For All Mankind: Glasnost
November 9, 2023 9:24 PM - Season 4, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Eight years later, a new mission begins: Capture an asteroid. Aleida and Danielle are still haunted by events from the past.
ArmagEddon Baldwin fails to keep things together. Margo suffers under socialized medicine but finds comfort in birdwatching. Al Gore wins Florida and prevents 9/11. Aleida has taken a pay cut.
Kelly still can’t get her father to pay attention to her. Solar sails are already obsolete. Hi Bob: Danielle heads back to Mars to take charge of a motley crew of bonus-hungry roughnecks.
New major characters: Miles Dale, a resumé-padding roustabout; Eli Hobson, JAFA at NASA.
ArmagEddon Baldwin fails to keep things together. Margo suffers under socialized medicine but finds comfort in birdwatching. Al Gore wins Florida and prevents 9/11. Aleida has taken a pay cut.
Kelly still can’t get her father to pay attention to her. Solar sails are already obsolete. Hi Bob: Danielle heads back to Mars to take charge of a motley crew of bonus-hungry roughnecks.
New major characters: Miles Dale, a resumé-padding roustabout; Eli Hobson, JAFA at NASA.
Hi Bob!
After being so bitter last season I'm irrationally happy to see this show again. Somehow the better world space optimism gets me every time. I feel like Charlie Brown eagerly running to kick the football again.
Apparently Danny's final crime is putting Danielle's career on hold for 7 years. Does she feel guilty for what we already saw or did something else happen? Did they really just abandon Danny with a few hundred cans of Spam to fend for himself? IS HE STILL OUT THERE SOMEWHERE?
A bunch of characters feel like they're on hold. Margo is waiting for a signal from her Secret Bird Friend, Kelly is just being a housewife I guess (?) and Aleida is derailed by PTSD.
Miles seemed interesting, I'm glad they can just introduce a new character without him being someone's child.
Speaking of new characters, as soon as I saw Mustache Guy talking about making sure he got his bonus, I knew he'd be the one to die. ("The incident claimed the lives of the hero Kuznetzov and another man.")
Ed has matured, he was able to face reality and disconnect Kuznetzov instead of disobeying orders and attempting an impossible rescue.
It was nice to see Will and the Molly Cobb Space Center.
The arrangement of equipment to push the asteroid seemed completely wrong, it almost seems like the ultimate revelation will be that someone ordered them to PUSH when they were meant to PULL.
Fingers crossed Danny won't be mentioned again and looking forward to Episode 2!
posted by mmoncur at 2:33 AM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
After being so bitter last season I'm irrationally happy to see this show again. Somehow the better world space optimism gets me every time. I feel like Charlie Brown eagerly running to kick the football again.
Apparently Danny's final crime is putting Danielle's career on hold for 7 years. Does she feel guilty for what we already saw or did something else happen? Did they really just abandon Danny with a few hundred cans of Spam to fend for himself? IS HE STILL OUT THERE SOMEWHERE?
A bunch of characters feel like they're on hold. Margo is waiting for a signal from her Secret Bird Friend, Kelly is just being a housewife I guess (?) and Aleida is derailed by PTSD.
Miles seemed interesting, I'm glad they can just introduce a new character without him being someone's child.
Speaking of new characters, as soon as I saw Mustache Guy talking about making sure he got his bonus, I knew he'd be the one to die. ("The incident claimed the lives of the hero Kuznetzov and another man.")
Ed has matured, he was able to face reality and disconnect Kuznetzov instead of disobeying orders and attempting an impossible rescue.
It was nice to see Will and the Molly Cobb Space Center.
The arrangement of equipment to push the asteroid seemed completely wrong, it almost seems like the ultimate revelation will be that someone ordered them to PUSH when they were meant to PULL.
Fingers crossed Danny won't be mentioned again and looking forward to Episode 2!
posted by mmoncur at 2:33 AM on November 10, 2023 [3 favorites]
From how they set it up, there’s more to say about Danny, unfortunately. No doubt he found the buried gun and did some mischief and self-harm.
