Ep 1. Novo Mundo

In the first episode of MARS season 1, titled "Novo Mundo," the series begins with a look at the near future where the human race has set their sights on traveling to and establishing a permanent colony on Mars. The show follows two parallel storylines, one of which takes place in the present day and the other that's set in the year 2033. The story picks up where SpaceX has successfully landed a spacecraft on the red planet and it carries a team of six astronauts, including four Americans, a Frenchwoman, and a Nigerian.

The episode starts with SpaceX and the space-bound team being closely followed. In this world, the future is an exciting place with space travel no longer confined to space agencies and government organizations. We're introduced to one of the astronauts, Hana Seung, and we see her reminiscing about life on Earth as the views from the spaceship take over. The beautifully shot cinematography and imagery establishes the show's epic grandeur right from the start.

In the year 2033, the team is getting ready to step out of the spacecraft onto the Martian surface, a monumental moment that's been years in the making. The astronauts are nervous, understandably so, but excited to finally embark on their mission. They get suited up in their spacesuits and equip themselves before stepping out to begin the arduous task of establishing a human colony on the previously uninhabited planet.

The astronauts go through their checklists before stepping out on their first exploration and are met with an unbelievable, breathtaking view of the Martian landscape. The show does a great job of depicting the sense of awe that the astronauts must feel landing on the surface of another planet. The sense of scale and the eerie atmospheric conditions create an immersive setting that feels both realistic and cinematic.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the focus is shifted on the Making of the MARS documentary that is being produced about the mission. The documentary crew is at the Mission Control where they chat with the team's technical director, Leslie Richardson, as she speaks to the complexity of grid-coding and power management. There is also a panel discussion that takes place debating the relevancy of a mission such as this when humanity is plagued by multiple global crises.

One interesting aspect of the story is that the show blends documentary-style interviews and current-day footage of SpaceX's advancements with the expedition to the red planet. It is a sleek and streamlined approach to storytelling that makes it easy to keep track of the multiple plot threads. There's intense science and engineering discussions about terraforming Mars and the political and societal implications of colonizing a new planet.

The episode introduces a possible conflict between the American team of astronauts and the non-American contingent as they have differing ideas on how things can be done. We also see that the iconic red planet isn't too much of a hospitable place. Early exploration shows that the Martian atmosphere isn't what the team had hoped it would be and that their initial attempts at prospecting for water meet with little success.

The first episode, as expected of most sci-fi shows, serves as a world-building and exposition-heavy hour that both acclimatizes fans to the new world that is being introduced and outlining the stakes of the upcoming season. It puts a face to the people we will be following for the rest of the series and details their mission while setting up the challenges they'll face along the way.

Narrated by actress Olivia Williams, the episode is crisply produced and does a good job of both showcasing the future's possibilities and establishing the sense of danger and urgency that the expedition involves. Despite the rarity of familiarity with how space missions operate, the show does an excellent job of translating space tech and terms into layman's language.

In summary, MARS season 1 episode 1, Novo Mundo, sets an epic stage for a science-fiction story that combines drama, adventure, and real-world science in a way that is both engaging and informative. It is well-acted, impressively mounted, and strikes an effective balance between current day space exploration footage and the show's fictional narrative. It's a promising start to a fascinating series, and it leaves viewers eagerly anticipating what comes next.