Perth in 1979 served as the vivid backdrop to the intricate drama of Last Days of the Space Age. In this Western Australian city, momentous real-world events overlapped—a long-running labor dispute at the local power plant simmered as the Miss Universe pageant visited town. Meanwhile, the fate of NASA’s Skylab space station hung in the balance as it hurtled toward reentry.
Against this historical stage, everyday lives and relationships occupied the foreground. Multiple interwoven families populated a closely knit coastal community. The Bissetts found their marriage tested as financial stress mounted. Daughter Tilly nursed big dreams of becoming an astronaut despite discouragement. Neighbors like the Buis and Wilberforces also experienced their own ups and downs while navigating cultural clashes, gender issues, and social change.
Beneath a summery surface, undercurrents of unease stirred. Uncertainty clouded what tomorrow might bring as conventions were questioned. Through the highs and lows of this bustling cast, the show intricately wove together larger themes. It explored how private hopes collided with public pressures against a backdrop where progress came at the cost of tradition. Creativity also shone through in bringing this memorable period alive through production details, musical choices, and location filming to heighten realism.
Last Days of the Space Age engaged viewers by transporting them back in time. Its snapshot view highlighted humanity’s endless capacity to find humor, heartbreak, and resilience even in tougher times, leaving audiences to reflect on how far society has come and how far there is left to go.
Intertwining Lives
At the heart of Last Days of the Space Age are the families that give the small beachside community its lifeblood. Chief among them are the Bissetts: Tony, a factory worker entrenched on the picket line; Judy, torn between career and obligation; and their daughters Tilly and Mia, each wrestling with the challenges of their aspiring paths. Powerhouse performances from Jesse Spencer, Rhada Mitchell, and the younger actors bring these flawed, dynamic individuals to three-dimensional life.
Neighboring the Bissetts are the Wilberforces—Aboriginal elder Eileen raising her activist daughter’s headstrong son. Deborah Mailman infuses Eileen with quiet strength and empathy, while Thomas Weatherall imbues the youthful Bilya with a fiery spirit. Nearby live the Buis, Vietnamese immigrants establishing roots in a foreign land. Aidan Du Chiem and a superb international cast portray the Buis’ striving resilience with dignity.
Supporting these families is larger-than-life Bob Foden. Iain Glen is a joy as the meddling grandfather—equal parts meddler and confidant. His romance with Eileen hints at social change, handled respectfully. And who could overlook Svetlana, the Soviet Miss Universe hopeful brought to vibrant life by Ines English?
Together, this ensemble ensures no character falls flat or feels tokenized. Each actor excels at crafting nuanced lives, sketching the community’s cultural mosaic through compassionate lenses. Their portrayals anchor deeper themes of belonging, identity, and injustice. By focusing on everyday triumphs and dilemmas, Last Days of the Space Age crafts a persuasive tapestry of hopes and hardships that still resonate.
Weaving Personal and Political
Last Days of the Space Age brings late 1970s Perth to life through an array of intimate yet socially poignant storylines. At the show’s heart are the Bissetts: Tony and Judy face challenges to their marriage as financial troubles mount. Meanwhile, their daughter Tilly pursues her dreams of space adventure despite discouragement. You root for her success, feeling the challenges are unfairly placed.
Nearby, the Wilberforce family navigates prejudice with grace. Eileen empowers her defiant grandson as she faces social restriction due to her Indigenous and interracial relationship. These races with timely issues are explored with care and nuance.
The immigrant Buis also experience ignorance yet build community through their hard work. Their son Jonno befriends Tilly, showing how individual connections can overcome division.
LGBTQ rights move to the fore through quirky brother Mick, whose flamboyance is met with surprising understanding rather than violence so often depicted in period pieces.
Miss Universe arrives, alongside protests against its politicization of women. Yet one contestant, Svetlana, finds empowerment through talent against patriarchal pressures.
At times, weaving many plots risks losing narrative threads. But by season’s end, moments of humor and heartfelt drama prove how deftly the show examines weighty themes through everyday lives. It highlights hope that even in tougher eras, basic goodness and fairness can surmount societal flaws through small acts of bravery and understanding.
Transported to the Past
Last Days of the Space Age immerses viewers in late 1970s Perth through execution as fine-tuned as its subject matter. Directors achieve an authentic lived-in quality that permeates costumes, sets, and storytelling alike.
Stepping onto the scene feels like a personal voyage rather than clinical reconstruction. Locations showcase the rugged beachside community in all its worn-in appeal. Weathered surf club exteriors and seaside shacks brimming with personality set a perfectly casual tone.
Within those settings, period-perfect flourishes astonish the eye. Rust-colored lounges and wood-paneled accents drip with laidback Australianness. Plaid shirts and flowing maxi dresses dance to a groovy soundtrack. Subtler touches like Nokia mobile phones indicate changed yet familiar technology.
Expert cinematography spies the hearts of characters beyond the surface. Close-ups reveal worlds in raised eyebrows or longing sighs. Sweeping drone shots convey the tight bonds yet growing fissures of community. And how this place nurtures hope against hardship through surfing waves or stargazing nights.
