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"Azure Dragon" is the second episode of the sixth season of The Expanse. Overall, it is the fifty-eighth episode for the show and released to streaming on December 17, 2021.
The accompanied "One Ship" bonus content "Zenobia" is set aboard the UNN Zenobia with Chrisjen Avasarala as the main character.
Synopsis[]
"With an unexpected passenger aboard the Rocinante, Holden and crew undertake a dangerous mission that could shift the balance of power in the war. Drummer decides to make an uneasy alliance. Filip wrestles with his guilt."[1]
Recap[]
In Laconia, Cara cradles the dying sunbird mother as she runs back to her family's living quarters in the Martian camp. She tearfully begs her parents to help the animal, but sadly it is already gone. Her mother comforts her and explains that the flora and fauna of the planet are chemically incompatible with humans, causing Cara, who fed the bird her protein bar, to feel guilt that she poisoned it. She wants to go back to help the sunbird hatchlings into their nest, but her father apologetically tells her they can't as the soldiers have called a meeting for all the settlers.
Cara's parents discuss the military's interest in the structure orbiting Laconia, which the settlers do not care about, as well as their frustration with not being allowed to contact the Sol system. Noticing Cara is upset, Gary promises to help her bury the bird in the morning, though she decides to do it herself. Her brother Xan wants to go with his parents to the meeting, but it's only for grownups, so they affectionately bid their kids goodnight and leave.
As soon as they are gone, Cara steals a mini-drone and a shovel from her parents' workshop, and takes the dead bird in a glass box, explaining to a curious Xan that she has to fix her mistake. He wants to go with her, but she asks him to stay home as she heads out.
Going back to the grove, she promises to help the newborn birds and uses the drone to carry one into the nest. Before she can lift the others, the drone malfunctions and crashes to the ground, causing Cara to break down in tears. She is surprised to find the strange dog from before staring at her, but she is frustrated and tells it to leave her alone, though it pays her no mind and sits down beside her. Resigned, Cara prepares to bury the bird, but as she is digging its grave, the dog takes it in its mouth and runs away.
The Rocinante refills their stores at a UNN supply ship in the Belt, where the UNMC sergeant expresses he never expected to be delivering Martian munitions to a privateer in the Belt, feeling it feels nice to have everyone on the same side for once. He wishes a weary and silent Amos and Naomi good hunting.
In the command deck, Holden thanks the supply ship's comms officer as they prepare to disengage, but is surprised when they inform him that a "mission specialist" is transfering into the Roci, and subtly shut down his questions about it as the orders came directly from Avasarala. He accepts the transfer reluctantly, and then radios Clarissa. He informs her that UN personnel will be coming onboard and, though they aren't there to arrest her, he still orders her to stay in her quarters until he tells her otherwise, which Clarissa accepts without question.
Holden is tense as he descends to the airlock, but is pleasantly surprised to see Bobbie waiting there. She apologizes for the secrecy and informs him the plans have changed, causing him to get tense once again as he stares at the crate Bobbie brings in with her, containing her goliath suit.
On Ceres, Filip waits in a prison cell after having killed Yoan, when the door opens for Sanjrani and Marco, both visibly displeased. Filip lowers his eyes in shame, but Marco orders Sanjrani to let him out of prison. They protest that they cannot do that as there's laws on Ceres, but Marco insists it is a Free Navy matter and repeats his order much more intensely. Sanjrani backs down reluctantly, though they still glare at Filip as he follows Marco out of the cell.
When they are alone, Marco returns Filip's gun and orders him to clean himself up and report for duty when he returns to the ship. Filip is surprised at the lack of punishment, to which Marco replies that Yoan "assaulted a superior officer" and Filip "defended himself", leaving Filip dumbstruck. Seeing his reluctance, Marco says he would think that the embarassment Filip has become would be punishment enough. He reminisces about how, on Pallas, Marco and Cyn would go out after their shifts, drink until the bartender kicked them out and lay with someone new every night. He gets angrier as he presses that, despite their antics, they were always both on the line the next day, as they only had each other and no one would bail them out if they messed up. Filip struggles to hold his gaze during the conversation, and seems deeply shaken as Marco walks away briskly.
