For All Mankind S02E09 is the penultimate 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 “Triage”, For All Mankind S02E09, doubles down on the Cold War angle as the USA and the USSR gear up for an actual “Star Wars” in space. After the shocking turn of events in the last episode, it comes as no surprise that an escalation of hostilities is hinted at in this episode. Can our cast of characters avoid the impending tragedy that appears on the horizon in the season finale?
READ OUR REVIEWS OF FOR ALL MANKIND SEASON 2 SO FAR
Thematically, the marital conflict between the Baldwins after Karen’s infidelity last time out seems to reflect the breakdown in the already strained relationship between the two superpowers. It almost seems like discord is embedded into our very nature and war is the ultimate expression of that.
The events played out in the Jamestown lunar base provides the greatest drama and tension this episode as the unfortunate shootings of the Cosmonauts threaten to endanger both the Americans and the Soviets on the moon, and if things get out of hand, might even lead to World War III, a nuclear conflict which would devastate the world.
READ OUR ANALYSIS OF FOR ALL MANKIND SEASON 1
For those of us, who were alive in the 1980s, World War III was a genuine concern and it is insightful to consider that perhaps it was a good thing for mankind that the ‘space race’ petered out as it did. For All Mankind Season 2 has done an excellent job in imaging what might have been. How will our beloved characters survive the calamitous events that surely the season finale will portrayed? Fingers crossed.
Now streaming on AppleTV+.
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