The Story
This sci-fi drama follows US astronaut Emma Green as she leads an international space crew in a mission to Mars. As she and her team face problems and internal conflicts in space, they must also deal with the distance that keeps them away from the people they love.
Created by Andrew Hinderaker, Away stars Hillary Swank as Captain Emma Green alongside actors Josh Charles and Talitha Bateman as her husband and daughter respectively. Meanwhile, Mark Ivanir, Vivian Wu, Ray Panthaki, and Ato Essandoh make up NASA’s international crew.
Watch This If You
Like shows and films set in space. The space journey in this show may not be as suspenseful and thrilling like the others where disasters are often emphasized (sometimes even exaggerated), but it has its nerve-racking and breathtaking moments.
What I Think
Away effectively combines a thrilling space odyssey with heartwarming family drama; and honestly, it got me teary-eyed in almost every episode. Unlike other sci-fi shows or films, this series is grounded and depicts more realistic dilemmas that the space crew must deal with– technical troubles within the ship, conflicts between their cultural and personal beliefs, and the crippling distance between the crew and the people they love back on Earth.
Besides Emma Green and her family, other key characters are just as complex; and each of their stories– their goals, motives, and sacrifices– are all highlighted throughout the first season, giving us viewers an understanding on why they behave the way they do.
Backed by the performances from a superb cast, the show has fully fleshed out these characters from their shallow surface to their most vulnerable moments.
The series wondrously wraps up in its season finale, but it left some crumbs of intriguing plot lines that one can expect to unravel in the next season. As the credits rolled, Away left me smiling for that wonderful finish, and excited to see how the show will move forward on season two.
My Rating
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Away premieres on Netflix this September 4. Visit its official page on the streaming platform to learn more.
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