Bobbie briefs Amos, Holden and Naomi on the Azure Dragon's build and status, information that she got from the UN's SIGINT department. The ship appears to be a regular rock hopper modified with scopes, antennae and sensors, and Avasarala's plan is for the Roci to capture it so they can get its data. The crew is discontented with the plan and, when Amos and Naomi ask why Avasarala doesn't send her marines to do it, Holden surmises that it's to preserve her political image: After the disastrous boarding of the Pizzouza, where Avasarala sent a strike team to their deaths, she is trying to avoid the bad optics of losing another team, while the Roci is an independent ship and, if they fail, it won't reflect on her. Bobbie instead asserts it's about morale, because they all need a win and she is certain they won't mess it up. Amos points out it's much riskier to capture than destroy the ship, to which Bobbie playfully retorts it's what she is there for, and then more professionally explains that the ship isn't armed and there can't be more than four crew members, which Bobbie is sure she will make quick work of. Naomi is disappointed with Bobbie's disregard for the Belters and leaves, despite Bobbie trying to reason that these fanatics won't surrender.
Holden, visibly worn out, asks Bobbie about her plan, which is to hide in the sensor shadow behind the Azure Dragon's drive cone and sneak up on them, at which point they will disable their drive with something special she has brought, then break in and kill the crew. Amos asks if Bobbie is getting paid extra for this, but she says she's not in it for the money, to which a confused Amos scoffs. Bobbie sarcastically remarks on how happy the crew is, reminding Amos to open a channel to Clarissa and quickly introduce her to Bobbie before walking away too.
Bobbie laughs with incredulity and reminds Holden that Clarissa is a convicted felon, but Holden explains it's a long story, asserting that he trusts Amos and Amos trusts Clarissa so that's the end of it. Bobbie replies "aye aye captain" and heads off to grab some food, but Holden stops her to ask her if she has information on ships vanishing at the Ring during transits. Bobbie has heard of some intel which hasn't been verified, and when she asks why he's interested, Holden shows her the video of the Barkeith as it disappeared into the red lights in the Ring. He shares his theories that it might be related to the protomolecule, and Bobbie agrees to get him access to the intel she was talking about.
As the Tynan approaches the Inazami in the Belt, Josep and Drummer discuss their tactical options as the other ship has a heavy advantage weapons-wise and Josep worries they are being set up. Drummer, though she insists on carrying out the meeting, is also displeased, citing that Walker was a smuggler and a thief and that, if she had another option, she would use it. They both look over at a heartbroken-looking Michio, and Drummer softens, assuring her she will be safer with the Inazami than she will be with them. When they've ensured there's no other ships in the vicinity, Drummer orders her crew to prepare for docking.
Drummer, Josep and Michio enter the docking walkway, where Drummer quietly instructs Josep to shoot the rival crew if they try to move past the airlock. She walks forward to meet with Liang Walker, who immediately asks for a tour of the Tynan that Drummer denies. She passes over the payment to Walker, which is less than they agreed on due to Drummer struggling with the war, though she promises to pay him back, on her word.
Walker informs Drummer that the Free Navy has set up checkpoints on Ganymede, so Michio won't be safe there, and he offers to take her as part of his crew until they reach another station, though she won't have much work to do due to the Inazami being used for freight transfers. Drummer inquires as to why he's being kept out of the action, and Walker attributes it to Marco disliking him due to being sexually intimidated by him, causing everyone to smile despite the tension. He then answers Drummer's questions, explaining that, because of a few Golden Bough ships breaking away from Marco's control, he is humiliating the rest of the faction with tedious jobs (though Walker himself is skimming from the cargo for profit) and that the Free Navy is transfering resources to supply depots hidden all over the Belt. Upon hearing this, Drummer reconsiders and says it might be a good time for a tour of the Tynan after all.
