For All Mankind: Triage
April 17, 2021 7:38 AM - Season 2, Episode 9 - Subscribe
The rivalry between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts intensifies as last-minute changes impact the Pathfinder mission plan.
Moscow is upset about the astronaut-involved shooting of their two cosmonauts; Wayne is upset about Molly’s plans for a trip to Mexico. Karen has anxieties about Ed’s upcoming trip for work. The Russians visit Jamestown to pick up their dead and wounded.
Sea Dragon goes into space from the ocean; Pathfinder goes into space from the back of a C5; ASTP goes into space from on top of some scaffolding. Buran and Soyuz go into space to kick ass and fake out détente while a squad of cosmonauts decompress in Jamestown.
Gordo and Tracey get busy in the airlock.
Lee Atwater ruins everything.
Moscow is upset about the astronaut-involved shooting of their two cosmonauts; Wayne is upset about Molly’s plans for a trip to Mexico. Karen has anxieties about Ed’s upcoming trip for work. The Russians visit Jamestown to pick up their dead and wounded.
Sea Dragon goes into space from the ocean; Pathfinder goes into space from the back of a C5; ASTP goes into space from on top of some scaffolding. Buran and Soyuz go into space to kick ass and fake out détente while a squad of cosmonauts decompress in Jamestown.
Gordo and Tracey get busy in the airlock.
Lee Atwater ruins everything.
That camera pull/twist with the Pathfinder launch was genius. What a great moment. And, wow, that last scene...
posted by ssmith at 8:42 AM on April 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by ssmith at 8:42 AM on April 17, 2021 [3 favorites]
I would love to know if that thing that happened on the moon at the end of the episode would really happen slowly enough for people to get to somewhere safe. Either way, that would be terrifying.
And it does seem like they've dispensed with the "gravity works a bit differently even when you're inside the moon base" that they employed in the first season.
posted by emelenjr at 8:46 AM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
And it does seem like they've dispensed with the "gravity works a bit differently even when you're inside the moon base" that they employed in the first season.
posted by emelenjr at 8:46 AM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
I said at the beginning of the episode that I was surprised that they didn't seem to have any security perimeter around Jamestown, which seemed surprising given they'd had a shooting incident. This seemed to be validated given some random can walk up and shoot out a window without any kind of intervention. There didn't even seem to be some sort of emergency response in place.
posted by biffa at 12:44 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by biffa at 12:44 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I was really enjoying this show up till now. Sadly it looks like the show's timeline is getting to be as shitty as our own timeline, what with World War III brewing. So much for escapist entertainment!
As a nitpick, explosive decompression isn't really as explosive as portrayed. Papers will get blown around, but not people, especially since the base wouldn't be pressurized to a full 15 psi.
posted by monotreme at 1:45 PM on April 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
As a nitpick, explosive decompression isn't really as explosive as portrayed. Papers will get blown around, but not people, especially since the base wouldn't be pressurized to a full 15 psi.
posted by monotreme at 1:45 PM on April 17, 2021 [7 favorites]
Yeah, I'm getting kinda pissed. There are a half dozen Marines on the Moon in full traffic cop mode, but I suppose were all taking a nap. After causing a serious international incident. I've stopped caring about Tracy and have yet to buy Gordo's arc. Aleida's story doesn't hold up well, and Cindy Baldwin's seems to be tangential.
If there's any character I'm respecting more, it's Karen. And at least Molly won't be going full qanon. Maybe Ellen will crush Atwater by coming out?
posted by 2N2222 at 2:31 PM on April 17, 2021
If there's any character I'm respecting more, it's Karen. And at least Molly won't be going full qanon. Maybe Ellen will crush Atwater by coming out?
posted by 2N2222 at 2:31 PM on April 17, 2021
I’m enjoying this season a lot. Highlights for me this ep: skinny Gordo, hot Tracey (sorry not sorry), Space Diplomacy, the echoes of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Sally Ride field-stripping a handgun... the defection screw-turn, Danielle skippering, and Molly not blowing everything up. (This ep made me go back and watch the two final episodes of last season with Molly on the exterior of the Saturn V, jeeeeeezus)
I’m ready for Karen’s Musk turn.
posted by sixswitch at 5:12 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I’m ready for Karen’s Musk turn.
posted by sixswitch at 5:12 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Great episode. I mean - the human in me wants the Soyuz-Apollo mission to succeed and bring both sides to their collective senses after the chaos of this episode.
But the other part of me - yeah that part wants to see Buran and Pathfinder go full metal space fight. Or for the dudes climbing in the window to be yuhangyuans/taikonauts. Holy shit that would be cool. Has China appeared really at all in the show (relative to space activity)?
