The penultimate episode of the third season of The Expanse, Congregation, was written by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (collectively known as the author of The Expanse series, James S.A. Corey) and it first aired on 27 June, 2018.

Ashford (David Strathairn) in ‘temporary’ command of the Behemoth has invited all the ships stuck in the Slow Zone to travel to the vast generational ship, offering them medical assistance and gravity. Amos (Wes Chatham) and Alex (Cas Anvar) are stunned to see Belters and Inners working together, tending to wounded and trying to understand what is going on at the station and in the Zone.

Clarissa (Nadine Nicole) is thrown in a holding cell, just a few compartments down from the target of all her anger, Holden (Steven Strait) who was brought there by the Martian Marines.

Naomi (Dominique Tipper) returns to the Behemoth where she is put to work to save the system’s energy grid before she can see her friends. Amos tries to understand the motivation and guidance that seems to move Volovodov (Elizabeth Mitchell).

And Ashford, a UN Scientist (Chris Owens) and the Martians come up with a plan that they think will destroy the Ring. It may trap them forever, but it will keep humanity safe. Or at least that is their thought process as the station and the Ring seem to be ramping up to something new.

Friends are reunited, humanity is on the verge of something new, vaguely terrifying, and perhaps incredibly warning. I guess we’ll learn more in…

Abaddon’s Gate closes out the season. It first aired on 27 June, 2018 and was written by Abraham, Franck, and Naren Shankar.

As Ashford ramps up his plan to destroy the Ring, and hopefully save humanity from whatever the Station is building up towards, Holden and the rest attempt to stop them, aiming to keep everyone from reacting out of fear.

As Drummer (Cara Gee), Naomi and Holden attempt to shut down the reactors so that the comm laser can’t be used as a weapon, Amos and Alex help Volovodov get a message out to everyone on the internship channel thanks to some help from Monica (Anna Hopkins).

But gun battles break out everywhere and Bobbie (Frankie Adams) and the crew of the Rocinante find themselves on opposite sides, at least for a moment.

Clarissa takes a chance, letting go of her own hatred to stop Ashford just as the Station and Ring power up, to reveal, not mass destruction and extinction of humanity, but hundreds of gates, Rings opening up all over the bubble that is the Slow Zone, opening up a grand frontier, new systems to explore and colonize.

Holden is left with the realization that something killed the Gate’s creators, and the Investigator/Miller (Thomas Jane) joins him in the last few moments of the episode to tell Holden he’s tagging along (inside Holden’s brain).

Where will this take us next season? There’s some pretty amazing stuff still to come on The Expanse.