I share the notion with some other reviews, that this show is a bit uneven. I have not read the book, but the 1st episode hooked me good. Good pacing, good mystery, good science-fiction, feeling of something big and important going on. Just perfect. But soon other aspects of the show started appearing, and it became... Not bad, but probably not as good.
It, actually, kind of reminds me of Dune, and what made Dune so difficult to adapt to screen, with politics being the main problem. There are quite a lot of politics here. They do make total sense in the context of the show, especially as more information is revealed later on, but they can still be a bit boring. And sometimes on the nose.
Another problem is that I just don't believe these characters are scientists. Especially, when a cult comes into play (let me phrase it this way to avoid spoilers). I may entertain the idea, that they are smart, but that they are scientists? I don't know, they do not match the pattern that I've seen among a few real scientists, that I've known during my higher education. In fact, I would say that it is difficult for me to buy whatever occupation is for most of the characters in the show, besides, maybe the teacher guy. They do not feel "human" enough, I guess.
Nevertheless, this was overall a good watch for me. Can't say I will recommend it to everyone, but I can definitely recommend trying it, while keeping in mind, that this is partially like a prologue, based on certain things happening in the end. I expect, that things can get closer to what was happening during 1st episode.
