Constellation, the latest sci-fi series for Apple TV+, has a complicated narrative that is not always simple to understand; here, the key aspects are addressed.
More than a mystery, Apple TV+’s Constellation is a puzzle: with each new episode, the storyline presents fresh points of view, presenting events from a different angle but never delivering an answer. As a viewer, you pay close attention to every development and believe that everything can be explained absolutely. But instead of jumping to conclusions, you choose to wait: new components will almost certainly appear in the next episode, right?
The Constellation plot begins on the ISS. During a routine process, the station is struck by an unknown item, resulting in irreversible damage. Paul dies, the other three astronauts leave, and Jo, the heroine, is left alone and unconnected in space, doing her hardest to return to Earth. She is aware of something that may cause problems later: the item that collided with the ISS was the corpse of a Russian astronaut who died many years ago. She sees it with her own eyes and has no reason to believe otherwise.
Things begin to become unclear for Jo immediately following the accident. She observes things on the ISS and imagines herself in different places. This will soon become a cause of doubt: she is unsure whether she can trust her own judgment. As her coworkers will point out throughout the inquiry, the lack of oxygen she suffered following the accident can produce disorientation and hallucinations. However, Jo never questions what she witnessed. Nonetheless, she had to recant her remark, knowing they would never accept it. There is no record of female cosmonauts missing in past Russian ventures.
What happens to Jo after that adds to the uncertainty as the story of Constellation progresses. The series reveals the enigma through scenes and sequences that appear to be from separate timeframes, making the explanation uncertain. Until the middle of Season 1, the Constellation narrative is not disclosed. However, some features stand out, and it is critical to grasp them. Let us list them:
Following the accident, the people around Jo appear to be altered. The main question is regarding her daughter, Alice: she suddenly no longer speaks Swedish, which she had always spoken with her mother. She also remembers her reality differently: when she returns home, she sees their blue automobile but remembers they having a red one. It’s as if she returned to a new universe.
Even Jo appears distinct from others. That’s a significant point: the disparities aren’t only visible from Jo’s perspective; others are perplexed as well. Her coworker does not recognize her conduct, and her husband is surprised to learn that their relationship appears to be good now (they had major issues before to the tragedy). To some extent, Jo does not appear to be the same person she was before she departed Earth.
Henry/Bud Caldera also appears to be distant from reality. He goes from being a renowned scientist to being referred to as a scammer. People call him Henry, but he insists on going by Bud. Caldera is experiencing something similar to Jo.
In Episode 4, a new aspect is introduced: Jo realizes that the tablets she received from ESA contain lithium, which has psychotropic consequences. This baffles Jo, who now wonders whether she is hallucinating. But does it explain everything we’ve seen so far, including the fact that she now loves her husband and her child no longer speaks Swedish? Furthermore, Henry Caldera is experiencing a similar reality shift: if they are both hallucinating, we as viewers can no longer believe what we see with our own eyes. That would have an impact on the series’ consistency; after all, the Constellation narrative is unlikely to be described in terms of “everything you saw wasn’t real,” right?