'Night Sky' Episode 1 Review: Meet Franklin and Irene, an elderly couple with a secret
"Prime's new A list sub-genre is country sci-fi. And I kind of love it," read a comment under the trailer for 'Night Sky.' That does seem to be the case as this show comes just a few weeks after the masterfully crafted 'Outer Range', another science-fiction series set in the countryside.
Created by Holden Miller, 'Night Sky' stars JK Simmons and Sissy Spacek as Franklin and Irene York, an elderly couple living by themselves in the countryside. Titled 'To The Stars', Episode 1 of 'Night Sky' begins with a meet-cute scene that shows us how Franklin and Irene crossed paths for the first time before switching to them in the present. They're just as much in love and make you want to grow old with someone as well. However, they also face the challenges that comes with old age such as physical ailments and the occasional bout of forgetfulness. But this isn't all there is to the Yorks. There's more to them than meets the eye and boy their secret, for the lack of a better phrase, is out of this world!
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The Yorks have a secret chamber under the shed in their backyard that leads them to another planet and they've been viewing it from a safe distance for years but haven't ventured into it. A specific encounter makes Irene want to do so and an incident while she is in the process results in something that could upend the lives of the Yorks and possibly affect their community as well.
Spacek and Simmons are just wonderful as Franklin and Irene, and it is a breath of fresh air to see Simmons play a caring partner as he's known best for his not-so-pleasant roles in 'Whiplash' and the OG 'Spiderman' trilogy. Adam Bartley does a great job at playing their nosy neighbor Byron and it will be exciting to see if he has a role to play in unearthing the Yorks' secret.
Written by Holden Miller and directed by Juan José Campanella, 'To The Stars' is a pleasant introduction to the world of the Yorks. Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, who did a splendid job in 'Outer Range', more or less do the same with the background score when it comes to 'Night Sky.' Ashley Connor's cinematography and Josh Beal's editing do the rest of the work, making the premiere episode of 'Night Sky' a perfect weekend watch.
All episodes of 'Night Sky' are available for streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video