‘For All Mankind’ Recap: ‘Bring It Down’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 307 of ‘For All Mankind’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
​
There are a great many reasons to love the Apple TV+ series, For All Mankind. After all, it offers up quite the fascinating look regarding what our world might have looked like had the space race been won by the Soviet Union, and how that might have motivated a technology based Cold War. One that benefitted all of mankind in the end. Not to mention, it features powerful and relatable characters that we have all latched onto, and oddly enough, it is that relatability that leads to the biggest reason that this show is so beloved. In that, despite it being a reimagining of our history… it feels real at all times. A feat that this series accomplishes by way of two key storytelling elements.

First and foremost, by offering up consequences for the characters and their various decisions and actions, and that’s important because that’s how real-life works. Not to mention, these characters are flawed and have their own struggles that they deal with, and that too… matches the dynamics of our world and our lives and well… all of this is top of mind today, simply because it was all on display in the next episode of this incredible series. For ‘Bring It Down’ featured a great deal of consequences for the actions that took place in prior episodes. Such as Margo’s decision to hand over the engine designs to the Russians. 

Because after years of doing her best to keep that act a secret, the chickens finally came home to roost. For Aleida was still obsessed with who possibly leaked that kind of critical information and well… after noodling upon this mess with others and once again finding herself shut down when she thought she found the source… the real source dawned upon her. Meaning that a reckoning is coming for Margo, and that is quite the serious consequence for the woman that has driven NASA to new heights. Not to mention… both Ellen and Larry faced some consequences for their push to keep their sexuality a secret. In part because of the heat that came down from the Hill over Larry’s affair and from the fact that Ellen lost out on true love because of her ambition and unfortunate need to appear straight. A reality that forced both of them to really ponder upon the emotional toll of such acts, regardless of the world’s perceptions of LGBTQ+ individuals in the 1990s, that motivated the president to do something quite bold and visit with the one that got away.

But what’s amazing about this episode, is that such elements were also explored in the depths of space. For Danny Stevens was struggling mightily with his addiction in this tale, to the point where his behavior was starting to scare the crew and where Ed finally recognized that Danny had a problem. And well, the consequence to be found here relates to Danny's flaws. Because Danny’s need for real help regarding his addiction and trauma, and Ed’s desire to bring out the best in him worked in tandem to create an outright disaster. For on the day that Roscosmos and Helios worked to drill into the surface to retrieve water from the Martian crust, Danny was high at his post and abandoned his duties. Which led to a bad injury for Ed, and a landslide. One that may have caused great harm to those caught in the falling rock.

Which is quite the bleak ending to quite the bleak tale. One that was genuinely grounded in the darker and more unpleasant aspects of the human condition. For flaws were on full display here and people paid the piper for their mistakes and bleak or no… it all made for a brilliant episode. One that reminded us that the people that fly the skies are human beings and that their best is tough to achieve at times and well, now that we’ve been able to enjoy another realistic tale set in an alternate universe, our attention turns to the worrisome situation now developing on Mars. And sadly… we are going to have to impatiently wait a week to see… just how badly the fallout is going to be from Ed’s mistake and Danny’s illness. Until next time.

---

Powered by JustWatch