Tuesday 12 December 2023

For All Mankind — Series 4 Episode 5 — “Goldilocks” — A Review

11th December, 2023: an introduction and announcement.


Right … 

I’m writing this — as I always do — on a Monday evening: as potatoes are boiling.

And now in the oven.

Yep: I’m making my own chips.

At any rate … ?

I’m doing dinner.

And, once that — and tonight’s I’m Sorry, I Haven’t A Clue listened to — I’ll be watching “Goldilocks”, the next episode of For All Mankind’s fourth series.

I’ll have my written and video reviews up, tomorrow night!

I’ll see you then … 

~≈🛸≈~


12th December, 2023: “Goldilocks”.

Episode 5 — “Goldilocks” — opens with with a long shot of the (fictional) Paine Space Telescope: then, after a deep dive into the machine’s complex interior, shifts.

To show us the asteroid the telescope is looking at.

And?   And show us the report the Telescope sends back to Earth.

The asteroid the Telescope has picked up is one that — in theory — can be retrieved by determined miners.

And, as the news reports on Earth tell us?

Is one that has more iridium, extremely valuable iridium, than humanity’s ever produced … in its entire history … !

~≈🛸≈~

Post titles?

Post title, we see a flashback to the early days of the Happy Valley base: of the period in the 1990s, when the base was running out of food, everything was rationed, and the ultimate in sanctions was exile.

What we’re seeing is a dream: one being dreamt by Base commander, Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall), before she’s awakened by a junior officer.

The communications room has just had word about the valuable asteroid … and that every one of the M7 nations is issuing contradictory orders about it.

It’s only with a lot of diplomatic too-ing and fro-ing that Danielle has to give a certain amount of news to her crew.

They have ten weeks to capture the asteroid that’s been named Goldilocks … or never hear the end of it.

And, in a quiet word to her Executive Officer, Ed Baldwin (Joel Kinnaman) … ?

She wants to make sure of one thing: the pair of them have “got to be on the same page!”

~≈🛸≈~

Now … what did I make of this episode?

Of “Goldilocks”?

First things first, I don’t know why the writers choose that name for the asteroid.

Presumably, it’s because the asteroid is the right sized plot device for the episode: it’s not too big, and it’s not too small.

I do know the phrase “Goldilocks Zone” is a name for the habitable zone around a star: in other words, it’s the area that’s just the right distance from a sun, for planets to be capable of supporting life as we know it.   

I’m assuming the writers have used the name ‘Goldilocks,’ in part, because of the things economic value.

But also because it was found just on the borders of Mars orbit, just on the borders of our sun’s Goldilocks zone.

Am I sure?

No.

But it seems an obvious conclusion.

The episode, itself … ?

It struck me that last week’s episode, “House Divided” was about Margot (Wrenn Schmidt), as much as anyone else.

“Goldilocks”, by contrast?

Whilst it shows us sides to Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) we’ve not seen, whilst it shows us the kind of determination Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu) has, and Aleida Rosales’ (Coral Peña) feistiness?

Focuses more on Daniel and Ed’s rapidly souring relation.

It’s taking their relationship into new, and darker, areas.

Frankly?

I’m looking forward to seeing how the next episode explores that: or if it — as I believe its name suggests — it explores Margo’s ongoing story.

We’ll have to see, won’t we?

I’ll be watching “Leningrad” on 18th December, 2023: and putting my written and video, reviews up on the 19th.

I will, hopefully, catch you then.

Be seeing you!!

“Goldilocks”
★★★★ 

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