PT Entertainment
In “Beyond the Sea,” “Breaking Bad”‘s Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett play Cliff and David, two 1969-era astronauts who — despite being on a lengthy six-year space mission — are mostly content with life, as they’re able to spend much of their time on Earth with their respective families through advanced technology that beams their consciousness into robot versions of themselves called “links.” Things take a turn, however, when a Manson Family-esque cult murders David’s family and destroys his android, leaving him emotionally destroyed and isolated in space.
Seeing David’s despair and crumbling mental state could wreak havoc on their two-person mission, Cliff offers to let David use his link to experience the real world again, which the traumatized widower gratefully accepts. However, Cliff’s act of kindness sets the men on a psychological crash course toward a tragic end. Cliff has everything in life that David lost — from a picturesque farmhouse to a loving wife, Lara (Mara), and kids — and David can’t stop himself from coveting all of it. When David oversteps the boundaries he and Cliff put in place in an unspeakable betrayal, Cliff revokes David’s access to his link.
While “Beyond the Sea” stops short of making any bold critiques about society at large, the twist in the final moments of this perfectly-paced hour of television makes it one of “Black Mirror”‘s all-time best episodes, as Cliff is forced to confront a terrifyingly sinister reality: Having lost everything, David is capable of anything, and yet — needing him to survive the next four years in space — Cliff’s life is entirely in his hands. — Noelle Devoe, senior editor, TV and film
