You're halfway there.
Second half of the journey will get harder.
The physical toll, the emotional toll...
Well, you're just a barrel of laughs today, aren't you?
Visual and voice contact is nearing an end.
MCC's best estimate is 48 hours from now.
You'll still be able to communicate through text, emails,
but the further out you get, the longer the delays will be.
Eventually, a text could take an hour or more to...
I know all this.
I know there's been tension between you and Alexis.
It's a lot of time.
The next time you see your daughter, she'll be a senior.
It might be helpful to think about...
what you need to say to her.
Oh, and, uh...
merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
- Ready? - Yeah.
Oh my God.
C... F...
uh...
P...
Um...
If you don't know, we can move on to the right eye.
Oh, shut up. I know it.
V.
U... uh, U. Yeah, U. U.
Shall we move on to the right eye?
No, screw this. I am done with the endless testing.
I'm not some NASA guinea pig, okay?
Misha, can I remind you this is mandatory?
Ram, tell them my vision is fine.
If they wanted someone with better eyesight,
they could have chosen someone who didn't log more hours in space
than any other man, woman, or monkey in the history of the planet.
Okay? Hi, Lu.
Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. I have real work to do.
Get the pic?
Mm-hmm.
How is it being home?
Weird.
Weird how?
You don't wanna hear about it.
I do.
It's just not what I thought it would be like.
Like what?
There are ramps everywhere.
It smells like the inside of a hospital.
I won't be able to talk to my mom again for, like, two years, but...
my dad's decorating the tree, smoking the brisket...
They're both trying so hard to make everything seem normal.
But the more they try and do that, the more clear it is that it's...
it's not normal.
It'll never be normal.
That... blows.
Why do I talk so much around you?
So, there's this thing I was thinking I wanna show you.
What thing?
It's a surprise.
What kind of surprise?
Well, it's not a surprise if I tell you.
I can bring you there.
Maybe pick you up around ten?
Big breath through your mouth.
Perfect.
How's Matt adjusting to being home?
He's fine.
And what about losing contact? How are the family handling that?
We're all good.
Look, Emma, when I was, um...
When I was sick a couple of weeks back,
I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable
when I spoke about my brother.
No. No, you didn't.
Because I shared something with you that I do not talk about, and you've...
you've pretty much shut me out since, and it doesn't feel great.
Can we just...
Look, I, um... I'm glad you opened up about your brother.
I just don't want you to get the wrong idea. That's all.
- What do you mean? - It's...
difficult enough being a mom, a wife, and, you know, leading this crew
without any, uh...
Without any what?
The complications.
Complication?
We had one conversation...
By the way, if I looked at you the wrong way or something, I'm sorry.
I mean, I was having a fever dream and sliced open my back.
Come on, Emma, give me some slack.
I just... I keep my work life and my personal life separate. That's all.
Okay?
I've got it.
Well, I think we're done here. I'll let you get dressed.
Oh, and by the way, Misha's eyesight
has been severely compromised since the launch from the Moon.
Significantly?
His left eye has gone from a 20/40 to a 20/70,
and that is not a normal decline.
What about his right eye?
Of course, he started screaming and cursing
and left before I could complete the exam.
Why does that not surprise me?
Look, science still has no explanation for what actually causes space blindness.
All we know is that it's very real.
And while it seems vision typically restores itself on returning to Earth,
some astronauts have had their eyesight severely impaired in space.
I mean, has anyone ever gone blind?
Not yet, but, uh...
Well, no one's been to Mars yet, right, either?
I'm scared. I've never been to space before.
No one has ever been to space.
Ah, right, um...
You were able to scavenge and survive the streets of Kirov.
We need dogs like you in space...
- Kwesi. - Yes. What?
No dog with self-respect will say yes to this kind of proposal.
Please, do it again.
This time, more like a man, less like a schoolgirl, okay?
Okay, fine. Misha.
Then find someone else.
Ram is quite charming. I'm sure he can act.
And, Lu, what about you? You have a child.
I'm sure you know how to do this sort of thing.
My son is not interested in puppet show. Neither am I.
It's too late. You said yes. You committed. Okay? Let's do it.
You... Misha, you haven't even told me what this is for.
