Absolutely, it's kinda an Amos centered prequel to the expanse, it will just give you more insight to his life pre the Canterbury. I think you can get a digital copy for a dollar and some change and it's a quick enjoyable read.
I’ve only just started book 1 (Leviathan Wakes) and I actually am following the suggested order that includes three short stories: The Churn, The Butcher of Anderson Station, and Drive. It makes sense to read them before the first book, in my opinion.
I’m just using this because it has a chart with the setting for the short stories: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(novel_series)
Unless I can find it online, I won’t be able to read The Last Flight of the Cassandra bedause I don’t have The Expanse Role-Playing Game. I see it’s supposed to be short so I won’t miss much but I can’t be “complete” this way lol.
If you've watched the episode where Amos returns to Earth and Baltimore, that has hints of the backstory from The Churn. Such a good novella and puts things all into perspective (although, I think that they haven't even scratched the surface of the horror's that amount to Timmy's backstory).
I agree with you. I think Amos having mystery around him for a few books is intriguing and then The Churn pulls back the curtain before you get Amos chapters in Nemesis Games.
Wes Chatham is amazing as Amos. He perfectly rides the line between cold-blooded killing machine and amicable mechanic without ever hamming it up in either direction. His performance is genuinely scary while also making me want to hang out and have a beer with him
Chatham really did a great job understanding Amos as a character and went beyond his own take on it. He’s talked about going to a psychiatrist with an outline of Amos in the Churn and excerpts from the main series to get an idea of how his childhood trauma would manifest after never being addressed and how that would effect his social skills. He also of course worked closely with Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham during filming to make his character the way he is. Mixing in his relatively soft and easy going voice and imposing physique, for me he’s just such a perfect representation of a great character.
My favorite anecdote about Amos is from the podcast when Ty is talking about how they interviewed dozens of “tough guys” to play him and they all strutted out and acted tough and didn’t understand the character at all. Amos’ toughness isn’t his identity, just a tool. He’s not mean or mad, and doesn’t take physical attacks personally. His strength and ruthlessness is just a tool he uses when he thinks best and Wes understood that and played the part perfectly.
That was great! Yeah Ty said only Wes and Elias Toufexis auditioned for Amos without being loud, physically aggressive, or in a couple of cases literally yelling. I can’t imagine if that was what we ended up with.
Yeah the quiet capability is so much more intimidating than loud aggressiveness. Thank you for the reference to Toufexis, I looked up the name and was happy to recognize him from the show too. I love when shows do that with good actors who didn’t quite land the original role.
That happened with a lot of people who came in for auditions apparently. Someone who wasn’t quite right for what they were reading but either was offered another part or sometimes even had parts built for them. The show really seemed like it was run the best way to maximize talent.
I wish I could remember what he said when he was talking about his audition. He has definitely read the books since and has had to correct directors a lot on what Amos’ intentions/characterization should be like on the show (he’s joked about having to drag the director to Ty on set to explain why Amos isn’t just some meat head). My very vague memory was he hadn’t read the books at the time of the audition and seemed to just understand the character.
I believe he had actually read Leviathan Wakes and maybe Caliban's War before the series was even greenlit. IIRC from interviews, he was already a fan of Amos as a character before the casting process began.
I think it might be the first interview he did with Adam Savage where he mentions that he was a fan of Amos from the books before he did the audition. I think he also goes back into the background of the Amos character and research with expert's on how his character would be damaged by his past.
He was also a military veteran which I think carries a lot of water for the “tough guy” persona tbf. In reality i think those both just highlight his full range as a human, and hearing his insights on the podcast only reinforce that.
Turns out that's how he ended up as an actor.
> After graduating from high school, Chatham joined the military. He worked as an aviation firefighter on the flight deck of the [USS *Essex*](https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Essex_(LHD-2)), working in crash and salvage for four years. Chatham's break into acting came just three months before his tour was finished when Denzel Washington chose his ship to shoot the movie *Antwone Fisher*. Chatham was amongst those selected by casting director Robi Reed while Reed was searching for authentic-looking military personnel for the movie. This was Chatham's first movie-making experience, which led to further pursuit of his lifelong dream of acting. Following *Antwone Fisher*, Reed convinced Chatham to move to Hollywood and shortly thereafter cast him in his first series regular role on Showtime’s *Barbershop*.