The harness for the frozen gravel asteroid has too many flaws in its design and execution to evaluate it seriously, much like the self-destructing space hotel in the Season 3 premiere. It’s a table-setting device for killing off Gregori (and another astronaut), and getting the base commander (but not Ed, strangely) fired.
posted by cardboard at 9:25 AM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
The harness for the frozen gravel asteroid has too many flaws in its design and execution to evaluate it seriously, much like the self-destructing space hotel in the Season 3 premiere. It’s a table-setting device for killing off Gregori (and another astronaut), and getting the base commander (but not Ed, strangely) fired.
posted by cardboard at 9:25 AM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
FLABBERGASTED that a gay Republican woman was re-elected to president. In other news, Mars baby survived (how?) Ellen had six seasons, the Clintons divorced, Al Gore won, Pam and Ellen got married!
"But by now you must be used to coming in second." Burn! Along with "must be nice to be able to pick whatever position you prefer." LOL. I guess that explains why a 70+ year old is still permitted in space because otherwise um, kinda wondering about that.
I already don't like this Miles guy after 30 seconds after the word "Amway" was mentioned. I read a review saying he's the new Danny and I do not look forward to this.
They haven't fake-aged Danielle at all. I won't say the phrase I've heard about how some people don't age (nor can I judge since I don't either), but it did come into my brain. She is retired, though.
Also, Danny's gone? WELL HALLELUJAH. Do I want to know what happened to him? I hope he's so deep-sixed he's not resurrected.
I am shocked, shocked! to find out that Aleida describes her kid as "a real shit." Gee, where did he get it from?
Aw man, Grigori.
Margo is now "Margaret Reynolds" and not being allowed to talk to Roscosmos. Well, what's the point, then?
Olga's not an idiot about Ed's constant stalling. Agreed. Dude don't wanna come back home, you can't make him....well, unless you fire him and replace him with Danielle.
"Ed Baldwin doesn't listen to anybody."
"Yeah, that's the problem."
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:52 AM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
"But by now you must be used to coming in second." Burn! Along with "must be nice to be able to pick whatever position you prefer." LOL. I guess that explains why a 70+ year old is still permitted in space because otherwise um, kinda wondering about that.
I already don't like this Miles guy after 30 seconds after the word "Amway" was mentioned. I read a review saying he's the new Danny and I do not look forward to this.
They haven't fake-aged Danielle at all. I won't say the phrase I've heard about how some people don't age (nor can I judge since I don't either), but it did come into my brain. She is retired, though.
Also, Danny's gone? WELL HALLELUJAH. Do I want to know what happened to him? I hope he's so deep-sixed he's not resurrected.
I am shocked, shocked! to find out that Aleida describes her kid as "a real shit." Gee, where did he get it from?
Aw man, Grigori.
Margo is now "Margaret Reynolds" and not being allowed to talk to Roscosmos. Well, what's the point, then?
Olga's not an idiot about Ed's constant stalling. Agreed. Dude don't wanna come back home, you can't make him....well, unless you fire him and replace him with Danielle.
"Ed Baldwin doesn't listen to anybody."
"Yeah, that's the problem."
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:52 AM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah man idk, this was better than most of S4 but the show feels weightless and momentumless. As the world it’s trying to depict explodes in size, the smallness of the main characters and the complete inability or lack of interest in organically creating and developing new ones makes the whole thing feel like both drama-filled and unemotional at the same time.
Ed is still employed doing space stuff at what, 70? Come on.
The tech stuff is weirdly detail-less too, like they have Apple Newton iPads but are still using candybar cell phones? They have modern-looking SUVs for some reason?
Ron Moore really needs to stop creating shows and then getting bored with them.
posted by rhymedirective at 11:39 AM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ed is still employed doing space stuff at what, 70? Come on.
