An easy-going family drama in space

An easygoing family drama in space

We always expect thrillers and mind-benders from space movies.

And because of that, we haven’t really considered the possibility that people who go to space are scientists and experts. Although hallucinations and unanticipated results are part of the plan, space travellers are often not successful at dealing with such things.

‘Away’ is a show that, among many others like the Martian (2015), deals with the normalcy that you feel in space.

The show tells you the story of how a NASA astronaut, who is also a mom, finds it hard to leave behind her teenage daughter and co-worker husband to command the first-ever Mars-landing mission.

There’s drama, life, science and a lot more in this series. But none of these makes it nailbiting or overwhelmingly visual.

Even while dealing with rocket science, the show proves that it’s the human conflicts and emotions that make any journey worth it.

Except for a niggle here and there, everything was presented with maturity, instead of resorting to inaccurate representations of race, culture, sexual stereotypes.

The show feels very apolitical at first sight but it very subtly puts forward some ideologies to the front.

One thing I didn’t like about ‘Away’ is its over-dependence on spirituality and the god narrative.

However, the show never loses itself in these ideas. The representation of non-religious characters as rude and overly mission-driven is something that needed fixing.

Altogether ‘Away’ is a watch that you can have with your family. It’s not a masterpiece, but it will surely be remembered as a good family drama.