Star City Season 1 Episode 4 Proves You Shouldn’t Sleep On This Show ― Review

Critic’s Rating: 4.6 / 5.0

4.6

I did not expect it to happen this soon, but I’m sold on Star City.

The series premiere was rough, but week two showed some promise.

In this week’s episode, that promise shines as the show finally brings together all those little arcs to form one coherent narrative.

That is what had been missing, and after Star City Season 1 Episode 4, “Dark Forest,” the characters are likable (or, let’s say, understandable), and the story warrants investment.

Star City is part political thriller and part science fiction, but this hour dwells on the politics, and that’s the best decision.

So let’s start with that, then.

Espionage Games

The cold open is pure spy gold.

The patience displayed by the agent in following Valya and Tanya is admirable, if not a bit evil and manipulative.

The best part is that it doesn’t do too much. Narration carries most of the tension as she logs her findings, and when she finally logs Valya as her new asset, it immediately sets the tone for the rest of the hour.

Cracks are already developing in many areas. Sasha can’t handle the survivor’s guilt after Arseni’s death, Anastasia is coming to the realization that she is the main attraction in the freak show, and Tanya suspects Valya of cheating.

Individually, these are not arcs that do much for the story this hour, but they tease game-changing developments based on what the characters decide to do.

And there are never any guarantees with this show.

In one afternoon, what was a living, breathing human being could disappear, never to be seen again, rendering their actions irrelevant.

Right now, the story hints that it’s everyone versus Valya, but the messy entanglements in these relationships make it hard to predict what someone will do.

Tanya could out Valya as a spy, but he wouldn’t be doing all this were it not for his love for her and his desire to protect her.

Sasha has every reason to bury Valya, but his feelings for Tanya complicate things.

Even Irina, who has gotten really good at betraying people’s trust, could reveal that she found out about the transmitter because it’s her duty. She could also keep it a secret because she’s made the mistake of getting invested in their lives.

So trying to guess where things could go is a defeatist mission, but I can’t wait to see what happens.

Meanwhile, the show abandons the little space expeditions it has been conducting and finally focuses on the real mission: Venus.

The Venera Experiment

This is the mission I’ve been anticipating, but the show had been keeping hidden (hey, no fault to them, this is the Soviet Union after all).

One of my biggest concerns with Star City is that it would be a rehash of For All Mankind‘s storylines. 

While the political tension makes for a thrilling watch, it doesn’t hit the same when you already know the outcome.

But as far as I can remember, For All Mankind never explored anything about going to Venus.

And it does make sense because the secrecy with which this project is being executed, the outcome could be the same to the outside world.

If they went and succeeded in colonizing the planet, then keeping that achievement a secret would make sense if they found something worthwhile. 

While everyone was obsessed with Mars, Star City was landing on Venus.

And if they failed … well … that’s self-explanatory.

The hour dives into the technicalities of surviving on Venus after Chief Designer is convinced that they have the technicalities of the landers figured out.

They bring in a brilliant Indian scientist to figure out how they can keep breathing in a very inhospitable environment without compromising the mission.

It’s a very ambitious — and dangerous — mission to have Chadha tag along with the cosmonauts, as it strains resources, and she is of little use. 

This could be where Anastasia comes in because that woman is dying slowly. The state has turned her into a walking attraction, and nothing kills the soul more than feeling like a fraud.

She was propped up by the regime even when she had no knowledge of how space works, and now she is forced to make these ridiculous slop speeches, and there is nothing she can do about it.

But as her fatigue grows, so does her rebellion and drive. We spotted glimpses of that when she was launched to the moon and nearly died, but her courage saw her through.

While I wasn’t impressed by her as a character then, she’s slowly earning my interest, and so is everyone else.

That’s this hour’s entire success.

Gut Check

“Dark Forest” is peak entertainment. It is the turning point for this show because after being on the fence for a while, I’m now totally invested in the story and the characters.

Intrusive Thoughts

• It’s refreshing to see what a proper hour-long episode can achieve without filler and extended credits.

• Lyudmila lying with such effortless, unflinching ease genuinely gave me chills.

• Careful Irina. Spying doesn’t make you besties with these strangers.

• When constantly exposed to Western narratives, you’d almost forget that brilliant minds exist in every corner of the globe.

Over to you, Star City fanatics. What did you think of the story this hour? Are you impressed with how everything is developing? I’m ready to take bets now: will the Venera mission succeed?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.

Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.