In the Pella, Marco is evaluating alternate routes to transfer resources from his depots to Medina Station faster, when Rosenfeld arrives and points out he already has a good plan. She then brings up the matter of Filip; though Marco warns her to watch her words, Rosenfeld opines that he should throw Filip in a recycling tank for a few hours to see if he can swim, citing personal experience from her traditionalist uncle Uttam.
Marco expresses his displeasure with Filip lacking focus and self control, which Rosenfeld notes the crew's scuttlebutt indicates they agree. She expresses that everyone knows Filip struggled due to the situation with his mother Naomi, but Marco feels it's Filip's fault for bringing her amongst them. She asks him what he wants for Filip, and he replies he wants him to be better, stating he is a part of Marco and that he loves his son. Rosenfeld points out that love can mean different things to different people, to which Marco says that he needs Filip to be the man he should be. Rosenfeld asks if Marco plans to stay mad at Filip, as she believes the war to be more important, and Marco observes she is not afraid of him, unlike everyone else. Rosenfeld replies "so... you're welcome", causing Marco to chuckle.
Meanwhile, Filip looks through Yoan's things, picking up his jacket made of allegedly real alligator skin, though he puts it away shamefully when he sees some of Yoan's blood is still on it. He then looks through Yoan's terminal, finding his pictures marked as favorites, which are full of videos of the two of them together or messages Filip sent him that he kept, and also a single video of Yoan with his parents on Vesta.
Drummer shows Walker around the Tynan's command deck, remarking that, though the ship is old and scarred, it is also hard as a coffin nail and twice as sharp, like its former owner Ashford. Drummer and Walker praise Ashford's memory and discuss how unbelievable it is that Marco defeated him, which Walker thinks was pure luck, though the people of the Belt now believe that Marco is a genius. Drummer notes Marco is good at turning poeple into followers, though not everyone fell for it. Walker retorts that Drummer is in hiding and Matar Kubileya are all dead due to their refusal to follow Marco, but Drummer is unphased and asks him why he stayed loyal to Marco after the Golden Bough faction splintered. He says he got caught up in his satisfaction over finally striking back at the Inners, and Drummer asks how he feels now, causing him to ask what she wants from him. She matter-of-factly explains that Walker knows where the supply depots are, and asks him if he's satisfied with only skimming. Walker contends it would be stupid to cross Marco now, but Drummer points out he is crossing him by simply talking to her and asks if he is still in contact with the Golden Bough dissidents, which he confirms he is with some of them. Drummer states they only need the ones who are tired of getting Marco's crumbs and are ready to snatch the food right off his plate, like a true pirate would. Walker and Drummer smile at each other.
Filip approaches Rosenfeld and informs her that Yoan had family on Vesta, asking her to compensate them as Yoan did a lot for their cause (and would have done more, had he lived). Rosenfeld initially replies the same way as Marco, suggesting Filip defended himself from Yoan's assault and that Yoan would have been punished and discharged if he had survived. She insists they don't owe his family anything, and Filip awkwardly agrees she is right, but she stops him and says Filip's impulse was gracious, deciding to send Yoan's family some fuel and new mining nets, which Filip thanks her for.
He later tries to record a message for Yoan's parents, saying that he was Yoan's friend and that he is sorry for what happened. He fumbles with his words and eventually gives up. In his second attempt, his tone is more soldier-like and less earnest, saying he served with Yoan on the Free Navy and that he's sorry for their loss, adding that Yoan died honorably serving Marco Inaros and the Belt.
In the UNN Zenobia, Monica overhears Admiral Sidiqi worrying that Avasarala's plan is risky and telling Gareth that he should have talked her out of it, but an even more frustrated Gareth complains that she didn't even consult him. She approaches Avasarala to ask her about it as she monitors the situation remotely, and insists despite Avasarala warning her off, until she loses her patience and tells Monica that, if she keeps abusing her access on the ship, it will be revoked.
