I watched a recording of the final episode of Mars on Christmas morning, and somehow it seemed fitting to experience the possibility of discovery of new life on that particular holiday.
Rottentomatoes gave it warm reviews -- 63/58. So maybe the shows they have for comparison are more entertaining to their reviewers.
It's Elon Musk's vision of a manned mission to Mars, and most of the known risks are presented. The actual travel time between the two planets would be long, and thankfully, that happened off screen. And somehow they managed to overcome the cancer risk from radiation exposure during the trip.
Like that masterful real life crew of Apollo 13, the intrepid explorers portrayed in the TV series prevailed over the environment and the hardships it presented. Although, it's probably won't give too much away to point out that one of their members didn't adapt as well as the others.
All in all, it was a great TV mini-series. It doesn't make me want to volunteer for the expedition -- plenty of others have signed up already -- but it does make me hope to live long enough to see it happen. The U.S. couldn't afford it, but maybe a consortium of billionaires and 1st world countries could all chip in. Just like in the movie!
Musk is a master crony capitalist, and the series was a long commercial. It was made when the pundits were predicting a Clinton victory. So one has to wonder whether season two will be directed at Trump supporters. Would it matter? It's not too hard to imagine Trump supporting Musk's space endeavors, nor is it hard to imagine the "Trump" brand emblazoned on a compound on the red planet.
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