‘Constellation’ Recap: ‘Paul Is Dead’

3/13/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Noomi Rapace as Jo in Episode 106 of ‘Constellation’ – ‘Paul Is Dead’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Constellation’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

It is definitely safe to say that one giant question continues to hang over the hit Apple TV+ series, Constellation. In that, we are all curious as to what the heck is going on with Jo. Because on the one hand, there’s a strong possibility that she is suffering from some kind of mental break courtesy of severe PTSD. For she isn’t herself, she’s forgetting things often and she really is struggling mentally. But on the other hand, something strange is happening around her, something that’s extended to Alice and seems to speak to the possibility that Jo and the Cal Device have breached some kind of barrier between worlds and possibilities.

But there’s been nothing to confirm one way or the other that either one of those concepts is really what’s happening at hand. But after weeks of powerful moments and constant guessing on our part, we finally have an answer in hand. In that, the Cal, has breached a multiverse of sorts. Where every possibility comes to life and that was made clear in ‘Paul Is Dead’, by taking us back to the beginning of the journey. Wherein once again, the Cal Device was being fired up for experimentation, except that this time… when it ignited and did whatever the hell it did, history took a different course. For there was no death for Paul in this tale, instead… Jo was slammed into a breach in the glass in the ISS and lost her life in a horrible manner.

Which took this story in a vastly different direction. Because just like that, there was no story for Jo, just Paul and as Paul returned to Earth instead, after leaving Jo’s seemingly half alive/half dead corpse behind… he began to suffer from similar problems to what we’ve seen Jo suffer through. For he saw Jo everywhere, at moments that she saw him earlier in this tale, and of course… this world was different to Paul. His wife had a different name for instance, and oddly, the Cal was of no concern here. In fact, there was no Cal and no Henry Caldera. Just a botched Apollo 18 mission involving Commander Bud Caldera and that put Paul in quite the strange place mentally, one as broken as Jo and it prompted him to also take part in unique choices, especially after worlds collided at Jo’s funeral.

William Catlett as Paul in Episode 106 of ‘Constellation’ – ‘Paul Is Dead’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Because that saw two Alices encounter one another and brought forth more moments we’ve lived through via Jo’s journey and well, that was enough for Paul to seek out some answers. Which brought him Los Angeles way to see Bud and see if he could learn anything about what was going on, and sadly… he was greeted with fury and the discharge of a gun via a powerhouse scene. And while that happened, Alice and Magnus made their way to the cabin where once again, Alice saw her mother and her other iteration. All of which… speaks to the fact that all along, we’ve been treated to a story about multiple realities.

Because everything we saw here, showcased two parallel paths taking place following that accident on the ISS. One where Jo lived and Paul died, and vice versa, and where both of them suffered and were eager to find answers as to how and why their worlds changed and how and why they felt out of place. And of course, we now know that the Caldera boys aren’t twins but separate versions of themselves that speak across the multiverse and are aware of what’s going on. Because it would seem dear Henry figured out how to breach the multiverse via the Cal, and it wouldn’t be shocking if that is the key to putting the multiverse back together and putting all these lives back on the right path.

But what matters most, is that truths have been revealed and now we know Paul and Jo will continue to suffer because they need to be home. As to whether or not they can get there, time will tell. Not to mention… clearly this breach is having major impacts on others since Alice can see through the veil, and well… all of these elements brought forth one daring an amazing episode. For this was just a jaw-dropper of a tale, one that leaned hard into science fiction concepts that were complex yet digestible and of course, left us hungry for more. So, we can see what these universes and our heroes, will do with the revelation that there are other worlds than these. Until next time.

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