‘For All Mankind’ Recap: ‘Triage’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 209 of ‘For All Mankind’.
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When we last settled in to discuss the wondrous AppleTV+ series, For All Mankind, the situation was quite grim. For one Soviet Cosmonaut was dead and one was wounded after a misunderstanding at the lunar mining site ended with weapons fire, leaving all of us to wonder… what kind of consequences and tension would come forth from such an intense surprise and thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long to find out. For ‘Triage’ picks up shortly after that unfortunate disaster and informs us of the fact that the Soviet Union is fired up over what’s happened, to the point where they are ready to make some bold moves to reinforce their supremacy in space. For they quickly launch their own, armed version of the space shuttle and send it into lunar orbit. Effectively creating a blockade and preventing the Americans from going about their standard lunar business.

Which in turn motivates NASA to launch Pathfinder early with a weapons payload of her own, making it seem as though tensions are going to escalate out of control and quickly. But thankfully, things begin to cool down once the Soviet lunar commander and his station’s doctor are able to examine their wounded comrade and recover the remains of their fallen cosmonaut. Since that gesture of goodwill, made it clear that a mistake was indeed made and that conflict didn't need to extend beyond that unfortunate incident, and that particular moment, alongside the wonderful news that the Apollo/Soyuz mission was a go, made it seem as though peace was indeed going to prevail. Allowing for the story to shift gears and return to the character focused moments that have become a staple of this series and those were quality for certain.

Since they brought about some lighthearted moments. Because watching Gordo try to woo Tracy with bad singing and alcohol hidden in mouthwash, was pretty darn funny and it was equally as sweet since he is genuinely trying to show her how much he loves her. Plus, there were powerful character moments to be found as well, the kind that were handled by Ellen’s journey in this tale. Since there was talk in this story about her becoming the first female President of the United States, thanks to her incredible work in handling the current crisis. Which brought Pam to an important inflection point in regard to her relationship with Ellen. In that, she came to realize that Ellen would never accept such an incredible future if they were together, and that motivated Pam to break it off so her beloved could walk a historic and magnificent path, one that would see all of her dreams come true.

Which was a beautiful and devastating moment for certain, one that speaks to the power of love and sacrifice and sadly… the wonder and gravity of this moment was overshadowed by another powerful ending. Because the peace and calm we enjoyed after the initial worry in this tale, was nothing more than a temporary respite. Because one average day on the moon, transformed into one of total terror when a bullet tore through the glass in the Jamestown command module, forcing an evacuation by all personnel, which in turn allowed for the Soviets to march in with weapons drawn. Which means that the U.S.S.R. wasn’t good with a gesture of goodwill after all, and sadly… their decision to settle a score, before taking control… has once again put America and the Soviet Union, in a precarious place. 

If anything, that is a stunning way to end this tale. Because that is in essence, an act of war, one that will undoubtedly bring about a powerful response from the United States and who knows if this is the moment that this universe takes a sour turn. But all of that aside, this is an episode that deserves an outright round of applause, for assembling an emotional rollercoaster ride. Since this story left us nervous, joyful and sorrowful and utterly terrified, in that order, over the course of the hour and that really is no small feat, and it truly speaks to the quality writing present within this tale. If anything, the only complaint when it comes to this story, is that it ends. Because that really was one heck of a cliffhanger, one that is going to leave us counting down the seconds until next week’s tale as we wait to see if this corner of the multiverse can avoid the war that our world did, so long ago. Until next time.

‘For All Mankind’ is streaming now on AppleTV+.

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