Comedy
Beef
Netflix’s newest show is well done, you might say. But Plugged In has a beef with some of its problems.
A cow never jumped over the moon. But in this alternate reality, you could say that a bear did—and set up shop there, too.
When Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first man to set foot on the moon in June 1969—beating the Americans to the punch—the United States wasn’t ready to concede the USSR’s dominance in space just yet. The American space program pushed to keep pace with the Russians step for step, landing for landing, moon colony for moon colony. And they’re not just trying to beat the Russians at the exploration game, either: They want to outdo their cosmic comrades in any way possible.
Because the Soviets are sending women into space, the Americans must, too, shucking off the program’s patriarchal history in an effort to keep up with the Joneskis. Shuttles aren’t just shipping up scientific equipment, either. Both sides are experimenting with military weaponry, too—just in case.
And you thought the vacuum of space was dangerous enough.
Well, with each new season in For All Mankind came a decade time jump. That means Season 5 takes place in the 2010s—and the USSR’s “one small step” has caused a giant leap in differences between the show’s historical timeline and ours.
Man set foot on a lot: the moon, Mars, an asteroid. The final frontier has expanded to Titan. Man has also established Happy Valley colony, a Martian base populated by around 5,000 people. High schoolers graduate on Mars and make plans to attend college on Earth. There’s even a Domino’s Pizza franchise there.
But lest we forget that the Red Planet is named after the Roman god of war, trouble is brewing. On Earth, sentiment for Happy Valley hasn’t been very high ever since the colony plucked (stole) a valuable asteroid full of precious metals out of the sky, one that Earth had intended to nab for itself. In fact, United States President James Bragg campaigned on an “Earth first” policy—and won. Earthlings are getting tired of their tax dollars and resources being shot into space to support Happy Valley.
Anger grows on Mars, too, as more and more of its colonists grow discontented with the way Earth micromanages them via the M-6, an Earth-based multinational coalition. Dev Ayesa, the founder of aerospace company Helios, hopes to make Mars self-sufficient. Some colonists spray-paint “Free Mars” on metal walls in the dead of night. Others gather in secret meetings to gripe about the colony not being taken seriously by Earth. Like the volcanic Olympus Mons, it’s only a matter of time before tensions erupt.
And then the first murder on Mars takes place.
For All Mankind is a clever, creative and somewhat convoluted look at an alternate past—one that would, inherently, lead to an alternate future. It feels fairly layered, as well, acknowledging that this hypothesized quest for supremacy with the Soviet Union wasn’t all bad. Just as the real space race gave rise to some of the technological advances we have today, so this race accelerates its own science and technology—giving the show a charmingly retro but curiously current vibe. The contest creates new heroes, too, and an accelerated sense of gender equity.
And while many of the protagonists in this show loathe the idea of a militarized space race (the show itself is titled For All Mankind for a reason), the military itself isn’t necessarily the enemy here. Many of those wearing stars or bars are just doing their jobs as best they can, just like most everyone else is.
But the show, like the moon and Mars itself, comes with some dangers.
For All Mankind isn’t as problematic as many TV-MA shows, but it still earns the rating. Foul language, including the f- and s-word can be fairly frequent here. Same-gender relationships, sex and infidelity all make appearances here as important subplots within the overall space-race theme. Some troubled and underage characters try to wash away their problems through alcohol. And dangerous, life-threatening situations are a feature of almost every episode: People sometimes die.
For All Mankind is one of Apple TV+’s most ambitious shows, offering an interesting blend of political maneuvering, personal drama and quirky commentary, all wrapped up in an alt-reality package. But the title is a little misleading: Given its issues, this show is hardly for all of mankind.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
In 1983, the Jamestown colony has been firmly established on the moon, with more than a dozen astronauts taking in a beautiful lunar sunrise as the show opens. Down on earth, things are not so peaceful for some of the space program’s earlier heroes. Gordo Stevens learns—while watching The Tonight Show—that his ex-wife (and fellow astronaut), Tracy, has gotten remarried. (She flashes the rock her new hubby gave her in Las Vegas for the camera). Margo Madison, the program’s director, does her best to negotiate with military brass for a few special polar launches. And former astronaut Edward Baldwin—now parked behind a desk as the Chief of Astronauts—quietly laments the changes taking place around him, from the introduction of electric cars to the introduction of real parmesan cheese at his wife’s restaurant. “Some things shouldn’t change,” he says. “Ever.”
But all of these concerns take a back seat when the sun spits out a titanic solar flare that’ll scramble satellites on Earth and threaten life on the moon—unless the astronauts can get to shelter on time.
One doesn’t. Another astronaut, Molly, witnesses that man’s unconscious body lying next to his wrecked lunar rover as the flare’s radiation roars over the satellite. She leaves shelter to pull the man to relative safety, risking her own potentially lethal dose of solar radiation. (She sees the injured man’s bloodied face through his visor.) We hear about earlier space accidents, as well.
Tracy doesn’t just show off her ring on television: She exhibits a lot of leg and cleavage, as well. A despondent Gordo is drinking beer when he sees his ex on TV; during the segment, Edward calls to see if Gordo’s OK—inviting him to “knock back a few … maybe more than a few.” (Gordo declines the invitation.) Earlier, Gordo drinks what appears to be whiskey as he speaks to a Rotary club. People smoke quite a bit.
Characters use the s-word five times, and one or two times it sounds as if people were saying the f-word as well. We also hear “h—” about five times. God’s name is misused five times as well, while Jesus’ name is abused twice.
Tensions boil on Mars and Earth alike as someone stumbles across a murder victim.
We see a couple of people shot and killed in a flashback. A Martian colonist discovers the bloated body of a man exposed to the Martian atmosphere. We’re told that many people attempt to run as far as they can without a spacesuit as a form of suicide. However, an autopsy report shows that this man was murdered and had his body staged to look like a suicide.
A teen girl references having a girlfriend. A man kisses his wife on neck, hoping for sex, and she obliges, taking off the man’s shirt as the camera pulls away. We see another man shirtless. Someone jokes about being friends with benefits.
A man asks the person who found the dead body about the bloating of the victim’s genitals. A man tells his friend to have sex with a girl, warning that if he doesn’t, she’ll be having sex with others when she goes to college instead. A man grabs his male friend’s rear as a joke.
Underage teens drink liquor and smoke marijuana. Adults drink, too.
We hear nine uses of the f-word and 14 of the s-word. Other crudities include “a–,” “b–ch,” “b–tard,” “d–n,” “d–k,” “h—” and “pr-ck.” God’s name is used in vain 13 times, including a few instances paired with “d–n.” Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain five times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
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