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The Worst Episodes of The Expanse

Every episode of The Expanse ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Expanse!

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A thriller set two hundred years in the future following the case of a missing young woman who brings a hardened detective and a rogue ship's captain together in a race across the solar system

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Expanse Season 1 Episode 2 - The Big Empty
    7.6/10(90 votes)

    #1 - The Big Empty

    S1:E2

    Holden and crew are trapped in badly damaged shuttle. On Ceres, Miller uncovers clues about Julie Mao. On Earth, Chrisjen Avasarala questions a terrorist.

    Director:Terry McDonough
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  2. The Expanse Season 1 Episode 3 - Remember the Cant
    7.6/10(93 votes)

    #2 - Remember the Cant

    S1:E3

    Holden and the crew are taken prisoner by the Martian Congressional Republic Navy. Miller deals with unhappy rioters. Avasarala plays politics and gets severely burned.

    Director:Jeff Woolnough
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  3. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 8 - Hard Vacuum
    7.6/10(45 votes)

    #3 - Hard Vacuum

    S5:E8

    Amos returns to Baltimore with Clarissa. On Luna, Avasarala's alliances begin to shift. Alone and adrift, Naomi becomes a deadly lure.

    Director:Marisol Adler
    Writer:Dan Nowak

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  4. The Expanse Season 1 Episode 1 - Dulcinea
    7.7/10(160 votes)

    #4 - Dulcinea

    S1:E1

    In the outer solar system near Saturn, James Holden and the crew of the ice-freighter Canterbury, investigate a distress call from a mysterious derelict ship, the Scopuli. On Ceres Station, Detective Miller begins an off the book investigation of a missing heiress, Julie Mao.

    Director:Terry McDonough
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  5. The Expanse Season 1 Episode 5 - Back to the Butcher
    7.7/10(80 votes)

    #5 - Back to the Butcher

    S1:E5

    Holden finds an unlikely ally. Miller’s obsession with Mao intensifies.

    Director:Rob Lieberman
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  6. The Expanse Season 1 Episode 7 - Windmills
    7.7/10(74 votes)

    #6 - Windmills

    S1:E7

    Holden and his crew face a Martian military blockade. Miller finds a new reason to forge ahead. Avasarala visits Holden’s family.

    Director:Bill Johnson
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  7. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 1 - Safe
    7.7/10(67 votes)

    #7 - Safe

    S2:E1

    Unlikely allies Joe Miller and the crew of the Rocinante led by Jim Holden uncover more about the conspiracy to release the protomolecule on Eros station.

    Director:Breck Eisner
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  8. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 9 - The Weeping Somnambulist
    7.7/10(52 votes)

    #8 - The Weeping Somnambulist

    S2:E9

    Bobbie becomes a political pawn in the struggle between Earth and Mars.

    Director:Mikael Salomon
    Writer:Hallie Lambert

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  9. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 10 - Cascade
    7.7/10(51 votes)

    #9 - Cascade

    S2:E10

    Holden leads his crew through the war-torn station on Ganymede.

    Director:Mikael Salomon
    Writer:Dan Nowak

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  10. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 9 - Winnipesaukee
    7.7/10(42 votes)

    #10 - Winnipesaukee

    S5:E9

    Amos, Clarissa, and a gang of thieves work together to leave Earth. Avasarala tries to head off a brutal military strike. Drummer's new family bonds are tested as Naomi's life hangs in the balance.

    Director:Breck Eisner
    Writers:Naren Shankar, Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck

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  11. The Expanse Season 6 Episode 1 - Strange Dogs
    7.7/10(46 votes)

    #11 - Strange Dogs

    S6:E1

    The Rocinante crew make a startling discovery on an asteroid. Avasarala and Bobbie contend with the devastation on Earth. Drummer and her family must make a heartbreaking decision. On Ceres, Marco and Filip's struggles turn inward.

    Director:Breck Eisner
    Writer:Naren Shankar

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  12. The Expanse Season 1 Episode 6 - Rock Bottom
    7.8/10(77 votes)

    #12 - Rock Bottom

    S1:E6

    Miller gains valuable information from a hidden data cube. Holden and his crew learn their host’s agenda.

    Director:Rob Lieberman
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  13. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 7 - The Seventh Man
    7.8/10(54 votes)

    #13 - The Seventh Man

    S2:E7

    Preparations for the Earth/Mars peace conference tighten the tension on Erringwright.

