User reviews

Watchable actors and a plot that was engaging if a bit soapy in places, but left wanting for lack of a little exposition and terribly uneven pacing. There are plot holes in abundance, mostly masked by the fundamental premise so not fatal to enjoying the show. The mystery builds with hints at a scientistic multiverse explanation, though character viewpoint identification wasn't always clear and the shifts and flashbacks often confusing. But we got trapped in getting the same level of hints over and over again without any development of the idea or progress in the characters' realisations. Just as it looked like it was going to go deeper and get somewhere -the place I'd expect to be by epsiode 3 or 4 -the season ended. I only realised this when the next episode didn't show up and that was it. No resolution, not a satisfying watch.

Off the bat I'll say that what I mean by the title is that this is one of those stories told all out of order and mixed up, that, if told straight forward, would be about a 15 minute long show. Apple+ sure LOVES to make science fiction shows that make you start getting concerned that you've been wasting your time once you get to the midpoint of episodes. They've done like three shows like this now where you have almost no idea what's going on for the first few episodes... Then you start to realize, but hope there will be a twist... And then there is no twist and it is exactly what you predicted... And there was no reason to stretch it out so long.

Out of order and unclear story telling, with a story that would actually be quite short if told in order, is of course not always bad, and can be great, even- think of something like Pulp Fiction, for example- but in this case it is not great.

The acting is all very good, especially the little girl. She's very talented.

The show was entertaining enough that it's worth putting on your list, or watching if you've got the desire to. But by episode 3-4ish you pretty much get what's going on- if not ever detail- they continue to do a slow burn for 5 to 7 more hours of TV, as if the surprise hasn't unraveled yet.

There are also many reveals that once they are revealed you find yourself thinking, "ok... and....?". Because they all act as evidence to prove this one same thing... That you figure out pretty early into the show.

It would be like if you knew, for a fact, who the m*rderer was, in a show where that is the mystery.. and long after they gave you enough info to know it was him, and showed a flashback of him doing it... and a flash forward of him admitting it to police.... they still kept having ~shocking reveals~ in the present timeline... like, "WE FOUND HIS GLOVE AT THE CRIME SCENE- ITS A DNA MATCH (fade to credits)!". And really the only new information you're learning is that he, in fact, wore gloves, during the crime.

That is exactly what this show is like.

The small reveals mean nothing once the big reveal is so clearly the only option of what COULD be going on... It all becomes very, "Sure, why not; I guess I'd like to know why each thing happened, but I don't need to anymore." Any hope that there will be a huge unexpected twist is quickly dashed once it becomes clear what's going on (long before it's explicitly said)..... and there's no real b-plot or anything else that makes it fun once you realize what's going on.

Luckily, it is fast paced, and with good enough acting that it's not cumbersome to sit through, and each episode does go rather quickly... You just feel like there's not much to the story.

Especially now that multi-verses are all the rage in TV and film, this is pretty much just a slightly new way of telling the same old story.

Worth a watch if you like scifi, but I'll put it this way: This show is like a loooong steep hiking trail.... with no view when you get to the top.

Again, it's not at all bad, it's just not as good as you hope it will be after the first few episodes when it's action packed as they try to get home from outer space (which is risky, due to some complications)... that is before you realize the direction the show is going to go.

The negative is all down to the story itself. As I said, the acting is all good, and the cinematography and other visual effects, are also very good. The writing isn't even half bad, as far as the dialogue itself and keeping interest... it's just the story, overall, that is lacking.

The story itself is very simple and short, so it is made as confusing as possible, which is almost insulting once you realize what's going on... long before the main character.

It's also one of those shows where conflict arises simply because people don't share information they have or say things that need to be said. You find yourself yelling at the screen like "just tell him what you saw!" Or "just show him the evidence you have!" But they never do because then the story wouldn't be 8 hours long.

6/10 (and at least 3 points are for acting, and visuals)

I wasn't entirely sure where the show was headed when early reviewers and synopsis described it as a show about an astronaut who returns to Earth to find it different. Through subtle and not so subtle scenes, the story builds its plot device on "quantum physics for dummies" to weave a story where two events can happen or not happen, and happen AND not happen at the same time. Understandably, this can be confusing to follow, and a good review and a bad one can coexist and both could be right.