Trust me, this is the most important thing you've ever done in your life, plant man.
I am a world-renowned botanist. I'm sorry, I'm not a "plant man."
Remember what I told you?
You have to use your... How you call it? Diafragma?
- Diaphragm. - Diaphragm, yeah.
You must speak from here, not from here. From here.
- Misha, please. I... - "Misha, please."
Please, keep your voice down. I'm trying to do some real work here.
And Misha's right. Try to project.
All right.
I had to go to, like, 1,000 houses
before I finally got it from the Caldwells,
so this better be worth it.
Ah, coriander.
This is what gives it that complexity, you know?
All right.
- That looks good. - Yeah.
Smell that.
- Mmm. - What do you think?
Good. Complex.
So... I was thinking.
Annie and Aditi are throwing this friends' Christmas Eve's party.
The whole team's gonna be there.
I already told them I probably couldn't go.
Honey.
Yeah, I know.
It's just we don't know when your mom's gonna connect,
when the last call will be.
Yeah, I get it.
Can you FaceTime with the team?
Yeah, sure.
Lexi! Lexi! Lexi!
Hi, Cassie!
- Lexi! - Cass.
- Cass, let her breathe! - No, I love it.
- Hey, baby. - Hi, it's so good to see you.
Good to see you too.
- Matt, welcome home. - Thanks.
You remember my grandma's famous pastelón?
Yes. Delicious.
Why are you in a wheelchair?
Cass...
Will you always be in a wheelchair, or are you gonna get better?
- She doesn't mean to put you on the spot. - Nah, that's okay.
You know, it's, uh... It's not for sure, Cass,
but if you ask me, my plan is to get better.
Can you come to our Christmas party tomorrow?
You guys are probably busy, but we do our Christmas party every year
for some NASA folk who can't get home for the holidays.
Basically a nerd fest! But we have fun.
No pressure. You guys can stop by anytime.
No, not anytime. It starts at 3:30, 3:30 sharp.
We're making pigs in a blanket.
Pigs in a blanket? I mean, that's pretty hard to pass up.
That's really sweet, Cass,
but I think we're gonna celebrate Christmas together as a family.
Of course.
But it's just you two. We could be a family now.
Cassie, honey.
It's okay.
Yeah.
- Hey. - Hey.
I hear you cast Kwesi. How's he doing?
Oof.
Let's say he's not Al Pacino.
Uh, Misha, I know Russians don't always follow protocol, but there's a...
Emma...
My eyes are fine, okay?
There's a reason for protocol.
Of course there's a reason.
Your country is obsessed with statistics. Obsessed.
Completely ruined baseball, by the way.
Everything needs to fit some metric. Every decision computerized.
Analytics, algorithms, pitch count limits, inning limits, infield shifts...
You people...
It's a great game. How about play it the way it was supposed to be played?
I didn't realize you were a baseball fan.
I'm full of surprises.
Look, it's not just about collecting data.
If your eyesight is failing, it's about this mission.
It's about our survival.
Complete your medical exam. That's an order, Popov.
Yes, ma'am.
And you realize you're making Kwesi into a nervous wreck, right?
What's the deal with these puppets?
I'm prepping my last video call with my grandchildren.
If I don't come back, I want them to understand...
But you will come back.
Unless you know something I don't, I'm getting us home.
Yeah. Yeah. Every time I'm in space, I assume I'm not coming home.
Plus, we are the first to go to Mars,
and the first, statistically, have a tendency to die first, so...
I'm getting us home.
I believe you.
I do.
It's important to say your goodbyes.
It's a good thing.
Look, Daddy.
Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.
That's right.
That's right!
Okay, I think I'm gonna go to bed.
Do you need any help transferring?
- No, I'm good. - Okay.
Night.
Hey, Lex, uh...
Yeah?
It's okay if you're pissed at your mom.
What? I'm not pissed at Mom. Why would you think that?
For talking to Putney about you without asking?
For leaving? You may only have one last time to...
So, what are you saying?
I should have it out with her the last time I get to talk to her?
I'm saying, yeah, if you're angry, you should tell her.
Or whatever else you're feeling.
Just don't bottle it all up inside. That's all, okay?
Okay.
You know, you don't have to bottle things up either.
What do you mean?
