For All Mankind S02E02 is the 2nd instalment of the 2nd season of a historical fantasy TV drama series streaming on Apple TV+. Created by Ronald D. Moore (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Outlander), For All Mankind reimagines the space race of the 60s/70s as an alternate reality where the Soviet Union put a man on the moon before the USA resulting in continued focus on space well into the 1980s.
For All Mankind S02E02 maintains its attention on the key quartet of characters viz. the married Baldwins (Ed and Karen) and the estranged Stevens (Gordo and Tracy), while delving into the changes affecting the lives of Ellen Wilson – now a deputy NASA administrator, Danielle Poole – adapting to widow’s life and Molly Cobb, hiding a deadly secret from the previous episode.
Hopefully, not too many new characters are added, though of course, due to the time shift, the children of the Baldwins and Stevens have also reached an age that can have an impact on the lives of the key characters. It would appear that these children may also end up becoming part of the NASA space program but we hope that is not the case, as it would be too convenient.
In addition, we would like to see the cold war tensions of the 1980s and NASA’s uneasy partnership with the US military being developed more in this second season. After all, the mid-80s saw the height of the cold war in our world and it would be intriguing to see how these tensions play out in the space race.
In all honesty, For All Mankind S02E02 came across as a bit of a transitionary instalment, unusual in itself as the first season was very plot heavy – trust that this is an aberration in the general scheme of things.
Now streaming on AppleTV+.
… still there’s more …