One of the most hopeful shows of 2019, Apple TV+’s For All Mankind presented an alternate history of the 1960s, in which the Soviet Union earned the distinction of putting the first man on the moon. That doesn’t sound very optimistic, we know—but this setback only served to inspire the men and women (see, that’s part of the alternate history) of the space program, including Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman), Gordo Stevens (Michael Dorman), and Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger), to double down on their own progress. Over the decade-plus span of the first season, huge strides were made, both in space and on the ground: Lunar landings led to designs for a whole lunar base, and the Equal Rights Amendment was ratified (take that, Mrs. America).
For All Mankind co-creator Ronald D. Moore once again displayed his knack for humanistic storytelling and forward thinking, but divisions of gender, race, and class didn’t entirely melt away in his alternate history. Even in the more idealized world of his streaming drama, certain things are inevitable, like a Ronald Reagan presidency. The first teaser for season two, which was unveiled today as part of the For All Mankind Comic-Con@Home panel, rockets into the 1980s to the synth sounds of Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams.”
We see a bustling lunar base, a down-on-his-luck Gordo (singing to Shriners, we think?), an impressed Danielle (Krys Marshall), a resolute-looking Tracy (Sarah Jones), and what looks like Ed teaching another group of new recruits. Through it all, we hear snippets of Ronald Reagan speeches, including his address following the shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007. “We must maintain peace through strength as long as necessary,” Reagan intones as we see the lunar base astronauts arming themselves, standing shoulder to shoulder, like some kind of space force. Militarization of the space program is something Moore and his co-creators Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert have said they wanted to explore through For All Mankind, and it looks like the gung-ho ’80s will offer a prime setting.
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Ah, another series I’m never never going to see, unless clips show up on Youtube.
I love Ron Moore, but not enough to subscribe to yet another streamer for his show.
The first season was fantastic …you re missing out .
Just wait for it to show up on Netflix.
Is it really so hard to find a friend who has purchased an Apple device in the past year?
Eh, just torrent it.
Except Apple TV+ is the most exciting streaming service right now. You owe it to yourself to give it at least a 7 day free trial to see the mountain of excellent content it has. It’s only $4.99 after that, and you could probably subscribe for 2-3 months and see everything available. That’s the price of one month of Netflix. And the original content on Apple TV+ is far superior. Defending Jacob, Morning Show, For All Mankind, Central Park, Mythic Quest, Little America, Servant. These are my favorite shows of 2019-2020 and were all on Apple TV+.
Except Apple TV+ is the most exciting streaming service right now. You owe it to yourself to give it at least a 7 day free trial to see the mountain of excellent content it has. It’s only $4.99 after that, and you could probably subscribe for 2-3 months and see everything available. That’s the price of one month of Netflix. And the original content on Apple TV+ is far superior. Defending Jacob, Morning Show, For All Mankind, Central Park, Mythic Quest, Little America, Servant. These are my favorite shows of 2019-2020 and were all on Apple TV+.
Ah, Here i am commenting on something i saw on the internet yet don’t know how to internet.
I forget, was JFK assassinated in this alternate history?
The point of departure is in 1969, so yes.
what this show presupposes is… maybe he didn’t.
Season 1 of For all Mankind was a quarantine watch for me and my folks. I liked but didn’t love it. It tried to do some interesting things, but its pacing was all over the map. It lead to some uneven narrative and character development. Still, the premise was interesting enough and they took it in some good directions—particularly the part where Soviet victories in the space race pushed NASA into more open and egalitarian territory.I cut off my Apple TV+ subscription after finishing it, but I’ll throw another $5 at Apple to watch the second season if I can’t grab a friend’s login. I think that in the right hands it could grow into itself a bit in season 2. But I’m also wary of Ronald Moore. I’ve not seen Battlestar Gallactica, but Outlander fell of a cliff after the second season. Once the show moved to colonial America, it became both sloppy and hokey (and when you’re starting with a bodice-ripper to begin with, delving even further into hokey territory isn’t a great sign). Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen with For All Mankind.
I’m really looking forward to this. Loved season 1.