DISCLAIMER: This recap of Constellation Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
It’s the penultimate episode of Constellation, and sh*t is effectively hitting the narrative fan. Noomi Rapace is, as usual, a revelation. She says so much without uttering a single word. I hope she gets awards recognition for this role.
“Through the Looking Glass,” a nod to Lewis Carroll‘s Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, finds our two Alices making contact from their respective universes. I’m ashamed it took me seven episodes to realize that Alice was named after Carroll’s seminal work. It makes so much sense, too. Alice falls into this trippy, mind-bending reality where she comes face-to-face with another version of herself. This will put her into therapy.
This outing is propulsive and compelling while tugging at the heartstrings. Jo just wants to reunite with her daughter, but all the quantum superposition stuff impedes her from doing so. “Through the Looking Glass” provides more insight into this brilliant, intricately detailed world. It’s wholly gripping and unique—a rarity in TV these days.
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Red and Blue
We open with Alice (Rosie and Davina Coleman), not “Mamma” Jo’s Alice, peering through the door in the Northern Sweden cabin. She spots Jo (Rapace) emerging from her blue car. Alice heads outside to reunite with Jo; however, the latter is nowhere to be found. She dons her winter gear and ventures onto the frozen lake, shouting for Jo. Even though Jo can’t see Alice, she can hear her in her universe. Jo grabs the CAL and heads inside the cabin.
Next, we see Other Alice sitting with Jo at the table. We continue the scene where they play the tapes on Alice’s Fisher-Price recorder. They listen to Jo’s chat in Swedish with her Alice before the accident on the International Space Station. Jo asks Other Alice if she knows any Swedish. Alice claims she understands a little, but not enough to hold a conversation.
CONSTELLATION Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
We Don’t Belong to Each Other
Then, they listen to a recording from Paul (Will Catlett) in the other universe (I’m calling this the “Red Universe” because of Jo’s red car there). Paul asks Houston about protocols regarding body transportation, claiming Jo has severe lacerations. Alarmed, Jo shuts off the recording. Jo and Other Alice disclose how they don’t feel like they belong to each other. Jo’s Alice is in the Red Universe.
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Elsewhere, Henry (Jonathan Banks), Magnus (James D’Arcy) and Frederic (Julian Looman) are heading toward the cabin. Henry reveals that Irena Lysenko will meet them there to take Jo. Magnus questions why Henry joined them since the CAL is useless now. Henry tells him that what happened to Jo also happened to him.
CONSTELLATION Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Jo locks the CAL in the shed before she hears her Alice call out to her again. Meanwhile, Jo’s Alice stumbles upon the other cabin. Inside, she finds it abandoned and in disrepair, with snow covering the floor. A gray and black cat with white paws dashes away when Alice shines a flashlight. She spies the painting with the two boys carrying the demon on a stretcher, a twisted version of “The Wounded Angel” by Hugo Simberg. There’s also the actual version of that painting on the other wall.
Finding Her Alice
Next, Alice wanders upstairs to the cupboard. She puts her beaded necklace on the door handle before climbing inside. Unfortunately, she inadvertently locks the doors. Thankfully, Jo finds her before she freezes. Then, we return to the scene wherein Jo tries to warm up her Alice by putting the latter in the bathtub. Once they run out of hot water, Jo heads to the kitchen to boil more. Of course, Jo can see her Alice and the Other Alice at one point. She must’ve been in true quantum superposition — existing in two universes simultaneously.
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Then, Jo vanishes from her Alice’s universe. She emerges from the tub, wandering in a towel into the empty living room. Magnus embraces her. She tells him she found her mamma. Elsewhere, Jo, in the Blue Universe (because of the blue car), rallies Other Alice to help her find her Alice. Other Alice leaves a trail of beads from her necklace so they’ll find their way back to their cabin. She questions whether Jo saw what she saw. Then, she flees, claiming she wants to reunite with Magnus, away from her “crazy” mom.
CONSTELLATION Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Later, Jo’s Alice bundles up again and ventures into the cold, lantern in hand. Magnus wakes up. He dons his winter gear and heads outside. He calls for Alice. Meanwhile, Jo’s Alice finds the CAL atop the frozen lake. Other Alice sees the empty cabin on the other side of the family home. Remember that gray and black cat with the white paws? It’s dead (RIP). Other Alice wipes away the dust and snow from “The Wounded Angel” demon painting before spotting the Fisher-Price recorder on the table. She grabs it and ascends the stairs.
Communication
Next, Other Alice makes a beeline for the cupboard. Jo’s Alice returns to the cabin as well. Obviously, she’s in the Red Universe. Jo’s Alice sees that same gray and black cat with white paws, but it’s still alive. Other Alice leaves a message for Jo’s Alice on the recorder. Jo’s Alice discovers the recorder in her universe. She plays Other Alice’s message. She’s bewildered by this, and understandably so. However, she climbs into the cupboard to record something for Other Alice.