The tech stuff is weirdly detail-less too, like they have Apple Newton iPads but are still using candybar cell phones? They have modern-looking SUVs for some reason?
Ron Moore really needs to stop creating shows and then getting bored with them.
posted by rhymedirective at 11:39 AM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh and JFC if you’re gonna do Soviet spy shit at least hire the guys from The Americans to punch up your script. Spies are not gonna be speaking English in public in the Soviet Union when they’re ostensibly trying not to get noticed.
posted by rhymedirective at 11:42 AM on November 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by rhymedirective at 11:42 AM on November 10, 2023 [4 favorites]
Ed is still employed doing space stuff at what, 70? Come on.
He's CEO and gets to do what he wants.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:31 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
He's CEO and gets to do what he wants.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:31 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
I see that For All Mankind has sidestepped the big question... why is it easier to train oil-rig drillers to become astronauts than it is to train astronauts to become oil rig drillers?
We've got plasma engines, I suspect they'll needed tuned up a bit... how long until a Solomon Epstein arrives on Mars?
posted by ewan at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
We've got plasma engines, I suspect they'll needed tuned up a bit... how long until a Solomon Epstein arrives on Mars?
posted by ewan at 4:07 PM on November 10, 2023 [8 favorites]
Oh and JFC if you’re gonna do Soviet spy shit at least hire the guys from The Americans to punch up your script.
Especially when they have3 2 actors who were guest stars on The Americans.
posted by nathan_teske at 5:01 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Especially when they have
posted by nathan_teske at 5:01 PM on November 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ron Moore really needs to stop creating shows and then getting bored with them.
Indeed. Think I'm done with Moore shows. Start out well. Then decline slowly at first and then drop off a cliff. This was NBC level.
posted by juiceCake at 5:15 PM on November 10, 2023
Indeed. Think I'm done with Moore shows. Start out well. Then decline slowly at first and then drop off a cliff. This was NBC level.
posted by juiceCake at 5:15 PM on November 10, 2023
Big fan of the series, but this season's premiere is a snoozer.
posted by fairmettle at 10:29 PM on November 10, 2023
posted by fairmettle at 10:29 PM on November 10, 2023
Especially when they have 3 2 actors who were guest stars on The Americans
There were 3! The grandmother played, uh, a rather memorable and important character in a scene that set the groundwork for where Elizabeth and Phillip were in season 6.
I imagine the Venn diagram of available actors who speak Russian and fit the part is pretty small.
posted by rhymedirective at 5:51 AM on November 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
There were 3! The grandmother played, uh, a rather memorable and important character in a scene that set the groundwork for where Elizabeth and Phillip were in season 6.
I imagine the Venn diagram of available actors who speak Russian and fit the part is pretty small.
posted by rhymedirective at 5:51 AM on November 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I see they're continuing with more of the soap opera from S3.
I find it very hard to believe they'd discover, journey to, explore, and capture an asteroid and not give it a name beyond "The Asteroid."
posted by bondcliff at 6:42 AM on November 11, 2023
I find it very hard to believe they'd discover, journey to, explore, and capture an asteroid and not give it a name beyond "The Asteroid."
posted by bondcliff at 6:42 AM on November 11, 2023
I think they called it by a formal name at one point. But by season 4 in the series, you know the mission cannot go smoothly and it's patently obvious the cable's won't hold.
I do wonder though: how likely is it for an asteroid surface to be covered in chipped rocks? There's nothing out there to cause erosion. And gravity is so light one imagines that stuff will just float off as the rocket is pushed away. So like, best case scenario a spaceship is accellerating into a ton of small sharp rocks. Space Mistakes indeed.
posted by pwnguin at 10:28 AM on November 11, 2023
I do wonder though: how likely is it for an asteroid surface to be covered in chipped rocks? There's nothing out there to cause erosion. And gravity is so light one imagines that stuff will just float off as the rocket is pushed away. So like, best case scenario a spaceship is accellerating into a ton of small sharp rocks. Space Mistakes indeed.
posted by pwnguin at 10:28 AM on November 11, 2023
Re-reviewing:
It definitely has a name. Baldwin calls it XF Kronos. Eli Hobson calls it Kronos. Margo checks out a newspaper dated March 17, 2003. The paper quotes NASA calling it "the Kronos asteroid." I assume the writers just picked a Greek name that sounded cool, and doesn't have any hidden meaning about eating your young or being killed by the gods.
