WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Expanse Season 5, Episode 4, "Guagamela," available now on Amazon Prime Video.
In Season 5 of The Expanse, Amos Burton, one of the most dangerous men in the solar system, finally goes to prison. Amos hasn't been arrested, mind you; instead he's there to visit an inmate: none other than Clarissa Mao, younger sister of Julie Mao.
At the end of the second episode of Season 5, Amos put in a call to Chrisjen Avasarala asking her to use her high clearance level to arrange the visit for him before he leaves Earth for good. And in Season 5, Episode 4, "Guagamela," Amos arrives at the prison, which is known as The Pit, where Mao's serving a life sentence for the multiple murders she committed in Season 3.
The Pit is a specialized prison in North Carolina that houses criminals who are physically enhanced by illegal implants and other augmentations. As Amos is guided through the facility, the guard explains that body privacy is protected under the constitution, meaning that these augmentations cannot be removed without the consent of the prisoner. However, Mao's implants have altered her way of life so much that it wouldn't be the same were she to opt for voluntary removal. When Amos makes it to her cell, Clarissa looks ill and out of it. She explains they have her on blockers to keep her in check, which she claims is a better option than complete removal.
While Amos visits Mao in The Pit, Earth is responding to a terrible attack in which an asteroid plunged into the ocean off the coast of north Africa. During his visit, a prison-wide lockdown goes into effect, leaving Amos stranded with many enhanced criminals. A huge quake then rumbles through the prison and the lights go out as the ceiling begins to crack and crumble.
It turns out this is the result of a second asteroid impact near Philadelphia -- the second of three to hit Earth in Marco Inaros' systematic bombardment of the planet. Amos and Mao now find themselves trapped deep underground as the Earth above them changes, both geographically and politically. How they escape remains to be seen, but its certain that the power dynamic between the prisoners and guards will come into play. And with Amos now responsible for Clarissa, and vice versa, it will be interesting to see whose side they find themselves on.
An adaptation of the novel series of the same name by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse stars Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Frankie Adams. New episodes of Season 5 premiere Wednesdays on Amazon Prime Video.