer agrees to Marco’s offer, and the pair exchange “tributes” to solidify their deal. Drummer sends Serge Kylo (Wilex Ly) over to Marco’s side while Marco gives her Karal.
Later, Filip strikes a conversation with Naomi about Ilus and working on the Behemoth, among other things. Marco watches them.
After Carlissa wakes up post-Hulking out, she engages in a painfully honest discussion with Amos about her past. Amos decides it’s time to reunite with the Roci crew.
“Oyedeng” (S05E07)
Naomi dreams of happier times with Marco and baby Filip. Present-day Marco asks Filip if he can utilize the latter’s ship, the Chetzemoka, for Free Navy purposes.
Holden has his sights set on the Zymeka, but he also wants to save Naomi. While debating where priorities should land, Holden receives a message from Alex stating that he’s traveling to Tycho.
Naomi and Filip share an emotional moment wherein she reveals why she abandoned her son. Holden asks Bobbie and Alex to watch Marco’s fleet to ensure Naomi’s safety.
Marco learns that the Roci gains ground on the Zmeya, and Holden orders the latter ship to switch off their reactors and prepare for boarding. Holden hopes to glean Naomi’s whereabouts and steal the protomolecule sample.
Suddenly, after Holden fires on it, the Zmeya explodes. Filip requests command of a ship of his own, but, in true Marco fashion, the Commander of the Free Navy gaslights his son.
Marco summons Naomi back to the bridge, revealing she’s free to leave after watching Filip destroy the Roci. The plan is to lure the Roci toward the Chetzemoka, then fire at will. Cyn finds Naomi standing near the airlock, as she did once several years ago.
Cyn urges Naomi not to jump. Naomi soars out of the airlock with a syringe in her hand, and, unfortunately, Cyn dies from exposure to space. Naomi flies toward the Chetzemoka, blood pooling in her eyes. When she finally makes it inside the ship, she stabs herself with the syringe, reversing the effects of space on her skin.
“Hard Vacuum” (S05E08)
Amos and Clarissa race through the countryside on bikes while the latter’s mod blockers finally wane. While Amos and Clarissa encounter a pile of corpses — devastating collateral damage of Marco’s asteroid strike — Marco and Filip stand over Cyn’s lifeless body.
Naomi struggles to stay conscious aboard the Chetzemoka as she fights back against the effects of the hard vacuum of space. Naomi hears a noise emitting from a VAC suit — it’s an active distress signal transmitting to Holden, and it’s in her voice.
Holden surveys the wreckage of the Zmeya, hellbent on finding Naomi. Amos and Clarissa arrive in Baltimore, and Erich’s none too happy to see his best pal Timothy encroaching on his turf. Clarissa reveals an island off the coast of New Hampshire called Winnipesaukee, wherein loads of elites reside. Each home comes with a ship, which means everyone gets a ride into space.
Realizing there’s nothing left for him in Baltimore, Erich joins Amos and Clarissa on their road trip.
Secretary-General Paster holds a council meeting, and he asks after Marco’s whereabouts. Delgado broaches the idea of bombing Pallas Station, but Avasarala refuses wholeheartedly to stoop that low, especially when innocent lives linger on the line.
Naomi tries to create a radio to send a message on the Chetzemoka. After some tinkering, she records it, warning all ships not to heed that former distress signal and to steer clear of the Chetzemoka. Alex receives the fake distress signal from Naomi, and he sends it to Holden.
Alex tells Naomi the Screaming Firehawk is on the way to her dismay. This response means her new message didn’t transmit, so Naomi finds ways to disable the old distress signal. Karal tells Drummer and her crew that they’re bound for Ceres Station. Drummer hears the fake distress call from “Naomi,” and Karal tells her that Naomi threw herself out of the airlock. Drummer refuses to believe her friend is dead.
Karal and Oksana (Sandrine Holt) hear the decoy message coming through in fragments, meaning Naomi might be alive and on the Chetzemoka.
“Winnipesaukee” (S05E09)
Marco learns from Karal that Naomi’s alive, and we see Naomi fighting for her life aboard the Chetzemoka. Amos, Clarissa, Erich and their crew arrive at Winnipesaukee, and they infiltrate one mansion therein. They learn that nobody has flown the ship inside in two years. Amos works to fix the vessel’s issues.
While on Luna, Avasarala learns that Pallas Station suffered an attack without her knowledge. During a council meeting, Avasarala reveals her discontent regarding Pallas’s bombing. She acknowledges, out loud, that her husband, Arjun, died because of Marco’s attacks. Sec-Gen Paster offers his condolences, but he believes pragmatism will see them through. Delgado suggests they attack Ceres next.
That’s when Avasarala resigns from her post, along with several council members. On Winnipesaukee, Amos, Clarissa and Erich meet a group of travelers hoping to find refuge with them, and Clarissa encourages the group to return later when they leave for Luna.
