For All Mankind: Happy Valley
June 30, 2022 10:08 PM - Season 3, Episode 4 - Subscribe
A surprise maneuver during the journey to Mars provokes desperate measures.
244 million km from Mars, Ed and the crew of Salvage 1 get caught gloating prematurely when NASA catches a second wind. In response, the cosmonauts try for a Hail Mary but miss the end zone. Helios could help but insists the Soviets follow the capitalist example and apply for a government bailout instead. President Waverly goes back to visit with the eggheads at NASA, forgetting the fundamentals of pork barrel politics and the need to cushion the impact of technological disruption on voters.
Cables and tethers continue to wreak havoc on unfamiliar astronauts. The Stevens boys try on new roles in their quests for meaning. Chekhov’s North Korean probe is spotted on the Martian mantelpiece.
244 million km from Mars, Ed and the crew of Salvage 1 get caught gloating prematurely when NASA catches a second wind. In response, the cosmonauts try for a Hail Mary but miss the end zone. Helios could help but insists the Soviets follow the capitalist example and apply for a government bailout instead. President Waverly goes back to visit with the eggheads at NASA, forgetting the fundamentals of pork barrel politics and the need to cushion the impact of technological disruption on voters.
Cables and tethers continue to wreak havoc on unfamiliar astronauts. The Stevens boys try on new roles in their quests for meaning. Chekhov’s North Korean probe is spotted on the Martian mantelpiece.
Sigh. I'm going to gripe again.
Everything I know about orbital mechanics is limited to those two weeks I was obsessed with Kerbal Space Program but I'm pretty sure you can't just decide to step on the gas pedal halfway to Mars and zoom past the other cars. I don't think it works that way.
And the solar sail. That was like George Jetson's car folding into a briefcase in reverse. I know those sails are thin but it almost seemed magical the way it unfolded like that. It was really, really cool though. I loved the music and how the whole thing played out. I'm glad they went with a sail and I'm glad what's-his-name in Helios mission control explained to the audience how it works. That was nice of him. He does that sort of thing a lot. Very helpful.
I like the spacecraft. I like how the Soviet ship looks very Soviet, the American looks American, and the Helios ship looks goddamn amazing. Whoever is designing them did a pretty good job.
Another total implausible thing: The Republican party seems almost sane and not really very evil. Weird timeline.
There's a bit too much conflict for me. The Russian defect cosmonaut, Ed and Danny, Danny and everybody, Margo and her conscience, Danny's little brother and society, man. I suppose a show about slowly docking spaceships and friendly and competent astronauts wouldn't be much of a show.
Never brag about winning until you've actually won. Don't any of them know that?
I have never wanted anyone sent out an airlock more than I want Danny Stevens sent out the airlock.
That one astronaut getting crushed by Mars 94... that was quite a scene.
I liked the nod to 2001 with Ed running around the centrifuge.
I'm rolling my eyes a lot but I'm still enjoying most of the show. I had to just shift my expectations because they've mostly tossed any sense of realism out the window, which was the main thing I liked about it.
posted by bondcliff at 6:47 AM on July 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
Everything I know about orbital mechanics is limited to those two weeks I was obsessed with Kerbal Space Program but I'm pretty sure you can't just decide to step on the gas pedal halfway to Mars and zoom past the other cars. I don't think it works that way.
And the solar sail. That was like George Jetson's car folding into a briefcase in reverse. I know those sails are thin but it almost seemed magical the way it unfolded like that. It was really, really cool though. I loved the music and how the whole thing played out. I'm glad they went with a sail and I'm glad what's-his-name in Helios mission control explained to the audience how it works. That was nice of him. He does that sort of thing a lot. Very helpful.
I like the spacecraft. I like how the Soviet ship looks very Soviet, the American looks American, and the Helios ship looks goddamn amazing. Whoever is designing them did a pretty good job.
Another total implausible thing: The Republican party seems almost sane and not really very evil. Weird timeline.
There's a bit too much conflict for me. The Russian defect cosmonaut, Ed and Danny, Danny and everybody, Margo and her conscience, Danny's little brother and society, man. I suppose a show about slowly docking spaceships and friendly and competent astronauts wouldn't be much of a show.
Never brag about winning until you've actually won. Don't any of them know that?
I have never wanted anyone sent out an airlock more than I want Danny Stevens sent out the airlock.
That one astronaut getting crushed by Mars 94... that was quite a scene.