Spies are not gonna be speaking English in public in the Soviet Union when they’re ostensibly trying not to get noticed.
My initial take was this was a KGB handler making themselves known as a threat after she was out of line. The phone number is (095) 042-7621 , which could be a Mynamar phone number? Or a US phone number without a country code. The episode title is Glasnost ("transparency"). Presumably we're gonna get a 2003 Soviet dissolution with Gorbachev, and Margo is going to be the show's window into the internal power struggle between the KGB and Gorbachev's political machine.
One theory I've seen is that with Chernobyl prevented, the USSR won't dissolve until after a new destabilizing event. So 9/11, which wasn't mentioned in the newsreel montage, happens this season, on Russian soil. bin Laden did fight the soviets in Afghanistan, and I can't recall if the show has mentioned that war at all. It's entirely plausible that without the dissolution they become the target. But there's also Kurdish independence, and it could be that humanity, under aggressive targets dictated by wall street and executed by resume stuffing truckers, accidentally yeets an asteroid not to into Mars orbit but to Earth impact.
If Kronos does end up cratering somewhere, it's only about the size of a pyramid, and so probably wouldn't be anywhere near what killed the dinosaurs. A bad time locally for sure, and crop failures would probably starve off enough people to send a crack team of astronauts to drill in and detonate nukes Armageddon style. If you really wanted to lean into the cold war nuclear strategics of Earth, one side demonstrating an intercept ICBM style would be extremely destabilizing.
posted by pwnguin at 1:34 PM on November 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
It definitely has a name. Baldwin calls it XF Kronos. Eli Hobson calls it Kronos. Margo checks out a newspaper dated March 17, 2003. The paper quotes NASA calling it "the Kronos asteroid." I assume the writers just picked a Greek name that sounded cool, and doesn't have any hidden meaning about eating your young or being killed by the gods.
Spies are not gonna be speaking English in public in the Soviet Union when they’re ostensibly trying not to get noticed.
My initial take was this was a KGB handler making themselves known as a threat after she was out of line. The phone number is (095) 042-7621 , which could be a Mynamar phone number? Or a US phone number without a country code. The episode title is Glasnost ("transparency"). Presumably we're gonna get a 2003 Soviet dissolution with Gorbachev, and Margo is going to be the show's window into the internal power struggle between the KGB and Gorbachev's political machine.
One theory I've seen is that with Chernobyl prevented, the USSR won't dissolve until after a new destabilizing event. So 9/11, which wasn't mentioned in the newsreel montage, happens this season, on Russian soil. bin Laden did fight the soviets in Afghanistan, and I can't recall if the show has mentioned that war at all. It's entirely plausible that without the dissolution they become the target. But there's also Kurdish independence, and it could be that humanity, under aggressive targets dictated by wall street and executed by resume stuffing truckers, accidentally yeets an asteroid not to into Mars orbit but to Earth impact.
If Kronos does end up cratering somewhere, it's only about the size of a pyramid, and so probably wouldn't be anywhere near what killed the dinosaurs. A bad time locally for sure, and crop failures would probably starve off enough people to send a crack team of astronauts to drill in and detonate nukes Armageddon style. If you really wanted to lean into the cold war nuclear strategics of Earth, one side demonstrating an intercept ICBM style would be extremely destabilizing.
posted by pwnguin at 1:34 PM on November 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I do wonder though: how likely is it for an asteroid surface to be covered in chipped rocks?