As with most interesting mysteries, there are secrets being kept that will be revealed. The show incorporates sci-fi horror elements, such as darkness, screams, imagery of the dead, and the terror of the unknown. The main premise seems that those who went out to space and back no longer experience reality as a certainty, in the quantum physical sense.

The acting is fine though a bit uneven, but in retrospect, this could be due to the way the story develops nonlinearly at certain points. But the suspense does start to build up by the third episode, and there is enough there to make me speculate on what's going on. Some may need to suspend a little disbelief early on, on how the entire ISS can be rendered so useless by one impact, as if the minds of multiple space agencies haven't planned for myriad contingencies, module and system isolation and redundancy, etc. But it's realistic enough to get the story going.

This appears to be a decent sci-fi horror suspense thriller in the making, and maintains Apple TV's standard for production quality. I do hope there is more to this than Hollywood's literal take on Einstein's "spooky action at a distance".

And the reason is the last episode, the season finale. At least I believe it is the main reason, although I suspect quite a few people could not get past episodes 3/4. Which is a shame, as the series pick up from then onwards until espisode 7, which for me was the best, along with the intriguing opening episode.

So what is the issue with the season finale? I have written an extensive review of that episode, but to quickly sum I up (and also to have no spoilers, as there are quite a few in that one): it feels cheap. Like a low budget sci fi/horror mix, one that would go straight to TV. We have this great premise, this solid cast with some brilliant actors in it (I am a big fan of Rapace by the way, she is so underrated), some solid development...and you choose to go with characters doing the most illogical things and creating even further mess, along with stuff just...happening, to advance the plot, with no real explanation.

It is obvious this was destined for at least one more, if not numerous future seasons, but considering the ratings here, and no official confirmation from Apple, even though this TV series were close to the top of the rankings for some time, I am beginning to doubt those future seasons would happen. And I would hate that, as there is still hope for this, to turn out great. But it could have worked just as well, if not better, as limited TV series,8, 10, or even 12 episodes. Instead the creator decided to make the season finale a mindless filler not answering any questions, and creating new ones, including with the final scene, again completely unexplained and looking like it's there to be a final beg for renewal.

Great visuals and suspense , Solid start.

A promising start to the series. Heart pounding edge of your seat, mind-bending thriller from the get go.... It's one of those series that requires your full attention or you're going to get lost. I binged the first three episodes and watched them again. It's that good. I put this one on the same ranking with " Gravity" "Arrival" and the "martian" Noomi Rapace is phenomenal as always. Beautiful location, nicely paced thriller. Kept me glued from the start, couldn't wait for the next episode.

Fingers crossed hopefully the rest of the series maintains the hype and pace and keeps getting stronger.

LOL! Sorry but after one or two episodes in, people were already complaining about it being boring or an attempt at making a sci-fi horror or whatever. Yeah, let's review a show when you quite know what's happening, make assumptions about what it's trying to do, and you don't have the patience to find out. Some people can only find entertainment in something when everything is spoon fed and predictable, fitting into a formula.

So no, it's not horror. At all. The mystery is unfolding and is better that it's not fully explained up front. A complex story that requires some thought, which is actually what makes it interesting. If you don't want to think, this won't be your cup of tea.

One of the worst uses of the principles of quantum entanglement I've had the displeasure to watch. There's barely any story, just a lot of people crossing a lake back and forth in the middle of a snowstorm. Such a disappointment considering the quality of the cast.

It started promisingly but quickly veered into "let's just confuse people to make them think we a have story", Half the dialogues are 'Alice!', 'Mama!', and half the scenes are on that frozen lake, never knowing which direction they are going and why.

Avoid unless you really have nothing to watch or are looking for a reason to be bored.

At the end of the first episode, I actually thought that I had watched the first two episodes until I checked and saw it was only the first. That first one hour episode seriously seemed like two hours of time.

The story premise is really compelling and there are bits of story along the way of the first three episodes I watched that really reward you for sticking with it. But there's no doubt that either the person who directed the first episodes is trying to mess with the viewer's sense of timing or they just don't know how to direct or edit. Or someone doesn't.