I know it's hard for you being home.
No, sweetie. I'm...
I'm so happy to be home.
Okay.
- I am! - Okay. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Night.
Hey.
So, shortness of breath, diarrhea, insomnia, stomach pain,
periods of depression, and general anxiety.
Is there any other symptoms you've been experiencing?
Is there anything left?
Okay, Kwesi, look.
Here's the thing: space takes its toll on the body, right?
And we're going further than anyone's gone before,
longer than anyone's been away.
We're finding out as we go the challenges it brings all of us,
but everything you mention is completely normal.
Your vitals are good, you're strong, you're a person of faith,
and that's really gonna help you, okay?
Look, I've seen a lot of people react to space,
and I believe you'll get stronger and stronger.
Is this child psychology?
No, it's absolutely true.
Look, we'll follow up after the blood test results,
but I believe you're gonna be okay.
Right. Um, there is one other thing.
Okay.
I'm just warning you, I'm a bit freaked out by it, so...
You can tell me anything.
Well, if it freaks you out, it's going to freak me out more.
- So please don't freak out. - What is it, Kwesi?
Oh...
What in God's name is happening to me?
I mean, this was once a part of me, and now it's not.
Okay, let me dress this thing.
- You're freaking out, aren't you? - I am not freaking out.
Well, I certainly am. I certainly am. I am freaking out.
I mean, what... what in God's name is happening to me?
I'm gonna clean this thing and dress it, and then I'm gonna tell you
in zero gravity, certain parts of our body may come off in atrophy.
Anything else gonna come off in atrophy?
I mean, I haven't been having a great deal of sex here.
I mean, is my penis next?
No, your penis is not next.
Then what else? I mean, toes, fingers? I mean, I'm not okay with this.
Here, take one of these.
No. You giving me oxy. That's all I need.
It's not oxy. It's for the anxiety. Take it.
Yes? What is it?
Did my result come back?
They did, actually, and, uh, you're healthier than the day we launched.
Of course. Why would it be any different?
Excuse me.
I hate her.
Tasha, I just want to tell you...
Tashenka, I just want to tell you that... that I...
Natalya, I...
Tashenka, hi.
It's early. The children are still asleep.
I know. I purposefully... I just wanted to...
tell you something.
Listen, I've been thinking... and it's important that I tell you
that when I came back after Mom died, I know I promised to stay,
but instead, I sent you to Kazan and took off.
I want you to know that I loved you then. That I still love you...
You shouldn't.
Tasha, let me finish. This isn't easy for me.
I know I've done wrong by you...
but on the other hand,
the country needed astronauts, you know?
The motherland.
The motherland, yes. The motherland.
Papa, papa.
What?
Time has not stood still.
I'm not that hurt little girl anymore.
God bless you on your journey, but Uncle Lev and Aunt Masha raised me.
They became my parents, and you...
you forgot about me a long time ago.
And I forgot about you too.
Tasha, I understand that you're still angry,
and you have every right to be.
But what choice did I have? The situation was different.
I really have to go. The kids will be up soon, and I need to be there.
Merry Christmas, Papa.
Yes, merry Christmas.
I'm glad you changed your mind.
So, where are we going?
Hey, shithead.
Hey.
I know it's the middle of the night,
but I thought this could be some time for you and me.
Are you wearing makeup?
What's unusual about that?
Oh, I wish I could be there with you right now.
I wanna feel you.
I miss you so much.
Yeah.
How's it feel being back home?
It was the right thing to do. I needed to get back here.
Mmm. That's not answering my question.
Well, it's, uh...
still our house,
but it doesn't feel like home, you know.
Show me.
Please.
You know what I see?
I don't see a ramp or a hospital bed.
I see the home we bought to raise our daughter in.
And I see the man that I'm in love with.
The man I'm so proud to be married to.
I see my best friend.
All right, what they did to the kitchen island does sting a little.
Matt?
Yeah.
Will you play something for me, please?
Sure.
I was, uh...
I was thinking about you today...
and I started this.
That was beautiful.
If I don't make it back...
You're gonna make it back.
Oh, baby.
I'm planning on it.
But if I don't...
I want you to know that you changed me.
You made me believe in myself.
You made me believe...
that I'm good.
