For All Mankind: Don’t be Cruel
April 2, 2021 4:45 PM - Season 2, Episode 7 - Subscribe
Ellen is challenged by her new role; Margo's alliances are put to the test; Karen explores new opportunities -- personally and professionally.
Administrator Tom gets his ticket punched for Korean Airlines Flight 007, leaving an opening for Ellen and putting a chill on US-USSR relations; the Soviet delegation in Houston is confined to quarters, leading to outrage and umbrage when the same happens to the NASA crew in Baikonur. Margo uses pressure to illustrate the solution to a number of problems around the office; Karen is wooed by Sam Cleveland and Danny Stevens; Kelly receives her permanent record and fires off an email to find out more. Tracey pilots the first combat sortie on the Moon.
Administrator Tom gets his ticket punched for Korean Airlines Flight 007, leaving an opening for Ellen and putting a chill on US-USSR relations; the Soviet delegation in Houston is confined to quarters, leading to outrage and umbrage when the same happens to the NASA crew in Baikonur. Margo uses pressure to illustrate the solution to a number of problems around the office; Karen is wooed by Sam Cleveland and Danny Stevens; Kelly receives her permanent record and fires off an email to find out more. Tracey pilots the first combat sortie on the Moon.
Seemed pretty ridiculous that this USSR would copy the Shuttle so much more closely than they did in reality.
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:46 PM on April 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 8:46 PM on April 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
That puts you 97 seconds away from either a cold beer at the end of your shift or an open-ended transfer to Thule, Greenland.
Your time starts now.
Honey.
Go Margo!
posted by mirthe at 3:34 AM on April 3, 2021 [10 favorites]
Your time starts now.
Honey.
Go Margo!
posted by mirthe at 3:34 AM on April 3, 2021 [10 favorites]
What did Bill “Peanut” Strausser ever do to Aleida, apart from rightly telling her to stay in her lane for the ASTP docking redesign?
posted by cardboard at 5:21 AM on April 3, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by cardboard at 5:21 AM on April 3, 2021 [4 favorites]
On review: yep, that’s probably Korolev. Spent time in Kolyma.
posted by sixswitch at 6:26 AM on April 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by sixswitch at 6:26 AM on April 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm giving a fair bit of slack on the Soviet shuttle being an even closer copy of the US one. FAM's version of Buran is flying some 4 or 5 years earlier than the real one, so perhaps, with pressure from the Kremlin to match US space feats, Soviet designers simply copied stolen plans bolt-for-bolt even though they had ideas for how to make a better version (c.f. the first Soviet atomic bomb, which was built to duplicate Trinity because that design was known to work, even though Soviet physicists were aware of potential improvements.)
The bigger question is why the US shuttle is so similar to the real version, but I think we have to give some artistic licence there. It's clearly different in some key ways, e.g. it must have much-augmented OMS propellant tankage in the cargo bay and the ability to refuel on-orbit in order to do the translunar missions we see.
If that Soviet engineer is Korolev, it ties in nicely with what Ron Moore has said about the actual point of historical departure being Korolev surviving surgery in 1966 and going on to fix the N1's problems.
There didn't seem to be any music credits; was that Philip Glass being used a lot during early parts of the episode, and if so which piece was it from?
Assuming that the KAL007 shootdown took place at the same point in this timeline as in ours, this episode was set in September 1983. If other events also take place around the same time, the next few weeks will feature the 1983 missile false alarm incident and Exercise Able Archer 83. In other words, perfect timing for an international incident on the moon!
posted by Major Clanger at 4:43 AM on April 5, 2021 [4 favorites]
The bigger question is why the US shuttle is so similar to the real version, but I think we have to give some artistic licence there. It's clearly different in some key ways, e.g. it must have much-augmented OMS propellant tankage in the cargo bay and the ability to refuel on-orbit in order to do the translunar missions we see.
If that Soviet engineer is Korolev, it ties in nicely with what Ron Moore has said about the actual point of historical departure being Korolev surviving surgery in 1966 and going on to fix the N1's problems.
There didn't seem to be any music credits; was that Philip Glass being used a lot during early parts of the episode, and if so which piece was it from?
Assuming that the KAL007 shootdown took place at the same point in this timeline as in ours, this episode was set in September 1983. If other events also take place around the same time, the next few weeks will feature the 1983 missile false alarm incident and Exercise Able Archer 83. In other words, perfect timing for an international incident on the moon!
posted by Major Clanger at 4:43 AM on April 5, 2021 [4 favorites]
Well I asked on Twitter about the identity of the Soviet space engineer and FAM technical advisers Michael Okuda and Garrett Reisman responded!
Michael Okuda: "The episode does not identify the engineer, but I personally thought he was probably Sergei Korolev."
