For All Mankind (SciFi Apple TV+)

AlmightyCushion · 08-08-2022 11:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119443594#Comment_119443594

I assume the North Koreans lost contact with the guy so didn't announce it thinking it crashed and he died

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 12-08-2022 3:23pm

Some really questionable decision making in that episode but that seems to have been a running theme this season.

I assumed some of the original cast members would be written out after this season so it wasn't that big a shock to see how this ended, but still, it feels like Karen was done dirty since last season, and Molly too.

All in all its still a great show but this season did feel like a step down from the first two.

Agent Coulson · 12-08-2022 3:52pm

So that was there......

Oklahoma bombing & Timothy McVeigh moment , I guess next season if there is another time jump we might see there 9/11

Sudden Valley · 12-08-2022 6:59pm

What an unexpected ending. Thought that conspiracy theory group storyline was going nowhere. That actress had been killed off in a few shows but really a time jump would make it difficult for a lot of characters to come back for the next season.

NinjaTruncs · 12-08-2022 7:00pm

There already was a time jump, it jumped to 2003 in the final scene, by the what was that location though?

I had to rewind to see what happened Molly, as I thought I missed it.

I'd agree with Elmo, some strange decisions, I think ed should have gone at the same time as Karen, but overall I still think it's excellent and look forward to another series.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 12-08-2022 7:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465169#Comment_119465169

It was somewhere in Russia, I assume. Pretty sure their flag was flying on one of the buildings.

Sudden Valley · 12-08-2022 7:31pm

yeah definitely defected to Russia, not sure what the point of that is- she is useless to the storyline now she is in Russia. Actually a lot of female characters got a raw deal this season.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 12-08-2022 8:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465294#Comment_119465294

They really did. I know some of the older characters just didn't have a place in the season but I'm so mad at the fact they reduced Kelly to a womb.

Margo might not be in S4, maybe they just didn't want to kill all the women so they kept her alive but she'll still be gone.

Unless they're all working at a beurocratic level for NASA or Helios next season, Ed, Ellen, even Danielle, shouldn't really still be there either. Which basically leaves Dev, Aleida, Kelly, and Danny as the main characters.

pixelburp · 12-08-2022 9:03pm

Episodes 8 and 9 and I can't always decide if I love or loathe this show's occasional crazy lunge into melodrama. When it works, it's a hoot. When it doesn't?

Kelly's surprise pregnancy felt a bit arbitrary and was utterly jarring the decision to keep it was made off-screen, everyone else apparently ok with this. Instead, we got a lazy TV news montage, rather than what would have been a potentially gripping bit of character drama and tension: Kelly juggling the crushing moral quandary, varying factions arguing the pros and cons. Nope, she's keeping it and the 3 teams are all smiles and excitement; all presumably for the cheap drama and danger it might mine. Giving birth in Zero G would be utter madness, I couldn't believe nobody would object - especially the doctor.

The President's little speech at the end was a nice moment, even if it might still doom her Presidency. Some small points removed for effectively stealing her husband's thunder, who must now go "...uh, so I'm gay too? If anyone cares?". Wonder will episode 10 even touch the thorny issue of a now deeply confused son.

That episode 9 ending though - that's the big melodramatic swing that works. North Korea on Mars! Love it, that's so insane, it breaks my brain in a fun way. Just one terrified looking astronaut mind you, so I wonder was it a solo mission & death sentence from Dear Leader; presumably, given even Russia thought it was just a probe. Fill it with food, add a seat and shove a "volunteer" inside.

pjcb · 12-08-2022 9:42pm

Why did they need jimmy? Did they use a pass he got, to get the van into the JSC complex via some gate with no human security?

Blind woman leading people out? How did Cobb die?

Isn't Aleida Rosales suppose to be charge of the mission, not dramatic standing

They killed off karen!

Danny is getting put in space jail.

Not very efficient he is not hooked on drugs anymore

Yerone is very forgiving of the prez, what happens to her husband? didn't many people know of his cheating and lying to the committee.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 12-08-2022 10:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465730#Comment_119465730

Yeah, that really didn't make sense. I assumed they were going to do something inside the building at some point, but the way it played out they were outside with all the reporters, which didn't require Jimmy's help at all.

knucklehead6 · 13-08-2022 5:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465169#Comment_119465169

What happened to Molly. She led some people in, went back in and that was it?