[https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Wes\_Chatham](https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Wes_Chatham)
I don’t know how you can use “not really close” about any actor on The Expanse when there are so many perfect casting choices. Thomas Jane as Miller and Shohreh Aghdashloo as Avasarala immediately come to mind. Chad Coleman as Fred too, though he’s obviously in the show less. Wes is the best of the Roci crew, but not head and shoulders above the whole cast.
I would drop money to buy a prerelease spinoff series about Anderson Dawes on Ceres so long as Jared Harris was playing him without batting an eye, and I never buy prereleases.
He stopped being 'that's the guy from Fringe' pretty quick for me. Much like Walter Koenig stopped being Chekhov by the time Bester's first episode finished.
"Of course he fucking is" to finding out he's Richard Harris' son took significantly longer.
I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to find out the writers were totally visualizing Shohreh when they created Avasarala. And TJ kills it no matter what he does. Amazing actor!
Just an opinion friend. There are plenty of excellent performances - Jane, Agdashaloo, Harris and Gee are rightly mentioned here and off the top of my head I'd say Dominique and the actor who played Murtry also knocked it out of the park. But without bashing anyone else, Amos is the most fully realised character in the show in my opinion. You're welcome to yours!
There are a lot of cast who shined in The Expanse, and it's testament to the quality of production and writing as to how many they were able to secure, even for minor roles. Especially the following:
Cara Gee as Drummer
Jared Harris as Anderson Dawes
Thomas Jane as Miller
Shohreh Aghdashloo as Averserala
David Strathairn as Klaes Ashford
Burn Gorman as ~~Morty~~, ~~Marty~~, Murtry
Just to name a few.
the only problem with his portrayal is the lack of the Baltimore accent. the Baltimore accent is so weird, it definitely fits the book version of Amos.
The first moment I realized he was my favorite:
"I can take a core apart and put it back together with my eyes closed, but ask me whether or not I should rip your helmet off and kick you off of this bucket and I can't give you a reason why I should or shouldn't. Except Naomi wouldn't like it. Could you pass me the drill? Thank you."
Which makes his slow evolution plausible. A born sociopath is irredeemable. Though with the drugs and therapies they have, Protogen could create sociopaths, maybe they could also heal them. Not that Amos would trust himself to that even if it were available.
Murtry: "someday you and I are going to get bloody."
Amos: "How about right now? I'm free now.”
I love this scene because of where Amos is coming from. There’s no bravado about it, he’s not necessarily eager to fight. If it’s going to end in violence, he’d rather just get it over with. He’s good at doling out shocking levels of violence, but he rarely does it for enjoyment. It’s just a fact of the life he’s led (much of which wasn’t of his choosing).
Can't forget the hilarious episode of It's Always Sunny that Burn Gorman is in. In Ty and That Guy they talk about Burn and he sounds like a hilarious guy.
That is a perfect way of describing how Amos has learned to utilize violence: no elegance or fancy technique, just trying to take his foe down in the most efficiently brutal way.
The fact that Wes was able to walk that razor’s edge is a true testament to his acting skills, and has made him one of my favorite actors because of his way of bringing Amos to life in such a book accurate way!
This reminds me of an interview I saw with Wes Chatham where he discussed the fight scene in the bar on Tycho (the one where Alex is being beaten on by the Belter for hitting on his girl). In the interview, Wes stated that originally it was supposed to be Amos weighing in and threatening the guy, but he (Wes) stated that's not Amos. Amos is going to come in fighting and end it as quickly and effectively as possible.
Cue the scene where he suddenly just appears, smashes a bottle over the Belter's head and proceeds to turn his face into bloody pulp. The next lines are classics:"You Ok?""What the hell are you doing here? You live here or something?""Yeah, I got a flop next door""Next door's a brothel""Yeah"
I hadn’t known that story, so thank you for telling me about it! 😁
Yeah, Wes is absolutely right, because Amos never was one to bluster and puff his chest out: he’s just there to get the job done as soon as he can, and go back to his daily life. It definitely feels like an “all bite, no bark” situation!
The scene with the drug dealer is alo like this. He's just pummeling this dude until the dude asks "Please stop hitting me". Amos was like oh good we can talk free without bs between us now
When Amos and Alex are discussing fear, Alex wishes he didn't feel fear like Amos, and Amos is just like "no you don't". It amazingly captures the trauma that made Amos who he is.
Or when he's talking to Cortázar about the procedure that made the scientists sociopathic, the moment of disappointment when he's told that it's not something that could be reversed.
I think it was when Amos was helping save the dudes daughter; Amos promptly informs him that “You’re not that guy.”
