Constellation s1 (2024) [+]
Oct 16 2024
Constellation is a science fiction drama series that ran one season of eight episodes on Apple TV+.
Set in the present day, an accident on the International Space Station leaves one astronaut dead and another, Johanna Ericsson (Noomi Rapace), stranded with about a day of oxygen and barely enough time to repair the second escape capsule. Meanwhile though she's kind of hallucinating, hearing and seeing things.
Once back on Earth Johanna finds things are not quite how she remembered. Her husband Magnus (James D'Arcy) says she's as cold as before, her daughter Alice (Davina and Rosie Coleman) doesn't understand Swedish, their car is a different color, and she doesn't remember one of the experiments that the ISS was conducting.
It's fairly clear early on to viewers that there are two alternate universes and Johanna is in the wrong one. But it's not until midway that we are shown this is not Johanna that was shown at the beginning but the other Johanna. Also we learn that some astronauts go crazy once they return to Earth, that it's been happening since the early days of space exploration, and that the various space agencies have been covering it up.
There is a subplot with Henry Caldera (Jonathan Banks) whose experiment, the CAL (Cold Atom Laboratory and apparently a real experiment on the ISS) was running when the accident occurred. Johanna brought the CAL core back to Earth and apparently some people when close to the core can see and temporarily travel to the other universe. It turns out Henry is from the other universe, stranded here decades ago during the Apollo 18 mission. In the last episode he switches places with Bud Caldera who has turned into a bit of a psychopath during the decades stuck in the wrong universe and now he's back and unpredictable.
I like this series. It's a science fiction mystery which slowly reveals new things and surprises. There is a good setup for season two. Unfortunately the series was cancelled so I'm mixed about whether or not to recommend it. I guess it's still worth watching as it's good science fiction without having fantasy, horror or action mixed in.
Set in the present day, an accident on the International Space Station leaves one astronaut dead and another, Johanna Ericsson (Noomi Rapace), stranded with about a day of oxygen and barely enough time to repair the second escape capsule. Meanwhile though she's kind of hallucinating, hearing and seeing things.
Once back on Earth Johanna finds things are not quite how she remembered. Her husband Magnus (James D'Arcy) says she's as cold as before, her daughter Alice (Davina and Rosie Coleman) doesn't understand Swedish, their car is a different color, and she doesn't remember one of the experiments that the ISS was conducting.
It's fairly clear early on to viewers that there are two alternate universes and Johanna is in the wrong one. But it's not until midway that we are shown this is not Johanna that was shown at the beginning but the other Johanna. Also we learn that some astronauts go crazy once they return to Earth, that it's been happening since the early days of space exploration, and that the various space agencies have been covering it up.
There is a subplot with Henry Caldera (Jonathan Banks) whose experiment, the CAL (Cold Atom Laboratory and apparently a real experiment on the ISS) was running when the accident occurred. Johanna brought the CAL core back to Earth and apparently some people when close to the core can see and temporarily travel to the other universe. It turns out Henry is from the other universe, stranded here decades ago during the Apollo 18 mission. In the last episode he switches places with Bud Caldera who has turned into a bit of a psychopath during the decades stuck in the wrong universe and now he's back and unpredictable.
I like this series. It's a science fiction mystery which slowly reveals new things and surprises. There is a good setup for season two. Unfortunately the series was cancelled so I'm mixed about whether or not to recommend it. I guess it's still worth watching as it's good science fiction without having fantasy, horror or action mixed in.