A Girl and an Astronaut (Dziewczyna I kosmonauta) is a Polish science fiction series set in 2052 and 2022 that examines the implications of an astronaut’s return to Earth after a 30-year space mission. The series is directed by Bartosz Prokopowicz and written by Agata Malesinsk, and it is divided into six episodes that last 50-55 minutes on average.
Magdalena Cielecka, Magdalena Boczarska, Grzegorz Damiecki, Anna Cieslak, Vanessa Aleksander, Andrzej Chyra, Andrew Zhuravsky, and many others star in the series.
The plot of this science fiction series centers around Marta, a middle-aged lady who lost her love interest Niko (an aviator turned astronaut) over 30 years ago when he went into space. Niko’s spaceship miraculously returns to Earth one day, which eventually leads to a stunning series of events.
Marta, who is self-sufficient, attempts to determine the plot behind Niko’s abduction and revisits several crucial occasions in her life. Even though she professes to have moved on from Niko, the entire process of deduction reawakens long-forgotten sentiments of love in her.
The show jumps back and forth in time to show us their relationship and the domino effect that occurred three decades later. It attempts to build a half-baked love triangle between Marta, Niko, and Bogdan, which is merely boring, lifeless, and devoid of any genuine emotional weight.
The main problem with the show is the absence of character development. Bogdan and Marta, for example, are written as shallow, one-dimensional characters with little to no individuality. Their acts and reasons are difficult to comprehend, and it is tough to cheer for or connect with their plight. The astronaut, Niko, is no better. He is represented in the future as a strange, gloomy man with no obvious purpose or objective. Formerly, a sly smile sought to convey his entire personality.
Overall, the absence of characterization makes it difficult to care about the resolution of the plot and results in a pyramid of moments that fall absolutely flat. Another issue with the program is the perplexing storyline. The plot goes from 2022 to 2052, but the time travel element is badly performed.
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The program fails to create a clear relationship for timeframes, and the leaps between the past and present simply add to the story’s complexity. It almost feels like the series has utilized time travel as a cheap narrative device to advance the tale rather than explore its storytelling possibilities.
The corporate conspiracy plotline is undeveloped as well, with no meaningful stakes. The corporation’s interest in Niko’s return and his lack of aging is probed and described extensively, making it difficult to connect it to the story’s premise.
Incidentally, the only aspect of the series that stands out is its visual effects, which are rather stunning but cannot compensate for the lackluster plot. The space sequences are well-crafted and visually gorgeous, but the show’s efforts at emotional moments fall short of the VFX.
A Girl and an Astronaut is a mediocre series that falls short of its lofty expectations. A six-episode binge will be challenging due to the lack of character development and the jumbled space love triangle. The show attempts to explore themes of love, sorrow, and time travel but falls short of providing a compelling tale. As a result, if you’re hoping for an emotionally gripping cosmological narrative, this may not be the book for you.
The series is available on Netflix.