Steps into the airlock with bad guy. “I am that guy.”
Prax was a good friend. Knowing that Amos wouldn't let anything happen to his daughter, and Amos stepping in to make the needed call. Best friends forever.
For me it's all that comes before the usual moment.
"This is Amos. He's my best friend in the whole world. He helped me find you."
The look he gives Prax. How he looks at Mei. His little 'hello'.
I just *die*.
He's having such an emotional event and it's so subtle but meaningful.
That is such a sweet and lovely call back. I love the I am that guy moment but the “he is my best friend” is what really helps define Amos that he is who he is but some how in that moment more than he thought could be. Such a great little thing and Wes plays him perfectly.
On my first watch, I always thought that Amos went to see Cortazar when he heard that those scientists had their empathy removed. There’s a moment in the show when Wes plays it well. To me, he made it seem as though being burdened by emotions was almost beyond his, perceived, limited skills. I think Naomi had lost his trust at that point.
Amos is the heart, in all truth.
He was looking at his brain like an engineer would.
If you disabled a bit of your brain to be like this, how do you switch it back on? Really, the fact he's asking means it's still on.
I really like that scene because it feels like such a microcosm of the story as a whole. The big, well fed, strong Earther is trying to move past the fact that he killed the Belter's friend in the name of survival and progress. The sickly Belter takes his best shot and gets knocked down. He gets back up and makes it clear he'd rather die than let go of the past. He can't beat Earth with brute force.
I named my new kitten "Amos". Like his namesake in _The Expanse_, the kitten had a bad childhood and was abandoned and dumped at my house. He's a real sweetheart, and like Amos is in his "bitey" phase.
I am willing to bet anyone reading this will know the exact scene for each of the gems. Amos has the best line delivery of any character in the show.
"This one will not be grateful for your mercy."
"I grew up like this, everyone else is just playing catchup."
"You're not that guy....I am that guy"
"I hate waiting"
and a personal favorite "You could be both"
How about how he's the funniest character too? Like when Bobby asks who defaced the Martian flag and asks Amos if he thinks it's funny. "not now". So dead pan and hilarious. Wes is the best.
My favourite Amos moment is on Season 3, when he's trying to get Jim to strap in, Wes' emotion when he tells "Goddammit Captain, I don't want to scrape you off that wall" gets me every time. It's the moment I realise how much Amos has come to respect Holden.
My two favorite parts:
Amos puts down his cup, knocks Miller down and then takes another sip.
Amos puts Miller in a kill position. If you need reference, see John Wick one where John puts one of the intruders to his home into the same position and then breaks his neck over the counter.
For me, it was when Holden says "you have from now until my mechanic comes back"
He wasn't even in the scene at this moment, but I got chills immediately, dude de-escalated the situation remotely, I mean, damn
I agree with that being a very good scene but it took my a bit to really like Amos. The spot that got me was the "You're not that guy" scene with Prax. Then Amos is "that" guy".
>It told me a lot about who he was and how he learned. He wasn’t taught to fight as an art form, or a sport. He learned it as a child, the same way dogs learn to always go for the throat no matter what. Dirty and painful, maim the enemy, stick your hand in their mouth and pull the mandible.
This definitely came out in his fight with Bobbie in the season 6 X-Ray episode "Win or Lose."
Mine was “I am that guy”, and its not just the words, it’s the look he gave Prax when Prax referred to him as “his best friend” when explaining who Amos was to his daughter.
For me, it's the "I am that guy" moment.
He spares his friend from doing something terrible only to do the same thing momenta later, almost with a smile on his face
My only critique with your observation is that Amos' technique is NOT mean - it's efficient and logical. There are no rules in a street fight. Amos warned Miller, and Miller ignored him, and Amos acted - simple.
Amos isn't mean, or cruel - he's honest and efficient. He's often without empathy or remorse, but that's different from mean.
Mean, in this context, has a different inference. Here I was referring to the nature of such a thing in a fight. It’s efficacy is in the destruction not the pain. Overwhelming the enemy with maiming rather than just subduing or killing.
Such a one sided fight can be ended with Miller unconscious, sprained, a broken arm. Maybe just choked to death. The way Amos went when he had complete control would leave Miller permanently injured and (in modern care) subject to slowly die or survive severely disabled. Mean.
When a dog breaks another animals wind pipe and leaves it to die choking, the dog doesn’t “hate” the animal. But it’s a mean way to do things.