There are some asteroids that are just frozen clumps of gravel. Which might also make them poor candidates for your first attempt at wrapping cables around, driving anchors into, and applying thrust to.
posted by cardboard at 2:20 PM on November 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
There are some asteroids that are just frozen clumps of gravel. Which might also make them poor candidates for your first attempt at wrapping cables around, driving anchors into, and applying thrust to.
posted by cardboard at 2:20 PM on November 11, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I was absolutely unclear on how tension cables were supposed to work in a compression situation. I mean I guess if they were drawn up tightly enough like a net, but the physics of trying to push a big iceball asteroid with cables makes my head hurt. On the other hand, towing it like a truck means your futurium powered plasma thrusters would be blasting the surface the whole time. Tricky. It wasn't particularly easy in KSP either, and those were solid body asteroids. Also a minor lol for an Earth based command center for a (presumably) circa-Mars asteroid? They seemed to have a ton of comms delay, as you'd expect for them being out around Mars. Like, wouldn't a Martian command center make a bit more sense? Anything that can take more than 6 minutes of round trip time to work out could be Earth based, sure, but real time work? Mars, babyyyyyyy.
I've pretty much given up on trying to figure out how old everybody should be other than Ed. It also sort of feels like they went "eh, 8 years, how much do people really age up in 8 years?" for some of them.
You'd think that maybe they'd get Aleida some PTSD therapy after the bombing?
It took me a while to realize that Daniel Stern wasn't playing an aged up Strausser. I assume Strausser died in the bombing?
And on the one hand I sort of hope we get more Danny backstory, like he couldn't handle exile and coming off the pills cold turkey, so he went for a little walk without his suit on, on the other hand maybe he survived and came back and Danielle feels guilty that they couldn't provide more for him on Mars, somehow. I didn't see him in the Mars Survivors picture, but I wasn't looking too hard, either.
posted by Kyol at 8:29 AM on November 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've pretty much given up on trying to figure out how old everybody should be other than Ed. It also sort of feels like they went "eh, 8 years, how much do people really age up in 8 years?" for some of them.
You'd think that maybe they'd get Aleida some PTSD therapy after the bombing?
It took me a while to realize that Daniel Stern wasn't playing an aged up Strausser. I assume Strausser died in the bombing?
And on the one hand I sort of hope we get more Danny backstory, like he couldn't handle exile and coming off the pills cold turkey, so he went for a little walk without his suit on, on the other hand maybe he survived and came back and Danielle feels guilty that they couldn't provide more for him on Mars, somehow. I didn't see him in the Mars Survivors picture, but I wasn't looking too hard, either.
posted by Kyol at 8:29 AM on November 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
You'd think that maybe they'd get Aleida some PTSD therapy after the bombing?
Aleida is 'tudey enough to refuse therapy, I strongly suspect.
As for Danny, didn't they hide a gun somewhere around where they left him? I figure he ate the gun.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:09 AM on November 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Aleida is 'tudey enough to refuse therapy, I strongly suspect.
As for Danny, didn't they hide a gun somewhere around where they left him? I figure he ate the gun.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:09 AM on November 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
There are some asteroids that are just frozen clumps of gravel. Which might also make them poor candidates for your first attempt at wrapping cables around, driving anchors into, and applying thrust to.
I wonder if gravel mountains would be easier for processing - it's already broken down! just break it down a little further to get the precious metals out of it - or harder - no solid surfaces to do anything with, no atmosphere to, like, vacuum it up with, so what - all augers all the time? Or did they just plan on dropping the damn thing on mons olympus so they could get some surface dweller benefits out of it?
But yeah, at that point is there any benefit to bringing something even that big into orbit versus bringing the processing factory to it for ISRU?
posted by Kyol at 1:18 PM on November 12, 2023
I wonder if gravel mountains would be easier for processing - it's already broken down! just break it down a little further to get the precious metals out of it - or harder - no solid surfaces to do anything with, no atmosphere to, like, vacuum it up with, so what - all augers all the time? Or did they just plan on dropping the damn thing on mons olympus so they could get some surface dweller benefits out of it?
