For All Mankind Seasons 1-4 Review

For All Mankind (2019-)

Season 1 - 10 episodes (2019)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2021)
Season 3 - 10 episodes (2022)
Season 4 - 10 episodes (2023-24)
Rent For All Mankind on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Ronald D. Moore, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert
Starring:Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, Sarah Jones, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Wrenn Schmidt, Sonya Walger, Krys Marshall, Coral Peña, Cynthy Wu, Casey W. Johnson, Toby Kebbell, Daniel Stern
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
In an alternative version of 1969, the Soviet Union beats the United States to the Moon, and the space race continues on for decades with still grander challenges and goals.

Verdict
How do you recreate the '60s space race with a fresh take? Create an alternative history. The premise is a lot of fun, and the show is engrossing. It captures the spirit but provides an inventive story. Changing this one event has a ripple effect that changes the entire course of history. Each season jumps ahead ten years, allowing us to take a giant leap forward to see huge changes in the intervening time. Because of that so much happens between the lines and between the decades. It's an impressive scale of story. This show is subtly stating that to reach the space fantasy stage, that takes decades of progress. Where season four ends versus where season one begins is such a giant leap. It's a fascinating look at a future where space travel starts to become common.
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Review
I love the historical fiction premise where the Russians land on the moon first, building the show around that event and how it changes history. Historical fiction is always fun, and specifically rewriting the space race is such a great idea. Throughout this show, I compared it's history to what actually happened. This is always history adjacent. Reagan still became president, but the race to the moon then became the race to Mars. With each season jumping ahead ten years, it makes this story feel so massive. It's a great choice. This is planned for seven seasons spanning seventy years.

Season one opens with Americans watching the Russians lands on the moon first. America is devastated, especially the astronauts and President Nixon. America didn't realize Russia was so advanced. Astroanut Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) laments that due to setbacks and deaths America doesn't push the envelope; they quit taking chances and that's why they lost the moon. Due to speaking out Ed loses his roster spot and creates a mess. NASA launches their own moon mission. While it's fraught with tension, it is a success.

S1:

With rumors that Russia wants to establish a military base on the moon, President Nixon wants America to beat them to it. At the same time, with Russia having sent a woman to the moon America also needs women pilots. That allows this to explore gender discrimination as we see women pilots just as capable as men treated as lesser than. Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger) embodies the stereotype of a pilot despite being a woman and soon proves herself. Through Molly we also see the perspective of an astronauts spouse, though it's through her husband instead of the usual wife.

S1: Joel Kinnaman, Sonya Walger play Ed Baldwin, Molly Cobb

There is a subplot with an immigrant family that initially I wasn't sure how it related. The father ends up working at NASA as a janitor. He provides his daughter with information, she now can dream of being an astronaut herself, seeing women in the role.

With another moon mission, Molly is the focus being the first American woman on the moon. She and her crew, including Ed, find ice. Two years later America is the first to put a habitation module on the moon, though Russia soon follows.

Bobby Kennedy succeeds Nixon as President.

The end of the season is off the charts. The last two episodes present the vast dangers and triumphs in space. A ship must be repaired in space after a failure, but that leads to a catastrophe. An astronaut becomes untethered but is then rescued in a daring mission. The repair ship launches to the moon but veers off course. Ed, stationed on the moon, must team with a Russian cosmonaut in an attempt to help the off course ship.

Season two jumps ahead to the 80s. It's fun seeing where everyone is now, trying to fill in the gaps between that and season one. Ed has shifted from driving a Corvette to a Cadillac; behind the desk as Chief of the Astronauts. He selects Gordo and Danielle to return to the Moon, though Gordo may not be ready. Ed doesn't feel the need. He has an adopted daughter looking at the Naval Academy. Gordo's oldest already attends.

S2: Joel Kinnaman plays Ed Baldwin

America and Russia are both on the moon, and the Russians steal America's mining site. The first question is how did they find it? How should America respond? The military has wanted guns on the moon since the beginning, and this is the opening. The only way to hold ground is with a rifle; if America wants to keep the site guns are the way.

American and Russia try to broker an alliance on Earth by developing a joint docking venture. The reception Americans get in Russia is much different from the reception of the Russian astronauts in America. While it's a claimed partnership, America doesn't want to reveal their advanced technology. All this while America wants to arm the moon.

S2

Ed later appoints himself as the lead of the latest mission piloting the newest ship, Pathfinder. We see a great contrast between Pathfinder and the first ships to the Moon. A lot has changed.

Tracy Stevens has become a celebrity. She heads to the moon to generate press for herself and the moon base. She finds it difficult to acclimate despite getting special treatment. The rest of the moon base has it worse, and it has to irritate them that she has it easier.

S2: Krys Marshall plays Danielle Poole

The tensions between America and Russia only escalate. The last two episodes of season one stepped it up, and so does this season. It's a war on the moon. Gunfights in space are wild with no sound. The entire final episode I kept wondering what was going to happen. There's a Russian siege on the moon base and then Danielle's ship is delayed from docking with a Russian ship as a show of unity due to the Moon war. We've also got Ed's Pathfinder ship being challenged by a Russian ship in a standoff while they orbit the moon. It's a thrilling finale. Season two wraps up the story and provides a preview of season three: Mars.

