DISCLAIMER: This recap of Constellation Season 1 Episode 6, “Paul Is Dead,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Constellation sheds more light onto this intricate narrative with “Paul Is Dead,” Paul Lancaster’s side of the story. This is a show that requires your undivided attention. If you spaced out during episodes one through three, you’ll surely miss the callbacks, details and connective plot tissue in “Paul Is Dead.” This series doesn’t miss a thing. It’s so damn meticulous in its storytelling, and I love it.
Will Catlett delivers a nuanced, compelling performance this go-round. Now, we know more about Jo, Paul and Alice’s abilities. They can seamlessly weave in and out of these two universes and physically/telepathically connect to their counterparts, like Henry and Bud.
I have no clue where these last two episodes will take us. I’m just enjoying this wildly entertaining, deliciously mind-bending sci-fi ride.
Paul Is (Not) Dead
We open with Paul (Catlett) fiddling with the Cold Atomic Laboratory (CAL). Jo (Noomi Rapace) video chats with Alice (Davina and Rosie Coleman), explaining what Paul is doing. Then, she shows Alice the view from the International Space Station (ISS). She speaks in Swedish. Meanwhile, Henry (Jonathan Banks), at the Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL) headquarters, prepares to kickstart the CAL experiment.
Suddenly, mayhem ensues as Irena Lysenko’s corpse from the other universe collides with the ISS. On Earth, Alice explains to Magnus (James D’Arcy) in Swedish that she lost connection with Jo. At the same time, Jo spins out of control inside the station. She loses her grip on the tablet as she careens backward through a hallway. Then, she’s cast in a bright light. Jo seemingly peers down at herself as she flies headfirst into a window. The impact kills her. So, this is the other universe. Yet Irena’s corpse presumably causes the accident here, too.
Breaking the News
Paul moves toward Jo. He asks Audrey (Carole Weyers) for wipes, which he uses to plug the hole in the glass caused by Jo’s collision. Later, Magnus learns about Jo’s death. Sara (Emily Cox), his colleague at the school and Alice’s teacher, brings Alice to him. He breaks the tragic news to his daughter.
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On the ISS, Paul looks for the CAL. He first notices amid the chaos that the CAL is missing. Strange. Then, Magnus and Alice board the plane for Roscosmos. Erica (Rebecca Scroggs), Paul’s wife, embraces Alice and offers her condolences. She encourages Alice to sit with Wendy (Sadie Sweet). We see Alice clutching her stuffed bunny as Wendy reaches for her hand in comfort.
Next, Ilya (Henry David), Yaz (Sandra Teles) and Audrey board Soyuz 2. Paul volunteers to stay behind and repair Soyuz 1. He’ll also bring Jo’s body home. Paul urges his crew to relay to Henry that he lost the CAL. They have no idea what he’s talking about. He clarifies he was working on a NASA experiment with RPL.
Soyuz 1
Later, while sitting in the Soyuz 1 capsule, Paul hears Jo breathing heavily. We see her corpse beside him, strapped in and wearing a white sack over the head as Jo did with Paul in the other universe (Universe A?). He shines a light on Jo’s head, examining her. Is she really alive? This reminds me of when Jo did the same thing in the pilot — she observed him to see if he was breathing. She could hear him in the alternate universe…
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Meanwhile, at Roscosmos, Magnus finds Alice hiding in the cabinet from the pilot. It’s the same hallway Jo walks down. However, instead of finding Alice in the cabinet as Magnus does, Jo sees it’s empty. Even Alice’s beaded necklace is on the door handle. Magnus tries to coax Alice out of the cabinet. She refuses to leave, though, wanting to process her grief privately. Side note: Is it me, or are the beads on Alice’s necklace in different colors? After Magnus departs, Alice sees Other Jo walking toward the cabinet with a flashlight. But when Alice flings open the doors, Jo is gone.
