Moving into “The Last Days of the Space Age,” was met with a sense of anticipation, even though my understanding of Australia in the 70s was minimal. A great series shouldn’t always necessitate a profound comprehension of its backdrop, historical or not. I was less versed in feudal Japan when I embarked on “Shōgun,” and the series was truly immersive. This could be why television and other forms of storytelling, with their capacity to transport us to different eras, places, and societies, are so potent. They shape our comprehension of history and our identities. However, “The Last Days of the Space Age” failed to soar. After watching the first four episodes out of eight made available to critics my enthusiasm plummeted.
Right from the start, the series struggles to anchor compelling characters. We see an abundance of characters, but the least appealing ones take the spotlight. For instance, The Bissetts: father Tony, a striking factory worker, and Judy, a management employee at the same factory. The dynamics within this family and the strict gender roles are puzzling. Their daughters, Tilly, who aspired to be an astronaut, and the free-spirited Mia, are only fractionally more engaging. They navigate unfair punishments and crushing disappointments in space dreams, but these plotlines feel trite and cliche.
Even when the series branches into potentially interesting subplots with supporting characters, it falls short. The Vietnamese family running a food truck in Perth deals with aggression from European descendants, but their backstory and depth are neglected. Judy's struggle to bake and manage an office job takes priority instead.
Even the inclusion of a Miss Universe event and a different subplot involving Eileen, a neighbour to the Bissetts having a secret affair, do not contribute to the overall plot cohesiveness. The series tries to handle too many narratives, making it hard for the audience to keep up.
In its attempt to embrace diversity, the series fails to let non-white characters shine. It also does not sufficiently explore the social struggles or interconnections between characters. It focuses on a somewhat improbable 'slice-of-life' narrative that mostly centres on lives mingling in close proximity in a failing attempt to capture the spirit of the era.
This series could be a classic case of trying to be many things at once, and thus failing to accomplish anything meaningfully. The lack of an underlying message, and a reliance on a multitude of characters and period-specific outfits, fails to mask the evident deficiencies. Upon watching four episodes for this review, it felt like the series had lost its trajectory. “The Last Days of the Space Age” premieres on Hulu on October 2nd.