    Director:Kenneth Fink
    Writer:Georgia Lee

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  14. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 8 - Pyre
    7.8/10(54 votes)

    #14 - Pyre

    S2:E8

    Naomi tracks down signs of the protomolecule; Fred Johnson's control over the OPA collapses.

    Director:Kenneth Fink
    Writer:Robin Veith

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  15. The Expanse Season 4 Episode 5 - Oppressor
    7.8/10(41 votes)

    #15 - Oppressor

    S4:E5

    As tensions on Ilus reach a boiling point, Holden reveals a secret. Avasarala debates Nancy Gao while an emergency on the Roci forces Alex and Naomi into action.

    Director:Jeff Woolnough
    Writers:Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck

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  16. The Expanse Season 6 Episode 3 - Force Projection
    7.8/10(44 votes)

    #16 - Force Projection

    S6:E3

    Avasarala, with the Combined Fleet of Earth and Mars, takes the war to Marco. Filip and Marco's relationship is tested. The war becomes more perilous and personal for Holden and Naomi when the Rocinante is suddenly forced into a battle.

    Director:Jeff Woolnough
    Writer:Dan Nowak

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  17. The Expanse Season 1 Episode 9 - Critical Mass
    7.9/10(80 votes)

    #17 - Critical Mass

    S1:E9

    Julie's origin story ends up revealing her trajectory. Holden and Miller work together as they take a look at a strange emergency happening on Eros.

    Director:Terry McDonough
    Writers:Robin Veith, Dan Nowak, Naren Shankar

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  18. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 6 - Paradigm Shift
    7.9/10(57 votes)

    #18 - Paradigm Shift

    S2:E6

    Earth and Mars search for answers in the aftermath of the asteroid collision.

    Director:David Grossman
    Writer:Naren Shankar

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  19. The Expanse Season 4 Episode 2 - Jetsam
    7.9/10(45 votes)

    #19 - Jetsam

    S4:E2

    Avasarala is blindsided while on a visit to Mars. The Roci crew continue their protomolecule investigation while tensions between the RCE and Belters reach a tipping point. Drummer and Ashford track down a terrorist.

    Director:Breck Eisner
    Writer:Laura Marks

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  20. The Expanse Season 4 Episode 4 - Retrograde
    7.9/10(40 votes)

    #20 - Retrograde

    S4:E4

    Drummer and Ashford confront a dangerous person from Naomi's past. Murtry hunts down a target. Bobbie's makes a life-changing confession.

    Director:David Petrarca
    Writer:Matthew Rasmussen

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  21. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 6 - Tribes
    7.9/10(46 votes)

    #21 - Tribes

    S5:E6

    Holden and the Roci go on the hunt. Amos and Clarissa seek shelter on a devastated Earth. Bobbie and Alex fight a desperate battle. Marco makes Drummer an offer she can't refuse. Avasarala returns to a position of power.

    Director:Jeff Woolnough
    Writer:Hallie Lambert

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  22. The Expanse Season 5 Episode 10 - Nemesis Games
    7.9/10(49 votes)

    #22 - Nemesis Games

    S5:E10

    Holden and the Roci face off against Marco's forces and Drummer, while Alex and Bobbie attempt a dangerous rescue of Naomi, and the balance of power in the Solar System shifts.

    Director:Breck Eisner
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Naren Shankar, Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck

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  23. The Expanse Season 6 Episode 4 - Redoubt
    7.9/10(44 votes)

    #23 - Redoubt

    S6:E4

    Holden finds himself at odds with his crew when a controversial decision is uncovered. On Ceres, Avasarala struggles to contain an escalating humanitarian crisis. Drummer's growing faction stage a daring raid with dire stakes. Filip, demoted to repair skiff duty, makes an unexpected discovery.

    Director:Anya Adams
    Writer:Dan Nowak

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  24. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 3 - Static
    8.0/10(56 votes)

    #24 - Static

    S2:E3

    Holden and Miller butt heads about how the raid was handled.

    Director:Jeff Woolnough
    Writer:Robin Veith

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  25. The Expanse Season 2 Episode 12 - The Monster and the Rocket
    8.0/10(52 votes)

    #25 - The Monster and the Rocket

    S2:E12

    A discovery pushes Naomi and Holden apart and sets the Rocinante crew against each other.

    Director:Rob Lieberman
    Writers:Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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Worst Episodes Summary

"The Big Empty" is the worst rated episode of "The Expanse". It scored 7.6/10 based on 90 votes. Directed by Terry McDonough and written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, it aired on 12/15/2015. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Remember the Cant".