One of the council members approaches Avasarala, suggesting they stage a coup to remove Sec-Gen Paster effectively. Then, Avasarala would ascend to the role. Avasarala asks Delgado to join her cabinet, but he wants to transfer to a strike team near the Belt to kill Marco himself.
A bevy of security officers call Amos outside and demand he hand over whatever provisions he has, along with the helicopter. Tensions mount, but Clarissa refuses to resort to bloodshed.
Later, snipers fire at our crew, and Clarissa ushers the newcomers onto the ship bound for Luna, which works again. Amos, Erich and the rest retaliate, but some snipers sneak into the hangar. In the end, everyone makes it inside the ship, even though Hutch (Amanda Cordner), Erich’s lieutenant, suffers wounds. Clarissa flies them to Luna.
Marco informs Filip that Naomi survived her spacewalk, so she abandoned him again. Naomi pries apart the helmet she used to send the new signal, thrilled that the screen works. She spots the approaching Screaming Firehawk, but not the Roci.
“Nemesis Games” (S05E10)
While en route to the Chetzemoka, the Roci encounters several MCRN/Belter ships obstructing its path, including Drummer and her crew. Bull believes they should return to Tycho, but Holden wants to do what he can to save Naomi.
Meanwhile, Drummer and her Polyam Belter Fam prepare to destroy the Roci per Marco’s orders. Holden urges Bobbie and Alex to forge ahead on their path to Naomi, and he’ll stave off the Free Navy for as long as he can.
Naomi alters the Chetzemoka‘s course after several attempts, and Bobbie and Alex note the change in direction. Bobbie muses whether the Chetzemoka might be spinning, but Alex still wants to dock with the ship, despite the dangers presented.
Drummer brandishes a gun at Karal and programs the Free Navy’s torpedoes to fire on the cluster of ships instead of the Roci. Bertold (Stephen Tracey) seizes Drummer, who drops her gun during a skirmish. Karal quickly retrieves it, but before she can open fire, Michio (Vanessa Smythe) smacks her over the head with what appears to be a fire extinguisher. Karal cracks her skull on a railing while she falls and dies.
The Roci fires on the Martian/Belter forces while Drummer follows suit. After explosions aplenty, Drummer gives Holden the go-ahead to move freely.
Naomi dons a suit and jumps out of the Chetzemoka, hoping Alex spots her. Unfortunately, she’s bereft of proper oxygen, so time is of the essence. Alex pulls the Screaming Firehawk near the Chetzemoka, but Naomi utilizes Belter sign language to inform Alex that her comms are down and the ship is a ticking time bomb.
Naomi starts to lose consciousness; however, Bobbie soon arrives. Bobbie reports to Alex that Naomi suffers from dehydration, hypoxia and radiation burns, but Alex fails to respond. Finally, he says, “That was one hell of a ride,” and Alex dies from a stroke brought on by the hard burn.
Marco prepares for war, ushering Serge Kylo, Drummer’s tribute, to him. With nothing but radio silence from Karal and the ease with which Holden slipped past his ships, Marco gets suspicious.
Holden and Naomi finally reunite, and while Naomi receives the medical attention she needs, she confesses she feels remorse regarding Alex’s death.
Marco “spaces” Serge while Drummer, Oksana, Michio, Bertold and Josep (Samer Salem) watch in anguish. Marco peers into the camera, and you know Drummer’s on his s**tlist now. Oksana and Bertold part ways while Michio and Josep stay with Drummer. RIP Polyam Belter Fam.
After rejecting Erich’s offer to join him, Amos reunites with his Roci family on Luna. Amos, Holden and Naomi mourn the loss of Alex, and Holden silently allows Clarissa to join their crew despite the latter’s attempt on his life in Season Three.
The Roci gang heads to Avasarala’s party, and the newly christened Secretary-General delivers an eloquent, stirring speech about unity between Earthers, Martians and Belters. She hopes they can all unite against Marco Inaros.
One of the Zmeya‘s missiles appears to be active, while Avasarala tells Holden there’s activity near the Sol gate. Marco’s forces shoot down the UN ships stationed there. Marco and his crew move successfully through the gate.
Later, Sauveterre and Babbage chat with Marco on the Barkeith. Cortázar currently resides on a planet within the Ring network called Laconia, and we see the Barkeith pass through the Laconian gate to create a better world than Mars (with Marco’s aid, of course).
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Holy protomolecule, Batman! Our biggest takeaway from last season should be that the women of The Expanse kick all of the space ass. Season MVP goes to Naomi Nagata for surviving that harrowing ordeal with flying colors.
Are you ready for Season Six of The Expanse? Sound off in the comments below!
The final mission starts Friday, December 10, only on Amazon Prime.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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