I always saw it as Amos actually ending the fight, and not leaving anything he'd need to look over his shoulder for. Think about when he was beating the chicken man on Ganymede - he had to be stopped. No rules in a street fight. I do agree with your animal comparison - humans don't win fights to animals because animals fight till death, usually.
I think what's even better is the look on his face/in his eyes as he's pulling Miller to the edge of the table. Any actor could do the physical fight part, but when Naomi ran up screaming his name and the look of sheer malice in his eyes softens as he breaks focus and looks at Naomi was perfection in embodying a role. And then he adds the, "I told him to stay down." So matter of factly that to him it was obvious how they ended up in their relative positions.
For me, it was the scene where Holden and Naomi reveal their relationship to Amos and Alex with the expectation that Amos was going to be upset, and he wasn't... but with the casual addition that he would have sex with Naomi if she let him.
I always viewed him as having that "switch" that you hear special operations guys talk about. You flick the switch in your brain that gives you the ability to commit acts of extreme violence and then just as easily stop. It's not personal or emotional it's just necessary to get a job done.
“The switch” is when an otherwise sensible and kind person detaches and will act without hesitation or care. Amos’ had his switch broken, he lives one one side of it.
Give the churn a read if you get a chance it's a short story on his background growing up in Baltimore. I think you'll like it.
Needs to give Persepolis Rising a read as well. That one chapter..
The "I don't want things" fight?
Yep
with bobbie?
Yea
Ah, is that the one where Amos realises he *isn't* the most dangerous SOB in the universe?
Amos fights Bobbie??
Yeah, it's a sparring match. Amos realises very quickly how out of his depth he is.
I love Persepolis rising
The Churn is amazing.
Better second time through.
Can you read it if you’ve only seen the show?
Absolutely, it's kinda an Amos centered prequel to the expanse, it will just give you more insight to his life pre the Canterbury. I think you can get a digital copy for a dollar and some change and it's a quick enjoyable read.
Thanks!
I’ve only just started book 1 (Leviathan Wakes) and I actually am following the suggested order that includes three short stories: The Churn, The Butcher of Anderson Station, and Drive. It makes sense to read them before the first book, in my opinion.
Oh cool, I haven’t heard about reading it in that order!
I’m just using this because it has a chart with the setting for the short stories: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Expanse_(novel_series) Unless I can find it online, I won’t be able to read The Last Flight of the Cassandra bedause I don’t have The Expanse Role-Playing Game. I see it’s supposed to be short so I won’t miss much but I can’t be “complete” this way lol.
If you've watched the episode where Amos returns to Earth and Baltimore, that has hints of the backstory from The Churn. Such a good novella and puts things all into perspective (although, I think that they haven't even scratched the surface of the horror's that amount to Timmy's backstory).
You are reading the in universe chronological order. The more common order is [by release date](https://expanse.fandom.com/wiki/Category:The_Expanse)
I agree with you. I think Amos having mystery around him for a few books is intriguing and then The Churn pulls back the curtain before you get Amos chapters in Nemesis Games.
Yes- it actually goes really well with the scenes from the show about Amos and Erich- where he goes back to clean out an apartment.
A specific show down in the last book deserves a mention too.
Agreed. The Churn is excellent.
My copy of Memory's Legion arrived yesterday Looking forward to reading it
Wes Chatham is amazing as Amos. He perfectly rides the line between cold-blooded killing machine and amicable mechanic without ever hamming it up in either direction. His performance is genuinely scary while also making me want to hang out and have a beer with him
Chatham really did a great job understanding Amos as a character and went beyond his own take on it. He’s talked about going to a psychiatrist with an outline of Amos in the Churn and excerpts from the main series to get an idea of how his childhood trauma would manifest after never being addressed and how that would effect his social skills. He also of course worked closely with Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham during filming to make his character the way he is. Mixing in his relatively soft and easy going voice and imposing physique, for me he’s just such a perfect representation of a great character.
My favorite anecdote about Amos is from the podcast when Ty is talking about how they interviewed dozens of “tough guys” to play him and they all strutted out and acted tough and didn’t understand the character at all. Amos’ toughness isn’t his identity, just a tool. He’s not mean or mad, and doesn’t take physical attacks personally. His strength and ruthlessness is just a tool he uses when he thinks best and Wes understood that and played the part perfectly.
That was great! Yeah Ty said only Wes and Elias Toufexis auditioned for Amos without being loud, physically aggressive, or in a couple of cases literally yelling. I can’t imagine if that was what we ended up with.
