This is a reminder that The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime is returning on August 29th for season 2.

Here’s a link to a recap video of season 1: https://youtu.be/VmNxRbMA8ho?si=-YSKfSsih45YI7mR

Here’s a link to the trailer for season 2: https://youtu.be/c9fsBy45YTQ?si=JmPx2MiMA4egTrGb

I hope to hear your feedback on the podcast.

Thank you so much for supporting me here at Solo Talk Media. I have a special announcement to make. I’m unretiring The Orphan Black Podcast to discuss the new AMC, AMC+, and BBC America show Orphan Black Echoes, which premiers on June 23, 2024.

If you’re not already following the podcast, please look for The Orphan Black Podcast by Solo Talk Media wherever you listen to podcasts.

Join me on my new podcast Ellie’s Tale – The Last Of Us Podcast for The Last Of Us, a new HBO Max show based on the PlayStation video game of the same name.

Ellie’s Tale – The Last Of Us Podcast can be found on all podcast directories. Visit lastofuspodcast.com for links.

I’m happy to announce a new podcast from Solo Talk Media…

Ellie’s Tale – The Last Of Us Podcast

The Last Of Us debuts on January 15, 2025, and will air on HBO Max. This series is for you if you are a fan of the PlayStation game of the same name. HBO Max has pulled out all the stops and is making this a must-watch series.

I hope you get involved with the podcast by submitting your thoughts and theories weekly.

You can subscribe to the podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.

I’m happy to announce a new podcast from Solo Talk Media…

The Rings Of Power – Tales From Middle Earth.

The Rings of Power debuts on September 2, 2022, and will be an amazing series. If you are fond of The Lord Of The Rings, this series is for you. Amazon has pulled out all the stops and is making this a must-watch series.

I hope you get involved with the podcast by submitting your thoughts and theories weekly.

You can subscribe to the podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.

If you don’t currently have Amazon Prime and want to watch this series, you can sign up via these links: For USA or Canada.

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Twitter: @solotalkmedia

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Email: [email protected]

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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at solotalkmedia.com/audible. Over 400,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Leviathan Wakes amongst them.

This episode Timestamps

[00:30] Feedback

Babylon’s Ashes

Here is the full discussion episode about The Expanse season 6 episode 6 titled Babylon’s Ashes.

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This episode Timestamps

[11:30] Episode Recaps
[25:30] Feedback

Babylon’s Ashes

Here is the full discussion episode about The Expanse season 6 episode 6 titled Babylon’s Ashes.

