I know I may well end up writing for this title again, but the 2021 show was simply too good to wait until I read the 2014 book. This show was a masterfully made story about saying goodbye. Over ten episodes, across multiple timelines, every character must learn to understand the impacts that art, other humans, and society as a whole can leave on them. The series shows its message perfectly, without telling the viewer exactly what to look for.

I am conflicted in writing too much about this, even though I found it very power and influential for me as a person. I think the story telling seemed very personal and intentionally open to interpretation, so I would hate to hinder another’s experience. I think its main theme was encapsulated in the, not so spoiler-ish, line, “There is no before” and the ways its use changes. It is one of the conditions of life to experience loss. Though not all loss is negative, and even the bad goodbyes should be acknowledged. The characters have an understandable fear of returning to those things which were lost, as places of comfort in familiarity. Though things often turn sour when the past is mimicked without a critical approach.

I think that Station Eleven tries to show its audience that the simple act of saying goodbye is one of the most powerful things that social beings may do. Whether we like it or not, we are the summation of our experiences and the relationships we’ve had, and that’s neither a good thing nor bad thing on its own. Instead, by giving and receiving goodbyes we are able to frame those experiences in their most useful light; while lingering resentment and a lack of closure can make those same memories hang like weights. The past no longer exists, but it can be a good thing to look back with rose colored lenses, just do it with intention.