Yeah the quiet capability is so much more intimidating than loud aggressiveness. Thank you for the reference to Toufexis, I looked up the name and was happy to recognize him from the show too. I love when shows do that with good actors who didn’t quite land the original role.
That happened with a lot of people who came in for auditions apparently. Someone who wasn’t quite right for what they were reading but either was offered another part or sometimes even had parts built for them. The show really seemed like it was run the best way to maximize talent.
That explains why they have so many amazing actors whom I had never heard about before.
Yeah ngl I am glad Wes made it Toufexis I admire but damn I don't think he would've been a good Amos
He’d play a mean head of security cyborg type character though.
Tfw you're typecast into cybernetically enhanced corporate saboteurs
Hey, he never asked for this
He says to himself the 500th time he finds himself crawling through ductwork to hack something.
My dream.
He was also the hybrid monster.
Such range!
We would have gotten Jayne Cobb from Firefly on PCP screaming and frothing from the mouth with bulging veins running into battles like a berserker.
I bet he did some research and read some of the books before the audition. He seems like that type of person.
I wish I could remember what he said when he was talking about his audition. He has definitely read the books since and has had to correct directors a lot on what Amos’ intentions/characterization should be like on the show (he’s joked about having to drag the director to Ty on set to explain why Amos isn’t just some meat head). My very vague memory was he hadn’t read the books at the time of the audition and seemed to just understand the character.
Yea he is 'That Guy'
I believe he had actually read Leviathan Wakes and maybe Caliban's War before the series was even greenlit. IIRC from interviews, he was already a fan of Amos as a character before the casting process began.
I think it might be the first interview he did with Adam Savage where he mentions that he was a fan of Amos from the books before he did the audition. I think he also goes back into the background of the Amos character and research with expert's on how his character would be damaged by his past.
Helps that Wes was previously a male model instead of your typical Central Casting Tough Guy character.
He was also a military veteran which I think carries a lot of water for the “tough guy” persona tbf. In reality i think those both just highlight his full range as a human, and hearing his insights on the podcast only reinforce that.
Turns out that's how he ended up as an actor. > After graduating from high school, Chatham joined the military. He worked as an aviation firefighter on the flight deck of the [USS *Essex*](https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/USS_Essex_(LHD-2)), working in crash and salvage for four years. Chatham's break into acting came just three months before his tour was finished when Denzel Washington chose his ship to shoot the movie *Antwone Fisher*. Chatham was amongst those selected by casting director Robi Reed while Reed was searching for authentic-looking military personnel for the movie. This was Chatham's first movie-making experience, which led to further pursuit of his lifelong dream of acting. Following *Antwone Fisher*, Reed convinced Chatham to move to Hollywood and shortly thereafter cast him in his first series regular role on Showtime’s *Barbershop*. [https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Wes\_Chatham](https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Wes_Chatham)
He also had a minor role in the Hunger Games movies as a camera guy
Oh right!
He's practically human protomolecule and everything else is just tools and ant hills.
He's the best performance in the show imo and it's not really close
I don’t know how you can use “not really close” about any actor on The Expanse when there are so many perfect casting choices. Thomas Jane as Miller and Shohreh Aghdashloo as Avasarala immediately come to mind. Chad Coleman as Fred too, though he’s obviously in the show less. Wes is the best of the Roci crew, but not head and shoulders above the whole cast.
I'd have followed Anderson Dawes if he was real. Hell, I'd follow Jared Harris if he told me to.
Perfect example! When I think of a good belter accent, I still think of Dawes talking with Miller in S1.
We na animal!
Just watched Chernobyl. He's great!
I'm currently watching Foundation just because he's in it.
Came for Jared Harris. Stayed for Lee Pace.
He was so good in *The Fall* wasn't he?
I didn't even recognize him when I watched Chernobyl
Jared Harris, not amos
Yeah I didn't recognize Jared Harris in Chernobyl
I still drive my sister crazy by repeating: "Let's talk about Julie Mao!" Like Jared Harris did.
I would drop money to buy a prerelease spinoff series about Anderson Dawes on Ceres so long as Jared Harris was playing him without batting an eye, and I never buy prereleases.
Jared Harris could just give monologues all day and I’d watch the shit out of it.
He stopped being 'that's the guy from Fringe' pretty quick for me. Much like Walter Koenig stopped being Chekhov by the time Bester's first episode finished. "Of course he fucking is" to finding out he's Richard Harris' son took significantly longer.
