The Big Empty (The Expanse)

Plot

The shuttle Knight, heavily damaged by debris from the exploded Canterbury, carries Jim Holden, Alex Kamal, Naomi Nagata, Shed Garvey, and Amos Burton. Holden orders pursuit of the unidentified ship responsible, but Nagata shuts down the engine to conserve fuel and prevent rash action. Stranded with four hours of oxygen, no radio, and insufficient fuel to reach the nearest station, the crew must improvise. Because the Knight's airlock was breached by debris, they must wear spacesuits and vent the ship's remaining atmosphere to investigate the antenna.

Holden and Burton build an improvised antenna to send a distress call. The call is answered, but by the Martian Navy flagship MCRN Donnager. Nagata had already identified Martian naval technology in the distress transponder from the Scopuli, indicating the Donnager was responsible for the trap and the destruction of the Canterbury. To protect themselves once taken, Holden transmits a message stating that the Martian ship destroyed the Canterbury and that if the five crew members are killed aboard the Donnager, it will prove Martian responsibility.

The Knight is pulled into the Donnager, and the five are apprehended at gunpoint by Martian soldiers. Meanwhile, Detective Joe Miller sneaks into Julie Mao's apartment to investigate her disappearance. Recent transmissions show a strained relationship with her wealthy father, who threatened to sell her racing ship. Miller and his partner Dimitri Havelock are sent to catch local Belter gangsters and recover stolen water.

Miller catches them but lets them go, admiring their survivalist defiance, telling them to stay away from the water. He resumes his search for Julie and learns from Ceres Station's dock master that she boarded the Scopuli.

Reception

The episode was watched by 854,000 American viewers in its initial viewing and received a 0.27 rating in the 18–49 demographic. Critical response was positive, with reviewers praising the show's continued focus on world-building and characterization, particularly the storyline of Holden and his crew stranded in space. Chris Carabott of IGN rated it 8.5 out of 10, calling the stranded storyline "fantastically executed" while noting the Earth storyline felt underdeveloped. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave a B+, stating the episode moves the story forward and gets thrills from the Knight's predicament, though it lacks some of the awe of the pilot. Michael Ahr of Den of Geek gave 4.5 out of 5, commending the sense that the delicate balance is about to shift and praising the storytelling, especially Holden's storyline.