Odessa

Odessa is currently streaming on major platforms, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Cat Walleck leads a cast that never overplays its hand. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Odessa arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The writing in Odessa treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Mission specialist Shannon Wendell spends one last night in New York City with a stranger before she embarks on a 135 year long journey to the distant planet of Gliese 581g, or Odessa. Cat Walleck and Ken Fuller lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2014. What elevates Odessa is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Odessa is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Cat Walleck carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.