Lorey Pianez

The problem with this Sci-fi drama is that there is far too much drama that just isn't that dramatic and far too little Sci-fi. In an early episode, a supporting character says "If there's one thing life has tough me is that very rarely you get what you sign up for"... and that's exactly how I feel after watching the first and only season of Away.... I signed up for a "mission to Mars series" not a "Mission getting to Mars series". I assume series creators Andrew Hinderaker and Jason Katims erroneously and overconfidently thought their drama-side storyline would be so interesting it could carry the entire series' first season for a whole 9 episodes and didn't feel the need to land on Mars until the very last few minutes of the final 10th episode. So once the 2nd season was renewed, it could take place on Mars.(Wrong!) I guess this is why Netflix canceled the series after only 1 season. Matt's heart attack and recovery, Alexis' emotional struggle adapting to her mother been away for years and concern for her well-being, the crew's back-storylines are all very interesting but not heartwarming and didn't have to take center stage. The ship's water generator breakdown and repair could have been the focus of one episode, maybe two maximum. But not four episodes. The crew's dialogue seems anemic at times. Dragging out endlessly episode after episode. Rather than character building their dialog seems more "philosophical" than "bonding". As if the crew was meeting each other for the very first time, instead of that of a crew whom had tighly trained together for years preparing for this mission. Unlike the strong dialogue of similar series "For All Mankind" that really takes you places you don't expect to go. Alexis' BF Issac (Adam Irigoyen) talks more like a university professor then a 17 year old teenager riding dirt bikes. Churning out advice far too mature and complex when it's most conveniently needed. Even if you were to ignore all these inprobabilities, including the biggest improbability of all, NASA working side-by-side with CNSA (we are not in 2015, and this is not the Martian) you're still left with 9 episodes of "are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet?" The sad part about this series is that it had immense potential, Hilary Swank's acting is just simply impeccable as always, no matter what series she is on (hence the reason why I give this series two stars rather than one) but she acts more like an insecure and depressed widow than the rock solid commander chosen to lead an interplanetary mission that she's supposed to be portraying. All the family drama and risk to the crew could have taken place on Mars after having gotten there midway in the season. This series fails to wow simply because it focused far too much on the drama side leaving the Sci-fi side feeling watered down. Satisfying neither the emotional part nor the adventurous one. It feels it failed to wow you because it never wanted to wow you.