"For All Mankind : Season 1" is something special

I rarely feel compelled to watch any fictional TV series, let alone write an article about one. However, after watching Season 1 of For All Mankind (via Apple TV +), I made a vow to myself that I would not allow myself to watch Season 2 until I wrote a review of what I had just watched.

It's been quite a few months since I've published any posts on my website, so what a perfect opportunity to get back into the groove with this article.

I first came across For All Mankind via the amazing YouTube Channel "The Beauty Of" (https://www.youtube.com/@TheBeautyOf), which showcases breathtaking visuals from the world of film and TV. I have been subscribed to this channel for a while now, please go check it out if you have any interest in the world of eye catching visuals, you won't be disappointed.

Anyway, back to this series. The opening ten minutes of Episode 1 shows us the first moon landing in 1969, except there is a twist, and it is this twist that sets the tone for the entire story arc. The basic premise of this series (in this particular universe) is that the space race never fizzled out after July 1969 but only got more and more intense as the years and decades rolled on by.

It is this fictional peer to peer competition and all the intrigue and drama that surrounds it, albeit from a strictly American perspective, that makes this work of fiction so compelling to watch.

Dramas which are based on alternate historical timelines are a firm favourite of mine, such as Man in the High Castle which was a showcase fixture that launched Amazon TV. Like Man in The High Castle, For All Mankind does take it's time to get going, but after two or so episodes I was pretty much hooked. Season 1 starts in 1969 and ends in 1983, and it is, with some nostalgia, lovely to see how the world had changed, mostly for the better I would add. All this through the lens of an USSR vs American space race that runs in an alternate version of reality compared to the one that we have been so accustomed to.

I can confidently say that this series is fairly epic in scope when it comes to the subjects covered as well as the way in which they are addressed. Somehow, they manage to fit in politics, civil rights, sexuality equality, technological advancements and a bit of philosophy all backed up by some amazing visuals.

About halfway through Season 1, I started to realise just how vast a canvas was being crafted before my very eyes. This canvas only gets richer as each episode is played out, fleshing out this alternate reality into something that is engaging and mesmerising. It really is something to behold, and the developers of this series should really be commended for what they have achieved. They have produced a work of fiction that is engrossing and thought provoking.

Of course, like most things in life, there are flaws. One or two of the earlier episodes are a bit slow when it comes to pacing, but I don't mind this, as it can take time to craft an intricate world that you are trying to immerse viewers in.

I felt that some of the indoor office scenes, seemed a little bit too cliched in terms of lighting and visual aesthetic, almost as if they had taken their creative direction from watching YouTube lighting tutorials. They looked a tad artificial to me, but I'm probably nit picking here.

Also, as much as I tried to warm to him, I felt Joel Kinnaman was miscast as Edward Baldwin.

I thought his performances were a bit too wooden for me, although towards the end of Season 1 he did seem to be a bit more relaxed in the role. Nevertheless, it was the wrong choice of actor for that role in my opinion. The rest of the casting I thought was pretty much spot on overall. There are some standout examples; Wrenn Schmidt as flight director Margo Maddison and Jodi Balfour as astronaut Ellen Wilson both deserve praise for their excellent performances.

Enough of the negatives, let's get back to the good stuff. What I also liked about For All Mankind, is how it reminds us of just how dangerous space flight (especially in the early days) was and still is in relative terms. Take for example, the first ever commercial spacewalk that took place on 12th September 2024, it's taken decades of research and development, as well as the literal sacrifice of brave astronauts (and cosmonauts) to get us to this stage. The series delves into the impact that the space race had on the families of the astronauts, whose lives would be anything but ordinary. I thought this was a nice touch, as it's easy to forget that these astronauts have wives, husbands, children, they are not going into space in isolation, they take the thoughts, wishes and fears of their families with them.

I may be a bit late to the game, (Season 1 aired in 2019) but I am glad I have discovered this gem of a TV series. I never seem to recall For All Mankind getting anywhere near the same level of attention as some other streaming hits such as Breaking Bad or Squid Game etc. Well, maybe that should change, and this article might help bring about that change in some small way.

Apple TV seems to be on a bit of a roll recently, pumping out some decent television. Their stealth hit "Slow Horses" was recently up for 9 Emmy awards in 2024. I have also previously written on this website about the excellent "Tehran" another Apple TV classic, although I never quite got round to writing an article about Season 2 which was just as excellent as the first one.

There is a lot of content out there at the moment and it takes real quality to stand above the crowd, quality which For All Mankind has in spades.

With that said, I can now go and watch Season 2! Catch you in the next article.