This season rivals the first as we stray farther from actual history while building upon the foundation created in season one to build this huge world. This definitely has bigger moments than season one, but we need the first to set the stage for this one.

Season three might be the best season yet. North Korea has joined the space race. Russia's economy has boomed due to lunar exploration. I love the introduction to every new season, covering politics, the economy, and pop culture to provide a sense of this world in a news montage. We're left to guess how these changes affected the world. Hart didn't resign which may be the reason Bush didn't become President which paved the way for a new candidate. Ellen Waverly (Jodi Balfour) is in politics running for President while Karen (Shantel VanSanten) has started a space tour company. This season reaches near full fantasy of what we thought the space race would yield. Karen has a a hotel orbiting Earth. This show is stating between the lines that a lunar hotel takes twenty years of innovation. You can't skip over the foundation building to venture further. With this show, so much happens between the lines and decades.

America announced a planned voyage to Mars and Russia then announces they will make it first. America lost the Moon, they aren't going to lose Mars. North Korea also joins the space race.

Ed is initially selected to lead the NASA Mars mission by Molly. That upsets Margo who fires Molly and instead selects Danielle. It seems like Margo wants control, uniting Ed and Molly as they reminisce about the good old days. Karen sells her space hotel to Helios who has a revolutionary engine but no ship. With Ed upset at losing the Mars mission, Helios scoops him from NASA, and he's once again headed to Mars. Helios plans to launch two years ahead of NASA. They poach a number of people from NASA.

This season is the natural progression, the commercialization of space and the conflict between NASA and private entities. It's a fight between who will land on Mars first; Helios, NASA, or the USSR. Two years later and all three launch for Mars in a two week window. Who will make it first?

Through three seasons we've seen twenty years of these characters' lives. Ed started out as a hotshot test pilot, now he's commanding a mission to Mars. Ellen is a pilot, now politicians and debating Bill Clinton. I love how this show grounds the series in history. We've been with all of them on a journey. The only show I can recall that has this kind of timeline scope is Halt and Catch Fire.

I like how this also shows us the origins of rumors. We saw the Moon attack last season, but ten years later conspiracies have appeared. How did the best marine get shot in the back? We saw it was easy. There's no sound in space. How was there a reactor issue since it had backup cooling? NASA installed a secret reactor that hadn't been wired to the backup. There is no conspiracy, but that doesn't stop people wondering.

Each season gets more intense. The Russians eschew all caution in an attempt to land on Mars first. That creates an issue for all three crews. It raises an interesting question. Who has public responsibility in space? Is it the government entity? Is it the ship best equipped? Any rescue mission jeopardizes being first. The space rescue gets wild quickly. While there's the question of who will land first, the question of who will set foot on Mars first also becomes an issue.

Russia and America finally start working together, out of necessity more than desire. The crews need to find water. Also, Aleida (Coral Peña) discovers the Russian engine seems to match NASA's design exactly. While her concerns are dismissed, that issue only builds. Danny is a threat the entire season. It's just a question of when he'll snap.

The finale episode ups the intensity. I didn't see that coming, and I can't even begin to guess what will happen in season four. There's been talks of budget cuts for NASA, will this cement cuts or galvanize the public to push for funding? Each season ends well with a big finale and a preview of next season. This is no exception.

Season two was awesome, and while this season is good it feels melodramatic with various relationship issues and surprise twists. It lacks the Moon war, but I did like the music in season three as it's very 90s.

With season four  the Mars habitat has grown much larger. Both Mars and the Moon have robust mining operations. This season looks at the plight of those employees. They're exploited  off the planet much like they are on the planet. The bonus of working on the Moon or Mars acts only as a means for the mining company, Helios, to take advantage of the novelty. We see a stark difference between how lower level employee Miles (Toby Kebbell) lives underground versus Danielle as the commander. There's a distinct class divide, and that's an omen for later in the season.

S4: The Mars Colony

The big paycheck Miles was promised doesn't happen. Helios deducts numerous expenses from his check. He makes less on Mars than he was on Earth, which pushes him into bootlegging. 

There's a Russian-American conflict brewing on Mars, and a larger asteroid worth trillions has everyone interested. Dev and Ed team up, wanting the asteroid to orbit Mars and cement the planet as a viable colony. NASA wants the asteroid to orbit Earth as mining would be easier.

S4: Joel Kinnaman plays Ed Baldwin

I don't like this season as much even though I like what it's doing. Understandably, space travel isn't as novel anymore. That makes sense. This season focuses on the commodification of Mars. That's the logical end point of space exploration. Once private companies get into space, their focus is profit. This season also lacks drive. In previous seasons, we had a goal of getting to the Moon or Mars. In this season there's less tension as entities fight over an asteroid

At the end of the season, the workers on Mars are unhappy with their treatment while the end point of the asteroid will be a big impact on the future Mars industry. The tensions that have been building the entire season overflow. Previous seasons provide a preview of the next season, but four doesn't do that.

It's been amazing to see the evolution of space suits, ships, and travel. Season four does seem tame compared to other seasons. My season ranking would be 3, 2, 1, 4. With a planned seven episodes, we're only a little over half way in. This show has a scope and scale unrivaled spanning distance and time.