But yeah, at that point is there any benefit to bringing something even that big into orbit versus bringing the processing factory to it for ISRU?
posted by Kyol at 1:18 PM on November 12, 2023
The asteroid is near Mars... why not just shove it in the right direction so it will crash land near (but not on) Happy Valley, and then they can mine it without dealing with complex gravity...
Then again they'd probably accidentally dump it on somebody's head.
posted by mmoncur at 11:03 PM on November 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
Then again they'd probably accidentally dump it on somebody's head.
posted by mmoncur at 11:03 PM on November 12, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think when it comes to asteroids, the fact they are (can be?) rocky, pebbly, has been a surprise but a consistent one. For example, here's what the Osiris Probe saw right as it grabbed a small chunk to bring back to earth. When I was watching the show, I actually thought back to this imagery and appreciated the touch of detail.
We are definitely going to learn more about Danny, if only because of the reference to something unfortunate happening to Danny. You can't lock a guy in a North Korean capsule and just so long the character. I mean, you can, Danny could have served his time and been sent back to earth and we could have forgotten about him and moved on...but naw. Can't let that bone go, can you Moore? Gotta chew it up a bit more...
I enjoyed the season opener for the most part as the pieces were put in place. Ed knows if he goes home, he'll have nothing left to do, nothing to make him feel worth while. It's the whole reason he jumped to Helios in the first place, because he wasn't going to be sent by NASA (if I'm remembering right?). That time, he was just leaving his ex-wife behind. Now he's just ditching his daughter and grandchild. Way to go Ed!
Speaking of space baby, the hotel/starship had artificial gravity, so I assumed that skirted the whole can we have babies in space or not...and the presumption being that Mars' lighter gravity didn't mess up anything, either.
Miles is our POV for the commercialization of space, which I think is the biggest goal to encourage a permanent spot for humanity. After all, scientific advancement was not enough to support Happy Valley, that's why Kronos was such a big deal - to make it self sufficient (somehow?). So in that regard, it's not about training an oil driller to be an astronaut, but the idea, the job you need done is not one that should be wasted on an astronaut. They have astronauty things to be doing.
I like Margot, but at the same time, I'm kind of like the Russians...what is there left for Margot to do here? Get back to America and shack up with the former Russian director?
posted by Atreides at 10:53 AM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
We are definitely going to learn more about Danny, if only because of the reference to something unfortunate happening to Danny. You can't lock a guy in a North Korean capsule and just so long the character. I mean, you can, Danny could have served his time and been sent back to earth and we could have forgotten about him and moved on...but naw. Can't let that bone go, can you Moore? Gotta chew it up a bit more...
I enjoyed the season opener for the most part as the pieces were put in place. Ed knows if he goes home, he'll have nothing left to do, nothing to make him feel worth while. It's the whole reason he jumped to Helios in the first place, because he wasn't going to be sent by NASA (if I'm remembering right?). That time, he was just leaving his ex-wife behind. Now he's just ditching his daughter and grandchild. Way to go Ed!
Speaking of space baby, the hotel/starship had artificial gravity, so I assumed that skirted the whole can we have babies in space or not...and the presumption being that Mars' lighter gravity didn't mess up anything, either.
Miles is our POV for the commercialization of space, which I think is the biggest goal to encourage a permanent spot for humanity. After all, scientific advancement was not enough to support Happy Valley, that's why Kronos was such a big deal - to make it self sufficient (somehow?). So in that regard, it's not about training an oil driller to be an astronaut, but the idea, the job you need done is not one that should be wasted on an astronaut. They have astronauty things to be doing.
