'Remember the Cant' explored the consequences of Holden's message about Mars' involvement in the nuking of the Canterbury. Avarasala also continues her investigation into who the real culprits are.
This weeks episode had some great character moments. Holden and crew are now in the custody of the Mars Congressional Republic Navy. Seeds of doubt are immediately planted when they are interviewed individually and Naomi is discussed as a likely terrorist being that she is a Belter. When they are together after the interrogations, the crew questions Naomi to her displeasure. To make matters worse, Alex is now dressed in a MCRN uniform out of respect for his prior service of 20 years. The scene really plays out the differences not just in personality, but the cultures of this ragtag group of survivors. This conflict will make it that much more fun when they do get on the same page and become a family to each other.
On Earth we saw some profound developments for the character of Avasarala. She is a cunning and ruthless woman who is willing to do what it takes to get answers and to win. In 'Remember the Cant' she plays with the mind of long-time friend Franklin Degraff, the U.N. Ambassador to Mars, by cozying up to him and then feeding him wrong information about Mars weapons being transferred to the OPA. The information caused panic among Mars representatives proving that Mars was not involved in the attacks after all. As a result of "being an alarmist," Degraff's status as Ambassador would be revoked and he would be banned from Mars. Avasarala got her answers, but at the expense of ruining the life of a friend who would later tell her in a very powerful scene that he is done playing her games.
Miller's search for Julie continues, but in this episode we see through his perspective the consequences of Holden's messages on Ceres. There is already instability between the Belters and Earth and Mars. Natives on Ceres were willing to shed blood and cause misery on anyone from the inner planets and this is only exacerbated upon the news that Mars is involved in the death of the Cant. Poor Havelock, an Earther, experiences this belter rage first hand. Him getting stabbed to his apparent death is a shocker not to just viewers, but to readers of the book as well. Havelock went unscathed in
Leviathan Wakes; However, his role was so minor that it would not be a surprise if he is indeed dead. We'll find out next week (if you haven't seen it already).
This week also saw the introduction of Anderson Dawes, the OPA liaison on Ceres. He is played by the great character actor, Jared Harris. Dawes purpose in this episode was to provide some retrospect for Miller when he tells him that despite working for and being paid by Earth Corp he is, born and raised, a Belter just "yearning to find his way home." Even though I could not understand most of what Harris was saying due to that darn Belter accent they got them speaking, he still provides quite the presence on screen.
Overall, this was a great episode for some character exploration. The chemistry between Holden and his crew is beginning to build with some convincing tension and we have also begun to see Avarasala's true colours and the lengths she is willing to go to find the truth.
Next week's episode will really pick things up with some intense action. You do not want to miss it.
What did you guys think of 'Remember the Cant'? Who is your favourite character(s) thus far? Will you be tuning in for more? Leave your comments below!
About the Author - Kollin Lore
Kollin is an entertainment writer and a film and television, in particular genre TV, freak having grown up during the 90s and early 2000s a dedicated fan of Buffy and Angel. Current shows like Person of Interest, Supernatural, Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful, Grimm, The Blacklist, Game of Thrones, and dozens of other shows are currently occupying Kollin’s nightly hours. His reviews for Into the Badlands and The Expanse will be coming this fall!