Then, Paul transfers the batteries over during his repairs on Soyuz 1. He hears Jo’s shaky breathing again. This time, he records said breathing while shining a flashlight on Jo’s corpse. Suddenly, the white sack on her head inexplicably floats toward him. After securing it back on her head, Paul plays the recording. Next, he hears a voice saying, “The third. The third. Need to hurry up.” Jo says this to herself while transferring batteries in her timeline. Paul lets out an understandable scream before he hears Jo say, “Paul?” Uh-oh.
Moving Jo
Paul addresses Houston. Michaela (Chipo Chung) responds. Paul asks if there’s any protocol regarding transporting corpses back to Earth. She vows to check on this for him.
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Next, Paul tugs Jo’s hand, moving her out of Soyuz 1. Then, he says, “Stop breathing, Jo. You stay in Destiny,” as he pushes her into another space. We also heard him utter this in the pilot on Other Jo’s end. After telling Jo he’s sorry, we see Other Jo, alive and well (ish), on the other end of Paul’s grip. So, both made contact with each other in their respective universes at that moment, just like Bud can influence Henry physically.
After locking Jo in Destiny, we see Paul’s hand on the glass, which Jo saw in the pilot, only to find Paul’s floating arm outside the airlock.
Coming Home
Later, Erica eagerly informs Wendy that Paul is on his way to Earth. On the ISS, Paul, clad in his astronaut suit, sits in Soyuz 1. He encounters the same technical issues as Jo. The bolt arms are malfunctioning, requiring two people to fix them. However, after Paul slaps the panel several times, the error magically remedies itself. Sometimes, you just gotta smack mechanical sh*t around a bit to get results.
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Upon his return to Earth, Paul receives the same musical fanfare at NASA as Jo at the European Space Agency (ESA). He reunites with his wife and daughter. However, he calls Erica “Frida.” If you recall, Jo referred to her as “Erica” in episode three despite the latter stating her name is Frida.
Then, Paul hobbles over to Jo’s planted tree with a white rose. He glimpses Other Jo doing the same thing — putting a rose on his tree. After that, Magnus and Alice sit with Paul, Audrey, Yaz and Ilya. Alice tearfully asks Paul why he didn’t bring her mother’s body home. He goes into graphic detail, explaining that her extensive lacerations would’ve made for a bloody trip to Earth. Magnus isn’t happy about this. After they storm out, Paul looks to his left and sees the memorial display set up for him in the other universe. His crew asks Paul if he’s had his psych evaluation yet.
The Rabbit
Next, Alice walks into the parking garage with her bunny in tow. She sees Henry peering at her from the window of a neighboring building. Then, she throws her rabbit into a puddle on the ground. She proceeds to stomp on it a few times before ripping out its eyes. We know Other Alice is watching this display from afar. Wendy finds this Alice and asks her why she’s ruining her bunny. Alice claims it’s childish of her to have a toy.
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Later, Paul attends an inquest with his crew. Only this time, instead of Irena spearheading it, it’s Sergei (Lenn Kudrjawizki). Michaela and Frederic (Julian Looman) are also present. Paul insists the CAL went missing, even though nobody understands what he’s talking about. Michaela informs him that the CAL project was abandoned 12 years ago.
Frederic asks if anyone will be held accountable for leaving Jo’s body on the ISS. Paul believes NASA should shoulder some blame because they told him to take her out of Soyuz 1. Michaela claims they only instructed him to do what he did because he came to that conclusion.
Play On
Meanwhile, Alice sees all the condolence gifts she and her father have received. She destroys them in her anger and grief. Suddenly, she hears someone playing piano in the living room. It’s Other Jo.
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Magnus meets with Jenny (Bettina Hoppe), the psychiatrist at the ESA. Jenny suggests that Magnus organize a ceremony for Jo to help Alice process her emotions. Elsewhere, Paul watches a video about the “Apollo 18 conspiracy,” featuring Bud and the two men who died on their return trip from the Moon. The video insists a “cover-up” occurred after the tragic event. A lightbulb flicks on in Paul’s head.
