A Sleep Walker's Sorrow

Last night's new episode of The Expanse was called "The Weeping Somnambulist". Certainly an intriguing title, I'm not exactly sure what it means beyond referencing the ship Holden's crew hitch a ride on. It's not quite of the Eros crashing into Venus level of plain use of name or title to convey a message. I'm still not sure if I like how broad that is, at the very least a character should comment on love putting a crater in the Goddess of love. Anyway, it was a good episode.

Spoilers after the screenshot

Maybe you could say the title refers to Bobbie (Frankie Adams). She has to sell that story to Earth about one of her comrades firing at the Earth troops--even though she knows he wasn't actually a coward because the truth is she encountered an alien. One can see this waking dream, the phony story, as a sort of somnambulism and she's weeping because she has to tell it and because of the bright Earth sky's effect on Martian eyes. I love how the Martians aren't acclimated to Earth--people say it all the time about this show, but it bears repeating--it's great how The Expanse thinks about all these little things.

Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) sure is good in this episode. The fact that she sounds like she's smoked ten packs of cigarettes a day for fifty years adds real punch when she delivers the already delicious comeback to the Martian who asks where she's going with her line of questioning--"Wherever I goddamn like."

And yet another fabulous outfit. I really hope there's going to be more scenes between her and Bobbie, Avasarala seems like just the influence Bobbie needs in her life.

Meanwhile, Holden's (Steven Strait) getting another lesson in how he can't be a straight forward hero in this universe. In trying to help the crew of that Weeping Somnambulist, the ship, he ends up getting one of them killed. Though, to be fair, it sounded like both members of the crew were going to be killed if Holden and Amos hadn't stepped in, Holden sure didn't take it that way. Are we watching Holden's descent into pessimism? I don't know, and compared to Avarsarala and Bobbie, I'm not sure I care.

Twitter Sonnet #975

A braver thought sits idly in the grass.
Invasion swirls in cotton clouds above.
The lives of thieves distil into the brass.
In haste beneath his coat he crammed the dove.
A kissing language waits in pensive halls.
As thoughtless dreams convert their grass to blade.
The wattle melts as summer kills the walls.
With mem'ries short the high and sauced invade.
A noise of iron skulls erupts for fame.
The scales of proof like mould encase the mind.
A child's song devolves to echoed name.
What ringing rest he seeks he will not find.
Returning spirits aged inside a book.
The field grows long before the king can look.