For All Mankind S02E06 is the sixth 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.
Entitled “Best Laid Plans”, For All Mankind S02E06 puts the Cold War front and centre as the joint Apollo-Soyuz mission forces the American astronauts and NASA leadership to prepare for a new venture with unlikely partners. As expected, the initial frosty encounters between the two rivals create seemingly insurmountable problems to possible success.
Read our analysis of For All Mankind Season 1
The key characters involved in this main storyline are Margo Maddison and Danielle Poole as they navigate the choppy waters in this American-Soviet cooperation. It should be interesting to see where their sincere efforts will be rewarded or punished, as the case may be.
Elsewhere, Ellen Wilson’s sexual fling with old flame Pam Horton appears to be more than a one night stand and that development may have far-reaching consequences not only for Ellen but her husband and maybe even NASA as a whole. Hopefully, this LGBTQ-themed plot is more than mere tokenism on the part of the writers. After all, the 1980s were still a difficult time for the LGBTQ in the USA.
Read our reviews of For All Mankind Season 2 thus far
Then of course, the series cannot ignore the mainstays i.e. the Baldwins and the Stevens for too long. Nothing of much consequence to be honest but seeds are planted that will most likely bear fruit in the remaining episodes. For Ed and Karen, there’s always the nagging fear concerning the dangers of the Pathfinder mission and for the Stevens, Gordo makes a commitment to get Tracy back into his life again and perhaps fulfil the promise of the ‘space couple’ touted in the first season.
Now streaming on AppleTV+
… still there’s more …