And I am so grateful that you're the father to our baby girl.
You're an extraordinary father.
She's a lucky, lucky girl.
You're coming home.
I'm gonna try my hardest.
No, no, no. Listen to me.
I want you to listen.
We're gonna be okay.
You just focus on your job.
You take care of yourself, you get your job done,
and you come back to us, okay?
Yeah.
I miss you.
Ever been to Midnight Mass?
Not even close.
Come on. My mom saved us seats.
This is my mom. Mom, this is the girl I told you about.
I think I see what the whole fuss was about, eh?
It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Rod...
I'm so happy you're here. Please join us.
All right.
Thank you.
That was amazing.
I can't believe you decided to come.
Merry Christmas.
Bye.
Amen.
Can you believe it? It's our...
first Hanukkah in space.
- Right. - You look thin. You haven't been eating.
Yes, Mum, of course I'm eating. Yes.
Although I could use one or two of your world-class latkes, yes.
Ah, soon enough.
I'll have a heap of latkes waiting for you when you come home from Mars.
Mum, I...
I just wanna say thank you.
For everything.
And I'll see you soon.
Wow...
You've really improved!
He's grown up, the little thing.
Show her the other one.
Do you have more?
Wow.
Bring it closer so I can see it.
Closer, closer.
Too close! Too close!
I can see it.
I miss you so much.
- Mom is thinking about you. - I love you.
Boys should be strong.
Yeah, be strong.
Keep drawing.
If you stay,
you will grow tired of begging for scraps and shaming your mother.
In space, you will be a great dog, respected by the motherland.
Understood, Comrade Rocket Scientist!
Papa!
- Papa! - Sashenka...
Sashenka, I must fly away. I must.
For you.
For our country. For humanity.
Papa, don't fly away.
- Papa, don't go. - I'll be back.
Papa!
When Tishka went into space,
the world started to dream again.
If people were sad or scared
or alone, they would look up at the sky and see Tishka,
and be reminded that everything is possible.
And following in his footsteps, people went to space too.
He had never dreamed of going to space.
But fate intervened.
And once he got there, he could not go back.
He left a puppy on Earth,
his beloved Sashenka.
Now...
Tishka circles the Moon.
He's looking out the porthole, thinking...
"Everything would have been so much easier
if I had been someone else,
if I could be an Earth dog."
But what could Tishka do?
Tishka is not an Earth dog.
Tishka...
is a space dog.
Let's give it up for Grandpa! He did so well!
Aw, my beauties, my loves!
See you soon.
- Bye. - Bye-bye, Grandpa.
- Bye-bye. - Okay, good night.
Kisses, kisses.
Okay, hurry up, y'all. Time for bed! Brush your teeth!
Tasha, wait, I...
You were right.
You were absolutely right. It wasn't for our country.
It wasn't for the motherland. All that...
It's all a lie.
When I returned home after Mom died,
everything was different,
alien, someone else's.
And...
I would drop you off at school...
and then I would go get a bottle of vodka...
and drink...
and think about ways to die.
In the end, I understood...
you would be better off with Aunt Masha in Kazan.
And I... I would be better off up here.
So, there you have it.
I'm sorry, my little star.
I'm sorry for ruining everything.
I ruined everything.
Forgive me.
I don't know how I can.
But I'm glad you found your home.
Forgive me.
I don't know how to forgive you.
I don't know how.
Goodbye, Papa.
Goodbye.
Misha, are you all right?
- I have one word for you, Kwesi. - What's that?
Vodka.
Right.
It's really good.
I know it's not your mom's.
It's delicious.
I know it was wrong.
What I did.
I understand that you're mad at me.
I just felt like all this was too much.
Like I couldn't breathe.
But it was dumb, and I don't need to be doing dumb stuff,
with everything we've got going on.
I just...
I know how hard you worked to get home.
I can't stand the idea that I ruined Christmas.
Where were you?
I was with a good friend.
I was safe.
You gotta know you can talk to me about anything.
You know that, right?
Yeah.
Look at me, please.
- I know. - Okay.
I talked to Mom last night. This is you.
Hey.
Mom...
I love you,
and I'm so scared that you're leaving me.
But I'm also mad.
Why did you have to do this?
Why couldn't you just be my mom?