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Later, Jo returns to the cabin—the one she initially parked in front of. At the same time, Magnus heads inside the cabin in the Red Universe (not the neglected one on the other side of the frozen lake). While the two Alices communicate via recorder, Jo and Magnus race toward the cupboard to find their respective daughters. The girls discover they can see each other in the mirror and converse in that manner, as Henry and Bud did in episode five.
Jo finds the recorder in the cupboard, but not Alice. She grabs it and flees. Jo sets her gas lantern on the edge of a table before barreling out the door. Unfortunately, the door doesn’t close, and a gust of wind knocks the lantern off said edge. A fire erupts. Meanwhile, Magnus calls the authorities to report that Alice (Jo’s Alice) is missing.
CONSTELLATION Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Mirror to Mirror
Next, we see the Alices communicating through the mirror in their respective cupboards. They conclude that the Jo in Other Alice’s universe, the Blue Universe, is Red Universe Alice’s mom (or “Mamma”). Other Alice realizes her mom is actually dead, and she has the wrong Jo, so to speak.
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While Jo drives away from the cabin, she notices the fire in her rearview mirror. She immediately turns around. Meanwhile, Magnus, Henry and Frederic in the Blue Universe arrive at the cabin to search the surrounding area for Jo and Alice. Magnus asks Henry how he “got better” after returning to Earth. He claims he took his pills and threw himself into his work. Hmm. This isn’t Henry.
Jo barges through the cabin’s door after discovering the fire. However, she’s taken aback to find that it’s not ablaze. That said, she can see the cabin in the other universe in the reflection of one of the paintings … and it is, indeed, a burning inferno. Jo heads upstairs to find Other Alice in the cupboard. She informs Jo that she’s conversing with Red Universe Alice — her Alice. Unfortunately, Jo can’t utilize the recorder to communicate with her daughter. So, Other Alice acts as the messenger. Jo’s Alice talks to Jo in Swedish. Jo claims she doesn’t know how to get home, but she’s trying.
Search Team
Meanwhile, Henry trudges through the snow alone across the frozen lake. He hears his and Bud’s voices in his head, snippets of their conversation and Bud’s threat to get him. He stumbles upon the CAL. Blue Universe Magnus searches for Other Alice, accompanied by a team, while Red Universe Magnus wades through the snow by himself (and also searching for his Alice).
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Then, we see Paul confronting Bud (Banks) in LA. It’s as if Henry is reliving these moments. Henry drops the CAL and moves toward the blazing cabin. Inside, Other Alice starts coughing as the smoke from the flames rises through the floorboards. Jo scoops up Other Alice and flees, leaving the recorder behind to melt in the fire. At the same time, Paul continues to confront Bud in the flashback.
Plot twist: this is actually Bud in Northern Sweden, not Henry. They switched places.
CONSTELLATION Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Henry and Bud
After Bud shoots Paul in the stomach in LA, he switches with Henry, who instantly recognizes Paul and tries to help him. Henry, now in Bud’s apartment, drops the gun and calls the authorities. We don’t know if Paul survived. In the present, Jo sees Bud and gives him Other Alice. She states she’s going back into the cabin to save her daughter. Bud carries Other Alice away from the cabin but eventually drops her unceremoniously in the snow. She’s unconscious. Of course, he doesn’t know who she is. He says aloud that he’s only in his underwear (well, he was in his LA apartment) before shuffling off into the snowy ether.
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Jo emerges from the fiery cabin, realizing her Alice isn’t there. She discovers Other Alice on the ground and performs CPR on her. Jo’s Alice briefly appears, stating she can’t “feel” Other Alice. Jo tells her in Swedish that she has to save Other Alice. While Jo continues performing CPR on Other Alice, Blue Universe Magnus appears. He rushes toward them. Jo urges her Alice to return to Red Universe Magnus. She does as she’s told, reuniting with her father. He picks her up and takes her into the cabin.
CONSTELLATION Season 1 Episode 7, “Through the Looking Glass.” Photo courtesy of Apple TV+.
Finally, Jo revives Other Alice, who starts coughing. Off to the side, we see Bud is unconscious in the snow. Hopefully, someone will help him out. Jo calls for her Alice while the authorities seize her, presumably to hand her off to Irena. In the Red Universe, Jo informs Magnus that she saw “Mamma.” She asks him if he saw her, too. Magnus ruminates on this before responding that he’s unsure. Alice and Magnus look at “The Wounded Angel” painting, which is an angel and not a demon this time.
The Valya
Later, Other Alice has a dream in the hospital featuring the Valya. The Valya stands in her cosmonaut suit. She tells Alice she can take the young girl to her mother, even though Blue Universe Jo is dead. She wakes up next to Magnus. Magnus informs her that Jo is with Irena. Other Alice knows Irena is the Valya. She declares that they must save Jo.
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Can Other Alice and Magnus save Jo from Irena/the Valya? Will Jo reunite with her Alice in the Red Universe? Is Paul alive? Is switching places with Henry Bud’s way of exacting vengeance? Only time (and one more episode) will tell.
Constellation drops new episodes every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
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Melody.McCune@geekgirlauthority.com
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.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
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