S01.E06: Paul Is Dead

[AnimeMania]

Magnus worries that Alice is living in a fantasy world.

Premiere Date: March 13, 2024       Apple TV+ 

[babyrambo]

Hard sci-fi tends to lose me so I like that Constellation is more of a drama with hints of sci-fi. Getting to see how Jo reacts to her new reality/relationships is why I continue to tune in and shifting the focus to Paul throughout this episode only emphasized the fact that Noomi Rapace’s performance and character really hold things together.

I know Paul’s story was condescended in order to fit into a single episode but watching what was essentially a blander version of Jo’s story, left much to be desired. I found myself bored for the first time in weeks and the writing didn’t help. It’s always hit or miss and this episode was the latter. The show tends to lean into cliches and drag out familiar story beats when it comes to the interpersonal stuff. It’s like they’re so focused on making sure the science aspect is tightly executed (at least in the context of the story) that the character stuff falls to the wayside. Especially the dialogue. At times it’s clunky (the daughter’s stilted lines come to mind, she’ll go from being a wise little sage to a regular grieving kid, sometimes in the same conversation) and hard to buy because the conversations are slightly inorganic. The actors are great (mostly—I don’t care for Henry/Bud. Banks’ performance is very wooden and often pulls me out of the moment) but they can only do so much. As it is, I’m not always convinced of character motivations or actions because the show isn’t always invested in laying down the groundwork.

Sometimes the details they choose to obscure are mysteries for mystery sake, intended to pad out the story instead of really revealing anything necessary. 

But given the amount of confusion I’ve seen from some reviewers and audience alike maybe the play by play is necessary and works for some people. 

All that being said, I do like the show and the obvious effort and intentionality given to the general story. I just hope the last two episodes are executed with a little more finesse. 

[pasdetrois]

I was working in my office while someone watched this episode in another room. I kept hearing "PAUL!" exclaimed over and over. Clearly the writers skimped on the script for Paul's wife.