NinjaTruncs · 13-08-2022 5:41pm

Yeah that was my understanding, towards the end there was a clip with a newspaper on the ground that said JSC was being renamed after her, I can't recall the exact wording but it suggested she had died.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 13-08-2022 6:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119468511#Comment_119468511

Poor Wayne, losing his wife and his weed bestie.

pjcb · 13-08-2022 9:42pm

why kill karen at this point?

knucklehead6 · 13-08-2022 10:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119469741#Comment_119469741

Cos they couldn’t spend the make up it’d take to make a 37 yr old look like a 73 yr old

pjcb · 14-08-2022 3:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119469991#Comment_119469991

they didn't do much aging on Jodi Balfour, the prez.

somebody on twitter made a good point that its ironic that Karen is the one to get killed rather then the her pilot husband.

Acosta · 14-08-2022 12:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119469991#Comment_119469991

They could just try perhaps writing characters out of the show without killing them off? The Karen ending/bomb plot just felt stupid. Bringing Molly back to kill her..meh.. There was no need for any of it. All the Kelly stuff was silly not helped by her not being a strong character or actor.

Will Ed be back in next season doing the space cowboy thing? Probably

Weirdly despite all my hangups, overall I still enjoyed it. This show manages to get away with a lot of silliness and still be worth watching.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 14-08-2022 2:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119471385#Comment_119471385

Yeah, it did feel a little like they just knew they had to get rid of a few people in the one episode so put them all in the vicinity of the bomb. Honestly I had just assumed they'd written Molly out weeks ago. We hadn't seen her since she fell out with Margo. It didn't even really make a lot of sense why Ed wanted to talk to her before the launch either, she didn't really offer anything of use in their conversation.

is_that_so · 14-08-2022 2:53pm

So, that was the end of that one. It was almost predictable as the bunch Jimmy landed with were obviously up to no good at all. Not sure what they do next although IMO it's a pity that Margo made it. Of the implausible storyline that was one of the most ludicrous. One would hope they get a better common theme with a new cast in Season 4.

Cina · 14-08-2022 9:27pm

So next season 80 year old Ed is going to be hobbling around Mars on his walking stick I guess. At least he’ll still look 40 but with a few more grey hairs!

FortuneChip · 14-08-2022 11:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119473542#Comment_119473542

By Season 5, I reckon Ed will be captaining the Battlestar Galactica to Kobol.

Joel has his critics, but I think Ed has been a solid member throughout, and did well to keep my interest after we lost Gordo & Tracy last season.

Elsewhere, completely uneccessary reducing of cast members that could have been allowed to age-out without issue.

Can maybe forgive allowing Molly a heroes moment, even if contrived, but Karen's wasn't needed at all.

If anything, it could have been really interesting to see Karen become CEO of Helios in a world where NASA has been decimated, and would have been a nice trajectory for her character.

Hers & Jimmy's decisions in the lead-up to the attack were written quite poorly.

Why on Mars are they sending Danny to "prison"? It's not like we'll get to see how that would have unfolded, and any character development in him by season four could be explained by a few conversations about "that one time on Mars..." It seemed like a really weird thing to focus on.

The Margo epilogue also seems pointless - she can't be involved in much any more?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 15-08-2022 12:20am

I'd assume Danny in prison was just to show that the rest of the crew found out the truth, but yeah, kind of pointless. Same really goes for the whole everyone sacrificed themselves for Kelly thing. They all had to hang around Mars for an extra year or whatever, but it's all irrelevant to us as viewers.

Dav010 · 15-08-2022 1:54pm

So there are hints here about season 4 and a bit more info about their thinking relating to Karen and Molly’s deaths. Seems season 4 will explore the Russian space project, and maybe Margot’s part in it.

https://tvline.com/2022/08/13/for-all-mankind-season-4-spoilers-russia-mars/amp/

SimonTemplar · 15-08-2022 2:36pm

I've started to rewatch the show from the beginning and seeing scenes with a young Danny and Karen knowing what will happen between them is really weird.

Sudden Valley · 15-08-2022 2:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119476004#Comment_119476004

I'm surprised they are doing this with Margot. She hasnt been an engineer for a while and was only a half decent administrator. It is really character assassination at this stage.

I wouldnt like to predict how bad Ed's makeup will be next season. It seems hollywood/tv is really bad at aging characters but especially female characters. They had to kill off Karen or she would be the most attractive over 70 year old next season.

