The Weeping Somnabulist (S02E09)
Airdate: March 22nd 2017
Written by: Hallie Lambert
Directed by: Mikael Salomon
Running Time: 42 minutes
It is the nature of epic television series to feature those grand, emotionally gut-punching and action-packed episodes that represent their creators at absolute peak form—moments that become indelible in the viewer's memory and define the series' legacy. Yet inevitably, these masterpieces must be followed by episodes that, despite possessing inherent quality, inevitably look much inferior in comparison. One such example exists within The Expanse, where the Season 2 classic Pyre—a masterclass in tension, character development, and political intrigue—finds itself followed by the merely functional The Weeping Somnambulist, an episode that serves its purpose but fails to ignite the imagination in the same way.
Written by Hallie Lambert, The Weeping Somnambulist functions primarily as narrative connective tissue, advancing the plot from point A to point B with mechanical precision. Its central purpose revolves around the Rocinante crew's desperate attempt to reach Ganymede Station, which has been blockaded by the Martian Navy following the catastrophic battle. Recognising that the Rocinante would be detected attempting to breach the blockade, the crew devises a plan involving the Weeping Somnambulist, a Ceres-registered relief freighter set to deliver vital food, medicine and supplies to Ganymede. The vessel, operated by the husband-and-wife team of Melissa (Valerie Buhagiar) and Santichai Suputayaporn (Peter Williams), becomes their unwitting ticket through the blockade. Holden and Amos initially board the freighter posing as Martians, only to later reveal their true identities and effectively commandeer the ship. Meanwhile, Alex pilots the Rocinante to a hiding place near one of Jupiter's smaller moons, awaiting the signal to extract the team. The plan succeeds, delivering Holden, Naomi and Amos to Ganymede to continue their search for Mei Meng and Dr. Strickland. Yet complications arise when the docked Weeping Somnambulist is boarded by local thugs attempting to extort the Suputayaporns. The Rocinante crew's intervention sparks a firefight where the criminals are killed, but tragically Santichai dies in the crossfire—a moment that leaves Melissa grief-stricken and ordering the protagonists off her ship.
In parallel, Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) finds herself thrust into the political spotlight as the sole surviving member Martian patrol that witnessed the start of the Ganymede disaster. Accompanying Defence Minister Piotr Korshunov (Jeff Seymour) to the Martian Embassy in New York City for peace talks, Draper is tasked with briefing Earth officials about the incident. What follows represents one of the episode's strongest elements: Draper's growing realisation that Mars leadership intends to sacrifice truth for political expediency, inexplicably agreeing to take full responsibility for the Ganymede catastrophe and placing all blame on the late, trigger-happy Earth-born Private Travis. Though Draper maintains military discipline outwardly, she inadvertently slips enough truth during her testimony to catch Avasarala's attention—hinting that the disaster's true cause might lie with the protomolecule rather than human error.
Meanwhile, the protomolecule's presence continues to reverberate through the solar system, with the UNS Arboghast—Earth's science vessel—detecting anomalous signs of life around the Eros crater on Venus. This development, though presented somewhat peripherally in this episode, represents the growing realisation among Earth scientists that they're dealing with something far beyond human comprehension, setting the stage for future confrontations with the alien technology.
Directed by Mikael Salomon, the veteran Danish filmmaker known for his work on Band of Brothers, "The Weeping Somnambulist" is technically proficient but curiously unmemorable. The episode tries a little too hard to replicate The Expanse's established pattern of ending with a cliffhanger and emotional punch, resulting in a somewhat forced quality that lacks the organic tension of superior episodes. While Salomon's direction maintains the series' visual consistency, there's an absence of the distinctive cinematic flair that elevates other installments from mere plot advancement to genuine storytelling art.
One of The Expanse's greatest strengths has always been its ability to portray the solar system's political complexities through the eyes of ordinary people caught in the crossfire—individuals who care little for the grand machinations of Earth, Mars and the Belt but suffer the consequences nonetheless. "The Weeping Somnambulist" attempts this perspective through the Suputayaporn couple, yet ultimately falls short. Unlike Praxideke Meng (the desperate Ganymede botanist searching for his missing daughter), whose emotional journey resonates powerfully throughout the season, the Suputayaporns receive insufficient development to make their tragedy truly impactful. Their story feels compressed, their personalities sketched rather than fully realised, making Santichai's death feel more like a plot device than a genuine emotional moment. Meng's brief appearance in this episode, while effective, borders on what feels like a glorified cameo rather than meaningful character progression.
Where the episode truly excels is in its subplot involving the peace conference. Here, Lambert and Salomon seize the opportunity for rich worldbuilding—showcasing Martians requiring specialised medication to adapt to Earth's gravity and solar glare, visual details that speak volumes about the physiological divergence between planetary populations. Draper's character receives particularly strong development as she displays early hints of rebellion against her government's narrative, refusing to don sunglasses despite the painful glare—a small but significant act of defiance that foreshadows her later transformation. Her refusal to completely throw her fallen comrade under the bus, even while following orders, reveals the moral complexity that makes The Expanse such compelling political science fiction.
In the end, "The Weeping Somnambulist" serves its function within The Expanse's narrative architecture but fails to transcend its utilitarian purpose. Unlike the series' best episodes—which balance plot progression with profound character moments and thematic depth—this instalment feels like a necessary but ultimately forgettable stepping stone between more significant events.While technically sound and featuring some strong moments in the Draper subplot, it exemplifies how even excellent series sometimes produce episodes that merely connect the dots rather than illuminate the path forward—a competent but ultimately unremarkable chapter in what remains one of science fiction television's most impressive achievements
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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