Episode Recap

The episode opens on Laconia with the strange ship in the sky blinking protomolecule blue lights, as Admiral Duarte watches from below with great intensity.   Elsewhere, Cara returns to her worried parents, but she brings a surprise – her no longer dead brother, Xan.  As the almost zombie like Xan approaches them, her parents realize the danger and Cara pretends to run out of their home.  She has tricked them, and leads her brother into the forest, where we see her through Xan’s eyes, glowing with the blue protomolecule particles dancing around her.  
On the Zenobia, Avasarala, UNN and MCRN representatives, Drummer, Holden and Bobbie review options to stop Inaros before he gets to the Ring and Medina Station.  The Free Navy and Alliance fleets are evenly matched, and the UNN, MCRN, and friendly Belter assets will each pursue one of the three Free Navy groups.  The Roci crew has a Plan B.  They will rendezvous with the Giambattista and join an assault team.  If they can take out Medina Station’s targeting and comm arrays, they can capture the Rail guns, force Medina to surrender, and stop any Free Navy ships coming through the Ring that might have gotten past the main fleet action.  It’s a bold, yet difficult plan.  
The Roci crew is docked with the Giambattista and is preparing for the coming assault.  Bobbie and Holden reminisce about the Roci’s original name, the Tachi, and Alex.  Naomi asks Clarissa to handle a task and when Amos gives the okay, Clarissa refers to him as “boss.”  Naomi reminisces with Amos about their time on the Cant, when he called her “boss,” and helps Amos understand that the torch has been passed – to Clarissa.  He’s grown into his new responsibilities and position.  Meanwhile, Clarissa has another episode and goes to the medical bay.  The news is grim.  She’s experiencing complex endocrine collapse syndrome for which there is no approved course of treatment.  Continued use of her mods increases the risk of sudden death.  Her life expectancy is five years.  Later, Clarissa makes a home cooked meal for the crew.  Textured mushroom seco de carne with soy tequenos on the side.  Amos tells Clarissa she’s the ship’s mechanic now.  The crew has bonded, each giving the other a chance and putting old disagreements aside.  And they eat, enjoying each other’s company before the coming battle.  Drummer prepares for battle against the Free Navy tenders and supply vessels.  Looking at her empty room, with her family no longer there, she heads to the flight deck to lead her battle group.  Their mission is to destroy a frigate, but Walker suggests that they capture the prize.  To their horror, they realize the freighter is not what it seems, but a disguised and fully loaded war ship – the Pella.  The Dewalt is hit and Drummer’s ship, the Tynan, has a gaping hole in its side.  Four ships have been lost and five are without power.  Two ships are operational.  She is going after the Pella herself, but Walker contacts her.  He’s going on the suicide mission and she watches him die as his ship hits the Pella.  Drummer knows they’ve done all they can.  Tenye wa chesh gut, Rocinante. Have a good hunt.  
On the Pella, Filip reports to the main deck for duty as Rosenfeld has convinced Marco that Filip should be there.  As Marco and Rosenfeld talk, we learn that Admiral Duarte supplied the rail guns to Marco, and that Marco apparently expects to get another weapon from him.  When they are hit by Walker’s ship, they experience significant damage, and Rosenfeld is injured.  Filip rushes to her side and is with her as she dies.  With the Pella damaged and some of his fleet lost, Marco receives a tight beam from Admiral Duarte, who refuses to provide additional armaments to the Free Navy and refuses to communicate further with Marco, threatening his ships.  Duarte has gods to kill.   The Ring to Laconia is now closed.  Marco is on his own.  Filip informs Marco that Rosenfeld is dead, and Marco doesn’t seem to care.  Filip asks his father how he so easily copes with all the people they’ve killed, and Marco dismisses it with the thought that he, Marco, could have died.  When Filip expresses that he had no choice in the life Marco has made for him, Marco berets him, but it is clear that Filip now sees Marco for who he is.  Marco leaves his room and rallies his troops as Filip turns away in disgust and despair.  
The Rocinante and Giambattista approach the Ring.  The assault team members are each enclosed in cargo shipping pods which are launched from the Giambattista.  Bobbie reminds them that they say “good hunting” before a fight, not “good luck.”  The Roci uses the other ship for cover then peels off and changes the flight path of the pods to evade the rail guns.  The Roci is hit and the new armor holds, but the ship is losing power.  With alarms blaring and strong turbulence from the ship, Clarissa descends to find the problem with a coolant pipe.  She knows what to do.  Power returns to the ship and the Roci resumes its fight to save the pods from destruction from the rail guns.  Meanwhile, the remaining assault team members eject from their pods heading to the Rail Station strapped into their engine powered seats.  Holden takes out Medina’s targeting and comm arrays giving the assault team clearance to land.  Naomi heads to the reactor to check on Clarissa, who’s not answering her comm.  She finds Clarissa on the walkway, alive, mods unused, and the problem fixed.  Clarissa’s gonna earn her keep. 
Amos, Bobbie and the other assault team members land on the Ring Station, as gun blasts and debris fly all around them.  They’re met with heavy fire from the Free Navy forces at the station, and rapidly lose troops.  Outgunned, outmanned, and pinned down, they need air support which the Roci can’t provide because of the rail guns.  Bobbie charges the station and sends missiles toward the rail guns, giving the Roci the opportunity to come in and save her and Amos from the onslaught of fire from the Free Navy ground troops.  Bobbie apologizes – they lost the rail guns that they wanted to use against Marco. 
Avasarala is on the Zenobia monitoring the war, and she tells the Roci crew what’s left of Marco’s fleet as he approaches the Ring.  They have no assets in range to intercept him.  The crew knows they can’t repair and power up the rail guns on the Ring, they’re outnumbered, they don’t have the fuel or reaction mass to make it to a colony and escape, but as Amos points out, no one really wants to cut and run.  They could attempt what would be a suicide mission to slow him down.  Naomi, looking at the screen, offers an alternative.  She wants to trigger the Ring Entities – using the Giambattista, push mass and energy through the Ring all at once and wake the Entities up.  It could put an end to Marco once and for all – with the risk of waking the Entities up permanently.  
The Roci crew is ready.  They watch Marco and his ships approach the Ring.  Naomi’s finger is on the trigger and she flashes back to a time when she held her young son.  With tears in her eyes, she pushes the overload reactor button and the Giambattista explodes.  Marco watches on his control screen and the Ring begins to fire up, and he shouts “Veer off!” – but it’s too late.  Marco and the Pella are consumed by the angry red force.  
The Roci crew watches the ship disappear and Naomi screams and is held by Holden as she breaks down.  The war is over, but her son is gone.  
Some time later, Avasarala, Drummer, Sanjrani, UNN and MCRN leaders, and Holden are meeting to discuss how they move forward together, and how to control traffic through the Rings.  They have differences of opinion, and then Holden talks about trust.  Avasarala suggests that the proposed Transport Union be headed by someone with no allegiances, a friend of the Belt, and everyone looks at Holden.  We later see Holden being introduced as the President of the new Transport Union, naming Drummer as the Vice President.  Holden, who was once called the most naive person she knew by Avasarala, outfoxes her, resigning and leaving Drummer in charge of the Ring and transport and trade for the colonies.    
As the Roci heads out, Bobbie takes over as pilot and Clarissa replaces Amos’s devil head pin and makes one for herself. Naomi and Jim talk together in their bunk, with the Rocinante emblem above their head.  Naomi reassures him he did the right thing by ceding the Transport Union presidency to Drummer.  
As she speaks, we see a flashback.  Filip Inaros leaves his station on the Pella, goes into a maintenance pod and leaves the ship, changing his name to Filip Nagata, leaving his father and his past behind.  
Naomi says:
“The universe never tells us if we did right or wrong.  It’s more important to try to help people than to know that you did.  More important that someone else’s life gets better than for you to feel good about yourself.  You never know the effect you might have on someone, not really.  Maybe one core thing you said haunts them forever.  Maybe one moment of kindness gives them comfort or courage.  Maybe you said the one thing they needed to hear. It doesn’t matter if you ever know.  You just have to try.”
And Jim wonders, where’s that protomolecule sample, as the Rocinante flies out into —— The Expanse. 

