I use closed captioning on Netflix, gotta have it. I suppose I use the service so that when my ears start to go there will be no adjustment period, and, I have learned, you can tell a lot about a show based on the music descriptions. Away is the kind of show wherein most scenes open with the following phrase on the screen: ethereal music plays. 'Ethereal’ is followed closely by ‘melancholy.’ Tone setting indeed. Away strives for great drama but, absent likable characters, misses the boat, er, ship, rather.
Away follows the crew of the Atlas, the first manned mission to Mars, and centers on Commander Emma Green. Green (Hilary Swank), a former Navy pilot, lives and breathes for challenges. Traveling to Mars is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work, the ultimate challenge. Her husband Matt, played by Josh Charles, is an engineer with NASA who, were it not for a medical condition restricting his flight clearance, may have been the one in the family on board the Atlas. Their daughter Lex (Talitha Bateman) is going through the phases of normal teenage angst, but magnified given that her mother is several million miles away and her father is partially responsible for the success of her return. When a fire starts on board the ship soon after settling into the journey, Emma’s command is called into question. Striving to earn their trust and prove herself drives Emma’s actions for the remainder of the mission.
In the 10 episode series, each member of the Atlas crew gets an episode devoted to his or her backstory. Rather predictably, each is searching for what has thus far been unattainable: redemption, meaning, healing. Sadly, none of the stories are particularly compelling. Their stories of grief, guilt and secret love are relatable on paper. However, none of the characters, Green included, are particularly likable and, as a result, their stories feel hollow. It’s almost as if the technology to send humans to Mars was not quite ready so they sent Bicentennial Man-esque robots in their place. The characters, rather than naturally experiencing a range of emotions, exhibit signature traits of each emotion as they have been programmed.
At its core, Away is a family drama. Half of the characters happen to be in space, and the inherent dangers in the mission, of course, add a layer of complexity that most families don’t experience in quite the same way. However, plenty of families deal with the strain of being apart and the fear of having a loved one in harm’s way. Unfortunately, Away lacks heart and emotional truth and, as a result, never really gets off the ground.
Now, I do not profess to understand the technology required to send a crew to Mars. But I do know that should I ever make that journey, and we don't use the hyper-sleep method used in the 1997 gem RocketMan, NASA better spring for some real bed pillows, not the glorified chair pads the Atlas crew puts up with. SPOILER ALERT! In the final episode of the season, the Atlas crew successfully lands on Mars. But in many ways, the journey has only just begun. There is still work to be done on Mars and, of course, the long trip home lies ahead. Since the likelihood of my tuning in for any remaining seasons is slim, I will write the ending I would like to see: Emma returns home from Mars, and, having learned the value of human connection, apologizes to Lex for not being a particularly lovable parent, and learns to smile and be happy. Onward and upward.
