I re-subscribed to Hulu after learning of the release of "The First" starring Sean Penn. I am a hardcore sci-fi buff, especially for films or TV shows that have to do with space-flight and traveling the stars. "Apollo 13" is my favorite movie of all time. A true masterpiece that combines drama and spaceflight into one night package. I also love many films of the 2010's, including "Interstellar" and "The Martian". I went into this show thinking and hoping that I was getting what was at face value; a TV show about the exploration of Mars. What I got, instead, was a family drama
The show opens by the accidental (and predictable) explosion of the first ship on route to Mars that Sean Penn's character was originally supposed to command. The premise is about Sean Penn's character coming to terms with the recent suicide of his wife and his teenage daughter trying to overcome a drug addiction all while training to be the commander of the next (first) flight to Mars. In between this main plot, a glimpse of light is given into the lives of the other astronauts as well as the drama and politics of initiating a flight to Mars. Natascha McElhone plays what feels like an Elon Musk inspired character, a type of philanthropist, billionaire leader of the organization running the trip to Mars.
The problem with this show; it has little to do with Mars. Let me say this; the acting is great. The plot is great, the drama is great. This has the markings of a quality TV show. But at the same time, I can't get over the fact that this show feels marketed as being a show about space exploration. And I also can't get over the fact that you can intertwine drama with spaceflight, again Interstellar or Apollo 13 both pull it off flawlessly. The show opens with this epic, 2001-esq orchestral music and a shot of Mars. We're then instantly taken into storytelling on Earth after seeing that epic shot, and we don't leave Earth until the final episode.
As the title suggests, I'm not sure how to feel about this show. I want to see more, I think the cast has great chemistry. I just think that this could have been, at the very least, branded differently. Or taken in the direction where they were already in space and/or on Mars, and there were backdrops of the Earth drama told in-between. For what it's worth, I'd like a season two to give this show it's chance to actually take us to Mars now that all these characters are established.
The show opens by the accidental (and predictable) explosion of the first ship on route to Mars that Sean Penn's character was originally supposed to command. The premise is about Sean Penn's character coming to terms with the recent suicide of his wife and his teenage daughter trying to overcome a drug addiction all while training to be the commander of the next (first) flight to Mars. In between this main plot, a glimpse of light is given into the lives of the other astronauts as well as the drama and politics of initiating a flight to Mars. Natascha McElhone plays what feels like an Elon Musk inspired character, a type of philanthropist, billionaire leader of the organization running the trip to Mars.
The problem with this show; it has little to do with Mars. Let me say this; the acting is great. The plot is great, the drama is great. This has the markings of a quality TV show. But at the same time, I can't get over the fact that this show feels marketed as being a show about space exploration. And I also can't get over the fact that you can intertwine drama with spaceflight, again Interstellar or Apollo 13 both pull it off flawlessly. The show opens with this epic, 2001-esq orchestral music and a shot of Mars. We're then instantly taken into storytelling on Earth after seeing that epic shot, and we don't leave Earth until the final episode.
As the title suggests, I'm not sure how to feel about this show. I want to see more, I think the cast has great chemistry. I just think that this could have been, at the very least, branded differently. Or taken in the direction where they were already in space and/or on Mars, and there were backdrops of the Earth drama told in-between. For what it's worth, I'd like a season two to give this show it's chance to actually take us to Mars now that all these characters are established.