I liked the nod to 2001 with Ed running around the centrifuge.
I'm rolling my eyes a lot but I'm still enjoying most of the show. I had to just shift my expectations because they've mostly tossed any sense of realism out the window, which was the main thing I liked about it.
posted by bondcliff at 6:47 AM on July 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
I think that now Phoenix will need to rescue the Sojourner and Mars 94 crews and then rendez-vous with the NASA resupply ship for extra consumables and equipment. Everyone will then end up landing on Mars together and declaring joint victory after lots of arguing.
The solar sail technical wizardry isn’t nearly as unbelievable as NASA being able to keep it secret. How will Margo’s handler like that?
posted by cardboard at 8:27 AM on July 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
The solar sail technical wizardry isn’t nearly as unbelievable as NASA being able to keep it secret. How will Margo’s handler like that?
posted by cardboard at 8:27 AM on July 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
The solar sail technical wizardry isn’t nearly as unbelievable as NASA being able to keep it secret
Indeed.
posted by kingless at 9:03 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
Indeed.
posted by kingless at 9:03 AM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
I know it is necessary for the show to have drama, but it seems obvious that a rescue mission would be much more likely to completely destroy both ships than actually succeed.
Also, there’s no way the Sojourner would have space and supplies for an extra five people.
If there was going to be some rescue capability, it would have had to have been coordinated in advance. Maybe each craft would have a small capsule attached in orbit for use in an escape scenario, so they wouldn’t have to bring a ship up to a large, presumably malfunctioning ship.
posted by snofoam at 12:26 PM on July 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
Also, there’s no way the Sojourner would have space and supplies for an extra five people.
If there was going to be some rescue capability, it would have had to have been coordinated in advance. Maybe each craft would have a small capsule attached in orbit for use in an escape scenario, so they wouldn’t have to bring a ship up to a large, presumably malfunctioning ship.
posted by snofoam at 12:26 PM on July 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
I enjoyed the secret squirrel solar sail unveil; I'd thought they might write in some tension about who's in the lead on the way to Mars, and it was a nice way to avoid silly deep-space burns that I didn't think of. But then, having neatly solved that problem, they had the Russians do a silly deep-space burn anyway.
I think it would be difficult for the rescuing ship to avoid bathing the rescuee in their radioactive drive plume when braking, especially given the short timeline.
The 'unmanned' North Korean probe 100% has a person on it for a one-way mission, and they're going to beat everyone there. As predicted in Surviving Mars even.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 6:50 PM on July 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
I think it would be difficult for the rescuing ship to avoid bathing the rescuee in their radioactive drive plume when braking, especially given the short timeline.
The 'unmanned' North Korean probe 100% has a person on it for a one-way mission, and they're going to beat everyone there. As predicted in Surviving Mars even.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 6:50 PM on July 1, 2022 [6 favorites]
Yeah, there's a part of me wondering why they were thinking about using the Mars landers to work the rescue with Phoenix but basically forgot to tell the Russians or NASA that, so they just parked the American ship next to the crippled ship? "Dudes, pack your landers with as much consumables as you can and meet us halfway so you get out of the radiation, then we'll think about what happens next."
I was sort of amused that the Russian ship was basically, what, a nuclear SSTO Soyuz? I'm sure the Kazakh plains are glowing after that even if Chernobyl didn't melt down. I guess they didn't really show it very well on the launchpad, maybe there was a heavy lifter that got it into orbit.
And yeah, I can think of ways they could've used the sail to speed up their transfer, but it would have been obvious pretty quickly that the American ship was on a completely different trajectory until that point. And god only knows what the Russian plan was.
posted by Kyol at 7:05 PM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was sort of amused that the Russian ship was basically, what, a nuclear SSTO Soyuz? I'm sure the Kazakh plains are glowing after that even if Chernobyl didn't melt down. I guess they didn't really show it very well on the launchpad, maybe there was a heavy lifter that got it into orbit.
And yeah, I can think of ways they could've used the sail to speed up their transfer, but it would have been obvious pretty quickly that the American ship was on a completely different trajectory until that point. And god only knows what the Russian plan was.
posted by Kyol at 7:05 PM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Yeah, that actively recording cassette hit me as developing a plot point.
I kind of like how in this alternate universe, it's young long haired activists are protesting in favor of fossil fuels and "they took r jerbs". Though the conspiracy talk hits a little to close to home.
I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on Margo. Looks like she knows a lot about the Russian propulsion, er... I mean...