So, I kept getting this feeling, like why does this seem to constantly be dragging on and on? I'm normally very patient with a good story. Then in the second episode when Jo's capsule lands, I realized that I spent a full three and a half minutes watching her unbuckle her seat belt and begin to get out of the capsule. Three and a half minutes. That's an eternity for a scene that should have taken maybe a minute max. Before that scene when she's sending messages to her family that she loves them, I noticed it was almost like she was dragging out the lines and repeating feelings two, three, even four times, like it was bizarrely written, acted, directed, or all three. I could literally see Jo pausing briefly between words, seemingly for emotional effect, like she was directed to do that. There were scenes when Jo is reunited with her family where they were so awkwardly long that I found myself wondering if they were acting awkward toward Jo or if the scene was just so long that I was reading too much into what I saw in their acting. Like is Alice actually being awkward around Jo or is the actress playing Alice just standing there trying to act like she's supposed to be standing there staring coolly?

The other strange part about this show is I had to turn on the English subtitles specifically with Closed Captioning. Because there were so many times I wasn't sure if I didn't hear the dialog or if it was just one of the languages I didn't understand and there were no subtitles. They flip flop between languages so often, like Swedish to English to Russian to English to Swedish to Russian, etc. That it often just doesn't make sense, like people don't do this in real life, so what's the point? I got later on that maybe there is a point of something subtle changing related to languages, but it was a whole lot of language immersion for just that one point to be made. There were many times when someone is speaking a language that had no English subtitles, just "speaking Russian" or "Speaking Swedish", like huh? Why? It seemed mostly pointless. Or maybe the point was the character in the scene does not understand, so you feel that by the lack of subtitles or English.

And yet, this is a good show that I will keep watching. By the end I'll know for sure whether it was just poor writing and direction or if there was an actual point in the story as a whole. I'm hoping there's a point for all of this weirdness.

I have been waiting for a sci-fi this well-written and thought-provoking. I feel like anyone who is confused simply isn't into sci-fi (or quantum physics, for that matter). It reminds me of Fringe in a lot of ways, Jacob's Ladder, in others. The only thing that disappoints me is the lack of marketing/buzz surrounding this amazing series. I had never heard of it when I just saw it while randomly searching in the sci-fi category on Apple TV+. I really hope we'll get a second season, because this is exactly what I've needed. Amazing acting, writing, direction, etc. 10/10 Highly recommended if you love multiverse or many worlds theories. Just fantastic.

After the first few episodes, I thought I was possibly watching the best new sci-fi series ever. Then the next few episodes slowed down and felt very much like filler, like they were waiting to reveal some sort of big climax at the end. But then, when that climax came, it was completely unsatisfying, and in the end, I was left feeling very disappointed. It was a waste of a good premise and some excellent acting, especially by the young girl who plays the daughter. There were also some holes in the plot that really made no sense and would love to hear the writers explain. And the final twist in the final scene, totally changed the vibe of the show from interesting sci-fi to campy thriller. Curious where the next season is going to take this.

A show that truly screws with the mind and delves into the horrors of the edges of reality and the unknowns presented by the quantum realm which is not well understood and described by science.

One of the few shows that actually scares me, but in a good way, it's enthralling and pulls me into the terrors experienced by the characters experiencing their world in utter inexplicable disarray. I found it oddly relatable in a way, with many parallels to my life and how choices impact my path.

Sure a lot of it takes leaps from scientific ideas that may not be quite fully baked out, but it is sci-fi after all. It reminds me of one of my old favorite shows, Fringe. At first I wasn't convinced that the show was worth watching but each episode has pulled me in more and really satisfied my thirst for good mind opening sci-fi. I think it deserves a much higher score than what it has here.

This is a show that slowly unfolds and then unfolds again, then unfolds again against itself and then circles back for a repeat orbit. The acting is on point. Kudos to Noomi Rapace, Jonathan Banks, Barbara Sukowa, and Rosie and Davina Coleman for delivering intense angst filled performances. I appreciated that the writing included a child who was not a petulant brat. The story is suspenseful with many moments of confusion for both the characters and viewer; but by sticking with it there would be a sideways or backward reveal to help process what might be happening. Like I said, we missed an episode and it wasn't essential in helping us understand the story. Some Sci-Fi shows are worth a second and third watch, for me, this is not one.

I'm seeing a lot of low reviews that read as if people are not picking up on the hints that are being given to us so far. They talk about the family drama being fillers and that the story isn't focused enough on space. I feel that the reasons for this will become apparent as the plot progresses and that all these scenes are foreshadowing.

