‘Constellation’ Recap: ‘These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruin’

3/27/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Noomi Rapace and Rosie/Davina Coleman as Jo and Alice in Episode 108 of ‘Constellation’ – ‘These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruin’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Finale of ‘Constellation’. To revisit Season One’s Penultimate Episode, click here.

It is definitely safe to say that the Apple TV+ series, Constellation, has offered up a masterclass in science fiction storytelling in its first year on the air. Simply because… we’ve been immersed in a fascinating story about multiple realities and what it would be like to cross that threshold and see how the other half lives. Which has given rise to powerful and chilling stories that showcase how the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and of course, as great science fiction is wont to do… challenges the human condition. Since the human impact of such a crossover has been explored in detail as well through Jo’s painful and powerful emotional journey. One that has left us wondering… whether Jo would return home and reunite with her beloved daughter and find peace after succumbing to the whims of a powerhouse experiment gone wrong.

Well as it turns out, the season finale of this sci-fi epic, took the time to answer that question in quite the blunt and unique manner. For ‘These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruin’ wasted little time in informing any doubters, that yes, Jo had crossed some kind of reality threshold and that no… there would be no going back. In part because, the Caldera switch brought forth the destruction of the Cal. A device which truly seemed to bend the fabric between realities and gave rise to real possibility that Jo might find her way home. But with it gone, and another truth revealed, it became even more crystal clear that this switch was indeed permanent. Because sadly… Jo wasn’t the only one who had experienced some strange doings by traveling into space.

In fact, Irina more or less explained in her magical and cryptic way, that those who braved the cosmos and crossed into its endless void… sometimes found themselves in other worlds. After all, she was confirmed to be dead in another timeline and even the ever-brave Yuri Gagarin was in the same hospital that Jo was transferred to because he had experienced similar surprises before he returned to terra firma. So, in the end, the Cal simply accelerated the switch for some, and Jo should have considered herself lucky. Since she didn’t end up mad like Yuri, or dead(ish) like her counterpart, and of course… she wasn’t staring down murder chargers like Harry did in Bud’s world. The kind that he was unable to evade while Bud ran free and enjoyed the spoils of a new life.

Jonathan Banks as Henry/Bud Caldera in Episode 108 of ‘Constellation’ – ‘These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruin’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Yet, all of that truth brought no comfort to Jo. For she truly wanted to find a way home and did her best to build up alliances in the hospital to escape and find that path, and she even took time to explore when those alliances came to fruition. But soon she realized, the window to get back to her world was closed, and there was a new surprise that helped her to realize… the time had come to accept this fate. In that, she was pregnant, with a child that was likely caught between worlds as well, since her ultrasound featured that strange pattern that the Cal produced and well… that prompted Jo to relent her claims, find peace and settle in with this Alice and this Magnus. To try and find happiness and a better tomorrow.

Which brought about an ending… that no one expected. For there was no mad dash to save the Cal. No fight with an evil Caldera to find common ground and a way home. Just… fate. Fate brought on by our curiosity to explore the cosmos and beyond, and obviously Jo’s decision brought forth a far more intimate close to this story. One that pondered deeply upon… our inability to change the big things in life, and how we grow and how we sometimes see those we love change around us. And how we have no choice but to adapt to find the happiness and peace we crave. Making this finale and this season of storytelling, about life, and the surprises it sends our way… under the guise of a shockingly epic concept, but that all made for impactful storytelling, nevertheless.

After all, we paid attention for certain, and had to know how it was going to end and well, this finale deserves a round of applause for giving us one hell of an ending. One that is worthy of the great sci-fi epics courtesy of its humanity and its bonus twists and turns and for outright taking us on a fascinating and engaging ride we could not look away from. As to whether or not this is the end of the journey, we do not know, but hopefully we get more down the line. To see what the next chapter of Jo’s life looks like and learn more about the crossover and how it works and why it happens. But if we don’t… then at least we can enjoy this epic, time and time again, and pour over an immersive story about the chaos of the universe and how it can deeply and wildly impact the human condition.

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