Ed is injecting himself again. I'm guessing steroids. I don't know how this figures into the plot. Maybe Ed will beat Danny's ass in a fit of 'roid rage?
Not that Danny doesn't deserve it.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:57 PM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
I kind of like how in this alternate universe, it's young long haired activists are protesting in favor of fossil fuels and "they took r jerbs". Though the conspiracy talk hits a little to close to home.
I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on Margo. Looks like she knows a lot about the Russian propulsion, er... I mean...
Ed is injecting himself again. I'm guessing steroids. I don't know how this figures into the plot. Maybe Ed will beat Danny's ass in a fit of 'roid rage?
Not that Danny doesn't deserve it.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:57 PM on July 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
I liked the solar sail reveal although living in the timeline I live in, I still find it hard that anyone on Earth cares about the space race. The politics was interesting, I almost thought they were going to cut NASA's budget and maroon the crew in space with no support.
At least we got some actual space drama this time, I liked the peaceful looks at the Helios and Sojourner crews before the inevitable crisis.
I knew Dev was going to go full (sorry Apple) Steve Jobs and cause trouble for the crew.
So many people being killed in spacesuits and Danny just keeps on living. I really don't know what they were thinking with that character. Are we supposed to like him? And why did Ed hire him in the first place? Why did they set up a weird-ass relationship between him and Karen when he was going to spend a whole season 100 million miles away from her?
I do have to give the actor who plays Danny credit for doing a spot-on Gordo impression when he was antagonizing the crewman who was quoting movie lines.
I like the Russian defector being on the Sojourner crew, he's definitely getting more drama than he signed up for.
Prediction: Helios ship needs to change course to help the other ships' crews. Ed tries to take manual control and Danny (supported by Dev) tries to take command and stop him.
Notably NASA's "Failure is not an option" slogan has never been seen on this show. They definitely should have made a way more careful attempt to rescue the cosmonauts -- in real life it probably would have been so careful that they would have all died of radiation before Sojourner got there.
I'm wondering if the "coverup" that the Luddites Jimmy meets are talking about will turn out to be a thing. As I recall they didn't have a backup cooling system because of some last-minute decision but it didn't seem like much of a coverup to me.
posted by mmoncur at 1:10 AM on July 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
At least we got some actual space drama this time, I liked the peaceful looks at the Helios and Sojourner crews before the inevitable crisis.
I knew Dev was going to go full (sorry Apple) Steve Jobs and cause trouble for the crew.
So many people being killed in spacesuits and Danny just keeps on living. I really don't know what they were thinking with that character. Are we supposed to like him? And why did Ed hire him in the first place? Why did they set up a weird-ass relationship between him and Karen when he was going to spend a whole season 100 million miles away from her?
I do have to give the actor who plays Danny credit for doing a spot-on Gordo impression when he was antagonizing the crewman who was quoting movie lines.
I like the Russian defector being on the Sojourner crew, he's definitely getting more drama than he signed up for.
Prediction: Helios ship needs to change course to help the other ships' crews. Ed tries to take manual control and Danny (supported by Dev) tries to take command and stop him.
Notably NASA's "Failure is not an option" slogan has never been seen on this show. They definitely should have made a way more careful attempt to rescue the cosmonauts -- in real life it probably would have been so careful that they would have all died of radiation before Sojourner got there.
I'm wondering if the "coverup" that the Luddites Jimmy meets are talking about will turn out to be a thing. As I recall they didn't have a backup cooling system because of some last-minute decision but it didn't seem like much of a coverup to me.
posted by mmoncur at 1:10 AM on July 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
The 'unmanned' North Korean probe 100% has a person on it for a one-way mission, and they're going to beat everyone there.
I had the same thought — and they can just hitch a ride back on the space hotel. Good thing the US sent those supplies in advance for them while they wait.
I’d love for them all to be beat this way but I don’t think that’s the way they’ll go; be interesting to see how it comes into play though.
posted by mikepop at 7:09 AM on July 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
I had the same thought — and they can just hitch a ride back on the space hotel. Good thing the US sent those supplies in advance for them while they wait.
I’d love for them all to be beat this way but I don’t think that’s the way they’ll go; be interesting to see how it comes into play though.
posted by mikepop at 7:09 AM on July 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
As I recall they didn't have a backup cooling system because of some last-minute decision but it didn't seem like much of a coverup to me.
