Summary
Episode 9 places all the characters at a natural crossroad — there’s a dreadful feeling of uncertainty with a suspicion that a pivotal event is coming their way — once again, The Expanse shows some genuine quality and consistency in the story.
This recap of Amazon’s The Expanse season 5, episode 9, “Winnipesaukee” contains significant spoilers.
We’ve arrived at the penultimate chapter of Season 5, and it’s less tense than previous chapters, but there’s plenty to enjoy. Naomi’s situation has certainly taken centre-stage in the second half of the season, almost distracting the audience from the real threat of Marco.
And with that, “Winnipesaukee” begins with the estranged character. After Naomi painfully managed to amend the distress message to try and fend off allies to save her from her ship (as it’s a literal proximity bomb), Karal gets in contact with Marco about the broken-up message. Marco clearly believes the message is not a malfunction. Alex hears the same malfunctioned message and comes to the same conclusion. Holden is unsure, with Monica wondering why Naomi would make it so cryptic. Regardless of Naomi’s message, both ships want to head to her ship.
As for Naomi, she’s still putting in an almighty shift to try and survive on her bomb-laden ship. It’s great how the writers understand “the unknown” of the situation — how Holden, Alex and Monica cannot even imagine Naomi’s situation is indicative of the way humans think during unclear moments.
Amos and Clarissa head to “The Estates”
Amongst the madness, it’s easy to forget Amos and Clarissa who are serving an interesting subplot. Their story is the main arc in this chapter. Episode 9 moves to Lake Winnipesaukee, “The Estates” and it’s snowy exterior shown from a bird’s-eye view. Amos, Clarissa and a gang of thieves move forward to “The Estates”, and figure out how to get into the hangar to find a workable ship. The group find the launch pad, but then another group appears. Clarissa seems to have links to the group via her family; they do not seem harmful, but the gang decide to keep an eye on them. This is typical The Walking Dead type scenario where the world goes to sh*t and humans instantly flick into survival mode and start acting irrational. There’s another problem; the ship does not appear to work.
Avasarala believes diplomacy and building relationships with the Belters is the answer
The Expanse season 5, episode 9 gives the audience a flavour of the politics at hand and the pressure to react in the face of Marco’s threats. Avasarala is annoyed at Admiral Delgado for going behind her back to give his professional opinion to General Secretary Pastor. In the Alliance meeting, Avasarala is still against hitting a Belter station and killing innocent civilians; she calls Marco’s Free Navy a single faction and not a nation and believes he does not represent all Belters. Avasarala rolls into a passionate speech, but Pastor believes she’s using her own emotions to make a decision; the politicians ignore her and discuss attacking more targets. It’s ironic because Avasarala seems the least emotional one — she’s trying to use diplomacy and a route to long term peace rather than short term conflict. She resigns, and other politicians follow her out of the room.
Clarissa wants to leave no-one behind
At “The Estates” more civilians arrive. Erich tells them to “f*ck off”, but Clarissa takes a different route; she tells them they can join them on the shuttle. Amos and Erich disagree with Clarissa’s aid efforts, but she doesn’t want to leave anyone behind. We see a conflict of ideologies in a post-end-of-world era.
Marco gives new instructions on the Roci
Marco tells Drummer and the squad to hunt and destroy the Roci ship as their only priority. Drummer tells Karal that it’s strange how Marco explained that the Roci was meant to fly into a trap, but now they are ordered to destroy it themselves. Karal questions Drummer’s loyalty. Drummer is conflicted. Oksana asks Drummer to give away her gun. She must feel she is a security threat. Drummer is seriously struggling with her family bond in episode 9 — she loves her immediate family, but she also cares deeply for Naomi; it’s a serious conflict of interest.
And just like that… Avasarala is going to lead again
Avasarala learns that a “no confidence” vote is arriving for the General Secretary. She may have a chance to lead again. Admiral Delgado congratulates her and laughs at her suggestion of joining her cabinet. Delgado wants to join a target group to hit Belters, but Avasarala states she needs his help. The Admiral is desperate to kill Marco Inaros himself. Remember, Avasarala was called “the emotional one” in this situation. There’s only one emotional character in this political conversation. It’s interesting how the politics in The Expanse quickly reflects today’s modern politics; how quickly leadership and priorities can switch around in the face of adversity.
More trouble for Amos, Clarissa and Erich
An operation team arrive at “The Estates” to redistribute food supplies. They also want the helicopter and access to the building. Amos and his gang resist the orders. It’s all about survival now. Clarissa stops the unrest and asks everyone to put down their guns. Amos asks the operation team to walk away. Erich makes a point that the team will return — it’s predictable, but it highlights how Clarissa’s aim for peace is not viable in desperate times.
Oksana raises to Drummer that Naomi could be alive
Camina Drummer tells Oksana that Marco killed Ashford and a woman she loved. Oksana asks Camina if the family means as much to her as Naomi. Drummer tells her the family are equally as important to her. Oksana tells Camina that Naomi may be still alive on that ship, but they need to be careful to save her. It seems Oksana is playing the long game, and she is tuning Drummer into a more balanced approach.
The shuttle is fixed, but then there’s trouble
Amos suddenly realises what he needs to do to fix the shuttle — he knows the problem is linked to the power cufflinks. Meanwhile, Clarissa tells Erich the power of expanding the tribe. That cooperation is more powerful than conflict. However, ironically, before they can get away in the shuttle, “The Estates” are attacked by the operation team that arrived earlier. They have to fend them off, and gunfire ensues.
Amos, Erich, Clarissa and gang members make it back to the shuttle while fighting off attackers. Clarissa initiates the launch, and they manage to get off Earth safely. There are some casualties, but Amos is finally back in space.
The ending
Marco speaks to his son Filip; they haven’t spoken to each other for a while. Marco tells Filip that his mother is alive. Filip believes it’s impossible as he saw her float into space with no suit. Marco tells Filip that Naomi wasn’t in despair; she was trying to escape. Filip gets emotional and angry, so Marco hugs him tight. Marco’s manipulation continues to be powerful; he ruthlessly uses his aura of a father to keep his son consumed; it’s a tragic father/son relationship.
And it’s only fitting for episode 9 to end with the character in the most trouble. Naomi plays with wires again and manages to make her helmet into a radar. She sees that the Screaming Firehawk is heading her way, and she bursts into tears. Naomi then feels the condensation off a device. She puts on her helmet and walks frays of the ship again, leaving the audience wondering what her next idea is. With the finale approaching, we must wonder if this will end in tragedy or relief for Naomi and her allies. With the way season 5 of The Expanse has handled pivotal moments, it could go either way — episode 9 felt more like a teaser to a great finale — let’s hope so.
Episode 9 places all the characters at a natural crossroad — there’s a dreadful feeling of uncertainty with a suspicion that a pivotal event is coming their way — once again, The Expanse shows some genuine quality and consistency in the story.