Contact me

Twitter: @solotalkmedia

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Email: [email protected]

Voice Feedback: 1-805-910-7656

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at solotalkmedia.com/audible. Over 400,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Leviathan Wakes amongst them.

Send me your feedback at 1-805-910-7656 or [email protected]

The deadline to submit your feedback is Monday, 9 AM Eastern time.

Welcome to The Expanse Podcast Double Take. In this episode, I give you my first impressions right after seeing the series finale titled “Babylon’s Ashes” I’m creating these short posts to encourage listener feedback by asking questions about the episode.

This week’s questions are…

1) How satisfied were you with the ending?

2) Is there anything you wish they had addressed that they didn’t?

I’d like to thank everyone who has subscribed to this podcast and encourage you to join the discussion by sending in your feedback by calling +1-805-910-7656 or by e-mailing me at [email protected] or visiting the website at solotalkmedia.com. If you are enjoying this podcast please consider leaving me a review on Apple Podcasts.

You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook

This episode Timestamps

[3:25] Episode Recaps
[13:45] Feedback

Why We Fight

Here is the full discussion episode about The Expanse season 6 episode 5 titled Why We Fight.

Contact me

Twitter: @solotalkmedia

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Email: [email protected]

Voice Feedback: 1-805-910-7656

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at solotalkmedia.com/audible. Over 400,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player. Leviathan Wakes amongst them.

Send me your feedback at 1-805-910-7656 or [email protected]

The deadline to submit your feedback is Monday, 9 AM Eastern time.

Welcome to The Expanse Podcast Double Take. In this episode, I give you my first impressions right after seeing the penultimate episode of season 6 titled “Why We Fight” I’m creating these short posts to encourage listener feedback by asking questions about the episode.

This week’s questions are…

1) How do you interpret the look on Filip’s face?

2) Do you think Bobble goes with Amos or goes with Amos?

3) Do you think the Roci’s new armour will come into play?

Bonus Question

What would be a satisfying ending to this series for you?

I’d like to thank everyone who has subscribed to this podcast and encourage you to join the discussion by sending in your feedback by calling +1-805-910-7656 or by e-mailing me at [email protected] or visiting the website at solotalkmedia.com. If you are enjoying this podcast please consider leaving me a review on Apple Podcasts.

You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook

This episode Timestamps

[4:16] Episode Recaps
[12:52] Feedback

Redoubt

Here is the full discussion episode about The Expanse season 6 episode 4 titled Redoubt.