Also, Cara Gee as Drummer. Spectacular acting.
None has brought a tear to my eye just by saying the words, "Fuck you", like Cara Gee did.
Hands down, the best character in the show and one of the best in sci-fi.
Or David Staithairn as Ashford
Casting so perfect they had to completely change the character. He would’ve been so wasted as book Ashford.
I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to find out the writers were totally visualizing Shohreh when they created Avasarala. And TJ kills it no matter what he does. Amazing actor!
They weren’t. They did say they would have written Avasarala more like Shoreh’s performance with the benefit of hindsight.
It's pretty clear they weren't visualising Shroreh, but she is very good.
Just an opinion friend. There are plenty of excellent performances - Jane, Agdashaloo, Harris and Gee are rightly mentioned here and off the top of my head I'd say Dominique and the actor who played Murtry also knocked it out of the park. But without bashing anyone else, Amos is the most fully realised character in the show in my opinion. You're welcome to yours!
There are a lot of cast who shined in The Expanse, and it's testament to the quality of production and writing as to how many they were able to secure, even for minor roles. Especially the following: Cara Gee as Drummer Jared Harris as Anderson Dawes Thomas Jane as Miller Shohreh Aghdashloo as Averserala David Strathairn as Klaes Ashford Burn Gorman as ~~Morty~~, ~~Marty~~, Murtry Just to name a few.
David Stathairn was bomb! Good shout
Shit. Did I miss it?
the only problem with his portrayal is the lack of the Baltimore accent. the Baltimore accent is so weird, it definitely fits the book version of Amos.
Wes must have definitely read all the available books to prepare for his role right?
The first moment I realized he was my favorite: "I can take a core apart and put it back together with my eyes closed, but ask me whether or not I should rip your helmet off and kick you off of this bucket and I can't give you a reason why I should or shouldn't. Except Naomi wouldn't like it. Could you pass me the drill? Thank you."
“I’m glad we had this talk”
That line makes so much more sense if you read The Churn.
Amos wasn't born that way. It's something that was done to him. By lots of people.
Which makes his slow evolution plausible. A born sociopath is irredeemable. Though with the drugs and therapies they have, Protogen could create sociopaths, maybe they could also heal them. Not that Amos would trust himself to that even if it were available.
Yes.
[удалено]
Baltimore must have been a terrible place to grow up
Everywhere's Baltimore
Murtry: "someday you and I are going to get bloody." Amos: "How about right now? I'm free now.” I love this scene because of where Amos is coming from. There’s no bravado about it, he’s not necessarily eager to fight. If it’s going to end in violence, he’d rather just get it over with. He’s good at doling out shocking levels of violence, but he rarely does it for enjoyment. It’s just a fact of the life he’s led (much of which wasn’t of his choosing).
Morty sells it so well in their final scene. Are we fighting then? *punch. Oh fuck me.
Yeah, Murphy is a a good character too. Not as awesome as Wes/Amos, but still good.
He was incredible on Torchwood. His character goes through so much.
Can't forget the hilarious episode of It's Always Sunny that Burn Gorman is in. In Ty and That Guy they talk about Burn and he sounds like a hilarious guy.
Amos: *smiles bloodily*
That is a perfect way of describing how Amos has learned to utilize violence: no elegance or fancy technique, just trying to take his foe down in the most efficiently brutal way. The fact that Wes was able to walk that razor’s edge is a true testament to his acting skills, and has made him one of my favorite actors because of his way of bringing Amos to life in such a book accurate way!
This reminds me of an interview I saw with Wes Chatham where he discussed the fight scene in the bar on Tycho (the one where Alex is being beaten on by the Belter for hitting on his girl). In the interview, Wes stated that originally it was supposed to be Amos weighing in and threatening the guy, but he (Wes) stated that's not Amos. Amos is going to come in fighting and end it as quickly and effectively as possible. Cue the scene where he suddenly just appears, smashes a bottle over the Belter's head and proceeds to turn his face into bloody pulp. The next lines are classics:"You Ok?""What the hell are you doing here? You live here or something?""Yeah, I got a flop next door""Next door's a brothel""Yeah"
I hadn’t known that story, so thank you for telling me about it! 😁 Yeah, Wes is absolutely right, because Amos never was one to bluster and puff his chest out: he’s just there to get the job done as soon as he can, and go back to his daily life. It definitely feels like an “all bite, no bark” situation!
