Marion Cotillard and Forest Whitaker are getting existential in “Extrapolations,” as Episode 7 of the Apple TV+ climate change drama weighs the dismal existence left for a married couple amid a worsening climate crisis against the blossoming potential for love and family.
In an exclusive clip shared with TheWrap, Cotillard and Whitaker host an intimate New Year’s Eve dinner party alongside guests played by Tobey Maguire and Eiza Gonzalez, who unknowingly interrupt a heated conversation between the troubled pair. The debate surrounds an unknown yet high-stakes choice that would separate Whitaker from his wife and eliminate their future together, despite Whitaker assuring Cotillard the choice has “nothing to do” with her.
“My husband would rather be nano sliced than spend one more day in my presence and I mistakenly think it’s about me,” Cotillard says in the clip.
“I miss sunsets, I wanna feel rain,” Whitaker says, lamenting the disheartening symptoms of climate crisis. “I wanna breathe real air without a mask. I wanna eat something besides kelp that doesn’t cost me six months carbon rations.”
Cotillard then steps in, assuring her husband “it’s not that bad; I mean, my god, people have survived much, much worse.”
“Even in the worst times, you could still look up and see the stars,” Whitaker shoots back. “I want wilderness, Sylvie.”
“Everybody wants wilderness, but we also want love,” Cotillard continues. “Wilderness vanished years ago, Auggie. You chose love. You chose love, kids, a family.”
The tense dinner party erupts at the mention of kids, as Cotillard assures their guests they don’t have kids while Whitaker insists they do.
As the limited drama series introduces viewers to a near future where the chaotic effects of climate change have become embedded into our everyday lives, creator Scott Z. Burns chose to tackle the overwhelmingly large subject of climate through “human-size stories.”
“We thought about the big issues — like sea level rise, extreme heat [and] fires — and tried to drill down from those into a human story that could be entertaining and compelling,” Burns told TheWrap. “What does the love story look like in a world where sea level is changing? What does a thriller look like?”
You can watch the full clip above.
“Extrapolations” Episode 7 premieres April 14 on Apple TV+. Episodes 1-6 are now streaming on Apple TV+.