Michelle Gibson

"No good deed goes unpunished." Despite trying to tackle themes of race, sexual orientation, motherhood and financial inequality, this show is at its base a story about a white woman, Elena, who - seemingly well-intentioned but also likely out of white guilt - rents an apartment to a single black mother, Mia, who is a sociopath. Mia is also a narcissist who has lived her life up to now doing what she wants, whenever she wants, always putting her daughter's needs last. When her teenaged daughter, Pearl, finally has enough and starts pointing this out to her, Mia flies into violent rages. She also gets involved with a co-worker, Bebe, who neither wants nor asks for her help, and ends up making the whole situation 100 times worse. No matter how many times she is asked to leave things alone by Peal or Bebe, Mia just plows ahead with the certainty that she knows better than everyone else. The actors are fantastic, but the characters are soap opera levels of over-the-top. Oh, and Izzy is a budding sociopath (fires, bed wetting and hurting animals is the triumvirate) and like certainly finds like when she finds Mia, which is a bit frightening. That would have made a good story all on its own.

This is an episodic drama (much like Lost) posing as a Sci-Fi thriller. Which is not to say that's a bad thing. But be prepared for much more of the interpersonal relationships of the characters than for a detailed study on space exploration. And what drama there is often seems very manufactured - the episode with the solar array was great. But the episode where the crew member was sick was a stretch. What kind of space mission would not have a doctor or protective gear for that doctor to wear to treat an ill or injured patient? And if the argument is to be made that the astronauts were all tested and quarantined before the journey (which they clearly were not since they spent the night before departure with their families) than how did an ill astronaut get on board? Suspension of disbelief is imperative, but the acting is superb, and you really get a sense of the loneliness and sacrifice of the crew. 3.5 out of 5 thus far.