As the Roci approaches the Azure Dragon, Holden oversees from the pilot deck, while Naomi and Clarissa wait in the cargo bay, where they prepare the EMP device to disable the enemy ship's drive, though Naomi is visibly annoyed at having to work with Clarissa. As Amos and Bobbie prepare to board in the airlock, he asks her where he can get a goliath suit, to which she replies "You'd only hurt yourself, peewee".
The Azure Dragon detects them as they approach, forcing the two ships into a chase and causing Amos, Naomi and Clarissa to be slammed against the floor due to the high-g push, while Bobbie remains standing thanks to the power of her goliath suit. Holden prepares to fire on them, feeling that the mission is scrubbed, but Bobbie tries to convince him otherwise and, when he refuses to budge, she pulls the fact that she is in charge of the mission to get him to comply. Holden reluctantly follows the order and keeps chasing the Azure Dragon, which tries to burn the Roci in their drive plume, while Bobbie jumps down to the cargo bay and grabs the EMP device. She instructs Holden to get her as close as possible and, when the moment is right, she jumps and uses her suit's mag-locks to latch onto the ship's reactor. She activates the EMP, shutting down the Azure Dragon's power, but in doing so also disabling her own suit.
As Holden brings the Roci above the deactivated spotter so that Naomi can cross, Amos prepares to blow the airlock, and Holden joins him, while Bobbie's suit slowly reactivates. Naomi prepares to jump, but freezes in place when she looks at the other ship in the distance, seeing the Chetzemoka in place of the Azure Dragon and having flashbacks to her escape from the Pella, which almost killed her. Seeing Naomi in a state of shock, Clarissa jumps over instead, covering for Naomi and telling the others she had a "technical malfunction". Holden doesn't believe her initially and worriedly asks Naomi to report in, but she assures that she is fine.
Bobbie urges Clarissa to hurry up, as they could all die if the Azure Dragon starts up with them on its surface, while Holden and Amos are ready to breach the airlock but hold off to wait for Bobbie. Clarissa attempts to bypass the reactor, but has a hard time making sense of it due to the build being haphazard Belter style. Naomi, still heavily affected by her traumatic flashbacks, rushes to the command deck and remotely helps Clarissa complete the bypass, which she is very grateful for. As the reactor shuts down, two of the Azure Dragon's crew emerge and begin shooting at Bobbie, who shields Clarissa from fire as she takes them out. Clarissa, meanwhile, notices a third crewman sneaking up on Bobbie with a rocket weapon and activates her implants, smashing his helmet off and causing him to narrowly miss Bobbie with his shot, which tears out the hull of the ship in front of her. The crewman dies in the vacuum, while Bobbie rushes to Clarissa, who is unconscious and has vomited inside her helmet, forcing Bobbie to get her to the Roci ASAP as she is in danger of drowning.
Amos and Holden breach the airlock by themselves and kill the last crewman inside, finding he thankfully didn't manage to restart the drive or wipe the datacores. Amos worriedly asks Bobbie for a status on Clarissa, who Bobbie says is fine and notes she really saved Bobbie's ass, pleasing Amos who is glad Clarissa did good. Holden links the ship's data to Naomi so she can decrypt it. He asks her what happened back there and, when she half-heartedly says she is alright, Holden asks her if she truly means it or if she just isn't ready to talk about it yet. Naomi, a haunted look in her eyes, says it's the second one, which Holden accepts. She then unlocks access to the Azure Dragon's data, and Amos and Holden are shocked to find a massive map with hundreds of the Free Navy's asteroids displayed throughout the system.
Avasarala receives the detailed report in her room, where she has invited Monica to speak with her. Monica immediately asks what happened, having assumed something really really bad is going on due to seeing all the officers nervous and hearing the ship's comms director blasting a reminder of the media's obliganions. When Avasarala smiles, however, Monica perks up and wonders if they have caught a break. Much to her disappointment, Avasarala doesn't want to talk about that, though she promises Monica will get the good news soon; she instead wants to commission the reporter.
