The Expanse’s finale leaves some answers to the imagination – including whether Amos Burton and Clarissa “Peaches” Mao are romantically involved.
Caution: spoilers ahead for The Expanse season 6 finale
Does the relationship between Amos Burton and Clarissa “Peaches” Mao evolve into a romance during The Expanse‘s finale, or is that just a preconceived notion of stereotypical relationships in fiction confusing things? As The Expanse ends, many storylines and mysteries remain unresolved. What does Admiral Winston Duarte plan to achieve with that giant Protomolecule warship on Laconia? Will the Ring entities wake up for good and wipe humanity out forever? And, most importantly of all, are Amos and Peaches a couple when the final credits roll?
Beginning as a villain hellbent on revenge against James Holden, Clarissa Mao bonded with Amos while being escorted to prison on the Rocinante. They kept in touch, and Amos happened to be visiting her cell when Marco Inaros launched his devastating volley of asteroids in Earth’s direction. With the prison destroyed, Amos had little choice but to bring Clarissa (officially dubbed “Peaches” by this point) aboard the Roci. They’ve grown closer in the 6 month period between The Expanse seasons 5 and 6, but the relationship remains platonic. Their connection takes a step forward in The Expanse‘s finale – but is that step a romantic one, or something that transcends traditional lines?
In The Expanse‘s “happily ever after” closing montage, Nadine Nicole’s character gifts Amos a replica of the devil pin he lost back in season 5. It’s a delicate, tender moment – perhaps more than any we’ve seen from Wes Chatham’s Expanse character – and, in most TV shows, would be considered a romantic overture to signal a proper relationship ahead. That isn’t necessarily what’s happening in The Expanse‘s finale. Earlier in the episode, Naomi Nagata shares one final piece of emotional guidance with Amos, pointing out how Peaches calling him “Boss” is the same as when he called her “Boss” back on the Canterbury. Naomi’s comparison all but confirms Amos’ relationship with Peaches isn’t a love story.
Amos and Naomi were never more than friends – in the mechanic’s own words, “Don’t get me wrong, I’d do her if she let me.” Instead, Amos looked to Naomi as a moral compass – someone he trusted implicitly as a guide through parts of life he didn’t fully understand. That friendship gave Amos his first true taste of what “home” and “family” could look like. As Naomi notices in The Expanse‘s finale, Amos is now offering exactly the same assurance for Peaches. Bouncing from her sheltered, wealthy life as a child of Jules-Pierre Mao, straight into becoming a super-powered mass-murderer, Peaches found herself in desperate need of direction after her Expanse incarceration. Amos provides that compass – the same sensation of home and family Naomi gave to him once upon a time. It’s a closer bond than a usual friendship, but not the typical boyfriend-girlfriend dynamic viewers might’ve thought was developing in The Expanse‘s final episode.
In a 2021 interview (via BeMoreSuper), Wes Chatham expressed his belief that Amos shouldn’t move beyond a platonic connection with Peaches, believing it would tarnish what they’ve already built. There’s also nothing in The Expanse‘s original books that cements the Rocinante’s mechanic duo as lovers. We can assume, therefore, that whatever tethers Amos and Peaches together, it’s not romantic or sexual in nature.
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