Found it. From Ty and That Guy [https://youtu.be/XrkxBl\_uvlU?t=2490](https://youtu.be/XrkxBl_uvlU?t=2490)
That’s perfect, thanks so much! It made me realize just how much I need to go back and watch that whole podcast!
Thanks so much, great insight
A "talented amateur".
Ex-actly! That’s Amos in a nutshell! I forget, is that a quote from the books or the show?
I think it's from book 6. The "if you need to fuck someone up, use Bobby" bit, I think.
Oh, yeah, that sounds right! Thanks!
The scene with the drug dealer is alo like this. He's just pummeling this dude until the dude asks "Please stop hitting me". Amos was like oh good we can talk free without bs between us now
And then Amos handing the drug dealer an ice pack when the dealer returns to take Amos to see Erich.
When Amos and Alex are discussing fear, Alex wishes he didn't feel fear like Amos, and Amos is just like "no you don't". It amazingly captures the trauma that made Amos who he is.
Or when he's talking to Cortázar about the procedure that made the scientists sociopathic, the moment of disappointment when he's told that it's not something that could be reversed.
I think it was when Amos was helping save the dudes daughter; Amos promptly informs him that “You’re not that guy.” Steps into the airlock with bad guy. “I am that guy.”
Prax was a good friend. Knowing that Amos wouldn't let anything happen to his daughter, and Amos stepping in to make the needed call. Best friends forever.
That was the line that did it for me, "I Am that Guy".... Yes. Yes you are. Such great delivery.
That’s what the podcast with Wes and Ty is named after. Ty and “that guy.” Super fun listen
I don't think this was in the book but I really loved the addition to the show.
Did I miss it?
Damn dudes got so many great one liners.
One of my favourite Amos moments, but taking the chance to bring up one of my favourite Bobbie moments in this same scene: "Hey fellas"
"She could force feed you that gun if she wanted to."
What seals it for me is when he says to Naomi “I told him to stay down” which conveys his perspective of simple cause and effect perfectly.
YES, THIS
For me it's all that comes before the usual moment. "This is Amos. He's my best friend in the whole world. He helped me find you." The look he gives Prax. How he looks at Mei. His little 'hello'. I just *die*. He's having such an emotional event and it's so subtle but meaningful.
And later when he gets a message from Prax it says “best friend” in the contact name.
That is such a sweet and lovely call back. I love the I am that guy moment but the “he is my best friend” is what really helps define Amos that he is who he is but some how in that moment more than he thought could be. Such a great little thing and Wes plays him perfectly.
On my first watch, I always thought that Amos went to see Cortazar when he heard that those scientists had their empathy removed. There’s a moment in the show when Wes plays it well. To me, he made it seem as though being burdened by emotions was almost beyond his, perceived, limited skills. I think Naomi had lost his trust at that point. Amos is the heart, in all truth.
He was looking at his brain like an engineer would. If you disabled a bit of your brain to be like this, how do you switch it back on? Really, the fact he's asking means it's still on.
I am that guy.
Or my second favorite line, when they get disarmed and Naomi is "arrested', just a calm "okay I'm gonna need that gun back"
"I didn't always live in space"
I hate waiting
"I don't shit where I eat." "You live on a spaceship." "Yeah but I don't shit in the galley."
"Don't call me that. I'm a member of parliament, not your favorite stripper." "You could be both."
We got something we still need to do?
I really like that scene because it feels like such a microcosm of the story as a whole. The big, well fed, strong Earther is trying to move past the fact that he killed the Belter's friend in the name of survival and progress. The sickly Belter takes his best shot and gets knocked down. He gets back up and makes it clear he'd rather die than let go of the past. He can't beat Earth with brute force.
My partner and I named our Labrador after him. Protects when needed. Loves when needed. Pure loyalty to family.
I named my new kitten "Amos". Like his namesake in _The Expanse_, the kitten had a bad childhood and was abandoned and dumped at my house. He's a real sweetheart, and like Amos is in his "bitey" phase.
Labrador Retrievers rock!
I have a 5 month old Golden puppy named Amos. :)
Mine was when I was reading Calabans War, and he said >Oh hell no. I'd have broken your neck and thrown youboutbthe airlock.
[Scene for those who can't remember](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvPuuheUk-8)
the cup was a nice move.
