Away Review: All Systems Go on This Heartfelt Drama

If I’m being honest, Netflix’s Away isn’t exactly what I expected — and I mean that in a good way.

The series follows American astronaut Emma Green (Hilary Swank) as she prepares to lead an international crew on the first mission to Mars. In doing so, she’s leaving behind her husband Matt (Josh Charles) and teenage daughter Alexis (Talitha Bateman).

There are plenty of suspenseful moments when it comes to the crew’s mission and all the things that are bound to go wrong on their journey — the kind that can make you feel a bit sick to your stomach or make you realize you’ve been holding your breath for a good five minutes.  

But the story doesn’t rely on action and suspense in its entirety. Really, the mission is just a backdrop to a story that allows us to become invested in a group of complex characters and their relationships with one another. It’s a character-driven, heartfelt drama series that also lets us enjoy the feeling of traveling to outer space.

Emma and Matt’s relationship is at the center. Hilary Swank and Josh Charles have gorgeous chemistry with one another, and you believe in their characters’ partnership right away.

While Emma’s family is supportive, it’s not at all easy for her to leave on such a dangerous mission. Even if all goes well, it’s a three-year mission, and that means missing key years of her daughter’s life and being away from the man she loves for a long time. 

This is all further complicated by the fact that it’s Emma leading this mission, and not Matt — who had also had dreams of going to Mars, but was prevented from doing so. 

Matt also has a unique perspective since he works in Mission Control. He knows how these things work, for better or worse, and he also has the chance to be directly involved in what his wife is doing. He also has a keen understanding of how badly things could go. 

Meanwhile, much of Emma’s struggle throughout the first season is one that’s all too relatable. Can she really “have it all”? What does it mean to balance a career and take care of a family, especially when the career is as dangerous and difficult as this one?

Watching her be away from her family, only able to communicate through brief messages and unable to be there to help control anything at all evokes this pit-of-your stomach feeling of grief and separation — one that I think a lot of people can relate to on some level. 

Away doesn’t only focus on Emily and her family, but also on the stories of the other crew members and their own sacrifices. 

Each member of the crew is from a different country, and we follow their struggles as well, all similar in their own ways but with differing perspectives. Their cultures and religion come into play, and that doesn’t always make it easy for all five crew members to get along. 

There’s a bigger message in there, and that makes Away a story that really feels hopeful. To see these representatives coming together, with all their differences, and learning to understand each other is powerful.

On a larger scale, we’re to understand that this story takes place in a time where all of these nations have come together to work toward a common goal. 

All of this said, the series isn’t a perfect ride. The first episode plays around with flashbacks and time jumps in a way that makes some of the emotions lose impact, and at times it’s hard to follow what’s happening when. It seems to be for shock value, and thankfully, as the series finds its footing throughout later episodes, it leans less on that kind of storytelling. 

There are also some hints at romantic complications that don’t have much payoff and feel thrown in to create unnecessary drama. They also feel a bit too obvious, and that’s disappointing. 

Then there are Emma’s visions of her husband, there on the ship having conversations with her. There’s exactly one moment where that works, but after that, it starts to feel way too over the top and a bit too saccharine. 

Ultimately, though, those are minor flaws in what is a meaningful and enjoyable series. It strikes this great balance of having those suspenseful and emotional moments, while also feeling like a comfort TV show. It’s a feel-good series that, like I mentioned above, also manages to feel pretty hopeful. 

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 Away premieres Friday, September 4th on Netflix.

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Adam Irigoyen Previews ‘Away’ and Explains What Makes the Series a Relatable Family Drama [Exclusive Interview]