Probably everybody on this thread is already aware, but...
Season 4 is up.
Just saw that...
And I have early start at work tomorrow, so I can only get an episode or two in before I have to go to bed - and this weekend I'll have to sneak shows during drying breaks on my stubborn holiday projects.
Rarely have I felt such a mixture of elation and frustration...
--
ETA: I watched the first episode tonight (all I can manage due to aforementioned Other Things).
Spoiler-free initial thoughts:
- There is a definite shift in this season. Higher FX budget, different overall "look," slower pacing (so far) with a more cinematic feel, longer episode run times, plus a larger sense of scale in some ways; we see Mars and it's not just domes or a valley, but huge shipyards and commuter corridors and apartments and bars, for instance. So, while it's still
The Expanse, it's not quite the same
Expanse we knew from SyFy. I can see this turning a few die-hards off, but overall I think I'm liking what I see (and hear.)
- Some characters are in very different places, mentally and physically and otherwise, than they were before, though so far I'm buying the transitions and nobody reads as "off" (at least not yet.)
- There's been a time jump, as one might expect, so a good bit of this episode is establishment/"where they are now", with callbacks to previous seasons of the show and events from the book, plus new material that has been integrated to maintain character arcs and interactions.
- The first episode picks a bit of an odd place to end, IMHO; I think they're counting on binge watchers just plowing straight through, so concluding points may not be considered as important a punctuation as they would be for weekly-airing shows.
- Lest I forget: New opening credits! Not just minor tweaks like in previous seasons (like when Deimos was destroyed), but new shots altogether in with the old.
TL,DR: One episode down, very much enjoyed, and I'm still cheering in my head that the show is back from the dead. The ship's logo should be a phoenix, because the Roci's risen from the ashes and is more beautiful than ever.