‘Constellation’ Recap: ‘The Left Hand of God’

2/28/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Noomi Rapace as Jo in Episode 104 of ‘Constellation’ – ‘The Left Hand of God’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 104 of ‘Constellation’. To revisit the Series Premiere, click here.

Each and every one of us, like to believe that when we go through a dark time in this life, that we will come out of the other side just fine. Because we know we have strength, we know we are grounded and likely have a good support network around us. So, when trouble comes calling, we’ll be ready, we’ll be mighty and we will learn and step forward accordingly, only for us to discover… that won’t be the case at all. Because nothing prepares us for true tragedy and scary moments that force us to face our mortality and test our mettle like never before, and in the end, we will emerge from that moment in quite the messy state. One that will leave us questioning everything about ourselves and our lives.

If anything, that particularly shocking truth is top of mind today, simply because it was showcased in the next episode of Constellation on Apple TV+… with a twist no less. A feat that ‘The Left Hand of God’ accomplished by having Jo, work hard to settle back into civilian life with interesting results. Because early on in this tale, she was in fact, doing well getting back to her everyday life. She was mending fences with Magnus, getting honesty from him, raw and uncomfortable honesty… but honesty, nevertheless. Plus, she and Alice were slowly beginning to bond again, despite some road bumps, and she was even in therapy at the ESA. A move that spoke to someone who was on the right path.

In fact, she even had a diagnosis in hand, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Which made sense considering the fact that she had been through utter hell aboard the International Space Station and this plot thread, and what followed these humble moments, made it really appear as though… this was going to be a story that really did focus on that central theme we discussed a moment ago. Since the hallucinations got worse as the hour progressed and there were other strange occurrences that spoke to a severe break in her mind and a low point that would take incredible work to recover from. Which let’s be honest, is compelling as can be. But that’s precisely when this series flipped the script and added quite the twist.

Noomi Rapace and James D’Arcy as Jo and Magnus in Episode 104 of ‘Constellation’ – ‘The Left Hand of God’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Because in between Jo’s difficult moments, were a bevy of others with Henry and Bud. Some of which involved the fallout of Bud’s wild decision, while the rest dealt with Henry’s utter obsession with the Cal device that was flipped on before things got weird abord the ISS. All of which spoke… to the very real possibility that Henry was toying with things that no other scientist has in our lifetimes. Specifically, quantum physics and toying with multiverse concepts, alongside an underlying hint that perhaps… something has been breached and that perhaps what Jo is dealing with, is a hint of other moments and potentially other realities. Which was also given great merit here… but never confirmed.

For at the same time… Jo also came to learn that she, and Harry, and other astronauts that have done some bold things in space, have been taking a vitamin batch designed to keep them clear of psychotic breaks. Giving rise again to the possibility that anyone snacking on those red and yellow pills, suffer from a form of mental illness as a result of suffering through distress in the depths of space. But even then… we simply don’t know. Because this episode also featured more hints of something wilder going on. Such as how Jo was sent two recordings from a mysterious entity, one of which confirmed her suspicions that the corpse she saw, was real. Plus, this episode was littered with moments and revelations that Jo has no understanding or knowledge of.

Speaking to a person that isn’t quite where they belong. Which raises more questions than answers and well, that’s okay. Because just like that… we are now in the midst of a fascinating storyline. One that really has us laser focused on whether or not Jo is indeed having a shocking psychotic break and losing memories and paths because of that, or something surreal is happening, something related to Cal and it may only get worse before it gets better since Henry may be messing with concepts that we are too young a species to understand. Either way, we are in for quite the treat, one we will not miss in the slightest. Because now we need to know, what’s happening and need to know the truth, and it will be fascinating to see what lies ahead as this story reveals its secrets. Until next time.

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