Scene Breakdown: Amos and Clarissa’s Talk in The Expanse’s “Down and Out”

The Expanse “Down and Out” Spoilers Ahead

The best part of The Expanse airing weekly now is that little moments like this could be highlighted in this category.

The Expanse is a fantastic show — it is explosive, it is action-packed and always excellently paced. But at the end of the day, the best part of the series is its characters. It is the quiet moments where real human emotions are highlighted and simple moments are revered. Naomi isn’t doing well aboard Marcos’ ship, no one has the chance to relax, things are about to get worse before they better but Clarissa Mao feeling the wind on her face is exquisite without question. Nadine Nicole has done so much work with the character throughout her run, but it is this very moment that will shine in its organic display of human catharsis. It’s as great as it is because we’ve seen so much of Clarissa’s darkness, that a moment of unbridled joy such as this is deeply evocative. You felt every ounce of it.

Clarissa, or rather Peaches as Amos calls her has been through hell. Between the physical turmoils, her body has gone through and the mental strains of being locked away following the darkness she had lived through prior, moments like this are deeply endearing. She is a character who is trying and a character who deserves quiet moment as this. And to experience it with someone equally as damaged as Amos is best. There’s a toughness in Amos’ physicality that so few people could fully crack through, but this subtle moment of faint vulnerability is so fitting for his character, especially with Clarissa. Peaches. Excuse me. He understands it. He knows how worthwhile simple moments such as this matter for people from earth, and he especially gets it with the situation she was in. She is far from okay, and he knows that too, which is why finding the blanket and placing it over her is another moment of great warmth and vulnerability. 

This bond is precious. It is lovely. And it works for two damaged people to take care of each other as they do. Two people who have learned to trust each other and who understand each other. It is the unexpected friendship that took our hearts and ran with it. And it is unexpected, small but vastly captivating moments like this that make The Expanse so special.

It’s moments of real, human joy that can be found in fragments we often take advantage of. You don’t miss the outdoors until you’re stuck inside. You don’t feel the harrowing weight of four walls until you cannot leave. The series taking time to highlight these emotions in the midst of an otherwise fairly stressful episode was gorgeous.

Now streaming on Prime Video: What are your thoughts on The Expanse’s “Down and Out?”