But mostly this episode just reminded me that I really can’t wait for the next season of The Expanse. It had some of that vibe going on. If I find out Pathfinder has a secret PDC on it I’ll squeal.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 7:50 PM on April 17, 2021
But the other part of me - yeah that part wants to see Buran and Pathfinder go full metal space fight. Or for the dudes climbing in the window to be yuhangyuans/taikonauts. Holy shit that would be cool. Has China appeared really at all in the show (relative to space activity)?
But mostly this episode just reminded me that I really can’t wait for the next season of The Expanse. It had some of that vibe going on. If I find out Pathfinder has a secret PDC on it I’ll squeal.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 7:50 PM on April 17, 2021
I think the Cosmonauts attacking Jamestown is simply them cleaning up a loose end. The Americans won’t let them take their wounded comrade back, and now he has announced his intention to defect. They’re planning to bring him back dead or alive because otherwise he’s going to tell the Americans everything that the Soviets have kept under wraps at Zvezda base. And the USSR was never known for looking forgivingly on defectors in the first place.
posted by azpenguin at 9:59 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 9:59 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I’ve got to think the (now in retrospect) rather obvious exchange with the Russian doctor about the medical bay being sealed off and being able to be used as a hyperbaric chamber is going to play a significant part of the next episode. There are some cool things I can imagine happening next there......
Also I really hope Commander Rossi doesn’t get killed - I mean my guess is he’s going to get spaced being all trapped in his office by himself watching the events unfold on the other side of the glass and all, but I actually like him. And besides he still hasn’t discovered the various Stevens’ smoking/getting jiggy with it in the airlock yet - and been given the opportunity to read them the riot act.
(I like his character not *just* because in a fever dream I tied Rossi and the Roci from The Expanse together)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 5:44 AM on April 18, 2021 [3 favorites]
Also I really hope Commander Rossi doesn’t get killed - I mean my guess is he’s going to get spaced being all trapped in his office by himself watching the events unfold on the other side of the glass and all, but I actually like him. And besides he still hasn’t discovered the various Stevens’ smoking/getting jiggy with it in the airlock yet - and been given the opportunity to read them the riot act.
(I like his character not *just* because in a fever dream I tied Rossi and the Roci from The Expanse together)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 5:44 AM on April 18, 2021 [3 favorites]
It felt like the whole episode sort of ignored that the Soviets started the escalation by claim jumping the ... whatever it was, helium-3 deposit that the Americans had found. I'm kind of curious whether they'll manage to wrap things up in the next episode or if it's going to be a seasonal cliffhanger since they know they're got a 3rd already approved.
posted by Kyol at 6:32 AM on April 19, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Kyol at 6:32 AM on April 19, 2021 [4 favorites]
It felt like the whole episode sort of ignored that the Soviets started the escalation by claim jumping
Yeah - I felt the same - like that was a pretty serious event. It wasn't just starting a mine next door, it was the equivalent of tossing all the American equipment to the curb and moving into their house. That and the two Cosmonaut's were setting up or removing *something* on that ridge knowing there were armed guards below and it would be a provocation if seen/caught. Commander Rossi actually did pretty well not to snap back several times when the Cosmonauts entered Jamestown (well...the *first time* they entered Jamestown that episode at least.) Again part of the reason I think he's an underutilized character.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:18 AM on April 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
Yeah - I felt the same - like that was a pretty serious event. It wasn't just starting a mine next door, it was the equivalent of tossing all the American equipment to the curb and moving into their house. That and the two Cosmonaut's were setting up or removing *something* on that ridge knowing there were armed guards below and it would be a provocation if seen/caught. Commander Rossi actually did pretty well not to snap back several times when the Cosmonauts entered Jamestown (well...the *first time* they entered Jamestown that episode at least.) Again part of the reason I think he's an underutilized character.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 10:18 AM on April 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
I mean don't get me wrong, it was always going to end up in a weird place once the US marines started shooting. I'm sort of wondering about Danielle on the Apollo-Soyuz at this point, or if the Soviet commander is going off on his own and Soviet command is going to have plausible deniability. How do we get from here to glasnost?
posted by Kyol at 11:55 AM on April 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Kyol at 11:55 AM on April 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Fighting in space is just not appealing to me.
The various dramas are not appealing to me.
Pathfinder and Buran and Sea Dragon? I'm still so on board.
"Mr Sulu - set a course for earth orbit"? Such a fun line.
Pathfinder! I have no idea how sci and how fi Pathfinder is, but man. That seems to be the way to go. Fuel is such a heavy resource, and nuclear would be amazing!
I really hope Sally Ride stops WWIII somehow.
