After last week’s shift to a new era on For All Mankind, astronauts new and old are trying to find their place in season two’s second episode ‘The Bleeding Edge’. *Warning! Spoilers Ahead!*
It’s 1983 and times are tough for some of the old guard. Following the Solar Flare and resulting radiation storm that hit the moon last week, Molly (Sonya Walger) finds herself rotated back to Earth against her wishes. Even though Molly had manipulated the system to keep a green indicator on her exposure meter, Ellen (Jodi Balfour) doesn’t want to risk it, and sends her back. While Molly resents her for the decision as she feels more comfortable in space than on Earth, Ellen is just looking forward to her new future as assistant Nasa Administrator, so isn’t swayed by Molly’s protestations.
Similarly feeling a yearning, although for different reasons, are Gordo (Michael Dorman) and Dani (Krys Marshall – Supergirl). Dani has had a rough few years, with Clayton (Edwin Hodge) never managing to recover from his PTSD. Although they only mention that he has died, we are led to assume he committed suicide and Dani has been trying to recover her old sense of self ever since. Dani is now convinced that she wants to return to Jamestown to see what has been done since their early days and feel like she is doing something important once again. Her return to being assigned to a crew does put some of the younger astronauts noses out of joint though, and we’re sure to hear more about it later.
Gordo also wants to be relevant again and stop feeling like he is just a has-been that lives in the past. His drinking has steadily got out of hand, and he retells the same stories over and over again on the after-dinner speaking circuit, making him sink further into his depression. It doesn’t help that Tracy (Sarah Jones) is being lauded as a Hollywood darling, and has also just married someone else. Here we see their juxtaposition very clearly as she enjoys champagne at a photoshoot, while Gordo drinks cans of beer constantly on his own.
The way this is examined is very well done and you can imagine the stresses and the comedown that astronauts must experience. On one hand they are heralded as heroes, and on the other it would be very easy for a small period of time to define a person’s life. Gordo definitely feels that and even drunkenly bemoans that fact to Ed (Joel Kinnaman), stating that he used to be wide-eyed thinking that “anything seemed possible”. The bitterness then comes though, as he sarcastically then adds “Gordo Stevens, American Hero… What a crock of shit”. This is not a man who feels satisfied with his place in history or at peace with himself.
In many ways ‘The Bleeding Edge’ of the title hints as always towards the progress NASA are trying to achieve, but here also symbolises the human cost and impact of how they get there. Ed has struggled with his own pain, especially after the death of his son Shane, but has found equilibrium as head of the Astronaut office. Although he gets accused of sounding like a fortune cookie by Molly, he has his own wisdom of “being with the people you love, rather than doing what you love”, through which he has managed to survive.
This episode we also see that despite the early years when Molly and Wayne (Lenny Jacobson) were the last people you’d expect Ed and Karen (Chantel VanSanten) to be friends with, by now they are very close knit. Karen and Wayne are also still smoking weed together, which Ed and Molly pretend to not notice. It’s a friendship born of pain, shared grief, and comradery, both for Ed and Karen, that is an interesting one to explore.
Elsewhere, we see a less intimate relationship between Larry (Nate Corddry – Mom, Harry’s Law) and Ellen, who still have their marriage of convenience. While Larry is seeing someone, Ellen protests that she doesn’t have time for such things. It’s much more of a business affair, but there is gentle tenderness there that proves they’ve found a good friendship and made it work. Whether they will start to explore them revealing their secret as the years go by or not is an interesting question, and it could go either way.
There isn’t a huge amount of time spent in space during ‘The Bleeding Edge’ and this episode is firmly focused on their lives on the ground. It’s a necessary look too, as it would be tempting to continue to focus on the dramatic missions and hype all the time, rather than having a balance. That balance is only possible by keeping things in perspective and showing the true cost of progress. The Bleeding Edge shouldn’t just apply to technology, but also emotions, relationships and the extent they push themselves physically. This episode does this discussion justice and feels both well earned and authentic. No doubt there will be many aspects of this that will be followed up in future episodes, especially Molly’s situation. She is clearly a fighter and even chastises Wubbo (Bjørn Alexander) for leaving the programme and giving up after his radiation exposure.
Season two has continued the excellent form the of the first and isn’t afraid of giving us depth with our thrills. Just the fact that almost an entire episode is spent on personal issues should tell us something, especially as it isn’t as if they weren’t doing that already before, in amongst the action. For All Mankind is definitely a richly layered show with a number of textures. Even the alternative history aspect has almost entirely fallen into the background, with it not seeming like a gimmick or any like that, and you barely think about it. They have managed to create their own world which feels real, and even though some events are different to how we experienced them, you know it resonates anyway. The future looks bright, and this season looks to continue to be immensely enjoyable.
For All Mankind airs on Apple TV+ on Fridays
