User Reviews

It's incredible how engaging "for all mankind" remains despite continuing to insist on its most frustrating qualities. To start with, the scenes where danny was going through ed's mail were borderline unwatchable. After lev gorn joined the show a couple episodes back, vera cherny appears in this, reminding us how small the pool of russian speaking actors for cold war espionage dramas on american television is. Not to mention wrenn schmidt was already an alum from "the americans". One could only hope that costa ronin might show up a few episodes in. That aside, it was a thrilling episode. Loved how the writers have been touching upon the defining moments from ed and karen's past to build on and inform their present decisions. Back during the first season, karen's disapproval of the female astronaut candidates, despite her closest friend being involved with it, was one of those sharp writing decisions that made "for all mankind" a notch more appealing for me than what it sounded like from the premise alone. It's tapped again for very substantial reasons and seeing karen edge closer to her liberation feels like a fulfilling choice and made me appreciate how the writers have been persistent with her. Ed's failure with the apollo 10 landing and his continued grief, that we only caught glimpses of back when he was frustrated with kelly's decision to join the naval academy, gets touched upon in more meaningful ways. Danny stevens continues to frustrate and one might even question if margo's protective instincts for sergei had caught her in the same loop from her past. She detested von braun for justifying his actions but might end up creating just the same circumstances for aleida. The tussle between the astronauts just ahead of the closing scene just taps at the surface of how margo's collaboration maps out. The elevator scene from a couple episodes back might've made a strong case for wrenn schmidt finally getting some recognition but her work in this should've really qualified her for a nomination. Maybe she picks that up next year hopefully, considering that the nomination window for this year might've closed a week or so earlier. Somehow the persistence with which the writers continue to tackle these frustrating choices continue to pay off, sooner or later. So i'm far from giving up on this.

We don't know what happened with Ed yet... from what I saw, they landed, just haven't communicated yet. It's possible they beat the NASA team to Mars... whether they stepped out or not, who knows. Guess we'll find out next week!

So, the Soviets wrecked their ship by pushing their stolen (espionage) engines. Maybe there was a "thanks for saving us from certain death", but I don't remember it. So how do they repay their debt to the Americans? They try to put first foot on Mars as a nice F-U to their rescuers. Hey Russian doctor, I want you to keep tabs on combined crew well being. Soviet commander: "Again, please don't give orders to my crew." Frankly, Poole should have said "you're guests here, but you have your suits and the airlock is over there. Do svidaniya comrade".

Poole... sheesh. You have *a* ship. You saw how the soviets shot themselves in the foot to be first. Ed and his crew made orbit first, guess that doesn't count as "first". Nope, I'm going to risk my one and only ship to land in a storm. Crash land. Great job, Poole... if it wasn't for the free-market team with the flying hotel, you know, they one way better equipped... hydroponics, landing craft, spin gravity, Danny (no wait, that last one is an albatross around the neck). Just couldn't let the Phoenix team have the win.... It's still a win for the West. But nope... we're going to crash our ship to beat a free-market enterprise. Then go hat in hand for a ride home in a couple of years.

I can see it now... Soviets continue to act like entitled pricks. Everyone is going to trying to suck on the Helios/Phoenix crew for resources to save NASA/Roscosmos collective asses.

It was a pretty good episode. The only thing that spoiled it for me was the ending. After all of that buildup, after coming so close to making that character arc for Ed and giving him the chance to make up for the Apollo 10 decision, they rob him of the chance to land first and finally have his moment.

What a shame, and what a ripoff.

And the point of having Ed go essentially all the way to about 20 feet from landing to aborting was what?

If you didn't want him to be the one then just do that, it makes no sense to say he'd go alllll the way and about right before landing.

It just doesn't make any logical sense.

And who thought the astronauts fall/fighting off the ship was a good idea to end the episode?

Cringe. Definition of it.

And that's not even mentioning the terrible Danny/Ed scene. Let that terrible idea of storyline die out already.

Instead we get weirdo Danny and constant reminder of the gross, quasi-incestuous relationship with Karen.

The ending just threw me off, i really can't understand the writer's intention. I mean how can Ed come back from this? Like the Apollo 10 wasn't enough already, why do this to him again?

Also the demonizing of CCCP just reached a level of ridiculous in this episode. I mean no one expect Soviet Union to be painted as saint, but come on..

This show was doing really well without all the pc crap

But of course the black woman lands before the middle aged white man even though he is way more qualified to make that landing

Jeez they need to stop with all this wokeness it's ruining tv shows.