There was a supersecret second reactor at Jamestown for the military - that was what was going critical and needed to be switched over to a backup cooling system on EVA. From one of the news stories on the Stevens’ death, NASA still had not revealed the full story. Seeing the inconsistencies has led the conspiracy theorists to rightly believe in a coverup, but with the wrong understanding of the details.
posted by cardboard at 7:20 AM on July 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
There was a supersecret second reactor at Jamestown for the military - that was what was going critical and needed to be switched over to a backup cooling system on EVA. From one of the news stories on the Stevens’ death, NASA still had not revealed the full story. Seeing the inconsistencies has led the conspiracy theorists to rightly believe in a coverup, but with the wrong understanding of the details.
posted by cardboard at 7:20 AM on July 2, 2022 [6 favorites]
Does Sojourner have landers? It's got a heat-shield with elaborately designed covers for the VTOL rockets to poke through, so I assumed they were doing direct ascent.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:19 AM on July 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:19 AM on July 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
“I have your back.”
Next scene: Russian defector doing intake of Soviet cosmonauts alone, inches away from door to open space.
I was wondering if they were going to toss him overboard, go back to their ship, fire up their perfectly fine engines, and continue to Mars.
posted by mikepop at 8:54 AM on July 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
Next scene: Russian defector doing intake of Soviet cosmonauts alone, inches away from door to open space.
I was wondering if they were going to toss him overboard, go back to their ship, fire up their perfectly fine engines, and continue to Mars.
posted by mikepop at 8:54 AM on July 2, 2022 [11 favorites]
Prediction: it catches (or has already caught) a conversation Ellen doesn't want made public re: her private life.
Is she getting head in the Oval Office? It is the 90s after all.
posted by crossoverman at 9:14 PM on July 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
Is she getting head in the Oval Office? It is the 90s after all.
posted by crossoverman at 9:14 PM on July 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
I thought the solar sails were quite cheesy and looked bad in terms of CGI as they unfurled, probably because they did it so quickly, but I wasn't at all bothered by the whole size thing – they are unbelievably thin and they clearly have a lot more volume in Sojourner than I first thought.
Love how the Mars race includes three completely different generations of spaceship!
posted by adrianhon at 9:44 AM on July 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Love how the Mars race includes three completely different generations of spaceship!
posted by adrianhon at 9:44 AM on July 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
There was a deliberate shot of a microphone in the Oval Office.
That bug was so big and obvious, they wouldn't have needed to do a security sweep to find it, just a security dusting.
posted by fairmettle at 9:59 PM on July 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
That bug was so big and obvious, they wouldn't have needed to do a security sweep to find it, just a security dusting.
posted by fairmettle at 9:59 PM on July 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
That wasn’t a bug, it was the official recording system.
posted by sixswitch at 6:28 AM on July 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by sixswitch at 6:28 AM on July 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
Thinking about the North Korean gambit more, my best guess is that the spacecraft makes it to Mars, but the hidden astronaut does not survive the journey (maybe a crash landing).
posted by mikepop at 6:41 AM on July 5, 2022
posted by mikepop at 6:41 AM on July 5, 2022
OR (sorry, obviously too much time between episodes for me), they find evidence the North Korean landed, explored the surface, but then died somehow. So the ethical dilemma for whoever gets there is whether to report that the North Korean astronaut was first to walk on Mars.
posted by mikepop at 10:51 AM on July 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mikepop at 10:51 AM on July 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Here’s how it’ll happen: in the middle of a knock-down, drag-out fight about who gets to set foot on Mars first, we find out the North Koreans already got there, and everyone comes to their senses and realises that “first” is bullshit and they should all work together.
posted by adrianhon at 1:45 PM on July 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by adrianhon at 1:45 PM on July 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also everyone who lands on Mars will probably land within 100 yards of each other.
posted by bondcliff at 1:59 PM on July 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 1:59 PM on July 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
Something something one of Phoenix's MSAMs crashes and the other needs to rescue it
posted by adrianhon at 1:52 AM on July 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by adrianhon at 1:52 AM on July 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Dev is more an Elon Musk analogue, thus the upload of new firmware to cripple the vehicle he produced. It was nice to see someone in the collective realize how he's manipulating them.
posted by joeyh at 2:01 PM on July 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by joeyh at 2:01 PM on July 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
Did anyone else notice that the Eagle News logo was very inspired by Fox News logo?
posted by COD at 7:26 PM on July 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by COD at 7:26 PM on July 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
Maybe I don't understand orbital mechanics and spaceflight, but why were they farther from Mars halfway through the episode than they were at the beginning?