Garrett Reisman: "Me too."
posted by Major Clanger at 8:52 AM on April 6, 2021 [8 favorites]
Michael Okuda: "The episode does not identify the engineer, but I personally thought he was probably Sergei Korolev."
Garrett Reisman: "Me too."
posted by Major Clanger at 8:52 AM on April 6, 2021 [8 favorites]
So I had a bit of an issue with the use of Ride of the Valkyries. One of the early and most important premises of this series was the early end of the Vietnam war freed resources to pay for NASA's expansion. If the war ended early, would Apocalypse Now ever have been made? That they were referencing Apocalypse Now and not just Wagnering their way down is confirmed in the next episode.
posted by Stanczyk at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Stanczyk at 12:33 PM on May 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
Man, a few episodes ago I was making "Mrs Robinson" jokes and then I noticed the next episode's title is "And Here's to You" and I realized they were going to go there... I'm very disappointed in the writers. We literally have the Cold War about to explode into a real nuclear war with spaceships, and they think they need to add more drama.
You know that cliche in movies where you have a character (usually old and male) who is basically a terrible person but they're supposed to be lovable somehow? Like they're grumpy with everyone, or they cheat on their spouse, or they have a drinking problem, or they hide other characters' serious mental illnesses endangering dozens of people, but they're charming in other ways so we're supposed to give them a pass? I feel like EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in this show is turning out to be one of those.
This show has a weird attitude where it wants to let you know that space is awesome and the American space program is mega-awesome and also all humans are assholes but that's OK because SPACE.
I miss Wayne. I want to watch a show where he just chills out and smokes joints and watches NASA on TV and paints his nightmares.
posted by mmoncur at 1:26 AM on June 20, 2022 [5 favorites]
You know that cliche in movies where you have a character (usually old and male) who is basically a terrible person but they're supposed to be lovable somehow? Like they're grumpy with everyone, or they cheat on their spouse, or they have a drinking problem, or they hide other characters' serious mental illnesses endangering dozens of people, but they're charming in other ways so we're supposed to give them a pass? I feel like EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in this show is turning out to be one of those.
This show has a weird attitude where it wants to let you know that space is awesome and the American space program is mega-awesome and also all humans are assholes but that's OK because SPACE.
I miss Wayne. I want to watch a show where he just chills out and smokes joints and watches NASA on TV and paints his nightmares.
posted by mmoncur at 1:26 AM on June 20, 2022 [5 favorites]
OMG THEY BLEW UP THOMAS OMG OMG.
God, I love Margo. "I brought borscht."
OMG THEY SAVED CHALLENGER IN THIS ONE?!
Damn, Karen's selling the bar?
I love hearing "motherfucker" in Spanish!
Ellen, I don't even know what to say to this.
OMG MARGO TOLD SERGEI ABOUT THE O RINGS.
Oh gross...oh NOOO KAREN'S MAKING OUT WITH DANNY OH SHIT. THEN SHE GOES HOME TO BANG HER HUSBAND. And this show isn't all that into sex scenes (I don't think we've even seen these two get sexual like, ever?), so daaaaaaaamn.
I'm please Danielle left "Poole" on the door. I am not at all sure what the hell else was going on with Mr. Engineer.
OH NO GUNS ON THE MOON OH NO....and it was that easy?!
The last three episodes are going to pulverize me again, I gotta wait until I have a free night of not doing anything else to freak out about this, like I did the end of season 1.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:49 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
God, I love Margo. "I brought borscht."
OMG THEY SAVED CHALLENGER IN THIS ONE?!
Damn, Karen's selling the bar?
I love hearing "motherfucker" in Spanish!
Ellen, I don't even know what to say to this.
OMG MARGO TOLD SERGEI ABOUT THE O RINGS.
Oh gross...oh NOOO KAREN'S MAKING OUT WITH DANNY OH SHIT. THEN SHE GOES HOME TO BANG HER HUSBAND. And this show isn't all that into sex scenes (I don't think we've even seen these two get sexual like, ever?), so daaaaaaaamn.
I'm please Danielle left "Poole" on the door. I am not at all sure what the hell else was going on with Mr. Engineer.
OH NO GUNS ON THE MOON OH NO....and it was that easy?!
The last three episodes are going to pulverize me again, I gotta wait until I have a free night of not doing anything else to freak out about this, like I did the end of season 1.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:49 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Pocket meat.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:42 PM on November 9, 2023
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:42 PM on November 9, 2023
I don't know where to put this and I have to tell someone. I went to a Jenny Lewis concert and it was amazing but she did a dramatic walk on to Karen and Danny's special song. (I am not sure if it was part of her planned show or a choice of the venue.) Everyone was cheering madly while I instinctively wanted to barf.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:35 AM on March 8 [1 favorite]
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:35 AM on March 8 [1 favorite]
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posted by sixswitch at 8:02 PM on April 2, 2021 [7 favorites]