Directors balance intimacy with scope to portray private joys against social sands shifting beneath feet. They never render the past prettily; rough edges appear smoothing naturally through a caring lens focused on shared humanity. Nostalgia feels warmly authentic, not revisionist.
Last Days of the Space Age transports completely while keeping real issues firmly in frame. It pays history’s challenges their due without relishing in unearned positivity. Through directing as vibrant as these characters, this piece fills the mind’s eyes with 1970s community pride.
Sounds of the ’70s
The music of Last Days of the Space Age effortlessly transports viewers back to 1970s Australia. A carefully curated score pairs perfectly with each scene, instantly conjuring that laidback era through unforgettable pop anthems.
Olivia Newton-John’s Xanadu features prominently. Hearing its opening notes calls to mind roller discos and carefree summers like they were yesterday. Its use to bookend episodes serves not only for fun but also to punctuate changing social tides. As disco mania swept the nation, lingering issues remained.
Nostalgia operates on multiple levels here. I found myself reminiscing over eras I never lived through. Yet the soundtrack enhances historical accuracy, brightening moods while reminding that freedoms today were unimagined then. Scenes like Tilly dancing alone to a song about following your heart gain poignancy through music’s revelatory power.
Subtly, certain lyrics took on new meaning in this context. The lyrics hinted at difficulties surfacing beneath sunny exteriors. Gentle instrumentals complement intimate dialogue, highlighting nuanced cultural barriers facing non-white characters.
Through nostalgic needling of heartstrings and contextual layering, the score proves a multifaceted storytelling tool. It taps into collective memories while deepening emotional investment in characters and their worlds.
A show finds its groove
The first few episodes of Last Days of the Space Age spend too long setting individual pieces on the board. Slow pacing and segmented plots risked disconnecting the story.
Fortunately, that begins changing in the celebrated Perth anniversary shindig. Here, interaction between diverse characters proves comedic gold. Seeing intrinsic charm while hinting at issues bubbling below provides the humorous relief the show needs.
From there, intersecting lives progress smoothly as relationships deepen. Drama emerges organically through everyday stakes like career dilemmas or teenage yearnings rather than forced plot twists. Nuanced acting sells authenticity, keeping weighty themes grounded.
By focusing character work early, later climaxes impact harder. Buildup pays off seeing Tilly confront limits or families clash over disruptive change. Well-woven subplots raise anticipation for their resolution too.
Effortless tonal shifts handle difficult topics with care, blending humor and heartbreak. Directors find the emotional truth in ordinary scenes. Warmth persists even through unease, showing humanity’s resilience.
While some questioned the initial direction, patience proves worthwhile. Through lived-in authenticity, Last Days of the Space Age progresses into a real page-turner. Its joy lies not in shock value but in moving portraits of perseverance worth cheering for. By the series’ end, few won’t feel invested in its characters’ fates.
For those hooked early, satisfaction awaits throughout. But for skeptics, later episodes cement this show’s heart and social relevance far beyond its debut’s promise. Its spirit resonates thanks to hard-earned cohesion between past, present, and interconnected lives.
A Story Worth Returning To
As the final credits roll on season one of Last Days of the Space Age, it’s clear this show has established itself as unmissable viewing. Through a beloved ensemble of characters, it brings late 1970s Perth to life in all its complexity.
Over the course of its run, the series gracefully balances everyday intimacy with weightier social issues. None feel tacked on—they emerge naturally from lives we’ve come to care about. Moving between humor and heartbreak, the show handles sensitive topics with empathy and care.
While embracing period authenticity, the drama feels strikingly relevant in examining social progress. It highlights how far we’ve come but also how far we still have to go. But most of all, it shines a light on humanity’s resilience—our endless capacity for hope, kindness, and change, even in tougher times.
With its lush character development and detailed production, Last Days of the Space Age has carved out its place as a rare gem in today’s TV landscape. Few other shows manage its blend of compassionate storytelling and lived-in authenticity. As the credits roll, it’s hard not to feel invested in these characters and communities.
I can’t wait to see where season two might take us next. Will Tilly’s dreams launch or crash? How will cultural rifts in Scarborough evolve? This show has proven its ability to engage and impact viewers in equal measure. For those of us already hooked, the future is ripe with promise through the show’s intricate drama and humanity. I hope many more will return to this vivid glimpse into Australia’s past that feels so relevant to today.
The Review
Last Days of the Space Age: Season 1
Last Days of the Space Age succeeds in transporting viewers to 1970s Perth through compassionately written characters and lived-in authenticity. Though juggling myriad stories, it uses nostalgia and humor to examine timely issues, highlighting the human ability to overcome adversity through community and perseverance. This intimate drama feels as poignantly engaging as it is a rich period recreation.
PROS
- Vividly realized characters and setting that feel authentic
- Balances comedic and poignant tones when handling sensitive topics
- Highlights shared humanity across cultural divides
- Production details strongly immerse viewers in late 1970s Australia
- Music enhances nostalgia and situates social issues of the era
CONS
- Occasional thinness to some subplots when juggling many stories
- Relies heavily on the likability of large ensembles in early episodes
- Pacing of introduction slightly hinders plot cohesion at the outset
