19th March, 2023: ‘Bring It Down’.
Right … Sundays …
Sundays are the one day of the week that I spend quality time with my family.
I did: it is Mother’s day, after all.
I think we can safely say a fun time was had by all … bar the broken water glass.
At any rate?
I’m now home: and just about to sit down with a large mug of tea: and ‘Bring It Down’, the next episode of For All Mankind.
Last week’s episode ended up with an argument.
This week’s episode?
Could go anywhere!
Episode 7 — Bring It Down — opens with a news broadcast: telling us water has been found on Mars … and that a drilling team of Soviet and Helios crew members have been tasked to find it.
And that the Soviet team at NASA are leaving Houston Mission Control: to head for its Helios equivalent.
On top of that bad news … ?
Sergei (Piotr Adamczyk) has to tell Margo (Wrenn Schmidt), he’s being forced back to Russia: the Soviet government feels Sergei’s nice, comfortable dacha in the Gulag is the best place for him.
Post titles?
We see First Husband, Larry Wilson (Nate Corddry), facing a congressional committee on the funding for NASA from ’81 to ’87.
The records of which include some very suspicious entries.
But not as suspicious … as some of the personal rumours.
Apparently? Someone senior in the President’s Office has allegedly been having an affair with a White House aide … and the Committee thinks it might be him.
Meanwhile … ?
In a garden in Houston, Danny Stevens’ younger brother, Jimmy (David Chandler) is having a barbecue with a small group: one that includes Sunny (Taylor Deardon), a right wing conspiracy theorist who’s involved with some seriously nasty groups.
The sort of groups convinced that the Moon landings didn’t happen.
Something Sunny has half convinced Jimmy has more truth than he thinks.
She’s completely convinced him of something else.
That him giving her a tour of NASA’s offices in Houston could be a very good idea.
Sunny and her friends … ? Want proof NASA are faking things.
Jimmy’s friends aren’t the only ones with issues.
Back on Mars?
Danny Stevens’ (Casey W. Johnson) secret addiction isn’t so secret, after all.
Ed (Joel Kinnaman), the Helios commander?
Ed has figured out Danny is taking something: as he’s noticed how — literally — spaced out Danny is.
So … ?
Having initially assigned Danny to be the co-pilot who takes the Helios/Soviet team to the drilling site, Ed changes his mind.
Grounding Danny, and assigning him to the full job of Communications officer for the team.
After all … manning the radio means Danny can’t cause problems.
Can he?
~≈🚀≈~
Now … What DID I think of ‘Bring It Down’, of an episode that’s covering three plot threads, at once?
Thread one follows Ellen’s (Jodi Balfour’s) difficulties as President: and her husband, Larry’s, attempts to stay in the political closet.
Thread two follows Margo’s attempts to get Sergei out of the USSR, before Almeida (Coral Peña) traces the leaked plans to her boss.
Thread three follows the joint crews on Mars: and their struggles to get survive the brave new world.
Frankly? Thread one, the thread following President Wilson’s issues? Is the heaviest thread in ‘Bring It Down’. It’s one that — with Nate Corddry’s vague resemblance to Kevin Spacey — had me thinking of the US version of House of Cards.
It’s not quite as well done as the Netflix hit: and a little too slowly paced for my taste.
But you can see where AppleTV+ is going with it, and give them credit for doing it well.
Even if, like me, you were expecting Jodi Balfour or Nate Corddry start breaking the fourth wall.
Thread two? Thread two has given us the first of the episode’s cliffhangers: with Almeida realising who has sold NASA to the Russians, even if she doesn’t know why her boss has done what she’s done.
Thread three?
Landed us with the episode’s real cliffhanger, the one that hand me literally bitting my nails.
As a cliff collapses on at least one Russian cosmonaut.
With an ending like that?
You can bet I’m going to be watching the next episode.
~≈🚀≈~
Yes: this was another good episode.
Granted, the thread that follows President Wilson is slower than the others, but as an overall package?
‘Bring It Down’ is a very good episode, indeed.
It means I’ll be watching the next episode: to see how those cliffhangers resolve themselves.
First things first, though?
I’ll be watching the next episode of Star Trek Picard — ‘The Bounty’ — on Friday, 24th March: and have my written* and video* review up on Saturday, 25th March.
I’ll watch the next episode of For All Mankind — ‘The Sands of Ares’ — on Sunday, 26th March: and have the written† and video† reviews up on Monday, 27th March.
Hopefully?
I’ll see you then.
Let’s not call it a date.
Let’s call it checking in on Bob … !
‘Bring It Down’.★★★★
* Those will go live, late on the 25th March
† Those links will go live on 27/3/2023: so you know … !
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