This show is the first show in quite a while that has completely drawn me in. It is eery and captivating. This isn't some big space adventure, though there are. Some amazing action sequences in the beginning. I just think that a lot of people don't get what I am assuming this show is going to be actually about even though some of it is spelled out towards the end of the 3rd episode.

Sorry Apple but not everything needs to be 8 or 10 episodes. I like the storyline and superposition theory in it but it keeps on going and going and the story becomes more unbelievable with each episode. 6 episodes of 40-45 minutes would have been more than enough. Netflix got it right with the signal which consists of 4 episodes.

No idea why this review needs to be 600 chars when all has been said in the 200 chars text above. Nice show but I hope they stay with a mini series of 1 season. More seasons do not really serve any purpose. Please focus on new and short shows in the near future. Quality beats quantity.

Can we stop using the term "slow burn" as an excuse for these slow drawn out episodic series? It's not a slow burn, it's a disaster. The only burning I saw was the Soyuz capsules in flames falling back to planet Earth and the plot to follow. What is going on with story telling on streaming these days? I'm seeing more and more of these types of shows that literally go no where. With each passing episode it gets worse, not better.

I'm a fan of Noomi Rapace and I've enjoyed her acting in other characters but this show is doing her no favors sadly. Same goes for Jonathan Banks, another phenomenal actor being thrown into this celestial mess.

Too many attempts to draw people in with these incredibly boring sci-fi shows are actually pushing us further away. No matter how hard I try, I can't get into this nonsense. Gone are the days of good storytelling and the the sci-fi genre that makes us wanting more.

Nor do I fully understand all of the science, however I understand enough to know the creators have done their homework and that what is transpiring on screen is entirely plausible so far.

The casting is excellent, the acting is top notch and while it seems the space scenes are largely behind us by episode 4 they were at the time cinematic quality with great SFX on a par with Gravity, and the suspense is palpable.

Yes, the pacing is somewhat leisurely, but I personally wouldn't have it any other way, this is not Marvel fayre.

I've read other reviews that compared this to The Cloverfield Paradox, and if that's what they were expecting, I understand why they are disappointed, but IMO the two are only comparable at an elevator pitch level, despite sharing a severed arm and an experiment in space that's where the similarities end.

Beyond that, I can only imagine that like Caldera's particle, this show is being observed in different states simultaneously by different viewers.

An unusual show apparently attempting to show how quantum physics functions using a form of time overlap as examples. It can seem a bit confusing at times, but plays out quite well in the end. Worthy of a much higher rating if the concept was delved into a lot more.

If there is anything to pull it down is the characters and how they were developed. Exaggerated emotion responses in scenes basically pushed scenarios along. The most annoying character was the daughter of Noomi Rapace. Playing a ten year old, but acting like a 6 year old and talking like a 14 tear old teenager, she was allowed to dictate scenes where Rapace and her husband should have been the parents.

Professional Astronauts falling prey to uncontrolled emotional outbursts also seemed out of place.

If you can put up with the poor characteristic writing, then this is a show worth watching, as it does create a thought provoking storyline.

I gave this a chance but after hearing the word Mammy used over and over again by the annoying child I decided to give up.

Confusing, boring and badly written.

As a huge science fiction fan I thought this would be a series to watch but I'm so disappointed with it. It's a mess from start to finish. All over the place with the story, hard to follow.

The constant crossing of the frozen lake was annoying. The child calling mammy all the time and the parents constantly saying "Alice!" Got a bit too much and my patience snapped. I nearly made it to the end but unfortunately, it was too much to bear.

Don't let the sci-fi elements mislead you. This show is a very dry mom-child drama, stretched to absurdity, with a few sci-fi teases here and there in the background to lure in gullible viewers like me and you.

The most interesting thing about it - the phenomenon - was not explored at all. The most interesting characters that showed at least some desire to deal with it - pushed to second class citizen status in favor for the obnoxious child and mom doing the you're-not-my-mommy BS.

0 entertainment value.

Fringe did this concept better and delivered far more entertainment than this catastrophe. Hell, even that episode in Star Trek: Discovery, where they go to the fascist reality was far more enjoyable than this.

And why is it named Constellation? Even the title is bad and misleading.