Dulcinea (The Expanse)
A missing woman sparks a system-wide crisis.
The Expanse begins with "Dulcinea," its first episode, which aired on Syfy on December 14, 2015. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby wrote it, Terry McDonough directed, and it adapts the start of James S. A. Corey's novel Leviathan Wakes. The episode shows a colonized solar system and follows three key figures: detective Joe Miller, officer Jim Holden, and politician Chrisjen Avasarala.
Quick Facts
- Series
- The Expanse
- Season
- 1
- Director
- Terry McDonough
- Writer
- Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
- Photographer
- Jeremy Benning
- Air date
- 23 November 2015 (online); 14 December 2015 (Syfy)
- Length
- 45 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Two hundred years in the future, humanity has colonized the solar system, divided into three factions: Earth under the United Nations, an independent military Mars, and the Asteroid Belt, whose Belters provide resources under harsh conditions. Tensions among them threaten a system-wide civil war. On a spaceship, a frightened young woman in a space suit escapes a locked room, finds an engineering bay glowing with unknown blue material, and sees a human being sucked into a vortex. On Ceres, the Belt's vital port, Belter detective Joe Miller works for Earth-based Star Helix Security and is called a "welwala" by his people. He is assigned to find a missing young woman.
Production
Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby wrote the pilot, titled "Dulcinea", and served as showrunners with Naren Shankar. The script was developed by Fergus and Ostby, directed by Terry McDonough, and produced by Alcon Television Group. Principal photography began on October 29, 2014, in Toronto, and the pilot screened at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2015.
Reception
"Dulcinea" was watched by 1.19 million American viewers and received a 0.33 rating in the 18–49 demographic, remaining the most watched episode through season five. Critics praised its visuals, narrative, realism, and world-building. Lauren Davis of io9 called it "blown away" by its scale and deeply thought-out future world. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave it an A−, noting its refreshing focus on world-building and complex politics. Chris Carabott of IGN rated it 8.5 out of 10, calling it a promising start with rich world-building and realism. Michael Ahr of Den of Geek rated it 4.5 out of 5, calling the series "a force to be reckoned with" and praising Shohreh Aghdashloo's portrayal of Avasarala.
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