Episode Recap

The episode opens on Laconia, as friends pay their respects to Cara’s family on the loss of her brother.  Admiral Duarte sits next to Cara and talks to her about grief, safety, and protection, and he discloses that he lost a place, the dream of Mars, which fell apart and made him sad, angry and frightened.  He talks of sacrifice and that if they can accomplish what they are trying to do there, it will be worth the things they lost along the way, but Cara doesn’t want to sacrifice her brother.  As Duarte talks about keeping everyone safe, Cortazar rushes in to find him.  Cortazar’s new coordination protocol returned a reply pattern and he thinks he can turn it on, as the strange machine with blue protomolecule lights circles Laconia.  Late at night Cara pushes the gurney, with her brother’s body on it, deep into the forest.  
Sanjrani delivers a fiery speech to her people on Ceres, telling them now is not the time for Belters to sell their future for the empty promise of safety, and not to take the Inners’ side.  The speech is watched by Avasarala, Admiral Kirino, and others on the Xenobia, and we learn that the explosives were Belter mining charges planted by Inaros, killing UN Marines, Martians, and Belters alike.  The MCRN wants to attack Medina and reassert control of the Ring, but Avasarala won’t commit resources to the plan.  When Kirino reports this, Fleet Command advises that Mars should be prepared to go it alone, exposing cracks in the Alliance.  
Avasarala then finds a battered and bloodied Monica Stuart in the ship’s makeshift morgue recording personal remembrances about the lost marines.  Later, Monica shows Avasarala the videos she made on Ceres, including one of the man she was speaking with when the explosions occurred.  As he helps the wounded, his voice is heard – he’s tired of the hate.  Avasarala protests that it shows Earthers looking weak, but Monica replies that everyone needs to be seen as human.  The way Belters see Earthers and how Earthers see Belters. 
On the Rocinante, the crew is repairing damage from their fight with the Pella.  Bobbie and Amos work while listening to Alex’s country music, then Clarissa calls Amos to the cargo bay.  She’s checked all the torpedos and the rest are okay, but she discovered that Holden deactivated the missile that hit the Pella.  Amos confronts Holden with this information as they work outside the Roci, and offers to lock him out of fire control.  He trusts Holden to do the right thing, but he doesn’t understand letting Marco go.  Holden tells Naomi about disarming the torpedo, and said he couldn’t be the person to kill Naomi’s son – he doesn’t have it in him.  Later in the galley, Holden listens to Bobbie who is still in disbelief about the torpedo malfunction.  She leaves and Clarissa tells Holden not to tell Bobbie about the missile.  During another heart to heart between them, Clarissa tells Holden that killing someone is a terrible thing that you can never take back; don’t ever feel bad about not killing someone.  
Marco Inaros and his crew are also assessing damage to their ships, but one is beyond repair and Marco angrily orders that the two senior most officers of the doomed craft be spaced.  Rosenfeld begins to protest and Marco quickly shuts her down.  She seeks out Filip, telling him he needs to apologize to his father, and give him support and counsel.  Instead, Filip begins his new job – a demotion – to repair technician.   Filip’s new boss, Tadeo, shows him what to do, then begins looking at his news feed. Filip makes a mistake which Tadeo fixes, but Filip blames Tadeo for distracting him.  Filip then learns that Tadeo hasn’t heard from his older brother on Ceres, and about Tadeo’s life.   Filip seems to enjoy the banter and appears to have empathy for his new co-worker.  As they continue their repairs, they discover the torpedo warhead and see it was disarmed.  Tadeo thinks it malfunctioned.  Back in Marco’s cabin, Rosenfeld reports that the two officers were spaced, but not a third one, and Marco accuses her of insubordination.  She stands up to him, tells him that someone has to speak to him this way and that he is Marco Inaros – these small defeats roll off him.  Marco asks her what she expects to get when they win, and Rosenfeld says she wants to be the governor of Medina – control of the crossroads of the empires. They toast.
Meanwhile, Drummer, Walker, Josep, and another crew member enter one of the stations containing Marco’s supply stash and are attacked by four guards hidden inside.  Another guard creates an explosion and a falling crate pins Josep’s arm.  Michio immediately goes to the supply depot.  With her medic focus and authority, she applies a tourniquet to Josep’s arm, tells him she loves him, and field amputates his arm, saving his life.  
Back on the Tynan, Drummer watches Michio care for Josep then opens a wideband channel.  Her message is for the traitor, the coward, Marco Inaros.  They’re still here – unbent, unbroken, unbowed.  
In the final scene, Pella crew members are in the galley and Filip sits with Tadeo, where he learns that the torpedo was disarmed moments before impact.  As he considers this, Drummer’s message plays on the screen.  Marco stole from his own.  He abandoned Ceres.  He left Belters to starve. She took back what he stole. Live shamed and die empty. And Filip, who only moments before had shown compassion in asking about Tadeo’s brother, suddenly explodes.  Drummer is their enemy.  This is war and it won’t be over until we are dead or victorious. There is no turning back now.  

Here’s the recap for the Season 6 Episode 4 Bonus Content, “Night Watch:”
Clarissa has the night watch on the Rocinante and there’s nothing to watch, so she goes through the maintenance checklist looking for things to keep her occupied.  She takes a meal break and there’s a news alert. Her father, Jules Pierre Mao has died in prison from an underlying medical condition.  Clarissa’s jaw tightens and we hear the click of her mod as she snaps her hand held device.   We next see the galley camera view, and Clarissa is lying on the floor, her biometrics are at risk levels, and the galley is in shambles.  As she slowly rouses, her biometrics return to normal and distraught, she wonders why she became so angry at the news of her father’s passing.   Thinking back to her therapy sessions while in prison, she realizes that all she wanted was her father’s love – and she understands the hurt she feels for loving him and not getting his love back in return.
And that was the episode. 

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Voice Feedback: 1-805-910-7656