At the start of the episode the on-screen text showed Phoenix at 244.2 million kilometers to Mars orbit. Later it showed the same craft at 266.9 million kilometers from Mars orbit. I went back and looked.
I suppose they could be following an arc that takes them farther before they get closer, but in both cases the on-screen numbers were counting down.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:01 AM on July 10, 2022
At the start of the episode the on-screen text showed Phoenix at 244.2 million kilometers to Mars orbit. Later it showed the same craft at 266.9 million kilometers from Mars orbit. I went back and looked.
I suppose they could be following an arc that takes them farther before they get closer, but in both cases the on-screen numbers were counting down.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:01 AM on July 10, 2022
> there’s no way the Sojourner would have space and supplies for an extra five people
Three people died during the rescue, so that made some room.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:53 PM on July 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Three people died during the rescue, so that made some room.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:53 PM on July 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
I knew Dev was going to go full (sorry Apple) Steve Jobs and cause trouble for the crew.
The scene where he force updated the Phoenix to play a random U2 album was great.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:15 PM on August 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
The scene where he force updated the Phoenix to play a random U2 album was great.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:15 PM on August 15, 2022 [5 favorites]
I had assumed Ed had developed Type II diabetes, but some performance-enhancing stuff might make sure sense as well. He seems pretty casual about it if it's something he's doing covertly, though.
posted by rmd1023 at 12:58 PM on October 3, 2022
posted by rmd1023 at 12:58 PM on October 3, 2022
As usual, Danielle is classy, Ed is being smug about whooping his friend/child's ass. That said, I'm totally amused at the pirate song., and.... "I learned from the best."
Oh, great, Dev's going Elon.
"I work for the United States of America. You work for an asshole."
DJ KELLY BALDWIN!!!!...and then poor girl is the first to find out something's wrong.
It's also interesting how the defecting cosmonaut's in this with NASA now.
WAY TO IMITATE YOUR COWORKER'S PARENTS IN A MOVIE AS HE WALKS IN. Like Danny wasn't enough of a problem as is.
Oh, and like Jimmy wasn't a problem already before running into one of the space marines being all CONSPIRACY!!!
Is helium-3 a made up miraculous thing?
I'm wincing at Mars-94 blowing themselves up. But love how Ed coolly wants to rescue them. "I keep forgetting you have a hotel and casino up there." LOL. And then Ed is all "I'm ignoring this group decision." And hen he's locked out :(
Oh jesus, watching someone get SMUSHED and then FACE INTO THE SHIP and...oh god.
"they took r jerbs" Yes, thought same.
So many people being killed in spacesuits and Danny just keeps on living. I really don't know what they were thinking with that character. Are we supposed to like him? And why did Ed hire him in the first place?
1. He's supposed to be the schmucky mcasshole type, filling in for his dad this year.
2. No.
3. Sentimentality/"woo hoo, I poached from NASA!"
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:40 PM on March 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh, great, Dev's going Elon.
"I work for the United States of America. You work for an asshole."
DJ KELLY BALDWIN!!!!...and then poor girl is the first to find out something's wrong.
It's also interesting how the defecting cosmonaut's in this with NASA now.
WAY TO IMITATE YOUR COWORKER'S PARENTS IN A MOVIE AS HE WALKS IN. Like Danny wasn't enough of a problem as is.
Oh, and like Jimmy wasn't a problem already before running into one of the space marines being all CONSPIRACY!!!
Is helium-3 a made up miraculous thing?
I'm wincing at Mars-94 blowing themselves up. But love how Ed coolly wants to rescue them. "I keep forgetting you have a hotel and casino up there." LOL. And then Ed is all "I'm ignoring this group decision." And hen he's locked out :(
Oh jesus, watching someone get SMUSHED and then FACE INTO THE SHIP and...oh god.
"they took r jerbs" Yes, thought same.
So many people being killed in spacesuits and Danny just keeps on living. I really don't know what they were thinking with that character. Are we supposed to like him? And why did Ed hire him in the first place?
1. He's supposed to be the schmucky mcasshole type, filling in for his dad this year.
2. No.
3. Sentimentality/"woo hoo, I poached from NASA!"
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:40 PM on March 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
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We know certain people make it to Mars, but I can't imagine any of them will be Russian at this point.
posted by emelenjr at 5:46 AM on July 1, 2022 [2 favorites]