I've always been a fan of the "bottle episode," an episode focused on cost-cutting by primarily keeping its story set in one location.  From oft-praised examples, such as Seinfeld's "The Chinese Restaurant," to occasionally-maligned ones, like Breaking Bad's "The Fly," they exhibit an intriguing writer's dilemma: maintaining audience attention in spite of a deliberately diminished scope.  Now that the main storyline for The Expanse: A Telltale Series has concluded, Telltale & Deck Nine have released their own bottle episode: Archangel.  Is it a worthy extension of the main game or a hollow excuse to make a pricier Deluxe Edition?

Camina Drummer is swapped out with another fan favorite: UN Secretary-General Chrisjen Avasarala.  In spite of me being a self-proclaimed Expanse virgin, even I know her popularity given that she's played by the wonderful Shohreh Aghdashloo, who has the sexiest emphysema voice in the world.  With all other ranking UN members deliberating an in-person meeting on the Moon, Avasarala has become the most important person on Earth; as a result, she's required to temporarily relocate to a secure underground bunker.  That doesn't mean her affairs are put on hold.


In theory, Archangel's interplay between player and protagonist fits perfectly for a bottle episode.  Earth's leader is cooped up a hundred feet underground while juggling between family dynamics, a contentious military impasse out in space, and subversive political maneuvering by another ambitious UN ambassador solely through phone calls and voice messages.  It captures an interesting middle ground between authority and powerlessness; working through crucial operations whilst stashed in a Brutalist prison.  A temporary power outage is all it takes to show her outdoor scenery is a mere façade.

Everything makes thematic sense in this context, but that can't disregard how it's also more mechanically simplistic.  You're grounded to Earth, which means there are no fun zero-g segments from the main episodes.  It's essentially "Answering Emails: The Game" with dashes of light puzzle-solving.  Granted, it's not impossible to find interesting design ideas within that type of framework, but in this case the template just funnels back to rudimentary Telltale-esque dialogue choices.  One recurring arc is about Avasarala circumnavigating potential regulations to her power and currying outside favor, but the best answer was so simple that I was shocked to see ~60% of players guess it right the first time.  Virtually every dialogue decision feels that intuitively easy too.

A modest plurality (at the least) will throw shade at the "someone will remember that" Telltale trope for its overexaggerated consequences.  While I respect that critique, I'm more receptive to what those quandaries are trying to accomplish in the moment; the push/pull in weighing which person or group to favor and seeing their subsequent reactions in real time.  Even that specific sensation can't really be felt in Archangel because you can't glean from any visual feedback.  The grumpy officer dealing with a potential Martian threat growing more passive aggressive simply doesn't convey intensity over recorded messages.  And while the context of Avasarala being boxed in makes sense thematically, it's a shame how rote all exploration feels as a result.


While not perfect, there's stronger propulsion within certain story beats than the emaciated gameplay.  For a modest side story, there's a… nice collection of arcs that have to be juggled.  I love how judgmental your Chrisjen can be towards her son and then concurrently play nice with other UN ambassadors for protection.  I'm also a sucker for the salesman antagonist: deliberately doing anything feasible to put a knife in someone while maintaining a hearty smile for the cameras.  All of these micro-stories do nonetheless carry a diminished sense of consequence and are incredibly typical, but the way they interlock with one another provides a solid tempo.  It's a healthy sign when I'm – at the very least – interested to explore non-mandatory objectives.

Despite the setbacks and reduced stakes, Archangel still houses the entire game's best scene.  To expound upon it without spoiling, the reason it works so well is in its surprise and cinematic execution.  Because you're juggling so many disparate tasks, it's easy to get lulled into a sense of security: simply beat your adversary at political chess so you can get back to important matters.  Then once the big moment hits, you're washed over by a tour-de-force in visual storytelling: the way the camera is framed, the impeccable timing of the voicemail, the precise editing, the music choice, and so on.  It's surprising to admit, especially given that the main game never flexes its muscles to this extent, but it's a genuinely effective scene. 


Telltale & Deck Nine's bottle episode posed one major question for me: how much is one great scene worth?  Sure, from a distance, one could say putting down some extra couch change for the complete Expanse story is a mere pittance on its own.  But what's a more interesting dilemma is what Archangel accomplishes on its own terms.  Limiting our protagonist – narratively and mechanically – creates new design hurdles that sadly weren't surmounted; instead, we're back to the same Telltale penchant of constrained exploration with drawn-out moments and easy puzzle-solving.  The juggling story arcs are serviceable in their own right, but no ripple effects feel tangible within this confined location.  All of these… confused elements do incidentally build to a powerful denouement, but the hour-long journey to reach it feels like one big missed opportunity.

Contractor by trade and writer by hobby, Lee's obnoxious criticisms have found a way to be featured across several gaming sites: N4G, VGChartz, Gaming Nexus, DarkStation, and TechRaptor! He started gaming in the mid-90s and has had the privilege in playing many games across a plethora of platforms. Reader warning: each click given to his articles only helps to inflate his Texas-sized ego. Proceed with caution.