'Away': Will Lu and Mei ever meet again or is their love lost forever in Netflix's space drama?
Spoilers for 'Away'
One of the most subtle love stories in modern-day pop culture is probably that of Wang Lu (Vivian Wu) and Mei Chen (Nadia Hatta) from Netflix's just premiered space-drama, 'Away'. Starring Hillary Swank in its leading role as shuttle-commander Emma Green, the story follows five diverse groups of experts who embark on an expedition to Mars, in an attempt to be the first humans to ever set foot on the red planet.
But in each of their stories comes a latent layer of struggle buried in pretty much everything imaginable — from slavery to generational trauma and more. In Lu's case, it is her loveless marriage and subsequently falling for her coworker Mei. Poor Lu and Mei never really consummate their feelings for each other but are still subjected to gross homophobia and the consequences of whatever they have sparked.
And although the 10-part series ends on a very conclusive and successful note for all the astronauts, whether Lu and Mei will be reunited is still a burning question. When the series kicks off, Lu can be seen carrying a memento in the form of a ring with the words "Women hold up half the sky" engraved on it in Mandarin. When her colleague Misha Popov asks her if it's from her husband, Lu discreetly clarifies it's from a friend.
When she video calls her husband, there's a hesitation in her tone when she reciprocates she is proud to be his wife, and soon the reason is outed without her consent. Spotting the growing signs of a bond between Lu and Mei, the Chinese authority replaces the latter to snub the news from getting out. When Lu confronts the CNSA Head about it, she is told that all communication between her and Mei has been ceased under official instruction, all because of a note Lu left for Mei.
Lu is further outed against her wishes by Mei's new replacement, Jack, and that's when we find out the layers to their very nuanced relationship. Flashbacks reveal how Mei helped Lu come out of her shell and learn proper English through karaoke. In turn, Lu would teach Mei brush calligraphy. On one such night, when Mei realizes her budding feelings for Lu and tries to kiss her, Lu brushes her off saying how they can't be anything more than each other's mentor out of respect for her marriage and son.
Mei accepts that, and the night before Lu is supposed to leave for space comes clean about her feelings. There's no force, no tears as Mei requests nothing more than just lying next to Lu in bed one last time before she goes away for four years.
The relationship is based on mutual respect and understanding that comes from belonging to a society that both know will never accept their love. Their superiors' homophobia pulls them apart, but through Emma's help and Jack's willingness to make amends, Mei and Lu can speak one last time before never talking again for three years at least.
Their story doesn't come up ever again until the final moments of the show, where Lu agrees to take the photo with the rest of the team after landing on Mars only on one condition — Mei is reinstated in her position at NASA.
Her superior seems to agree to her demand but when her assistant and translator asks if she will actually do what Lu asked them, the look the CNSA Head gives is enough to hint the agreement was just to get Lu to dance to their tunes, once again. And dutiful as Lu might be, her complying with the CNSA isn't quite likely bringing Mei back into her life.
All 10 episodes of 'Away' are available for streaming from September 4 on Netflix.