CQB (The Expanse)

Plot

Aboard the Donnager, an unidentified vessel on a collision course ignores all hails to reverse course. The Martian warship fires torpedoes, only for the target to split into six separate ships. A railgun strike from these attackers decapitates Shed Garvey. On the bridge, James Holden identifies the enemy vessels as the same class that destroyed the Canterbury.

Captain Yao orders Lieutenant Lopez to evacuate Holden aboard the corvette Tachi. Holden insists on bringing his crewmates, and Lopez reluctantly allows it. After they escape, the Donnager detonates to prevent capture. The episode also introduces Fred Johnson, who runs Tycho Station, where the Mormon-funded generation ship Nauvoo is under construction.

Johnson directs the Nauvoo's sensors toward the Donnager. Meanwhile, on Ceres, Detective Miller pursues Julie Mao's trail, finding she contacted a data broker. He retrieves a memory crypt from the broker's dead body.

Reception

The episode "CQB" drew 633,000 American viewers during its first airing, earning a 0.17 rating among the 18-49 age group. Critics largely praised it, with many calling it the strongest installment so far. Chris Carabott of IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, describing it as "action packed and full of suspense." Kollin Lore of SpoilerTV also awarded a 9 out of 10, noting that "each week has truly been an improvement over the last." Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club was more mixed, commending the series' worldbuilding but finding the characters "at best perfectly fine, and at worst immediately forgettable." Michael Ahr of Den of Geek gave it 4.5 out of 5, calling it "refreshingly realistic and impressive."