This prompts him to knock on Michaela’s door. Paul asks her where Henry Caldera is. Michaela corrects him, claiming that Bud Caldera went to the Moon. Paul refuses to accept that answer, demanding to know if this is a cover-up. He tells Michaela he was working under Henry, conducting experiments with the CAL, and now the machine is missing. Michaela looks bewildered.
For Jo
Later, Paul sits with Erica and Wendy during breakfast. He’s got a bit of a mercurial temperament. I don’t blame him. If my reality didn’t make sense and I felt like everyone was gaslighting me, I’d be more than irritated. Meanwhile, Magnus finds Alice in her cabinet. This time, the beaded necklace boasts different colors. He encourages her to head downstairs to mingle with their guests. They’re having a ceremony for Jo. Alice tells her dad to eff off in Swedish, which made me giggle. She claims that they can’t have a funeral for her if her body is in space.
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Then, Paul, Erica and Wendy pull up to Magnus and Alice’s home. Wendy heads inside while Paul discloses his guilt to Erica. A tragedy happened on his watch — Jo lost her life, and he left her body in space. Not only that, but the CAL is missing now. Erica urges him not to blame himself.
Inside, Wendy brings Alice to Paul, where she states that Paul believes Jo might still be alive. This would confirm everything Alice has been seeing/hearing. Suddenly, Paul and Alice see Other Alice at the foot of the stairs. She’s in her pajamas. She lets out a bloodcurdling scream. Other Jo and Other Magnus try to console her. Then, Paul faints.
Mamma
Next, Alice calls out for “Mamma.” Magnus gently escorts her upstairs and away from the madness of the crowded living room. Magnus suggests they go away for a while. Alice states she wants to go to the cabin in Northern Sweden.
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Later, Erica wakes up in bed to find Paul is missing. She tries calling him but he won’t answer his phone. Michaela arrives. She explains that they need to check Paul into a rehabilitation clinic. When some astronauts return to Earth, they develop high-altitude psychosis. After they intervene, Paul will need to go away for a while.
Then, Magnus and Alice arrive in Nothern Sweden. However, the road is blocked off. Alice suggests they drive on the ice, but Magnus isn’t about that. So, Alice decides to walk to the cabin. She dresses in her winter gear and starts trudging through the snow against her father’s wishes.
Paul and Bud
Elsewhere, Paul drives to Los Angeles. He sits outside Bud’s apartment complex before knocking on his door. Bud (Banks) answers. Meanwhile, Magnus and Alice make it to the cabin. Inside, Alice notices the painting with the demon in the center. She remarks how Jo loved those paintings. This triggers something in Magnus. He realizes he’s not the favorite parent (which is interesting because Alice favors him in the alternate universe). Alice embraces Magnus as he has a mini breakdown. (We’ve all been there.)
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Paul calls Bud “Henry,” which sets him off. He remarks how he feels like he’s going “insane.” Paul tells him that Henry is a hero. During the Apollo 18 mission, Henry repaired the cabin pressure issue, saving everyone on board. There were no casualties. Well, that wasn’t the case in this universe. Paul states that Bud will give him answers.
“I can’t go back there, and neither can you,” Bud replies. He urges Paul to take his pills. Paul refuses. He demands Bud tell him what happened and why he’s living in this sh*tty apartment. Bud orders him to leave. When Paul doesn’t, Bud whips out his gun and pulls the trigger. We don’t see whether he shot Paul or not.
Jo in Sweden
Meanwhile, Alice wakes up to a sound outside the cabin. She sees Other Jo pulling into the driveway. Alice watches from the window as Other Jo gets out of her vehicle. So, that means Other Alice is with her. Hmm…
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Do you think Bud killed Paul? Will Magnus finally figure out his wife and daughter can hop between universes? Will we learn what really happened to Irena, Henry and Bud, and what started all this? Only time (and two more episodes) will tell.
Constellation drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
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