I like Margot, but at the same time, I'm kind of like the Russians...what is there left for Margot to do here? Get back to America and shack up with the former Russian director?
posted by Atreides at 10:53 AM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Well, if people know Margo's alive and in America, she goes to jail, she can't shack up with Sergei (sigh). I agree that yeah, her info is out of date. And also it doesn't pay to be a traitor to your nation when the other nation doesn't do much to support your traitor-dom.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:09 AM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:09 AM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
I don’t want to be too complainy, but for a show designed around decade long time jumps between each season, they haven’t done much to develop new characters. This is supposed to be entertaining sci-fi television, not the US Senate. Or, if the appeal is that it is a show about elderly people still having careers, I suppose that’s fine and I am not quite the target audience…yet.
posted by snofoam at 3:41 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 3:41 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Come to think of it, maybe the realistic version of this show is that all the astronauts from season one who are still alive are in the senate. Glad they didn’t go that route.
posted by snofoam at 3:44 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 3:44 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
I think it's hard for shows to carry on after awhile once you are forced to change your casts. I can't speak for medical shows because I am not into those (my vague impression is that Gray's Anatomy and the like seem to keep on), but certainly high school shows or anything with a certain time period has those issues. I admit I'm not a fan of the giant time jumps on this show in the first place, especially because it causes stuff like this.
Of the newer/younger/Next Gen characters: the Stevens boys were the absolute fucking WORST (one only hopes young Avery Stevens doesn't become a main character for two more seasons, or become as messed up as daddy-o), Aleida was set up early as a sweet kid and has morphed into a jerk. Kelly is A-OK by me, though. I'm not sure how attached to most of the newer characters I am anyway, especially when the ones I liked (Alexei) got killed off.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:52 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Of the newer/younger/Next Gen characters: the Stevens boys were the absolute fucking WORST (one only hopes young Avery Stevens doesn't become a main character for two more seasons, or become as messed up as daddy-o), Aleida was set up early as a sweet kid and has morphed into a jerk. Kelly is A-OK by me, though. I'm not sure how attached to most of the newer characters I am anyway, especially when the ones I liked (Alexei) got killed off.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:52 PM on November 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Aleida was set up early as a sweet kid and has morphed into a jerk
My recollection was that she was introduced as a pyromaniac. And now thanks to PTSD I suppose she can't even have that joy.
posted by pwnguin at 4:56 PM on November 13, 2023 [5 favorites]
My recollection was that she was introduced as a pyromaniac. And now thanks to PTSD I suppose she can't even have that joy.
posted by pwnguin at 4:56 PM on November 13, 2023 [5 favorites]
If Danielle doesn't greet Ed with "Hi Bob" when she arrives on Mars what are we even doing here.
I love the short film extras filling us in on the alt history between seasons. They don't reveal who Al Gore's vice president is though.
Oh and JFC if you’re gonna do Soviet spy shit at least hire the guys from The Americans to punch up your script
Yes please! I would have thought she could have secured herself a place in the Russian space program bureaucracy (with a nicer apartment), but since that didn't happen and she has been out of the loop for so long I'm left wondering with everyone else what she has to offer. But if she is just going to be drawn into a lot of spy stuff, let it be well-written spy stuff!
posted by mikepop at 10:52 AM on November 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
I love the short film extras filling us in on the alt history between seasons. They don't reveal who Al Gore's vice president is though.
Oh and JFC if you’re gonna do Soviet spy shit at least hire the guys from The Americans to punch up your script
Yes please! I would have thought she could have secured herself a place in the Russian space program bureaucracy (with a nicer apartment), but since that didn't happen and she has been out of the loop for so long I'm left wondering with everyone else what she has to offer. But if she is just going to be drawn into a lot of spy stuff, let it be well-written spy stuff!
posted by mikepop at 10:52 AM on November 15, 2023 [4 favorites]
Or, if the appeal is that it is a show about elderly people still having careers, I suppose that’s fine and I am not quite the target audience…yet.
