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.