26th February, 2023: ‘Happy Valley.’
Yes!
It’s Sunday night!
And, frankly?
I’ve just had dinner.
You’d possibly guessed that, by now!
You’ve possibly also guessed what I’m going to tell you next.
Yes: as I’ve been doing for for the past few weeks, I’m going to be settling in with the next episode of For All Mankind’s third series.
Judging by the various bits of blurb that I’ve scrupulously avoided?
It sounds like a good episode.
27th February, 2023.
Episode 4 — ‘Happy Valley’ — opens by showing us the Phoenix. The Helios ship captained by Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) that’s headed for Mars, and, at the start of ‘Happy Valley,’ some two hundred and forty four kilometres from Mars.
Trailing behind it? Are NASA’s Sojourner 1, captained by Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), and the Soviet Mars 94: with the Soviets a significant number of kilometres behind the two American ships.
Ed? Is crowing just a little: as is his equally pleased boss, Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi).
Dev?
Is very aware that — should the Helios ship land on Mars, first? — that his company is in for a huge prize: something he plans to split between every Helios staffer working on the project.
Danielle, captaining the Sojourner 1, is gracious in apparent defeat.
Knowing perfectly well that the Sojourner 1 has an hidden advantage.
The solar sails that Danielle orders Kelly (Cynthy Wu) to unleash: solar sails that give the Sojourner 1 … an eight day lead in getting to the Red Planet.
Ed — and his boss — are not happy bunnies.
Dev … ?
Is angry enough to want to force make sure the Phoenix gets to Mars by any means necessary.
Post titles?
Post titles, we see that America is in turmoil: with news reports of protests outside NASA Houston HQ.
And see President Wilson (Jodi Balfour) confronted an especially snotty senator.
One who’ll only approve her spending plans … if she approves taking money out of NASA.
Not something the former astronaut likes the sound of.
But something her husband, Larry (Nate Corddry) has a partial solution for.
Given NASA’s winning the Race to Mars, a photo-op in Houston seems to be the order of the day.
While that’s being arranged?
Meanwhile? Kelly Baldwin, up on the Sojourner 1 is broadcasting a lot of music to her fellow crewmen: and to the crews of the Phoenix, and the Mars 94.
Along side an open invite to contact her — and the Sojourner — on a specific frequency: if they feel the need to.
What she doesn’t expect … ? Is that one anonymous Russian crewman would contact her … to let her know his colleagues are going to try something dangerous.
Something that will put them ahead of the race.
But that could also kill everyone on their ship …
Do you get the feeling this could end badly … ?
~≈🚀≈~
Now … what on Earth did I make of ‘Happy Valley’?
What did I think of it … ?
Can I make a confession?
Something I use on the written versions of my reviews — but not necessarily something I use in their YouTube equivalents is a rating system for films and TV shows: one that goes from zero stars at worst, to — until recently — four stars as a maximum.
Zero (☆☆☆☆) stars? Means avoid the film like the plague. Four (★★★★) stars? Meant go watch, now!
It wasn’t until I watched an episode of Star Trek Discovery called ‘Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach,’ that I thought changes were due.
That one, fantastic, episode … ?
Forced me to introduce a four plus (★★★★⁺) rating: a four plus (★★★★⁺) rating that means watch this now, then tell your friends about it.
A four plus (★★★★⁺) rating that I immediately applied to a few other reviews of mine: Wheatley’s A Field In England, the Spielberg version of West Side Story, and the film versions of Terry Pratchett’s, The Amazing Maurice, and Troll Bridge.
Bear that in mind!
‘Happy Valley’?
‘Happy Valley’ is an extremely well made piece of TV.
As ever?
The design work is excellent: the individual ships are as distinct as you can imagine, the interiors, superb.
The writing? And story?
The writing is as superb as ever.
And, frankly?
The story this episode tells us, the slice of the story unravelling before us?
Is possibly one of the most riveting slices of TV I’ve seen in a long time.
For starters?
It goes from a straight-forward race to another planet … then twists into an interplanetary rescue mission with teeth.
One set of potential rescuers — Ed Baldwin’s Helios crew — desperately wanting to help their fellow space travellers only to be hampered by a boss determined to get to get his own way.
The other set, the Danielle Poole led Sojourner crew bravely stepping up to the plate … only to crash into the Russian ship, seeing at least two hands killed!
One of them right as the closing credits roll.
The performances?
Are equally as good.
In between the script and the performance?
I’m impressed with the ensemble as a whole.
But especially with Edi Gathegi’s performance as Dev Ayesha*.
And more and more convinced the character’s based loosely on Steve Jobs.
Dev’s big speech at the start? His anger at being thwarted?
And his ruthless refusal to take part in a rescue?
Has me convinced of it.
The real star of the episode … ?
Was Krys Marshall as Danielle.
We know Danielle is competent.
She wouldn’t be on the mission, wouldn’t be leading the mission, if she wasn’t.
But, with Marshall’s performance? We see that: we see a caring, competent, and utterly calm, leader.
Calm: that’s absolutely what I think a captain needs in this situation.
And Krys Marshall’s performance gives us that!
About my only — very minor — complaint?
Is that this episode is supposed to be set in an alternative 1992: and shows us Kelly Baldwin using a first — or possibly second — generation iPod.
They weren’t actually released until 2001, some nine years after this is supposed to be set. You’d think Apple would know better.
That aside?
‘Happy Valley’ is a superb episode: well worth watching … and well worth telling your friends about.
~≈🚀≈~
Which leaves me with my usual last words.
Frankly?
‘Happy Valley’ is a one hell of an episode.
One that raises the bar, very high.
It leaves me hoping a couple of things.
I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Picard — ‘Seventeen Seconds’ — on 3rd March: this Friday.
I’ll hopefully have my written and video reviews up, by the fourth: this Saturday. My birthday: just in case you want to leave anything in my tip jar!
I’ll be watching the next episode of For All Mankind on Sunday, 5th March: and have my written and video reviews up, the next day.
I hope you’d care to join me.
After I find out if ‘Seven Minutes of Terror’ lives up to the threat of ‘Happy Valley’.
I’ll see you next week!
‘Happy Valley’.★★★★⁺
* I’m assuming the Dev Ayesha character was based on Jobs: ever since I saw him in episode two. And somehow unsurprised by it. We might be looking at both Ayesha and Jobs as villainous, evil people. But? But the impression I’ve formed over the years is that the likes of Steve Jobs — Sir Richard Branson of Virgin is another — don’t end up heading multi-trillion dollar companies by being nice. Charming, yes: that comes in handy. But nice? Nahhhh … !
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