If you think of this show as Boomer wish fulfillment then it totally makes sense. Just like how they constantly find ways to mention that John Lennon is still alive and solving all the world's problems in the background.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:25 PM on November 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
If you think of this show as Boomer wish fulfillment then it totally makes sense. Just like how they constantly find ways to mention that John Lennon is still alive and solving all the world's problems in the background.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:25 PM on November 17, 2023 [3 favorites]
Speaking of The Americans, so far Margot's scenes in Russia remind me of Martha's.
posted by kingless at 10:24 AM on November 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by kingless at 10:24 AM on November 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
How old is Ed? Wasn't he supposed to be a Korea vet? Now we end the episode with him smoking a joint, and a tremor?
posted by 2N2222 at 2:55 PM on November 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by 2N2222 at 2:55 PM on November 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Eli Hobson, JAFA at NASA
Bravo. (I'm assuming you changed Observer to Administrator for the purposes of the post.)
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 2:38 PM on November 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Bravo. (I'm assuming you changed Observer to Administrator for the purposes of the post.)
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 2:38 PM on November 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
How old is Ed? Wasn't he supposed to be a Korea vet? Now we end the episode with him smoking a joint, and a tremor?
He's definitely got to be in his mid to upper 60s, if I had to guess. Going off the Veterans Affairs website (surprisingly), the median age for Korean War veterans in 2020 is between 85 and 89. Since our show takes place in 2003, let's subtract 17 years from that median age and so it's likely that Ed is around 68 to 72. He could be a little younger or a little older depending on how old he was in the Korean War.
posted by Atreides at 7:59 AM on November 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
He's definitely got to be in his mid to upper 60s, if I had to guess. Going off the Veterans Affairs website (surprisingly), the median age for Korean War veterans in 2020 is between 85 and 89. Since our show takes place in 2003, let's subtract 17 years from that median age and so it's likely that Ed is around 68 to 72. He could be a little younger or a little older depending on how old he was in the Korean War.
posted by Atreides at 7:59 AM on November 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
And coming at it the other way, if he was the same age as Neil Armstrong in 1969 (not unreasonable, at least roughly thereabouts), he would be 73 in 2003.
I keep losing track of which age group Margo is supposed to be in at this point. I guess I could dig up which decade of the series she showed up in and kind of figure she was mmph 35-ish around then, and add up to the current year?
posted by Kyol at 8:29 AM on November 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
I keep losing track of which age group Margo is supposed to be in at this point. I guess I could dig up which decade of the series she showed up in and kind of figure she was mmph 35-ish around then, and add up to the current year?
posted by Kyol at 8:29 AM on November 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
That's probably your best bet. She could have been younger in season 1, tbh.
posted by Atreides at 8:58 AM on November 27, 2023
posted by Atreides at 8:58 AM on November 27, 2023
Yeah, I guess I'd forgotten she was in it from the beginning like Ed, but she could be 30-ish in 1969, out of college long enough to rise through the ranks at NASA, so maybe 60-ish in 2003? Sure.
On the other hand Aleida was just a kid in 1969 and I'm not quite sure that I buy her as being in her mid 40s in 2003.
posted by Kyol at 9:19 AM on November 27, 2023
On the other hand Aleida was just a kid in 1969 and I'm not quite sure that I buy her as being in her mid 40s in 2003.
posted by Kyol at 9:19 AM on November 27, 2023
The Aleida teenager to 30 something Adulting Mom jump still gets me. Heh.
posted by Atreides at 10:58 AM on November 27, 2023
posted by Atreides at 10:58 AM on November 27, 2023
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I was inventing all kinds of little translations for Margo’s Moscow Rules breakfast routine. Donut means all is well. Egg sandwich? COVER BROKEN.
We got ion engines and direct fusion in this episode.
Space Mistakes:
- Aleida’s headset mic is very close to her face in one shot, then far away in the cut back
- I’m pretty sure trying to PUSH an asteroid from a single point of contact is a big Space Mistake
- of course arguably the biggest Space Mistake is deciding to work in space
posted by sixswitch at 9:43 PM on November 9, 2023 [5 favorites]