Constellation

Constellation’s application of quantum physics might not blow the minds of scientists or sci-fi connoisseurs. What makes it compelling is the way Harness maps those abstract ideas onto the inner lives of his characters.

The pace is what many will think of as slow. I would call it deliberate, unhurried, and a smarter way to fill eight hours of television than plumping it up with extraneous plots and characters. It’s true that the storytelling does involve some repetition and circularity, and I imagine that some will find “Constellation” frustrating — you do have to go with its flow — but everything is to the point.

If this were a film, it would be in dire need of simplification. But with eight episodes to explore all the complexities, there’s plenty of time for the show’s many stories to unfurl.

While nowhere as bold, there are echoes of the sensibilities of Skinamarink or The Outwaters at the core of Constellation, along with a slight sampling of something like Interstellar. The answers it uncovers aren’t wholly surprising, but they are as emotionally resonant as they are strikingly shot.

The twists and turns are brilliant (and we're keeping completely quiet about the jaw-dropping ending), but it's how grounded the show is that sets it apart. .... All of this is not to say that Constellation is a completely flawless series – the pacing in the middle could definitely have been improved. .... For this series, though, I can almost forgive it.

An inventive mix of sci-fi and paranoia, a winning opportunity for an underrated international actor, a thoughtful and imperfectly written drama, Constellation feels like the worst type of quality show. It’s good enough for a major streamer to mishandle.

Thankfully, the finale provides some legitimately earned answers, while also keeping things open for a potential second season. With a challenging premise, smart writing and strong performances, “Constellation” is well worth the eight-episode investment.

Constellation isn’t flawless, but it’s certainly a meaningful, brainy addition the genre.

It is only when the narrative moves beyond the existential dread of being lost in the stars that we grasp the true nature of the story, a twist that won't be disclosed here because the epiphany is electric. At that point, "Constellation" becomes a different experience, an irresistible one. And then, once we fully get it, it becomes different again: The onion-peeling in the program is handed off to the characters in the series. We know what they don't.

The real quantum entanglement is that of straight science-fiction action with dark fairy tale. The show’s creator and writer, Peter Harness, working with the directors Michelle MacLaren, Oliver Hirschbiegel and Joseph Cedar, carries off both with aplomb, and maintains a dry tone and an appealing atmosphere of foreboding. The mechanics of the narrative, as “Constellation” shifts through its different gears, can be creaky, but the show continually draws you in.

It’s a twisty conspiracy thriller with a confusing, complex scientific theory at its center.

Constellation has the space horror down, and it has only scratched the surface as far as its deep bench of compelling characters goes. Once it opens up the greater conspiracy, once it gives a little more momentum to the mystery at hand, that's when Constellation will really take off.

Constellation gets better as it goes along and starts to reveal its secrets, but you have to really believe in its mission to let it take you all the way.

With a strong, suspenseful start, Constellation revels in detail and process while resisting the urge to keep the audience fully in the dark. But the pacing soon stalls as the series reveals it has no place left to go before its prospective next season.

When streaming services inevitably start cutting back on original productions, meandering and mundane ventures such as this will be first on the chopping block.

We’re reserving judgement about the slow pacing of Constellation until we get to see more episodes. But for a show that starts with a disaster and leads into a conspiracy, we were surprised at how little we were engaged with the material.

While Rapace and Banks were expected to be the main draw of this series, and they’re excellent, the performances from Davina and Rosie Coleman are the glue that holds it together. But despite these moving performances, “Constellation” spends too much time floating aimlessly. The show likes to believe it's clever, but the reality is that it often falls flat.

As it exists, “Constellation” is a couple of strong performances stranded in an uncanny vacuum, not unlike Jo left dangling in an abandoned ISS.

If only the pace of this well-acted but confusing drama moved as quickly.

Constellation runs on the sheer unsettling thrill of watching Jo try to puzzle out what’s really going on. But vibes only go so far when satisfying answers aren’t forthcoming, and by the end of its first season, the drama has run out of steam.

At the conclusion of the three episodes with which the show launches, it is clear some sort of ominous and murky conspiracy is afoot. However, to reel the viewer in, Constellation needs to move faster. Instead, it floats about in a zero-gravity funk. The view is spectacular but the lethargic orbit makes for frustrating watching.