Take Three: Another Life

Another Life: Season 1, Episode 3 “Nervous Breakdown” (B-)

I’m trying to get into this show, but I feel like it’s not really for me if I’m not overly invested in which characters die each episode and which ones survive. Airlocking crew members seems like an awfully casual activity, one that was apparently unnecessary and could have instead been replaced by some instant sterilization, something that probably should have been mentioned ahead of time by William but also was seemingly unavoidable. Niko going blind couldn’t have happened at a worst time, though she at least demonstrated that she was still able to lead even though she couldn’t see. Her condition was considerably better than Petra’s nervous system leaping out of her back like the title character from “Alien,” offering a rather grotesque sight that seems to be par for the course on this show. Niko also nearly got killed by Michelle, who’s only going to have so many chances at forgiveness for her mutinous behavior. Back on Earth, Harper is becoming a more prominent player, refusing to back off Erik and baiting him into a game of trivia to decide his cooperation level. Though he won the game, she was the true victor since she got him to give her information that for some reason he wants disseminated, a move that’s surely going to come back to haunt him. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll give episode four a shot, but this show isn’t quite delivering in the way I wanted it to at this point and likely won’t get there.

Round Two: Another Life

Another Life: Season 1, Episode 2 “Through the Valley of Shadows” (B)

In its second outing, this show continues the same stakes and intensity it had in the first hour. This is a claustrophobic space drama if ever I’ve seen one, and now the final scene indicates that there might be something going on similar to “Alien,” though we don’t know what just yet. Unlike “Lost in Space,” which also briefly featured Selma Blair, whose Harper Glass had a more substantial role in this episode after her minor appearance in the pilot, this show features a whole lot of cursing, which does in some sense heighten the stakes, but also feels a bit excessive. It’s good to see Jessica Camacho, best known for playing Gypsy on “The Flash,” put to good use as the very angry Michelle, who isn’t about to keep her opinions to herself. Niko was initially horrified to hear the projection of Ian talking about how she would kill them all, but William’s inability to accept what she had done made her think twice about whether she should consider what the dead man had to say. She didn’t hesitate much in front of her people, taking credit right away for killing him and then springing into action when they discovered that they had five hours to live. This show possesses elements of great sci-fi, like the red moon that was nearly as dangerous as that wave-filled planet in “Interstellar,” but I’m not sure that the mix of so many different recognizable plot points is all that compelling in its own right here.

Pilot Review: Another Life

I'm trying something new with my pilot reviews, so from now on, check out video takes on each new series, which I'll embed below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.