We are racing towards the conclusion of season five of The Expanse, and Oyedeng, written by Dan Nowak and first airing on Prime on 13 January, 2021, is an emotional rollercoaster.

Alex (Cas Anvar) and Bobbie (Frankie Adams) are continuing their hunt for information and can prove that Martians are selling weapons to Inaros (Keon Alexander), their travels bring them incredibly close to Holden (Steven Strait), Monica (Anna Hopkins) and his haphazard crew aboard the Rocinante.

They’re looking for Naomi (Dominique Tipper) who is still being held by Inaros. They have a lead and they hope they are on the way.

Chrisjen (Shohreh Aghdashloo) on the other hand, is still on Luna and beginning to work with the new government that is coming together after the horrific assault on Earth and Mars committed by Inaros.

Intercut with this are Naomi’s experiences on Inaros’ ship, and trying to get through to her and Inaros’ son, Filip (Jasai Chase-Owens). Naomi tries to connect with her son, but his father is constantly manipulating the situation, and in the end wants Filip to space her.

Before any of that happens, Inaros sets up a comm beacon with Naomi’s voice as a lure for the Roci, intent on wiping out everything Naomi holds dear in his efforts to tear down governments and alliances. Naomi takes a huge chance in the last few moments of the episode, and throws herself out of an airlock, fighting the exposure to open space, as she aims herself at the comm beacon in a last-ditch attempt to keep Holden away, and maybe get a message of her own out.

Hard Vacuum was also written by Nowak, and first dropped on Prime on 20 January, 2021.

We join Amos (Wes Chatham) and Clarissa (Nadine Nicole) on Earth as they try to find a way off planet so that Amos can rejoin his crew. That means running into old frenemies in the form of Amos’ family.

Chrisjen continues her work on Luna, determined to find a way to stop Inaros, and Holden and Alex discover Naomi’s recorded broadcast, the lure. Drummer (Cara Gee) is truly beginning to question her loyalties and those of her crew when she learns the horrible fate that seems to have befallen Naomi when she learns she went out an airlock.

But this is really Tipper’s episode to shine. As she struggles with the repercussions of her quick jaunt through vacuum and then fights to come up with some way to change or alter the message that is sure to draw Holden into the trap Inaros has set for him.

You can see the physical pain and anguish she’s in as she has to use every resource she can scrounge up to save the lives of those she loves.

Just wow.

We want to see the gang back together before the end of the season, we want to see Inaros put down, but how is everything going to play out? We’ll find out next week when season five of The Expanse comes to its close.