Monica refuses to do propaganda, knowing that Avasarala wants to exploit the credibility she has as an independent reporter as opposed to state media. Avasarala, however, wants Monica to tell the truth beyond the statistics and the political rhetoric, to show the Earth's loss and pain and let the Belters see the human beings they have hurt. Monica doubts it will convince any Belters to change their minds, but Avasarala feels it is enough to change a few of them, on the margins, to put a human face on the people of Earth so that it's just slightly harder for the Belters to feel good about killing them. She then offers that Monica can refuse, and wonder with every new attack, if that was the one Monica could have stopped, yet chose not to. Monica is clearly affected by the speech and smiles bitterly, noting Avasarala gives a really good guilt trip. Avasarala replies that she practices a lot on herself when she is alone.
Amos sits by Clarissa's side in the med-bay, who is embarassed and explains the vomiting is just a side effect of using her implants. Amos reminds her she saved Bobbie from certain death, but Clarissa jokes he is trying to make her feel better about almost drowning in her own puke, causing Amos to laugh, but he still insists she saved Bobbie's life and should take the win.
Holden enters the med-bay and asks to talk with Clarissa, but Amos obliviously remains in the room, causing both Holden and Clarissa to stare at him awkwardly. Holden nevertheless keeps going and admits to Clarissa that the situation was partly his fault, as he only let her stay as a favor to Amos and has been treating her as an obligation rather than a fellow crewmate. He aknowledges Clarissa was trying to help, but tells her she put everyone at risk by changing their plan without informing others first. He presses that, as long as she is part of the crew, Holden is her captain and she has to follow his lead and talk to him before acting so that everyone knows what is going on. Clarissa agrees and apologizes, promising it won't happen again, and a pleased Holden leaves. Seeing how happy she seems with the exchange, Amos is confused and points out she just got chewed out, but Clarissa replies it's the first time Holden has said she is part of the crew. Amos smiles back at her and holds her hand, as she wipes a tear from her eye.
Marco and Rosenfeld receive the last transmission from the Azure Dragon, whose crew assumed the Roci were Martians. A discontented Rosenfeld informs him that the Azure Dragon has been captured, and if they didn't manage to wipe the data cores, the UN and MCR now know the locations of all their remaining rocks. Marco realizes that, if they launch those rocks, their enemies will redeploy their fleets and head out. He laughs and tells Rosenfeld not to be so glum, reminding her she told him the fight would come soon enough, and so it has. The Inners won't let go of Ceres, they're sentimental that way. Marco says to let them come, assuring the Free Navy will be ready.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Steven Strait as James Holden
- Dominique Tipper as Naomi Nagata
- Wes Chatham as Amos Burton
- Frankie Adams as Bobbie Draper
- Cara Gee as Camina Drummer
- Nadine Nicole as Clarissa Mao
- Keon Alexander as Marco Inaros
- Jasai Chase-Owens as Filip Inaros
- Shohreh Aghdashloo as Chrisjen Avasarala
Guest Starring[]
- Kathleen Robertson as Rosenfeld Guoliang
- Anna Hopkins as Monica Stuart
- Joanne Vannicola as Nico Sanjrani
Co-Starring[]
- Samer Salem as Josep
- Vanessa Smythe as Michio
- Ted Dykstra as Gareth
- Conrad Coates as Admiral Sidiqi
- Stuart Hughes as Liang Walker
- Emma Ho as Cara Bisset
- Ian Ho as Xan Bisset
- Dianne Aguilar as Dot Bisset
- Daniel Jun as Gary Bisset
- Gabriel Darku as Yoan
- Mikael Conde as Dewalt Crewmember
- Matt Birman as UNMC Supply Sargeant
- Tim Dowler-Coltman as Laconian Ensign
- Virgilia Griffith as Tynan Crewmember #2
- David Klein as Azure Dragon Pilot
Media[]
Notes[]
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External links[]