I know it's selfish, but I just...
I want you to be here all the time, like Melissa.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry I left you.
I don't know how I'm gonna bear missing out on this time with you.
I really don't.
And it's okay that you're mad.
You have a right to be.
And I'm so happy you told me, okay?
Yeah.
You know, when you were...
in preschool,
the teachers used to come up to me at the end of the day
and tell me that all the other girls were following the pack, trying to fit in,
but you were on your own,
studying bugs.
You were your own person, doing your own thing.
That's you.
And that's still you.
You're remarkable.
And I know that no matter what happens,
I know that you're gonna be all right, okay?
Yeah.
I want you to listen to your dad.
Always listen to your dad.
When he's talking to you, that's me talking to you too.
And I want you to stay close to Melissa.
And I know your aunt, your aunt Lynne, is far,
and she's a little wacky, but those women, they're... they're gold.
They're money in the bank.
Okay.
And...
boys.
I know they're beautiful. I get that. I do.
But, honey, they're bucks, is what they are.
Wild bucks.
So you don't do anything you don't wanna do, okay?
And you say exactly what you want and what you don't want.
And you have to be explicit.
If something ain't feeling right, you just say,
"That ain't happening. End of discussion." Okay?
Okay, I promise.
And I want you to know...
you are the best thing that's ever happened to me.
I love you, Mom. I love you so much.
I love you.
Fiercely.
Okay.
Mom?
Yeah, baby?
I'm gonna be okay.
I'm gonna be all right, so you don't have to worry about us, okay?
I know.
Mom?
Em?
Okay, baby.
Yeah?
Misha is getting Kwesi pretty drunk up there
on his filthy homemade vodka. You might want to monitor it.
I'm sorry.
No, it's okay.
How do you do it?
How do you cope?
How do you... how do you do it?
I mean, you have your little boy down there,
and a woman you love that you can't even talk to anymore.
Yet you always seem so...
stalwart.
I may seem that way, Emma.
If I think about three years without my son,
my heart begins to break apart.
And I may never...
never get to be with Mei again.
But...
we're going to be the first human beings to set foot...
on Mars.
I look that way.
You're looking in the wrong direction, Commander Green.
This is the best batch yet.
My friends...
To our health!
Right.
Oh, it went down good!
That's a shit-ton of disgusting. That's what that is.
Thank you very much.
- Ah! Now it's a party. - Hello.
- Ladies.
One for you.
- Is this better than the last batch? - It's fantastic.
- Mmm. - It's alcohol. That's all that matters.
Astronauts!
Cheers!
I wouldn't call that fantastic.
Oh yeah.
A... a piece of my foot came off.
And that's not okay. It just came off.
And...
well, I'm here.
And I'm here with you... and I love all of you.
Lu, I'm very scared of you, but I love you nonetheless.
So, I have a, um, surprise Hanukkah gift to share.
- Are those... - Yes.
The first greens grown right here on the Atlas.
I am trying so hard not to get aroused right now.
Real food?
Okay, this is crazy.
I... I make authentic Russian space-brewed vodka,
all of you...
This man brings arugula, you have an orgasm.
- This is not arugula. - Thank you.
This is sad, Kwesi. It's a sad, sad world. Is there spinach there?
- Of course. - Thank you.
- No, you're welcome.
And, Kwesi...
Yes?
You were wonderful in the puppet show.
Thank you.
Did Misha finish his exam?
Yes, and the right eye is as bad as the left.
Okay, I'll let Ground know.
Will you be sure he gets in his pod soon?
Of course...
Commander.
Would you like to dance?
Why, yes.
Merry Christmas, Lexi! I love you!
I love you too!
Wanna meet my best friends?
- Sure. - Okay.
- You're here! - Hi, Melissa!
Yeah, I realized I made brisket for about 40 people,
so hopefully everyone still has an appetite.
Don't worry. It'll be gone in a second.
How was your last call with Emma?
You know...
Yeah.
Hey, I'm really glad that you stopped by.
Me too.
Brisket, y'all!
Yeah!
All right, hands back. Keep it back.
- Snap! - Oh, good job!
All right, I need to get a go.
Hey, Matt, can I get you something to drink?
Yeah, that sounds great.