It should come as no surprise that I’d be checking this series out. I am, after all, a child of the space race. This series has had two short seasons and has been renewed for a third. I’m very pleased.
The premise is that the space race never ended. It’s an alternate history. The Soviets beat us to the moon, and the space race continued because we continued to have a rival. How would America cope? What are the ramifications?
And those questions are raised because once we had securely beat the Soviets in real life, our passion for space waned. Did America require a rival to do great things? Are we lazy and complacent when in a superior position? It’s a very good point.
But as an American who gets all choked up whenever I think about the space program, I really appreciate seeing those questions posed, and exploring the might-have-beens.
In the case of For All Mankind, the US struggles and tries to move ahead in the space race. Morale is poor but we show a dogged determination in spite of that.
Season One opens in 1969, but the show will vary its pace and skip ahead over the course of its two seasons. There are three areas that appeal to me. First, as a result of our rivals the Soviets, America’s space program advances by leaps and bounds. I find that very gratifying, because by the time the alternate timeline’s 1980s roll around they’re already far ahead of where we are today, some sixty years into the space program. Gaah, it makes me crazy if I think about it too much!
Second, it’s fun to watch the technology. Televisions still look 1960s-vintage in this fantasy 1980s, but folks have cell phones and home computers. It makes you wonder how far we’d have advanced with the by-products of an active space program.
And third, the writers have played with the timeline in ways that aren’t directly the result of the initial concept. For instance, Ford and Carter don’t get to be president. And John Lennon isn’t shot by Chapman. They didn’t have to make these changes, they’re just fun to see.
But let’s talk about the production. It’s a period piece, and the show did a great job setting the scene for the different time-frames. I especially like seeing the astronauts driving their Corvettes, but the costumes, hair, sets and props are all convincing. I’m a sucker for this stuff.
The actors are mostly terrific. Space suits, capsules, control rooms, even the surface of the moon, all of it looks great. It’s a bit of a surprise to see famous characters appear. They can be actors, or they can be actual footage that’s been altered. Nothing like seeing Johnny Carson interviewing astronauts who never were. It’s a little disconcerting, but you have to admire the craftsmanship.
The show has a big cast, and how it switches focus has a bit of a strange feel to it. You can lose track of folks who you thought were major characters, and it can take a while to see that what seems to be a minor character is just getting set up for a spotlight later on. Also they’re not afraid to eliminate some of the characters, something I’ve never been too comfortable with. The stories are strong, but they’re interwoven and I like some less than others. I don’t always like the choices a character makes, but nothing has been so abhorrent that I felt compelled to turn it off. Which I have done with other shows.
I’m avoiding spoilers, but I have mixed feelings about the upcoming third season. I’d have preferred to have slogged through the years at a slower pace. Two seasons of only ten episodes each and we’ll have gone from 1969 to 1995. I didn’t get nearly enough of a chance to live through this alternate timeline. And some of my favorite characters are gone. Ah well, I recommend the show. Most viewers aren’t as particular as I am.
The Michlin Guide 