The Expanse Recap With Spoilers: Salvage

We’ve changed our format to make these easier to catch up with – you’ll find each disparate storyline grouped together in their own mini-recap, instead of the episode in chronological order. After all, the best way to experience that is to watch it!

Belt Transit Ferry (Miller)

The belters sit quietly on the ferry, until someone sees Holden fidgiting and asks him if it’s his first time in space. He’s a Mormon, preparing himself for the journey on the Nauvoo – the long-range ship they’re planning to fly on for 100 years to find a new Earth, a home just for their people. The man’s faith is unwavering. “True faith is a risk. With great risk comes great r…” and Miller cuts him off.

The Roci

The crew of the Roci (plus Kenzo the spy) arrive at the coordinate they were given, and it’s just an asteroid that seems pretty innocuous. Alex starts searching around, and they find a hole – and something’s in it, a stealth ship parked. “Just like the ones that killed the Donnager and the Cant,” Holden points out. Uh-oh.

Kenzo is floating, trying to transmit and can’t. Holden grabs him and brings him to the bridge, asking about the stealth ship. He insists that only Mars can build stealth ships. He also thinks Fred Johnson sent them to recover this. “We’re not on a salvage mission, we’re out here looking for survivors,” Holden insists. Holden, Kenzo, and Amos, and Naomi are gonna go check out the ship. This is going to go well.

They shove Kenzo forward in the lead – trying to make sure any surprises get him first.

There’s blood on the Airlock controls. The vessel looks like it is totally empty. There’s a hatch that was forced open from the inside. They finally come across a body – or it looked like it, anyway. It’s just a suit, an empty belter suit. And it says “Scopuli” on the back. Oh shit. “This is the ship, the one that killed the Cant. It has to be,” Holden says. They split into two pairs to further explore.

Alex sends a probe to explore, as well. “All the airlocks are open, the ship was vented on purpose.” The hangar bay is empty and the short range shuttle is missing. “Somebody got away.”

Amos and Kenzo find the flight deck empty, and turn on the reactor to try to get some light.

Holden and Naomi get to the reactor, though, and there’s something growing all over it. Alex confirms there are no bodies or living people on board with his drone, and they go for a closer look at the reactor. It looks like – something – is glowing in a hallway, too.

Amos tries to get into a safe on the flight deck. Yeah, there’s some glowing growth up there, too. What the hell is this stuff?

Amos discovers the ship’s name: Anubis. Oh God… He also found out the ship was logged as going form Phoebe to Eros.

The big mass in the reactor area starts to glow and grow. Naomi thinks it’s absorbing energy from the reactor. She shuts it down, and it stops glowing. “For a second it felt like that thing was alive.” They wanna get the hell out of there.

They get back on the Roci, and after a full decontamination, leave the Anubis behind. They have the safe, though.

Kenzo wants to come with them to Eros to find Lionel Polanski, and they say he can.

Amos, at Holden’s order, fires at the Anubis, and blows it to Hell. “Remember the Cant,” Holden whispers.

The Nauvoo/Tycho Station

Fred Johnson is trying to get information off a chip from the Donnager, and it’s not working out right now.

Later, there’s further reports of a ship coming in to the station, but Johnson wants more info on the chip – it’s a full account of the attack on the Donnager. There are hi-res images of the attacking ships, too. “So what are you going to do now?” Johnson is asked.

Earth/The U.N.

The Under-Sec. General gets a report about the black ops unit being sent out, and complaints from Tycho Station about a warship approaching near them. Frank DeGraff took his own life, an alert says. Chrisjen is affected, but soldiers on.

EROS Station

Miller’s Ferry arrives at Eros, and he starts investigating. He finds where the Anubis 1A is docked and heads that way. He tries to convince the Dock Master into giving him some info on the ship. That doesn’t work, so he goes to bribe him – but takes him down instead. Lionel Polanski is the name on the register. Miller is arrested.

His friend Semi comes in to talk to him. Miller admits he’s no longer employed or on official business. Heh, turns out that hat used to be his. He takes him out of the lock-up.

They have a conversation about Miller’s crusade. He won’t be convinced to stop looking for Julie Mao. “I believe in her. That’s all I got.” Semi shows him a video of her – she’s still at Eros, last seen at the Blue Falcon.

Holden, Kenzo, and the crew of the Roci arrive to Eros, and also arrive to the Blue Falcon hotel. Kenzo is communicating with the black ops team through his eye computer. STORIES ARE CONVERGING Y’ALL. Kenzo is sweating. They find the room Polanski is in. Holden says maybe he should go alone.

Amos realizes all the people coming into the lobby have been armed, just in time. Kenzo makes a break for it, and Amos takes the first attacker out. They’re all getting shot at, and trying to shoot back when they can. Miller stops one before he throws a grenade! Yes! Yes! Yes! They’re able to stop the rest of the attackers.

“James Holden. Shit just follows you around, don’t it kid?” he says.

Miller heads upstairs to 2 22, and the crew follows, not wanting to be downstairs when the police arrive. Miller kicks in the door, and calls out Julie’s name, confusing everyone. There’s a smell of sweat, sick, and ozone, as Amos describes. A coat with “Scopuli” on it is on the ground. Julie WAS here. “Someone put up a bitch of a fight…” No, they were turning everything off in the room

Miller goes into another room, and there’s a body there, covered in strange marks – growths. It’s Julie, and she’s gone, infected by the same thing we saw on the Anubis, it seems.

That’s it for this week. Two episodes left this season!