(people are talking about Karen turning into 'musk', which I think has something to do with her line last episode about selling tickets to space. I have seen that here and elsewhere. My question is: what? She is lacking several billion dollars, so I don't understand what people are thinking. Maybe going into business with Tracy's husband? Who would be willing to go to space as a tourist when astronauts are shooting each other up there?)
posted by Acari at 12:27 PM on April 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
The various dramas are not appealing to me.
Pathfinder and Buran and Sea Dragon? I'm still so on board.
"Mr Sulu - set a course for earth orbit"? Such a fun line.
Pathfinder! I have no idea how sci and how fi Pathfinder is, but man. That seems to be the way to go. Fuel is such a heavy resource, and nuclear would be amazing!
I really hope Sally Ride stops WWIII somehow.
(people are talking about Karen turning into 'musk', which I think has something to do with her line last episode about selling tickets to space. I have seen that here and elsewhere. My question is: what? She is lacking several billion dollars, so I don't understand what people are thinking. Maybe going into business with Tracy's husband? Who would be willing to go to space as a tourist when astronauts are shooting each other up there?)
posted by Acari at 12:27 PM on April 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
I just want to mention how happy I am that in this alternate reality sound doesn't travel in a vacuum.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:15 PM on April 19, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:15 PM on April 19, 2021 [6 favorites]
Also jeezum crow Karen, you couldn't even give Ed a bullshit "I'm nervous about your flight", you had to unload your sins on him just before his next lunar mission? You remember how well Ed handled Shane's death last time, right? (On the other hand, Ed, don't push to hear something you don't want to hear given your heightened emotional state, you will probably regret it, it won't kill you to wait until after the mission to work it out.)
And yeah, I worked out what the 2021 equivalent dollars are for the business sale the other episode and it's a tidy sum, but I'd be thinking about how I just traded a working retirement for a million dollars and a proper retirement. Plus whatever Ed's pension works out to. On the other hand, it means she isn't beholden to retirement with Ed, either, right? She has her own savings now.
Maybe Kelly can be alt-Musk with her inheritance, eventually? The timeline doesn't really work though - if Ed and Karen are in their mid 50s in the mid 80s, fast forward 30 years and Kelly Baldwin inherits whatever's left in 2015? But given NASA has a SSTO NERVA and a Sea Dragon, is there really a low-cost-to-LEO market for a private investor to exploit, here?
It also took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that Sally Ride's presence means that Ellen isn't the only closeted lesbian in the show, but I'm not sure that will matter too much in the end given the next uh christ 20 years? Ugh.
posted by Kyol at 2:16 PM on April 19, 2021 [6 favorites]
And yeah, I worked out what the 2021 equivalent dollars are for the business sale the other episode and it's a tidy sum, but I'd be thinking about how I just traded a working retirement for a million dollars and a proper retirement. Plus whatever Ed's pension works out to. On the other hand, it means she isn't beholden to retirement with Ed, either, right? She has her own savings now.
Maybe Kelly can be alt-Musk with her inheritance, eventually? The timeline doesn't really work though - if Ed and Karen are in their mid 50s in the mid 80s, fast forward 30 years and Kelly Baldwin inherits whatever's left in 2015? But given NASA has a SSTO NERVA and a Sea Dragon, is there really a low-cost-to-LEO market for a private investor to exploit, here?
It also took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that Sally Ride's presence means that Ellen isn't the only closeted lesbian in the show, but I'm not sure that will matter too much in the end given the next uh christ 20 years? Ugh.
posted by Kyol at 2:16 PM on April 19, 2021 [6 favorites]
Also, given that the Russians only just got their Buran flying in '85-ish, did they work out the problems with the N1, or are they flying their own Sea Dragon equivalent? Is Zvezda a cramped little Potemkin Space Village, or did they maintain their lunar lead and it's roughly the equivalent of Jamestown?
SO MANY QUESTIONS. I want the яблоко+ version for comparison.
I'm sort of annoyed - earlier in the season Apple+ had a whole buncha videos showing the AltHistory between the end of S1 and the beginning of S2 that seems to have disappeared later in the season.
posted by Kyol at 2:31 PM on April 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
SO MANY QUESTIONS. I want the яблоко+ version for comparison.
I'm sort of annoyed - earlier in the season Apple+ had a whole buncha videos showing the AltHistory between the end of S1 and the beginning of S2 that seems to have disappeared later in the season.
posted by Kyol at 2:31 PM on April 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
The app has a bunch of bonus material for both seasons. Is that what you're talking about?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:03 PM on April 19, 2021
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 7:03 PM on April 19, 2021
It's long been clear that Ron Moore is a Space:1999 fan - the rebooted Battlestar Galactica copies its 'this episode' flash-preview of highlights during the opening credits, and of course last week we saw that Bill's memorabilia collection includes a Commlock prop.
