For All Mankind — Series 3 Episode 6 — New Eden — A Review

12th March, 2023: ‘New Eden’.

Right … 

As you’re no doubt already aware … ?

It’s Sunday!

Which means … well … that I’ve had dinner with my family.

Which reminds me, I’ve got to fill in my food diary.

After I’ve watched TV, of course.

“What,” I hear you ask, “are you going to be watching, today, Paul?”

It’s Sunday!

Where have you been … if you hadn’t worked out I’ll be watching ‘New Eden’, the next episode of For All Mankind’s third series?

And, given ‘Seven Minutes of Terror’ left us watching Margo digging her own grave … ?

I want to know what happens next … !

~≈🚀≈~

Episode 6 — ‘New Eden’ — opens with the camera zooming in on the Sojourner 1.

Reminding us that it — and its mixed crew of astronauts and cosmonauts — has crash landed on Mars.

But that — as Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall) puts it? — “any landing you can walk away from, is a good one.”

The crew are alive, the first humans on Mars … and now have to build a base with a mix of the limited gear the Sojourner 1 carried, and the equipment the various supply ships had already sent.

The Sojourner 1 isn’t getting off Mars.

But Danielle is able to announce that — as Ed Baldwin, the Helios commander, is a very old friend — she’s arranged for a lift home.

Until then … ?

They’re going to have to get building, fast.

The nights on Mars are going to be chilly … 

 ~≈🚀≈~

Now … what did I make of ‘New Eden,’ of an episode that starts with some sort of unity between crews … and ends with the inhabitants of Happy Valley base at each others throats?

That ends with political shenanigans?

I’ve got to say, I loved it!

‘New Eden’ is a great little episode.

And one that shifts focus from the dramatic space heroics of earlier episodes, and shifts to the messy politics.

And politics that hinges on two simple things.

The need to survive.

Frankly?   The Russians have found water, water that all three crews on Mars need to survive, water that’s oh, so conveniently, near to where the Helios crew have made their base.

The deal between Helios, and the Russian Roscosmos agency?   Is one that let Russian and Helios teams on Mars exclude their NASA colleagues … and causes outright arguments, when NASA’s Commander, the usually unflappable Danielle finds out.

The other … ?

If you’ve watched For All Mankind, before now, you’ll realise that President Wilson (Jodi Balfour) and her husband Larry, are both very closeted gay people* … and in what’s called a lavender marriage: a marriage of convenience designed to hide the fact the pair are gay from the straight world.

And — more importantly — from the extremely conservative Republican Party they’re members of, and the extremely conservative Republican voters that have put Wilson into the White House.

What’s made things harder for the President?

Is that fact that one of the NASA astronauts on Mars, Will Tyler (Robert Bailey Jr), comes out of the interplanetary closet … in a TV interview that’s seen everywhere on the planet, and at a time when US Conservatives are looking for the next juicy moral panic.

At a time when LGBTQI⁺ rights weren’t perfect?   When people would refuse to share ashtrays with people they felt had HIV/AIDS?

It adds a real world twist to an alternative history†: and a nasty one, at that.

 ~≈🚀≈~

With that said … ?

I can only reiterate what I’ve already said.

I loved it: it’s another great episode of a fantastic series.

And frankly?

What’s got me wanting to come back next week.

You can tell, can’t you?

I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Picard — ‘Imposter’ — on Friday, 17th March: and have my written and video review up on Saturday, 18th March.

I’ll watch the next episode of For All Mankind — ‘Bring It Down’ — on Sunday, 19th March: and have the written‡ and video‡ reviews up on Monday, 20th March.

Let’s call it a date, shall we?

I’ll see you then!

‘New Eden’.

★★★★

*        I have no problem with the LGBTQI⁺ community.   At least, I hope I don’t!   I Do have a problem with the phrase, LGBTQI⁺.   It’s an ungainly mouthful.

†        Towards the end of the episode, and in order to take control of the political situation?   President Wilson introduces an executive order that forbids gay people joining the US military, prevents current gay members from revealing their sexuality … and also forbids members of the services from asking, or revealing, another member’s sexuality.   The scene — and President Wilson’s decision — are based on the real world decision by President Clinton to introduce the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.   The policy has since been lifted.

‡        Those links will go live, late on Monday, 20th March, 2023.