Slydice · 16-08-2022 1:06pm

Well that was season 3. Had some decent moments. Had one let-down storyline in having no USA intelligence services. I'd guess it might be made up for in a future season after what happened in this one.

3.10: I didn't see that one coming up to the end, I think the event that came straight to mind was..

the Oklahoma bombing. Maybe that was intentional.

Ed... when he found out about Karen. Felt like the dude just got punched square in the gut.

Karen and Molly dead... damn.. two big losses to the show. Was glad to see Molly back for the episode and liked how she stepped up after the bombing... and her message to Ed for his mission.

The Stevens brothers... jeez. This show just doesn't like that family.

Margo.. I totally thought was dead... but I must've forgotten the lack of USA intelligence services... wow they sucked this whole season. Like.. didn't have a clue about Margo for decades.. were infiltrated by USSR intelligence services.. let Margo get away to Moscow while under investigation.. yeah.. major suck.

Kellys story was ok.. glad she survived.. had a minor sweaty palms moment with her mission as I was guessing the show might sacrifice either her or Ed.. but I guess the show went with the bombing instead. Didn't feel she was in danger all too much though.. just didn't feel right for the show.

My coolest moment in this episode had to be..

Ed walking away from the crashed MSAM with the smoke and Mars and all in the background. The face on Joel Kinnaman (Ed) for those few seconds was legit!

Oh... and petition for any future mission to Mars to call the people who go there: The Mars Dumplings! 😁

Future: Well then..

a jump of at least a decade I'd be guessing since Margos scene was 2003.. I was half expecting to see flying cars when she pulled the curtains.

I'd say Mars can't have been the end of exploration and the bombing might have pushed for further exploration. Maybe there will be asteroid belt mining... maybe then a mission to Jupiter or beyond... that'd be mad!

Dev breaking away from Helios.. so I'm guessing is going to lead to multiple space companies.

Slydice · 16-08-2022 1:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465730#Comment_119465730

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465838#Comment_119465838

They were going to do a TV Broadcast.. probably to wax lyrical about their Plan (TM)

they wanted (I think the 80s film words would be) to "Jack In" to the official NASA signal to get more audience..

but they were interrupted..

so they went ahead with their plan without the TV Broadcast

_Kaiser_ · 18-08-2022 3:06pm

Rewatched the season ender this morning as there was a lot in it and I was tired the other night.

I don't get the dislike for Ed to be honest. For me he's one of the highlights of the season. Glad he makes it through, but I suppose there had to be some toll for he, Kelly and the baby surviving - though as said above, Karen in charge of Helios would have been interesting.

Nice to see Molly back one more time and a great exit for her saving not just Ed, Kelly and the baby but the staff after the bombing. Nice touch renaming JSC after her.

Margo defecting to the Soviet Union was telegraphed through the episode with her goodbyes, but does that mean that the Soviets used the terrorists to stage the bombing as cover to get her out? And no one copped it? As I and others have said, I think the writers don't realise just how paranoid East and West were in the Cold War - the complete absence of US security or intelligence services from this show takes me out of it every time it rears its head.

Hard to know if she'll be back. Spending her remaining days as a "guest" of the Soviet Union would be a fitting penance and way to write her out as well.

The Stevens brothers.. where to begin!! The two most annoying, whiny and ultimately destructive characters in the show.

Danny was bad enough with his constant pining for a woman he had a one night stand with years ago, but then the mining disaster he caused. Exiling him to the North Korean capsule was probably the best idea, though I think the gun that was buried - complete with convenient marker - will come into play, although that said unless it's through a flashback it's a bit pointless as we've now jumped at least 8 years ahead per the last scene.

Jimmy was pretty much pointless throughout. All he ultimately did was get captured by terrorists and gave them access to NASA IDs (presumably how they got the van through the gates and in place with the press). The fact that he (and his brother) survived is a major annoyance.

Overall though a very good season with some great moments/episodes and a strong finale. Will be interesting to see where they go in 2003.

PhiloCypher · 18-08-2022 6:43pm

The issue for me is they've left so many things up in the air that we'll never likely see played out onscreen as there will be a 8 year time Jump. How did the multinational crew get on , how did the North Korean integrate with the others, how did they manage to survive till sojourner 2, how does Danny cope in isolation , what's the fallout for Larry's part in the bombing, are they dragging out Danny confessing to Ed about Karen into a whole new Decade. I know they'll likely cover some of this in news clippings and dialogue, but it's just not the same .

For All Mankind (SciFi Apple TV+)

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