So, when we had the final scene of the Jamestown astronaut being blown out through the damaged window as it shatters, I thought it looked familiar and yes, I think RDM is referencing Space:1999 episode 'War Games' - see my screenshot grab.
Yes, it was a perennial question as to why Moonbase Alpha had so many windows, and in particular in one episode during which the Moon temporarily gained an atmosphere (!) it transpired that you could open them.
posted by Major Clanger at 5:55 AM on April 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
So, when we had the final scene of the Jamestown astronaut being blown out through the damaged window as it shatters, I thought it looked familiar and yes, I think RDM is referencing Space:1999 episode 'War Games' - see my screenshot grab.
Yes, it was a perennial question as to why Moonbase Alpha had so many windows, and in particular in one episode during which the Moon temporarily gained an atmosphere (!) it transpired that you could open them.
posted by Major Clanger at 5:55 AM on April 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
Nah, it was specifically backstory on the rapid alt history we got in the first few minutes of the first episode of s2 - I remember watching / reading a quick snippet about the Panama Canal, for instance.
That said, if any of you haven't poked around in the bonus content, it's clear that Apple is really using this as a flagpole for a bunch of things. Wanna see an AR LEM? Click here and wave your phone around!
posted by Kyol at 6:01 AM on April 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
That said, if any of you haven't poked around in the bonus content, it's clear that Apple is really using this as a flagpole for a bunch of things. Wanna see an AR LEM? Click here and wave your phone around!
posted by Kyol at 6:01 AM on April 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
If you’re thinking a Musk-esque entrepreneur, think Ellen. She’s an administrator, she’s an astronaut, she’s connected at the highest level of government, and she has ambitions that NASA isn’t necessarily ready to go full throttle towards yet. Oh and her father is filthy rich and wants her to help run his company.
posted by azpenguin at 7:02 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 7:02 AM on April 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Yeah, although I think the same private spaceflight niche issue exists with Ellen as Karen, but I could totally see her bouncing from Reagan's grip into private industry with her dad. On the other hand, that seems like going from the frying pan into the fire, her dad was expecting kids, wasn't he?
posted by Kyol at 9:47 AM on April 22, 2021
posted by Kyol at 9:47 AM on April 22, 2021
OH SHIT NOW MARGO FEELS BAD ABOUT TELLING THEM TO FIX THE O-RINGS.
SHUT UP ED.
...Yeah, it's not good to drop bad news on Ed around mission time, is it?
Oh man, Wayne's going to leave? And Molly being so awful about it :( He's totally right, girl, don't pay $10k to go to Mexico.
AND OH SHIT THAT GUY WANTS TO DEFECT. "I mean, we did shoot the man and he wants to defect?"
"Hope you got a thing for old blind ladies?"
"Are you kidding? White canes and dark glasses turn me on."
AWWWWWWWWWWWW THEY ARE STAYING TOGETHER AWWWWWWWWWWWWW BEST COUPLE ON THE SHOW.
"Wrestling is the only honest sport there is." (me: dies laughing)
I can't really argue with Pam leaving again so that Ellen can have a political career. Even Pam thinks she needs to. That said, I always enjoyed the Pam/Ellen/Larry emotional threesome.
"You went for the high note. Okay."...and it worked, dammit.
I've got that guy from Arrested Development in my head saying, "AND THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T BRING GUNS TO THE MOON!!!!"
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:00 PM on February 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
SHUT UP ED.
...Yeah, it's not good to drop bad news on Ed around mission time, is it?
Oh man, Wayne's going to leave? And Molly being so awful about it :( He's totally right, girl, don't pay $10k to go to Mexico.
AND OH SHIT THAT GUY WANTS TO DEFECT. "I mean, we did shoot the man and he wants to defect?"
"Hope you got a thing for old blind ladies?"
"Are you kidding? White canes and dark glasses turn me on."
AWWWWWWWWWWWW THEY ARE STAYING TOGETHER AWWWWWWWWWWWWW BEST COUPLE ON THE SHOW.
"Wrestling is the only honest sport there is." (me: dies laughing)
I can't really argue with Pam leaving again so that Ellen can have a political career. Even Pam thinks she needs to. That said, I always enjoyed the Pam/Ellen/Larry emotional threesome.
"You went for the high note. Okay."...and it worked, dammit.
I've got that guy from Arrested Development in my head saying, "AND THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T BRING GUNS TO THE MOON!!!!"
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:00 PM on February 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
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The shit has hit the fan
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:41 AM on April 17, 2021 [6 favorites]