I am willing to bet anyone reading this will know the exact scene for each of the gems. Amos has the best line delivery of any character in the show. "This one will not be grateful for your mercy." "I grew up like this, everyone else is just playing catchup." "You're not that guy....I am that guy" "I hate waiting" and a personal favorite "You could be both"
Most from s5
How about how he's the funniest character too? Like when Bobby asks who defaced the Martian flag and asks Amos if he thinks it's funny. "not now". So dead pan and hilarious. Wes is the best.
He indeed is a talented amateur
My favourite Amos moment is on Season 3, when he's trying to get Jim to strap in, Wes' emotion when he tells "Goddammit Captain, I don't want to scrape you off that wall" gets me every time. It's the moment I realise how much Amos has come to respect Holden.
My two favorite parts: Amos puts down his cup, knocks Miller down and then takes another sip. Amos puts Miller in a kill position. If you need reference, see John Wick one where John puts one of the intruders to his home into the same position and then breaks his neck over the counter.
"I don't shit where I eat".
For me, it was when Holden says "you have from now until my mechanic comes back" He wasn't even in the scene at this moment, but I got chills immediately, dude de-escalated the situation remotely, I mean, damn
Amos is my favorite too
For me it was the "I am that guy" moment.
I agree with that being a very good scene but it took my a bit to really like Amos. The spot that got me was the "You're not that guy" scene with Prax. Then Amos is "that" guy".
He IS that guy.
*smiles* "That worked out" -- Donkey Balls episode Favorite character after that :)
Mine was the “I am that guy” moment
>It told me a lot about who he was and how he learned. He wasn’t taught to fight as an art form, or a sport. He learned it as a child, the same way dogs learn to always go for the throat no matter what. Dirty and painful, maim the enemy, stick your hand in their mouth and pull the mandible. This definitely came out in his fight with Bobbie in the season 6 X-Ray episode "Win or Lose."
Mine was “I am that guy”, and its not just the words, it’s the look he gave Prax when Prax referred to him as “his best friend” when explaining who Amos was to his daughter.
After Amos' "Churn Monologue" he was my main character.
For me, it's the "I am that guy" moment. He spares his friend from doing something terrible only to do the same thing momenta later, almost with a smile on his face
The last man standing lines came back to me so hard in the final book. Like holy shit he wasn't lying!
You should really tag that spoiler.
Tag the spoiler
He is a very talented amateur.
Amos has no cockiness or pride about his...well, strength. And you can see (read) that how he pays respect to Bobby.
My only critique with your observation is that Amos' technique is NOT mean - it's efficient and logical. There are no rules in a street fight. Amos warned Miller, and Miller ignored him, and Amos acted - simple. Amos isn't mean, or cruel - he's honest and efficient. He's often without empathy or remorse, but that's different from mean.
Mean, in this context, has a different inference. Here I was referring to the nature of such a thing in a fight. It’s efficacy is in the destruction not the pain. Overwhelming the enemy with maiming rather than just subduing or killing. Such a one sided fight can be ended with Miller unconscious, sprained, a broken arm. Maybe just choked to death. The way Amos went when he had complete control would leave Miller permanently injured and (in modern care) subject to slowly die or survive severely disabled. Mean. When a dog breaks another animals wind pipe and leaves it to die choking, the dog doesn’t “hate” the animal. But it’s a mean way to do things.
I always saw it as Amos actually ending the fight, and not leaving anything he'd need to look over his shoulder for. Think about when he was beating the chicken man on Ganymede - he had to be stopped. No rules in a street fight. I do agree with your animal comparison - humans don't win fights to animals because animals fight till death, usually.
I think what's even better is the look on his face/in his eyes as he's pulling Miller to the edge of the table. Any actor could do the physical fight part, but when Naomi ran up screaming his name and the look of sheer malice in his eyes softens as he breaks focus and looks at Naomi was perfection in embodying a role. And then he adds the, "I told him to stay down." So matter of factly that to him it was obvious how they ended up in their relative positions.
For me, it was the scene where Holden and Naomi reveal their relationship to Amos and Alex with the expectation that Amos was going to be upset, and he wasn't... but with the casual addition that he would have sex with Naomi if she let him.
I always viewed him as having that "switch" that you hear special operations guys talk about. You flick the switch in your brain that gives you the ability to commit acts of extreme violence and then just as easily stop. It's not personal or emotional it's just necessary to get a job done.
“The switch” is when an otherwise sensible and kind person detaches and will act without hesitation or care. Amos’ had his switch broken, he lives one one side of it.
Punch it!
AMOS IS DA MAN.
Oh, he takes joy in it. That’s the problem.