I'm reviewing episode one, "Safe", and the entirety of series 2 at the same time. I'm also reviewing this as a reader of the books. The books were always television-ready. They were never that deep, never that stylistic, never that convincing, but they were fine science fiction easily adaptable to television. Like season one, this new episode and season really fail in the casting and characterization. They also dumb down the series. The directors and producers get the right general features for the characters - the beard, the drawl, the earnestness, the skin color or size - but they do not capture the real essence of the characters of the book. Draper was the big disappointment in this one. All the rest of the characters continue to be just a little off, the producers somehow unwilling to commit to the ones penned in the books but taking some hints and general direction from them. This episode and season continue to streamline and add randomly to the book plot. This did not make the television series better and only annoys book fans. What the series might have done better than the books is to capture the distrust and tension between Earth, Mars, and the Belters. The tension within each of the camps - particularly the Belters - is exceptionally portrayed. The CGI, sets, and action sequences continue to be great science fiction television. All in all, in makes for an episode and season that is above average science fiction but a real missed opportunity to create something extraordinary.